Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 24, Number 12, 1 December 2007 — What should be done to improve the education of Native Hawaiian children? [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

What should be done to improve the education of Native Hawaiian children?

Edna Cathcart, Moloka'i Teacher, DOE kūpuna program All puhlie school teachers should have some understanding of Hawai'i's indigenous culture. On Moloka'i, many new teachers eome here

and expenence a cultural shock. So the coimnumty takes it upon itself to get the teachers acclimated, but there should be more help from the DOE in training teachers about the native culture.

IWendell Ogata, Mililani, O'ahu Social Worker, Queen Lili'uokalani Children 's Center I would say culture-based hands-on opportunities in the classroom would help. Integrating

kupuna is part of this, because inter-generational activities are the key to passing on traditional knowledge to our children.

Teddlynn Glackin, Wai'anae, O'ahu Office Assistant, Queen Lili'uokalani Children 's Center I think the opportunity to learn Hawaiian should be in all schools. We hear so many other

languages spoken in Hawai'i, but why don't schools help keep our language alive? The language will help us learn the culture. I would feel more connected to everything in my life and eulture, if I learn the language.

Dan Yahata, Kāne'ohe, O'ahu Ho'olako Like Program Specialist, Kamehameha Schools The standardized testing that is part of "No Child Left Behind" (federal policies) has a puni-

tive nature in labeling our schools as being not successful and this scares away those who want to go into teaching. The solution is to do more to grow our own pool of Native Hawaiian teaching talent, so that those who want to contribute will be more motivated.

" Kim Timson, Makakilo, O'ahu I Teacher, Youth at-risk program in Kapolei We need to help young kids develop a love for I reading, whieh will help them over the lifespan. As for the issues with at-risk youth — when I ask

my students what they want to talk about, the first thing they say is college. No one has talked to them about how they are going to pay for it. One thing that will cover both preschool and adolescents is teaching the old Hawaiian values. This means you take responsibility for yourself and the things you learn on a daily basis. S

KWO visited the National Indian Education Association Convention and asked Hawai'i attendees: