Hawaii's Public Schools Win in Race to the Top Contest
Getting Hawaii's best teachers and principals to work at the state's lowest-performing schools is a key element of the Race to the Top national contest, designed to lift student achievement. Nearly $19 million in federal funds, a quarter of the $75 million Hawaii won, will go toward turning around the lowest-achieving schools. The plan includes pay incentives to attract top educators, professional development to enhance teaching, and more learning time for students, including summer school.
As required by the federal government, Hawaii's Department of Education identified the six lowest-performing schools in the state, known as "priority schools." Four are on the Leeward Coast -- Nanakuli High & Intermediate, Maili Elementary, Kamaile Academy Public Charter School and Waianae Elementary -- and one, Naalehu Elementary, is on the Big Island. The sixth is the Hawaii School for the Deaf and Blind. But rather than focusing just on those six campuses, the department decided to broaden its targeted efforts to include the surrounding feeder schools in each area. It proposed creating two "zones of school innovation," one encompassing the Waianae and Nanakuli school complexes on the Leeward Coast, and the other, the Kau-Keeau-Pahoa complex on the Big Island. "We recognize these schools are not in isolation; they are part of a geographic area with very similar characteristics and challenges," said Robert Campbell, executive assistant for strategic reform for the Department of Education.
Read more about how the DOE will implement the plan's initiatives at StarAdvertiser.com. Kathleen Romero, principal of Keonepoko Elementary on Hawaii, said, "It's not just for struggling schools, although we're a priority. I just think it's going to help the whole state move forward."
The 3 schools in Hawaii Kai are public schools. With all the budgetary cuts and year of trying to provide services at a reduced level, teachers and administrators are very pleased with the award and possibility of a positive approach in our public education system. The money will create new programs, not be applied to existing ones.
Barbara Abe, Realtor
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