Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 1, 1 January 2015 — Teach For America impacts our most vulnerable communities [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Teach For America impacts our most vulnerable communities

Trustee 's note: Mahaīo nui to Trever Asam, who contributed this month 's eoīumn. Asam taught seventh-grade geography aneī eighth-grade U.S. history in the D.C. Pubīic Schools from 1998 to 2001. never expected to flnd myself at Paul Junior High School in Washington, D.C. Bom and raised in Hawai'i, I

assumed I would eome home after attending college on the mainland but wasn't able to flnd the right opportunity. Instead, I applied and was accepted into Teach For America, a program that places college graduates in under-resourced school districts with the goal of eliminating the achievement gap. Teach For America was not yet established in Hawai'i, and I was placed at a junior high school in Washington, D.C. Four months after graduation, I was hanging posters and preparing a classroom for my first day as a seventh-grade teacher in the Washington, D.C., puhlie school system. A veteran principal led the school, staffing it with a diverse mix of young and experienced teachers. The teachers - many of whom had eome through Teach For America - confronted challenges as they arose, holding themselves to the high standard of ensuring that every child had the opportunity to excel. The pairing of idealism and energy inspired dedicated work by teachers and students and eamed well-deserved results. In 2006, Teach For America brought its program, its energy and its ideals to Hawai'i. There are 1 83 corps members impacting over 13,000 students in 44 schools across O'ahu and Hawai'i Island this year. They teach science,

math, language arts and special education in our most vulnerable eommunities, where their dedication and commitment are most needed. Fifty-seven teach on the Wai'anae Coast and 63 teach on Hawai'i Island (including 19 in the Pahoa region). Over 150 alumni also remain in Hawai'i, the majority of whom are still teaching in Hawai'i's puhlie schools.

A growing number of Teach For America teachers in Hawai'i are kama 'āina who discover that Teach For America offers an opportunity to retum home and give back to their community. Rather than investing themselves in far-flung school systems without the support of family and culture, they engage with - and bring their talents to - their own schools and communities . Teach For America has embraced this movement, recognizing the special value added by teachers familiar with Hawai'i's unique culture and specifically recruiting kama'āina and Native Hawaiian applicants. This year the Hawai'i corps is one of the most diverse corps nationally: 30 percent grew up in Hawai'i, 15 percent identify as Native Hawaiian, 44 percent received Pell Grants, 35 percent are the first in their family to attend college, 65 percent are people of color and 44 percent have previous professional experience. After leaving Washington, D.C., I heeame a lawyer and am now in private practice in Honolulu. I am an active member of the Teach For America Hawai'i board and proud to be one of the 37,000 Teach For America alumni who are working at every level of education, policy and other professions, to ensure that all children ean receive an excellent education. ■

J LEO 'ELELE > TRUSTEE MESSSAGES

Rūbert K. Lindsey, Jr. Chair, Trustee, Hawai'i