The Lakota Approach

WE recognize that every student learns in different ways. That's exactly why personalized learning is a priority across Lakota, giving our students in grades K-12 more choice and ownership in their learning. 

Lakota works hard to meet students where they are in their learning, providing specialized support through Special Education services, Gifted services and English as a Second Language (ESL). 

Using techniques like flipped classrooms, project based learning, flexible playlists and station rotation, we are able to reach different types of learners. Students are more engaged in their learning, too, because they have more choice. 

The personalized Lakota learning experience reaches its pinnacle as students enter junior school and plan their path forward to one of the 4 Es:

• Enrollment in higher education;
• Enlistment in military service;
• Employment as a contributing member of our community; or
• Entrepreneurship. 

Our secondary program includes a range of college preparatory, honors and Advanced Placement courses to challenge students at all different learning levels.  We are also proud to offer a multitude of options for earning high school credit at Lakota. These options go beyond the traditional experience of attending courses at a Lakota high school during the regular school day: summer school, the physical education waiver, credit flexibility options and College Credit Plus, for example. 

We also invite students seeking an alternative high school educational experience to explore our Lakota Central. Students can work at their own pace with the benefits of a curriculum that combines online instruction with one-on-one support. Our partnership with Butler Tech provides yet another alternative for pursuing career readiness and industry certification. 

We believe in empowering every student to be “future-ready." The Portrait of a Lakota Graduate outlines the skills that every Lakota graduate should master and guides the student learning experience from kindergarten through high school. 

Lakota believes that these skills are best developed through real world learning opportunities that challenge our students to solve real problems with the concepts they've learned. We do this by connecting our students to authentic audiences or industry experts. 

By applying real world learning to its daily teaching practices across all grade levels, students are able to explore their passions and gain important skills. Project based learning activities, internships, expanded course options and a variety of extracurricular choices are just a few of the many ways Lakota helps its students be future-ready. 

Unique opportunities at Lakota include:

• Cyber Academy: A first of its kind program that has been designed alongside our industry partners to develop a local pool of talent in the lucrative field of cyber security. It provides students the resources and training necessary to enter the field of cyber security.
   
• INCubatoredu@Lakota: a "Shark Tank" style course aimed at budding entrepreneurs where students ideate, develop, and iterate their own product or service startup in an attempt to gain investment funds in a final pitch event.