I first met Uncle Henry Chang-Wo almost a dozen years ago at the very first E Alu Pu meeting on Moloka‘i. And then, as with many other times since, when he was asked to speak his talks were as widespread and sprawling as the limu about which he invariably chose to speak. And perhaps […]
Hawaii students did well on challenging exams
(commentary by Foundation President/CEO Terry George and Castle & Cook President Harry Saunders) As Hawaii’s largest employers, we care deeply about the abilities of Hawaii’s public school students. So what are we to make of recent news that slightly less than one out of two public school students met the standard in 2015? After all, […]
Teacher voice: how do we move forward together?
(guest commentary written by Hope Street Group Teacher Fellow Chris J. Rodriguez of Waipahu Elementary School) Before I became a teacher, I would dream about my career and imagine how things would be. My future classroom occupied my thoughts. I saw this one room as the place where great learning would take place. But as […]
The heat is on: cared straight at Castle
Guest commentary by Windward District’s Jorene Barut Old habits die hard. But sometimes a spark ignites change, casts a light and levels the past into a distant memory. The Pookela Academy (Academy of Excellence) is the spark at Castle High that’s refining former self-described “kolohe” kids into steel-willed students committed to turning their lives around […]
Does shared leadership benefit Hawaii’s kids?
Over the past six years, the Harold K.L. Foundation has spent more than $4M to support instructional leadership teams in 80 schools. This investment has supported 1) direct service from Targeted Leadership Consulting to facilitate and coach, 2) substitute teachers, 3) numerous convenings, 4) focused training sessions and 5) travel both within and outside of […]
DOCARE: Why we need to restore Hawaii’s ability to enforce the laws that protect our precious natural resources
Over 8 million visitors annually come to enjoy our environment, accounting for $14 billion a year in tourism, the largest single contributor (at 21%) to Hawaii’s economy. The overall asset value of coral reefs in the main Hawaiian Islands is estimated at nearly $10 billion (Cesar and van Beukering 2004). Just as importantly, our residents […]
ThinkTech Hawaii features Karen Lee on 55 by ’25
One of the Foundation’s core partners, Hawai‘i P20 Executive Director Karen Lee recently joined ThinkTech Hawaii to share the “55 by 25” movement seeking to increase the percentage of working age adults in Hawai‘i with a postsecondary degree or credential.
January 8, 2015 appearance on ThinkTech Hawaii
I was happy to be invited by ThinkTech Hawai‘i to discuss the Foundation’s work in public education and the progress of the public schools in Hawai‘i.
“SEEQ”ing charter school growth in Hawaii
We rarely provide support to individual charter schools. After all, the operating conditions in Hawaii are not great – low per pupil reimbursement, no facilities funding and a relatively restrictive master contract. However, we saw a clear investment opportunity in Hawaii’s two newest charter schools and provided each with support prior to opening their doors. At the […]
Did you know 11,000 more adults have a degree than last year?
In 2012, US Census data for Hawai‘i showed that 316,099 adults ages 25 to 64 had an Associates, Bachelors or Advanced degree. This number translates to 42.6 percent of the population. Well, new data were just released that show this percentage rose to 44.3 percent. Now many may dismiss these gains as minimal. Yet when […]