$3.5 million for Native Hawaiian education awarded to six programs on O‘ahu, Hawai‘i Island, and Maui

Honolulu, Hawai‘i – Congressman Ed Case (Hawai‘i, 2nd District) today said $3,562,435 in federal grants under the Native Hawaiian Education Act is going to six schools and programs on three islands to improve the education of Native Hawaiian children in his Second Congressional District. The purpose of the Native Hawaiian Education Program is to support innovative projects that enhance educational services to Native Hawaiian children and adults. The grant awards are for one year and are anticipated to be for a total of three years.

Last year, Congressman Case expressed concern to U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings that the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) should increase its outreach program targeted directly to communities with significant populations of Native Hawaiians. The result was a series of 10 workshops in March 2005 organized by Case and the Native Hawaiian Education Council on the Native Hawaiian Education Program—established by Senator Daniel Inouye—directly to constituencies on O‘ahu, Moloka‘i, Kaua‘i, Maui and Hawai‘i Island. USDOE and the Native Hawaiian Educational Council conducted another round of workshops again this year.

“I am particularly pleased by the attention and awards given directly to the Wai‘anae Coast, where the largest number of Native Hawaiians live. Homaipa‘a kumua‘o hi‘ipualena is a community-driven project to recruit, train, and retain teachers for Wai‘anae High School. This is a critical need for the entire Wai‘anae Coast community. The other project is the Wai‘anae Coast Comprehensive’s Health Center’s “Ola Loa ka Na‘auao – Wai‘anae Health Academy,” which seeks to increase the number of Native Hawaiian from the Wai‘anae Coast to complete college programs, obtain employment or continue their post-secondary education,” said Case.

The programs receiving funds in the 2nd District are:

O‘ahu
Wai‘anae District Comprehensive Health and Hospital Board – Administration Ho‘olokahi, $569,660. This project will develop, expand, and sustain culturally based, community-designed non-traditional educational programs at the Wai‘anae Health Academy. The project aims to increase the number of Native Hawaiians from the Wai‘anae Coast who will complete college programs, obtain employment, or continue in postsecondary education. The project will utilize an individualized case management approach to help students overcome barriers to achieving their goals and training stipends and reciprocity programs to assist with financial barriers. All students will be required to volunteer in the Wai‘anae community.

Wai‘anae High School Alumni and Community Foundation – Homaipa‘a kumua‘o hi‘ipualena, $291,515. This funding will go to a community-driven project developed by the Wai‘anae High School Alumni and Community Foundation (WHSACF) in partnership with Wai‘anae High School that aims to build an innovative human resource management system that recruits, trains, and retains highly qualified teachers for Wai‘anae High School, its students, and the Wai‘anae community. The project will develop a human resource management system that integrates and aligns: (1) clear expectations for teacher performance; (2) a marketing and outreach campaign to recruit highly qualified teachers for Wai‘anae High School; (3) a web-based data portal system that tracks teacher self-assessment data, professional development plans, and performance outcomes; (4) a professional development program that provides teachers with career-focused opportunities for professional growth and advancement; (5) an induction program for new teachers that includes an orientation retreat and mentors for new teachers; and (6) recruitment and retention incentives, including signing bonuses, teacher housing, success rewards, and Bachelor and Master Degree programs at Wai‘anae High School.

Na Kamalei-Ko‘olauloa Early Education Program (Hau‘ula), $406,220. This project will use an intergenerational Hawaiian model with children and their families to improve the quality and coordination of infant support groups, parent and child interaction programs, and preschools. The project goal is to provide opportunities for families to foster cultural and healthy development of the child through mentoring in home, class, and interactive environments for Native Hawaiian infants and toddlers. This approach aims to produce a cultural educational curriculum designed for parents and programs to support child development and school readiness.

Hawai‘i Island
University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Na Pua No‘eau – The Pathways Project, $1,051,815. This project will serve 195 Native Hawaiians in the 9th through 11th grades on the islands of Hawai‘i, Maui, Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, Moloka‘i, and Lana‘i. Students will be in three-year cohorts that will include significant immersion in cultural and scientific activities, such as three two-week summer residencies at a four-year university campus, mentorships with university faculty and professionals over two school years, field-based research projects, and access to university research facilities. Project objectives are: (1) to enable Native Hawaiians to enter and complete programs of post-secondary education, and (2) to increase the number of Native Hawaiians entering the natural and environmental science professions.

Kanu o Ka ‘Aina Learning ‘Ohana – Halau Wanana: Native Hawaiian Center of Higher Learning Project (Kamuela), $1,013,835. This project aims to: (1) fully license 12 Native Hawaiian teachers by the summer of 2009, making them “highly qualified,” (2) assist 100 Native Hawaiian teachers to meet their HTSB re-licensing requirements by the summer of 2009, allowing them to remain “highly qualified,” (3) create bilingual instructional materials, including a set of bilingual K-3 leveled readers designed to improve literacy among Native Hawaiian students, and (4) implement a statewide indigenous action research project involving over 1,000 Native Hawaiian students that is designed to improve student performance in reading, math, science, and other areas.

Maui
Kako‘o Central Maui Hawaiian Civic Club (Wailuku), $229,390. The Central Maui Hawaiian Civic Club will form a nucleus of kupuna (elders) to integrate cultural activities after school and to interact and share cultural values with young children (from kindergarten to grade 3) and their families on a monthly basis. The project will provide educational and cultural experiences to 30 youth after school through enrichment activities. In addition, the Civic Club will train at least 20 kupuna to work with homeless youth.