Hawaii Education Matters

Parent Academy

hawaiiem — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:06:06 +0000

At the beginning of 2011, HEM conducted a strategic planning retreat. The idea of a Parent Academy emerged from our strategic planning retreat as the most logical next step in the development and growth of our organization. HEM was born in the unprecedented wave of energy spawned by the school furlough crisis. The result is that we became recognized as a bridge between stakeholders and a voice for families in public schools. As the fervor around the crisis died down, so too did the activist engagement of our parents and families. It is our intention to find ways to sustain and deepen active and meaningful participation for parents and families beyond the crisis du jour.

Thanks to generous support from The Learning Coalition and the Hawaii Community Foundation, HEM is collaborating with the Kailua/Kalaheo Complex Area Superintendent, principals, teachers, and families to develop a sustainable way to engage parents and families in the education process, so that families deepen their understanding of education issues and become effective partners in improving their local schools. We believe we can achieve this by the formation of a Parent Academy, and we want you to join us.

A Parent Academy is a series of education related workshops (either in person or on-line) that provide information and training on a variety of topics for families. These workshops are designed to help families and school staff become full partners in the education of all students. Workshop topics might include academic support, college readiness, health and nutrition, and safety issues. Some of the national models we looked to were San Diego Parent University, Miami-Dade County Parent Academy, and Montgomery County Parent Academy.

In partnership with families, teachers, and principals, we have developed and will pilot five workshops for the complex-wide Parent Academy to assess the effectiveness of this model in engaging parents in education. The development of the Kailua/Kalaheo Parent Academy is an open and inclusive process. It is important that principals, teachers and families are involved in every step of the development process. Parent and family input and ownership will be key to the success of the Parent Academy. Toward this end, we conducted ‘talk story sessions’ with parents and teachers at the end of 2011. The input received from our ‘talk story’ sessions was overwhelmingly positive and supportive, receiving comments from stakeholders such as: ‘I always feel an informed parent is a happy parent’, ‘A Parent Academy would help parents become more empathetic with the process and get a clearer idea of expectations and ways to support their children.’, ‘Parents who are involved feel better about the school and teachers.’, and ‘A Parent Academy could get parents to want to be involved in their child’s learning.’

A common thread that emerged from the ‘talk story’ sessions was the importance of developing relationships. Why is this important? All aspects of life are based on relationships. We cannot expect excellence in public education without first developing and investing in good relationships. The discussions at these session revealed that a strong ‘us v. them’ perception persists in schools, instead of families and schools feeling like ‘we are all in this together’. Taking the time to develop and build relationships will help shift this perception.

So how do we start to build trusting relationships? COMMUNICATION.

Communication is the single most important factor in any relationship, whether it be with our own children, our friends, our bosses, or our children’s school. From our private lives to professional relationships, we deeply and profoundly affect each other through our communication. How we communicate therefore has an enormous effect on all of our relationships.

We believe that parents are a child’s first, primary, and life-long teachers. Everything parents do at home has long-term effects on preparing a child for success in school and life. The Parent Academy pilot workshops are designed to help families apply effective communication strategies in the home that can also be translated to their child’s teacher and school. Communication will be the common denominator of the five pilot workshops for the Kailua/Kalaheo Parent Academy. Effective communication is the foundation for building trusting relationships between families and schools.

Click here to read the findings from our Fall 2011 ‘talk story sessions’.

We will pilot the following workshops in May 2012 (under each workshop topic are related links):

MAY 2nd - Parents Leading the Way: An Emotion Focused Approach to Parenting

MAY 3rd - Beyond Bullying: Growing Safe Schools

How to Use Social and Emotional Learning to Stop Bullying

Social and Emotional Learning and Bullying Prevention

Free Brochures for Parents on Bullying

The Beginning of the End of Bullying

MAY 7th - Smooth Transitions from Elementary to Middle School

MAY 9th - Hawaii 5210 Let’ Go! Power up with Sleep and Breakfast

MAY 22nd - Blast Off to Summer Reading!

Please RSVP for the May workshops by emailing us at friends@hawaiieducationmatters.org.

