EMPOWERING NATIVE LAKOTA STUDENTS TO REALIZE HOPE AND OPPORTUNITY THROUGH SECONDARY EDUCATION!

Mission
The mission of LEAP is to realize a higher high school graduation rate and successful transition to secondary schools, both technical and college.

LEAP is dedicated to educational advancement of the Lakota Oglala Children by providing admission, education, and assistance to graduating Pine Ridge high school students who are seeking continued education at a University, community college and secondary technical school level.

Our goal is to help those who make a choice to advance in education a real possibility, and break the cycle of dependence. These children will be the catalyst for change and bring to Pine Ridge the hope that others can do the same.

Expected Outcome
Our expected outcome is to realize a higher graduation rate and successful transition to secondary school.
The advancement of Native American students to secondary education is at 48% nationally. Pine Ridge is well below that averaging 15% to 20 dependent on the district and the school. In comparison our public school districts in Minnesota average 95%. Our goal is to close this gap and make secondary education a reality for the children of Pine Ridge Reservation.

Meeting our expectations
We will meet our goals by creating and implementing a field trip based program that encourages Native youth to explore secondary school opportunities prior to High School graduation. Through a combination of field trips and mentoring, we will encourage young teens to reach their potential by completing their High School diploma and meeting the basic requirements to enter a college/university or technical school program.
Our concept is to provide an annual field trip to partnering Universities in S. Dakota for a 4 day experience into secondary education possibilities. This will give the Native students a firsthand college experience. This will include both college and technical school designed to find the right fit for the individual student. LEAP will initially seek out students completing their 10th year as sophomores in high school and those that are currently in line with graduation requirements, as well as, those close to meeting those requirements. We are current establishing our networks on the reservation and reaching out to Red Cloud school administration. Red Cloud School has a better than average continuing education rate and will help our team to determine what is working to further advanced education.