Twenty years ago, I was mired in graduate school at UH Mānoa, trying to figure out a whole lot more in life than just what I’d write for my MA thesis. As luck would have it, I’d stumbled into an internship with The Nature Conservancy’s (then) brand new Marine Program. With TNC, I began supporting the Miloliʻi community—learning […]
20-Year Education Lookback
The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation—founded in 1962 by Harold Kainalu Long Castle, who took a lot of his wealth from Kaneohe Ranch and gave it to this private foundation to make Hawaii a better place—is in a unique position to both think about ideas on public education improvement, and also provide funds to invest in […]
Scaling Opportunity
photo caption: students from Kailua, Kalaheo and Kahuku High Schools celebrate completion of internships with Hawaii Herald, Kuilima Farms, Makai Pet Hospital, Ōlelo Media and Pixar Animation, and Tofu Creative. My interest in education as a career was sparked while watching my grandmother teach French to seventh grade students in upper Manhattan. I was ten at […]
Middle School Transition Partnership Fund
The deadline for applications has passed and we are no longer accepting proposals. You can download the full RFP here our watch our informational video below. You can contact Maria Quidez should you have any additional questions. For many students, their time spent in middle school will be their shortest tenure at a public educational […]
Expanding Our Work in Middle Schools
Think back to your middle school years. How did you feel on your first day walking onto a new campus after spending seven years at your last school? Did you get lost trying to find each of your different classrooms? Do you remember how awkward it felt when the lunch bell rang and you couldn’t […]
Announcing our new Climate Resiliency Strategy
The Harold Castle Foundation’s first new strategy in over 20 years. Photo Credit: Hawaii Sea Grant King Tides Project, Rafael Bergstrom 2017 We are at a critical moment for our state and our planet: we know that unavoidable climate impacts are here and that even with aggressive climate action, they will persist through the second half […]
Career Pathways Quality Incentive Grant
The Quality Incentive Grant opportunity has now closed and we are no longer accepting applications. College and career pathways offer the promise of better outcomes for low-income students, such as higher credit accumulation, lower high school dropout, better college enrollment and persistence. Motivated by this promise, regional education leaders across Hawaii are advancing pathways into […]
Skilled Trades Partners Announced
“Skilled trades” refer to occupations that require specialized training and technical expertise in areas such as construction, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and welding. A new analysis shows the critical role that skilled trades play in Hawaiʻi’s economy and their impact on the state’s infrastructure development, maintenance, and repair today and into the future. In total, the […]
Maui Will Rise
by Terry GeorgePhoto Credit: Naʻalehu Anthony We are only two weeks into the worst disaster for our state since statehood and the deadliest fire in the United States in over a century. At the time of this writing, the fires in West Maui and upcountry are still not 100% contained, but what we know so […]
Why don’t more students go to college?
Column originally appeared in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser on April 30, 2023 By Laura Bekes, Alem Tecle and Alex Harris Only about half (51 percent) of the graduating high school class of 2022 matriculated to a 2- or 4-year college, a statistic that has remained flat for the last several years. This is troubling as higher […]