A New Superintendent

 I spent 12+ hours this past Thursday, watching the interviews, public testimony, and Board of Education discussion before they made a decision on the new Superintendent for the Hawai`i Department of Education. This was the first time that the process was made public, and as a 30-year veteran and a retiree of the DOE, I was very interested. 

In my tenure as a teacher and school administrator in the HIDOE, I served under six different Superintendents. Each one had their strengths and their plan to improve our school system such as school-based management and flattening our system; standards-based learning; establishing weighted student formula to give schools more control over their budgets; focusing on the requirements of our Department’s Race to the Top grant; and reimagining school design. As each new Superintendent was appointed, schools had to readjust to comply with the new focus. 

In the past, the interviews and decision-making process for the Board of Education were held behind closed doors. This year, due to a Hawai`i Supreme Court ruling, the process was open to the public. It was quite an experience to listen to the presentation by each of the three finalists as well as their responses to the set questions. It was evident that each of the candidates had their strengths as well as areas where they could improve, but the fact that the Board was able to attract three quality candidates was a plus. These are very challenging times for our public school system, and all three finalists were confident that they had a plan to work with the Board to create a strategic plan for all ~172,000 students in 294 public and charter schools in our state. 

In the end, Keith Hayashi was selected to lead our schools. He has been serving as the Interim Superintendent since August 2021, and he now has an opportunity to work with the Board to create a 3-year Strategic Plan to raise education in Hawai`i to new heights. As the Waipahu High School principal, Mr. Hayashi was instrumental in the transformation of the school with a curriculum that includes Early College, Design Thinking, academies and career paths. In his book, “What School Could Be”, Ted Dintersmith shared a quote by a student: “we know the rest of our state describes us as the ghetto of Hawai`i.We know our families are poor. But we also know we’re going to do great things in life, and we’ll do it with support from our families and classmates.” (Page 207) 

Just as Mr. Hayashi changed the perception of Waipahu High School when he was their principal, I hope he can help to change the perception of our public schools here in Hawai`i. The public needs to know that our schools are being innovative and students are thriving. Yes, there will always be challenges, but by supporting our new Superintendent and all those who work in our schools, we will see great ideas emerge and our students will continue to do amazing things. Regardless of whom our personal preference was for the Superintendent position, I hope that we in Hawai`i realize the need to support our schools. We need to work together to resolve the differences that have divided us in the past and move forward to ensure that our schools continue to improve and thrive. Our students deserve it. 

The  students at Waipahu High School are inspired by their vision: My voice. My choice. My future. By joining together to support our public schools here in Hawai`i, we can change that to: Our voice. Our choice. Our future. Let’s work to make our schools the very best they can be. 

Appreciation for Our School Workers

Teacher Appreciation Week is an opportunity to thank our teachers, and I am always happy when I see all the photos on social media, School communities are very creative and generous when appreciating their teachers! However, I have shared in the past that we should be thanking and appreciating teachers throughout the year, not just during Teacher Appreciation Week. A short note, a small gift, an email or phone call - these small acts of kindness can do wonders especially if the teacher had a challenging day. 

It’s important to show aloha to our teachers, but let’s not forget the other workers at a school who are also essential in contributing to a positive climate for our students. It really does take everyone to ensure that the school runs smoothly. 

The custodial staff is essential. Look around when walking into a new place. What do you notice? I loved walking around our school! The custodians were proud to keep our school clean and safe, but it was more than that. There was pride in their work. They took care of repair and maintenance issues in a timely manner and found ways to beautify our campus. When any of the staff requested something - a desk and chair for a new student starting that day, someone to take care of a centipede crawling on the floor, someone to clean up when a child got sick in class - our custodians responded immediately. When they heard a Code Nike over the walkie talkie, they immediately stopped to assist. They were calm and kept the child safe until a counselor, teacher, or administrator could take over. The custodial staff was essential to our school.

The office staff is essential. Until I became an administrator, I wasn't aware of how important the SASA and clerks are to the smooth running of our school. They are usually the first to welcome a new family or visitors to our school, and I was grateful that they showed aloha by smiling and getting up quickly with a "Hello, what can I do for you?". As a military-impacted school, we had a large number of transitioning families - 500-700+ each school year - and our office staff assisted families so they could complete all the forms and students could begin school as soon as possible. They also prepared the transfer packet so families could take it with them on the students' last day. Coming in early to make sure there was a substitute for every absent teacher, to following up on sick leave or personal leave forms, to accounting for field trip forms and money collected, to completing purchase orders and checking in the items as they were delivered, to ensuring that they passed along messages to the right person for follow-up - these are just a few examples of what our office staff did; they were essential to our school.

