Viewing a bison herd from a respectful distance while learning how the Shoshone people used every part of the animal for sustenance and turning a felled tree into a tipi lodgepole are just a few ways students at Fort Washakie’s schools are meeting the state’s Indian Education for All standards.

What is the fate of a state that keeps losing its college graduates and young professionals to neighboring states with more diversified economies and cultural opportunities?

That’s a question lawmakers and educators are poised to address.

A state senator vowed to do whatever he can to persuade his colleagues in a Wyoming legislature committee to approve more funding for public education as the state faces accusations of underfunding education in an ongoing court case.

LARAMIE, Wyo.—A recent Wyoming Truth survey of University of Wyoming juniors and seniors revealed that the majority of respondents intend to leave the state following graduation, a sign that “brain drain” is an ongoing issue plaguing the Cowboy State.

Two proposed education bills that recently passed a state legislative committee would specify that Wyoming school districts’ policies prohibit bullying beyond just students and guarantee that all districts forbid corporal discipline, says a state employee. However, some education stakeholders question the necessity of the bills given that prevention policies already exist in school districts statewide.

As a college student in Wyoming, Riley Talamantes pictured herself living in the Cowboy State after completing her studies because of the community she built and the sense of self she developed while living in Laramie. Yet, in the end, she left Wyoming for work opportunities in the Pacific Northwest.

Low pay and difficult work are making it hard for school districts statewide to fill open education support professional (ESP) positions for paraeducators, bus drivers, custodians, food service staff and others.

When Cheyenne schools rolled out Wit and Wisdom as their K-6 curriculum last fall, some parents protested at school board meetings, citing concerns that the books were not age appropriate or taught critical race theory. Around the same time, conservative Moms for Liberty groups challenged the literacy program at school board meetings nationwide.

In response to declining student test scores, Green River elementary school teacher Brittney Montgomery wants Wyoming to provide free preschool for its young students as a way to prevent learning shortfalls.

Earning a paycheck while receiving on-the-job training and a free college education adds up to a smart way to become a teacher In Wyoming. The Wyoming Department of Education and the Professional Teaching Standards Board are addressing the state’s teacher shortage by turning to a new plan to implement an old way of learning: apprenticeships.

LARAMIE, Wyo.— More than 300 Latina youth heard messages of empowerment and the value of education while attending the 22nd annual Latina Youth Conference at the University of Wyoming on Oct. 14-15.

Certain experiences only happen to rural schoolteachers.

When Brooke Johnson, 35, taught at Slack Elementary, a one-room schoolhouse in Parkman, near Ranchester, a goat who lived next door often stood on the school’s porch and peered through the window, waiting for recess when the children would come out and play. Other times, Johnson and her students chased neighborhood cattle off the playground and back into their pasture before they could play hide and seek.

New figures from the Wyoming Department of Education reveal public school students’ performance on statewide assessments remained relatively unchanged from last year’s results, which had fallen significantly amid the COVID-19 pandemic’s unprecedented interruption of the American public education system.

Freshly sharpened pencils are getting shorter and brand-new sneakers are getting dirtier as Wyoming students move past first-day-of-school jitters and into their new daily routines.

Lilly Willa is quick to smile as she recounts the uncertainty of the past few months. The 33-year-old single mother of two recently arrived in Jackson Hole from Whatcom County, Washington, eager to start her new job as a secondary-level language teacher in the Teton County School District.

CHEYENNE, Wyo.—The Wyoming Education Association filed a lawsuit against the state Thursday, accusing Wyoming of violating its own constitution by failing to fund schools adequately.