State Superintendent Student Cabinet positions open

Native youth advocate for better educational experiences

State Superintendent Kirsten Baesler is calling on youth across North Dakota to apply for her Student Cabinet, which features a Native Education and Experiences caucus.

The State Superintendent Student Cabinet has members from third to 12th grade in both public and private schools. They provide Baesler with advice and opinions about how to improve the direction of state education policy. Student Cabinet terms last about 18 months. Meetings occur at the state Capitol in Bismarck every three months.

Baesler came up with the idea of the Student Cabinet when she became the North Dakota State Superintendent back in 2013. She and the Department of Public Instruction began working on the program in 2014. The first cabinet met in 2015. It has included students from different regions of the state, with unique experiences, a variety of ages and diverse backgrounds. Currently, about 25 students are serving as members. The cabinet has no predetermined size.

Since its launch nine years ago, the Student Cabinet has influenced K-12 education policy in North Dakota, Baesler said. She cited members’ impact on “expanding availability of Advanced Placement and dual-credit courses, advocating for early childhood education, and speaking up for anti-bullying protection for their fellow students.” Baesler said cabinet service “helps to prepare our next generation of young leaders.”

Shayla Davis, an enrolled citizen of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation who is leading the Cabinet’s subcommittee on Native American Education and Experiences, encourages Indigenous youth to become involved in it. “My advice for students who want to be on the cabinet is just apply,” said Davis. “Don’t ever limit yourself. Don’t ever think ‘I can’t, I’m not capable of it’ –– because you are. You know, you deserve a spot at the table just as the next person does.”

During the Student Cabinet’s most recent meeting at the Capitol on Feb. 15, Davis advocated for more programs to address Native student’s needs, including technical support and guidance on the paths toward higher education.

She took part in a discussion conducted by Wayde Sick, the director of the North Dakota Department of Career and Technical Education, seeking feedback on career exploration. The CTE provides counselors and opportunities for students to consider career options, offering students the chance to interact with experts in certain fields.

Some cabinet members brought up that students’ schedules don’t leave enough time to participate in the opportunities provided. Others asked for different ways to interact with those outside of the science, engineering, healthcare and labor-intensive fields –– to learn more about teaching and humanities-related fields. 

Davis wants to follow in her family members’ footsteps and go into law. At the moment, she is a freshman at United Tribes Technical College and is studying to become a paralegal. Leading the Native American Education and Experiences Cabinet has helped her understand the legislature better, and also support North Dakota’s Native communities, she said.

She’s been advocating for Native youth across North Dakota since she joined the cabinet as a junior at Devil’s Lake Public High School. “There are a lot of really smart Native youth, they just don’t get to use that because education isn’t always up to par,” Davis said. 

According to North Dakota Insights, 10% of students enrolled in schools across North Dakota for the 2023-24 academic year are American Indian, making Native students the state’s biggest minority population. 

The educational gap is noticeable, as Davis said she sees it within her hometown at Devil’s Lake on the Spirit Lake Reservation and other Native communities. She said she is working on  “just ensuring that they have the same opportunities everyone else has.”

Around half a dozen American Indian students have participated in the cabinet since it first began. Though she initially felt out of place, Davis said participating was worth it. Sounding off about issues helped her improve her public speaking skills and inspired her to become more involved with her community. 

Though her term ends this spring, Davis wants to continue encouraging other Indigenous students to be more involved in their education and help them advocate for their communities. “This cabinet will teach you different perspectives,” Davis said. “It will educate you on things you didn’t know anything about.”

The current application process marks the beginning of Baesler’s sixth Student Cabinet. “This is not a student council system,” Baesler said. Participation does not stem from nomination or recommendations.  “These students take the initiative to apply and they apply because they feel like they have something to share that could help improve their journey in education or their peers’ journey,” she said.

Baesler’s term ends Jan. 1, 2025, and she said she hopes that the student cabinet outlasts her administration. “For individuals, I hope they become active, engaged citizens that continue to lean in and feel empowered to shape the experiences they are having and understand the importance of education,” she said.

Sourcing & Methodology Statement:

North Dakota Information Technology Department. (n.d.). North Dakota Enrollment by Demographics. ND Insights. https://insights.nd.gov/Education/State/EnrollmentDemographics 

State Superintendent Student Cabinet. North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. (n.d.). https://www.nd.gov/dpi/familiescommunity/state-superintendent-cabinets/state-superintendent-student-cabinet

Dateline:

BISMARCK, N.D.