Educational assistants are essential. When I was starting my career as a teacher with the Head Start program, I worked with educational assistants. These EAs were often former parents who volunteered in their child’s classroom and realized how much they enjoyed working with children. Later I was hired at an elementary school for their preschool special education  program. I had two wonderful EAs who were invaluable in providing support for our students. When I taught second grade and enrollment increased substantially, I was assigned an EA who was also a parent at our school. She loved the job so much that when her husband was transferred back to the mainland, she started a child care business. As a principal, our educational assistants were essential in their support for our school. With  modeling from their teacher, they were willing to learn how best to help their students. They also helped all students in the morning before school began by helping in the cafeteria or supervising waiting areas. When our EAs noticed that students were bored with nothing to do while waiting for the bell to ring, they brought activities so the students could learn or create something new. After school, they were out in the hallways or escorting students to buses and assisting teachers or office staff. We had several EAs go back to school to get their teaching degree, and we hired them, knowing that they would be caring and wonderful teachers. Educational assistants are essential to a school.

The cafeteria staff is essential. They arrive at school when it's still dark outside and most of us are just waking up. They prepare nutritious breakfasts and lunches, knowing that for some students, this will be their only meals of the day. Our meal clerks and lunch supervisors were also essential. They ensured that students could get their meals quickly so they would have sufficient time to eat. We believed that lunchtime was an opportunity for students to socialize, so yes, it sometimes got noisy, but our cafeteria staff and lunch supervisors kept things running smoothly, and the custodians got everything cleaned up before the next group of students arrived. The cafeteria staff is essential to a school.

Counselors, behavior therapists, speech language pathologists, transition coordinator, parent-community coordinator - these were all essential positions at our school. Working with students who needed additional support, helping to welcome students and their families to our school, coordinating parenting activities or ensuring there were volunteers for our many school-wide or grade-level activities - our school was special because of all the supports our students and our school community received. 

Bus drivers are essential. Without them, many students would not have a way to get to school. It is not easy to drive a bus while keeping an eye and ear out for what's going on behind you. I know I couldn't do that! Yet our bus drivers do it every day, twice each day, and I appreciate them. They are essential. 

A school is more than the administration and the teachers. Let's appreciate all of our staff for what they do each and every day for our students and their families. 

Support for Our Youngest Students, Especially Those Who Need it Most

I am an Early Childhood Education major, and sometime early in my career, I remember reading about a 1964 study by Benjamin Bloom that found that half of the growth in intelligence is made between birth and age four. This study shows why it is so important for our youngest children to be exposed to rich learning experiences. As a Head Start teacher early in my career, I worked with economically disadvantaged preschoolers and their families. This experience validated my beliefs about equity, learning through hands-on activities, teamwork, the importance of parent involvement, and early interventions. This is why I am so disappointed that our state has not yet committed to early childhood education despite clear evidence that preschool experience does make a difference. 

This is why I was excited when I heard about the Building Blocks Hawaii Program that Impact Change Hawaii has started for preschoolers in our geographical area. This twice-a-week program brings together 3-and-4-year-olds and an adult - usually a parent or grandparent - to participate in activities that stress literacy, communication, and social-emotional learning. These students have not had the opportunity to attend a regular preschool. The cost of the tuition is more than their families can afford, while at the same time, the parents earn too much to qualify for the Head Start program. Building Blocks Hawaii is an option for these children and their families.

The Building Blocks Hawaii program is held in a church building. The intent is to have community support for the program which benefits the students and their families. 

Principal Yogi and kindergarten teachers from Kipapa Elementary School also visited the program today. Impact Change Hawaii was formed to support this program and to expand it to other areas. The kindergarten teachers realize the positive impact this program can have on their incoming students.

Back when I was growing up, very few (if any) of my classmates attended preschool so we were all on a level playing field when we started kindergarten. That's not the case today, and there is often a significant difference in socialization, social-emotional, and language and math literacy skills in students who have attended preschool and those without that experience. That is a societal issue that needs to be addressed. This opportunity gap often shows up as an achievement gap when students first enter kindergarten. . It is a classic case of the "haves and the have-nots." 

Until there is a universal preschool program in our state, we need to rely on innovative leaders like Principal Yogi of Kipapa Elementary School who saw a need and sought to find a solution for her families. Thanks to Impact Change Hawaii, her incoming kindergarteners have an opportunity that will prepare them to be successful through the Building Blocks Hawaii program. However, there are challenges, including funding, finding qualified staff, and the availability of facilities. 

Let's work together to address these challenges so that ALL entering kindergarten students are ready for school.

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 "Our Youngest Learners Deserve Our Support" (October 4, 2015)

"Let's Get Moving on Universal Preschool in Hawaii" (March 31, 2019)

"Hawaii's prekindergarten classes lauded for quality, not quantity" (Star-Advertiser, April 26, 2021)

"Executive Office of Early Learning"