Kamehameha Schools Awards $23 Million in Grants to Community Collaborators

November 30, 2009

Contributed by Thomas Yoshida

Since 2006, Kamehameha Schools has provided $79 million to community collaborators throughout the state. This current fiscal year (09-10), Kamehameha's collaboration funding amounted to $23 million, an 18% increase over the $19.5 million awarded last fiscal year.

Kamehameha Schools received approximately 90 collaboration requests this year. The top eight collaboration partners for the current fiscal year are:

Funds are granted to collaborators who have shown that they can deliver quality educational services on a sustainable basis. Funds are provided for direct service, improvement in services and training service providers on an annual and multi-year basis. Collaborators commit to showing learning impact and sharing their successes with others.

According to Chris Pating, vice president of Strategic Planning and Implementation, "Kamehameha Schools relies upon its relationships with community providers to fulfill mutual goals – to raise levels of well-being for people and communities through education. With our programs and services and those of other community providers, we can weave a fabric of learning support that provides strength and hope for better lives."

"What's heartwarming is to see so many of our graduates from our campus programs serving in Hawaiian communities. Many of our partners are led or staffed by Kamehameha Schools' alumni – serving our people as our Princess served us," said Dee Jay Mailer, CEO of Kamehameha Schools. "We know Kamehameha Schools cannot reach every Native Hawaiian student and their families on our own, so it is important that we support our community partners with much needed funding and in-kind support. I am so thankful for the wealth of expertise and aloha that our community partners possess. We learn from them every day, and they, in turn, help us move our mission forward."

Vital Collaborations
Charter Schools: KS continues to champion 17 charter schools that serve many Native Hawaiian students through culturally integrated programs. While these schools largely serve Native Hawaiians, students from other backgrounds also attend, seeking the unique learning environments these schools offer. KS matches one dollar for every four dollars provided by the Department of Education and hopes to increase the percentage of quality charter schools who demonstrate skilled, rigorous, relevant and culturally-grounded instruction.

University of Hawai'i (UH): KS has nine collaborations with UH, four of which are focused on teacher recruitment, training and retention programs with the intent of getting more Native Hawaiian teachers into teaching positions in Native Hawaiian communities. The remaining collaborations focus on increasing academic achievement and graduation rates of Native Hawaiian students within the University of Hawai'i system. "We have similar missions to serve Native Hawaiians, so our relationship with the University is critical to the pursuit of education for our people," said Dr. Shawn Kanaiaupuni, director of Kamehameha's Public Education Support Division.

Alu Like, Inc. (ALI): Alu Like's mission is to support Native Hawaiians who are committed to achieving their potential for themselves, their families and communities. Their services include community economic development, business assistance, employment preparation, training, library services, and educational and childcare services for families with young children. KS supports many Alu Like programs, with more than half of its funding directed toward Alu Like's family-based parent education program called Pülama I Nā Keiki (PINK).

Hawai'i Department of Education (DOE): KS supports 11 DOE collaborations that seek to increase student achievement. The major DOE collaboration is the Kahua Program which provides teacher induction and support for teachers in our targeted communities. The program supports KS' belief that changing teaching practices is critical for increasing the achievement of Native Hawaiians in our public school system. KS also funds literacy services in 21 DOE elementary schools, approximately 215 classrooms, to improve reading before third grade.

'Aha Pūnana Leo Preschools (APL): 'Aha Pūnana Leo is committed to the use of Hawaiian language and Hawaiian ways at all times – in 'Aha Pūnana Leo programs, from preschools to graduate school, from canoe sailing lessons to contemporary office practices. 'Aha Pūnana Leo is an active partner in their communities, fostering academic, social and economic progress. 'Aha Pūnana Leo serves over 200 keiki and their families via their Hawaiian immersion preschool programs throughout the state. KS supports the sharing of APL-developed Hawaiian language books, instructional materials and methodologies that can be disseminated to a wider audience and are viewed as valuable resources for our Native Hawaiian families and communities. Kanu O Ka 'Āina Learning 'Ohana (KALO): The Kanu O Ka 'Āina Learning 'Ohana is a non-profit organization located in Waimea, Hawai'i. KALO's mission is to grow womb-to-tomb models of education that advance Hawaiian culture for a sustainable Hawai'i. KS supports KALO with a multi-year collaboration to provide a wide range of education services such as teacher training, early education programs, charter school management, community building and education policy advocacy.

Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF): Partners in Development is a non-profit public foundation whose goal is to help families and communities overcome difficult challenges in ways that would make them, in turn, teachers and helpers of others in need. Using traditional Hawaiian concepts, PIDF creates and implements programs to support Native Hawaiian keiki and families. KS supports these PIDF collaborations: Tūtū and Me Traveling Preschool; services to homeless children and families on the Leeward Coast of O'ahu through the the Ka Pa'alana Traveling Preschool and Homeless Outreach program; and 'Ike No'eau, an early childhood education program.

Institute of Native Pacific Education & Culture (INPEACE): INPEACE is committed to improving the quality of life for Native Hawaiians through community partnerships that provide educational opportunities and promote self-sufficiency. Through our collaboration, INPEACE operates the Keiki Steps to Kindergarten program in several public schools throughout the state. The program provides much needed transition support for keiki and families as they enter kindergarten. Another collaboration, the Kaulele program, is a scholarship program focused on supporting advanced learning for graduate students and interns in the UH system, including a community service commitment in exchange for KS' financial support.

In addition to providing funding, Kamehameha Schools works with its collaborators to promote and support the creation, evaluation and reporting of measurable outcomes to ensure program effectiveness. Kamehameha also provides resources to support the development and implementation of culturally appropriate assessment and evaluation activities.

Kamehameha Schools is a private, educational, charitable trust founded and endowed by the legacy of Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop. Kamehameha Schools operates a statewide educational system enrolling more than 6,700 students of Hawaiian ancestry at K-12 campuses on O'ahu, Maui and Hawai'i and 31 preschool sites statewide. Thousands of additional Hawaiian learners are served each year through a range of other Kamehameha Schools' outreach programs, community collaborations and financial aid opportunities in Hawaii and across the continental United States.