The author has been working for over four decades in the field of early childhood education (ECE). She is currently entering her fifth year as an early childhood teacher educator with the University of Hawai'i at Manoa (UHM) College of Education. In her role, the author is teaching future professionals in a dual degree program with a preschool…

This report provides information about the performance of Hawaii's 2012 graduating seniors who took the ACT as sophomores, juniors, or seniors; and self-reported at the time of testing that they were scheduled to graduate in 2012 and tested under standard time conditions. This report focuses on: (1) Performance: student test performance in the…

This study provides a brief overview of the history of early childhood education and care for Native Hawaiian children in Hawai'i. Data sources include a literature review, examination of archival documents, and interviews with a sample of Native Hawaiian parents and community members. We trace the emergence of outside-the-home early childhood…

This essay examines the experiences of "lau hala" ("pandanus" leaf plaiting) weavers for the pedagogical philosophies and strategies embedded in this Hawaiian art form in an effort to broaden the ways in which we understand and practice art education in any setting. Drawing on personal experiences as "lau hala"…

REL Pacific is one of ten Regional Educational Laboratories established and funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences. Their region encompasses approximately 4.9 million square miles and serves seven Pacific island entities, including American Samoa; the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; the Federated…

Students from diverse, multicultural families and backgrounds fill today's classrooms. Diversity encompasses ethnicity, gender, ability level, learning style, English language learners, socioeconomic status, and cultural values. Educators have a responsibility to offer inclusive curricula tailored to the needs of all students. Teaching…

This State-specific summary report serves as an assessment of Hawaii's Year 4 Race to the Top implementation. Hawaii made tremendous progress over the course of the grant period in implementing its Strategic Plan and six priority strategies and creating an aligned organization focused on increasing student outcomes. Among some of the other…

America's K-12 education system faces three significant challenges: (1) increased global demands for skilled workers, (2) significant financial shortfalls, and (3) a looming teacher shortage. Independently, these factors present significant challenges for U.S. schools. In combination, they create a national imperative for swift action to create a…

Immigrants are a fast-growing segment of the United States population. Presently, some 39.9 million immigrants call America home (Passel & Cohn, 2012; U.S. Census Bureau, 2011b). Today, immigrants come from all over the world, but most new Americans originate in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia. It is because of the mass migration of the…

The brutal slaying in 1955 of Emmett Till by at least two White Southerners shocked and outraged the country. Published photos of the Black teenager's mutilated body on the covers of Jet and The Chicago Defender galvanized the civil rights movement, especially in the South. A sadly similar crime in Hawaii 23 years earlier also led residents of…

This report pays tribute to the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Rural Systemic Initiatives (RSIs), an investment of more than $140 million to improve mathematics and science education in some of rural America's most impoverished communities. The report illustrates the impact of NSF's RSI program on a national scale. Each RSI planned a project…

The primary function of Hawaii's Advisory Council on Vocational and Technical Education is to evaluate the State's total vocational education effort and to publish and distribute the results in the form of an evaluation report. After a summary of 22 recommendations, the first section of the report gives the highlights of vocational education for…

Data are presented on a series of tables summarizing enrollment trends and the personal characteristics of the 21,391 regular students enrolled in credit programs at the Hawaii community colleges during spring 1982. The tables cover: (1) headcount enrollment in regular credit and special programs; (2) headcount and full-time equivalent enrollment…

The 2007 Hawai'i State Legislature passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 118 S.D.1 HD 1 Improving the Community's Understanding of the Department of Education's Programs and School Expenses Including a Comparison with Other States on Adequacy of Funds. Among the requests contained in the resolution were the following: "Be it further resolved…

This paper presents a partial history of some of the more relevant aspects of vocational education in the state of Hawaii from its inception in 1809 until the end of 1995. It discusses the following topics: (1) methodology; (2) general historical context; (3) national context; (4) federal legislation; (5) the first 20 years of vocational education…