December 18, 2009
Contributed by Thomas Yoshida
The Schools spent $258 million on its educational programs and collaborations during FY 2009. Of this amount, $83 million was spent on community-based programs.
The numbers were released in conjunction with the Schools' annual Founder's Day celebration honoring Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop, who dedicated her estate to improve the capability and well-being of Native Hawaiians through education.
"Year four of the Education Strategic Plan was to be the start of our evaluation phase, yet we continued to increase our reach to learners, parents and caregivers," said Dee Jay Mailer, CEO of Kamehameha Schools. "As we move forward into year five of the plan, we will continue to measure the impact of our educational programs and services in order to improve and assure that we are moving our mission forward."
Kamehameha Schools' Education Strategic Plan strives to create sustainable, intergenerational change by supporting children in three strategic priorities: prenatal to eight-years, grade four through post-high and each of the School's three campuses. The plan, which was approved by Kamehameha Schools' Trustees in 2005, anticipated a ramp-up phase, followed by a four-year evaluation period to assess learner outcomes.
"We're on track to achieve the goals set forth in our strategic plan," said Chris Pating, vice president of Strategic Planning & Implementation. For the past three years, we've been moving full speed ahead with our Education Strategic Plan and we plan to spend the next few years evaluating the impact of these programs and how we can improve our ability to fulfill Pauahi's mission. "
"For example, during this first evaluation year we learned children who attended Kamehameha Schools' preschools academically out-performed their Native Hawaiian peers in the DOE and this trend continues up to middle school," said Pating. "Our longitudinal study also indicates that KS preschools alumni who attend KS academically perform at levels equivalent to other students enrolled in our three K-12 campuses. "
Other examples of KS' educational impact include:
Literacy Instruction & Support (LIS): LIS provides culturally relevant learning experiences that develop literacy skills of Hawaiian children. This past fiscal year, eight new sites were added thereby doubling the number of students served. Students at our 21 school-based sites (218 K-3 classrooms) are meeting or exceeding all key literacy targets and schools report high levels of satisfaction among DOE principals and superintendents. Attendance rates are high and students are engaged in both in-school and After School programs.
Kamehameha Scholars: This career and life counseling program helps students in grades 9-12 plan for their future while providing family enrichment activities to strengthen family bonds. This year, the program admitted 200 new scholars and delivered 22 workshops focused on service learning, career explorations, cultural enrichment, and parent-scholar group guidance. Kamehameha Scholars reached a milestone in 2009 with the graduation of its first cohort. Students and parents in the program report that Kamehameha Scholars allows them to remain connected to Kamehameha Schools while receiving support and resources for the students to attain post-high educational goals.
Graduation and Promotion: Over the last three years, statewide average graduation rates for Native Hawaiian students enrolled in charter schools have matched or exceeded their peers (of all ethnicities) in other schools. At our three K-12 campuses, student retention remained high with a tri-campus figure of 97.2%.
Other Education Strategic Plan milestones in FY 2009 include:
"Going forward, Kamehameha Schools will continue to focus on extending its outreach efforts in the areas of early childhood education and literacy improvement. Through our partnerships with the Department of Education, we will work on improving the high school graduation and college attendance rates for Native Hawaiian learners across the state so that our keiki can live and work in Hawai'i," said Pating.
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.
Kamehameha Schools’ policy is to give preference to applicants of Hawaiian ancestry to the extent permitted by law.
