Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 21, Number 5, 1 May 2004 — OHA board supports education reform to improve opportunities for Hawaiian students [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

OHA board supports education reform to improve opportunities for Hawaiian students

Eō e nā 'ōiwi 'ōlino, nā pulapula a Hāloa, mai Hawai'i a Ni'ihau a puni ke ao mālamalama. In Hawai'i, education reform is on the legislative table for 2004 Public dialogue on educational reform, an issue of high priority for the Governor, the Legislature, the Superintendant of Education, the board of education, teachers' unions, community-busi-ness groups, and parents has been joined by the Trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. OHA's position is outlined in the article "Why OHA Trustees Support Education Reform " submitted to the Honolulu dailies and published on April 13 and 16. "At its meeting on April 1, 2004, the OHA Board of Trustees voted to support education reform. Why did OHA Trustees speak out in support of increasing loeal control in schools? Because the current system has not worked for Native Hawaiians for more than 20 years. We need change, and we need it now. "A 2003 PASE report - Policy Analysis & System Evaluation - by

Kamehameha Schools shows Hawaiian students have the lowest test scores and the lowest graduation rates of all students in the public school system. They have the highest rates for students held back a grade eaeh year. They are over-represented, by more than 50 percent, among students needing special education. The schools they attend are more likely than other schools to employ teachers with less experience and tenure, while Hawaiian children make up 26 percent of the public school population. The drop out rate between freshman year and senior year at one high school in a predominantly Hawaiian community is nearly 50 percent. "Such statistics cannot be ignored. OHA trustees have a statutory obligation to work to better the conditions of Native Hawaiians. Education is one of the most basic necessities to improving the social and eeonomie conditions of Native Hawaiians. In a State where Hawaiians score at the bottom in public education and where predominantly Hawaiian communities

have the highest teacher turnover rates, something must be done. "As early as 1983, the Native Hawaiian Educational Assessment Project reported that Hawaiian ehildren were performing dismally in the public school system. Consider that these statistics exist among the indigenous people of Hawai'i who, in the mid-1800s, had a literacy rate of 97 percent, one of the highest literacy rates in the world! "All of this information tells us that something about our public education system needs to change. The changes need to be of essence, systemic changes, not just band-aid approaches to change. The OHA Board's decision calls for educational reform increasing loeal eontrol in schools. Loeal control is not just about providing teachers and principals with greater opportunities to react to situations whieh occur in the schools. More importantly it is about accountability — something whieh has been lacking in our public school system. "A recent Hawai'i Poll indicates the general public feels schools need smaller class sizes and more

textbooks, computers, and building maintenance. In the survey, school governance did not appear to be of eoneem to the typical parent. However, it is governance itself that ean bring more textbooks and smaller class sizes to schools. It is a redirecting of substantial funding to schools, and the delegation of authority to school principals on how to spend that money, that will allow principals to purchase more textbooks, hire more teachers, reduce class sizes, buy more eomputers, and take care of building repairs and maintenance. We need a positive relationship among all state departments to create and maintain a better learning environment for our public schools. The mandate is clear. We want our children to be able to read and write, to complete secondary education, to seek postsecondary educational opportunities by graduating from college or a vocational education program if that is their ehoiee, to be successful in job applications, and obtain and retain jobs with salaries that increase Hawaiian families' See APOLIONA on page 19

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Haunani Apoliona, MSW 9 Trustee, At-large

APOLIONA from page 15 incomes to levels substantially higher than the present poverty levels. "OHA Trustees continue to urge transformation of the educational system significantly and immediately. OHA Trustees look to policy makers to keep healthy school learning environments uppermost in the plan. We look forward to enactment of sound and reasonable publie policy that advances improved options for teacher to achieve higher student performance. We want all Hawaiians to be contributing members of the community. "We encourage Native Hawaiians and the larger community to jump

into the discussion and help bring about systemic change. Changing systems is a daunting task requiring mueh dialogue, objective analysis, cooperation, and timely action. We must also hear from our academie community whieh trains the majority of our public school teachers. At the end of the day, the beneficiaries of these inputs will be a more informed participating publie. We need to do this not just for the betterment of Native Hawaiians but for the betterment of all of Hawai'i, Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians alike. As a eommunity, we deserve nothing less." 42/48. ■