Kamehameha Schools envisions post-secondary success for all Native Hawaiian learners. By leveraging KS’ educational mission and resources with others and broadening its reach through a mix of educational strategies and community programs, KS will develop a vibrant future for more of Hawaiʻi’s keiki.
Kamehameha Schools has partnered with the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation to grant $2.1 million to Windward Community College (WCC) to expand its successful Early College High School (ECHS) program to help more Windward Oʻahu students earn college credits while attending high school.
The partnership began in November 2016 and the program will start with incoming freshmen at Kahuku, Castle, Ke Kula ‘o Samuel Kamakau, Hakipuʻu Learning Center, Olomana and Kailua high schools for school year 2017-18.
The five-year grant provides approximately 1,309 additional college credits with a priority going toward first-generation college attendees and low-income high school students. There are 47,000 Native Hawaiians served by Hawaiʻi’s public schools, and these programs create pathways to college success.
“Partnering with the state’s largest educational institutions and the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation allows all of us to leverage our resources to impact educational systems for the well-being of this community,” said Kamehameha Schools CEO Jack Wong. “This collective effort to provide greater access to higher education supports our youth and invests in Hawaiʻi’s future.”
The ECHS program offers college-level courses at Windward Oʻahu high schools taught by Windward Community College faculty using the same outcomes, texts, assignments and assessments as traditional college campus offerings.
In addition to providing college credits, ECHS participation provides students with a greater chance of success when transitioning to college and lowers the cost of higher education because there is no cost to the student for credits earned in high school.
“Like Kamehameha Schools, we believe that far more high school students can attain a college degree and then secure a living-wage job for their families when given the chance,” said Terry George, president and CEO of the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation. “We are committing our resources to this task for a generation. Earning college credits while still in high school improves the life trajectory of the student, their family and the entire community.”
The grant funding will also help to increase both the number of Windward Oʻahu public high school students who complete a college certificate or degree concurrently with the completion of their high school diploma, and increase the rate at which students enroll and complete a two- or four-year degree.
“By 2018, 65 percent of Hawaiʻi’s jobs will require a post-secondary education,” said Jamee Miller, Kamehameha Schools regional director for Koʻolau and Waialua. “Supporting keiki in attaining college degrees helps to close that gap, and builds a better Hawaiʻi and a thriving lāhui,” she added.
Grant funds are being administered by Windward Community College in conjunction with the Hawaiʻi Department of Education’s Windward District. The grant will support hiring a coordinator based at WCC and allow for supportive counseling, peer mentors and high school success coaches to promote success and college-going behaviors in Windward Oʻahu public high school students. Additionally, the grant will provide funding for student textbooks and supplies, and staff travel costs and professional development.
For additional information about the Early College High School program, contact the Windward Community College vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at (808) 235-7443.
Kamehameha Schools has established partnerships with the University of Hawaiʻi, Chaminade University of Honolulu, Arizona State University and the Hawaiʻi State Board of Education. Each partnership helps solidify KS’ path toward working with others to help improve educational systems statewide.
Strategic Plan 2020
SP2020 is a five-year strategic plan that will guide Kamehameha Schools from 2015-2020. The plan marks a starting point toward KS' Vision 2040, which envisions success for all Native Hawaiian learners.
This partnership addresses Goal 2 of SP2020 which calls for KS to contribute to community efforts for an improved education system and prepare its Native Hawaiian learners for post-secondary success. It also supports Action 4 of Kamehameha's Ten Actions for fiscal year 2016-17, to develop community partnerships to improve educational success statewide.
We are committing our resources to this task for a generation. Earning college credits while still in high school improves the life trajectory of the student, their family and the entire community.
Terry George, President and CEO, Harold K.L. Castle Foundation
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