CEO Message: Maika’iloa!

August 24, 2010

Contributed by Thomas Yoshida

This is wonderful news for Kamehameha Schools as well. Our Ka Pua planning team, led by VP of Strategic Planning Chris Pating, worked very closely with the DOE in preparing this application, and a large part of the funding will flow to public schools from Nānākuli to Mākaha, one of the Zones of School Innovation defined in the state's application.

This means that we will see additional support for initiatives that Kamehameha Schools has already invested in, such as New Tech High, which is already engaging haumana at Nānākuli and Wai'anae high schools in project-based, 21st-century learning. It means that the principals in our Leeward communities will be able to continue to chart their own course for transformation.

We all carry our mission in our hearts, and work daily to improve the capability and well-being of native Hawaiians through education. Goal 2.2 of our 2000-2015 Strategic Plan directs us to work with communities to develop and maintain their own programs and services to meet the educational needs of our people. The Race to the Top effort is a great example of this; it is also an example of the kind of public-private sector collaboration that will transform outcomes in our target communities. In addition to Kamehameha Schools, the Race to the Top effort was supported by the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, Hawai'i P-20 and the University of Hawai'i, and many other organizations.

http://doe.k12.hi.us/arra/Phase_2/20100728-Executive%20Summary%20HI%20RTTT%20FINAL.pdf

This link will take you to the executive summary of the application. In a nutshell, the RTTT Team developed a case for systemic change, based on five points:

• Tying high-quality college-and-career-ready standards and assessments to a statewide curriculum.
  
• Improving longitudinal data collection to allow for better measurement of student achievement.
  
• Cultivating, rewarding and leveraging effective teaching and leading.
  
• Providing targeted support to priority schools with consistently low achievement results.
  
• Aligning organizational function to support reform.

It is easy to envision an exciting future for all of our keiki, and it's thrilling to be a part of it.

Mahalo nui loa to all the staff who provided strategic planning, facilitation, research and knowledge, including Chris, Shawn Kana'iaupuni, Phyllis Unebasami and Nolan Malone.

Me ke aloha,

Dee Jay