Help us spread the word about our upcoming workshops. Share our workshop flyer with your networks!

BRING A FRIEND! Refreshments and childcare will be provided at all of the workshops, and some very cool RAFFLE prizes will be given away.

If you are interested in learning more about these workshops and/or joining us as we develop the Kailua/Kalaheo Parent Academy please email us at anndavis@hawaiieducationmatters.org OR join our social networking site.

Appointed Board of Education

admin — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 05:02:30 +0000

The BOE is considering amending the graduation requirements for High School students, BOARD POLICY 4540, HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION AND COMMENCEMENT POLICY. The Board is very interested in hearing from parents and community members about the proposed requirements. Below are recent articles and opinions that address and explain these changes. If you would like to share your opinion with the Board, you can submit testimony here. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments.

Hawaii’s K-12 Social Studies Credits May get Budget Ax

Ed Board: ‘Slow Down’ on Hawaii Grad Requirements

Soetoro-Ng Defends Social Studies from Cuts

Board Looks to Alter Graduation Requirements

Chairman: Hawaii Ed Board Not ‘Out of Touch’

Board looks to alter graduation credits

New Board of Ed called ‘Unavailable, Inaccessible’

Budget, Teacher Contract at top of BOE priority list

First Meeting Promises New Direction for BOE

First meeting of new BOE scheduled for Tuesday, April 26, 2011 at 9:45 a.m.

Hawaii’s Board of Education now in business
by Katherine Poythress (Civil Beat)

The state Senate confirmed Gov. Neil Abercrombie‘s nine appointments to the Hawaii State Board of Education in a 24-0 floor vote on Thursday. Minutes later, they were sworn in by Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald in the governor’s executive chambers.

The now-official board members are:

(Click on a name to read Civil Beat’s new topic page on that person!)

Their first meeting is scheduled for April 26, and chairman Don Horner has promised a “very full” agenda. One of his first promises is to replace old board bylaws and policies and to perform a policy audit.

Abercrombie and proponents of the appointed board have said it will usher in a new era of accountability for Hawaii’s public schools. We will be following closely to see if that is really true, and if so, what it means.

On March 30, 2011, Governor Neil Abercrombie appointed an entirely new board of 9 members to oversee policy. With a commitment to student achievement, and a broad range of skills, the board is already at work.

Getting Personal with Board of Education Appointees

Meet Your Board of Education

Board of Education Nominees Promise Culture Change

Hawaii has had an elected Board of Education (BOE) since 1966. In the November 2010 election, voters determined they wanted an appointed BOE. House Education Chair Roy Takumi and Senate Education Chair Jill Tokuda worked to draft a law, Act 5, that outlines how BOE members will be selected and appointed.

Governor Abercrombie signed the bill in to law on March 14, 2011.

Appointed BOE becomes state law

Making a Difference

admin — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 05:01:54 +0000

There’s never been a time of more optimism and practical help for public school children in Hawaii. In the Fall of 2009 176,000 public school children and teachers were furloughed. Now, because of two moms’ tenacity, we have a law that mandates a minimum number of school hours. Thanks to a dedicated team (which includes HSTA) our State DOE has been awarded the federal grant, Race to the Top, to create and implement systemic changes within our public school system. Check back often as we share stories about our public schools that inspire, and share ideas for how each of us can make a difference.

Hawaii’s 2012 Teacher of the Year

A Mindful School for a Mindful Community

Public School Keiki Help Plant the New Day Garden at Washington Place

Partnerships in Unlimited Educational Opportunities, or PUEO, gets low-income students ready for college

Catherine Payne: Creating Stability for Hawai‘i’s Teenagers

Moanalua High One of 15 Model Schools Nationwide

What our public schools CAN do. Wakiki Elementary School.

James Koshiba from Kanu Hawai‘i leaves us with some inspiring thoughts at our May 4th Education Town Hall

Hawai‘i’s Top Teacher Gets Shout Out from Obama

Businesses Support Public School

Farrington Water Team Scores with Perseverance

Our own Gordon Miyamoto’s son David and his senior project at Castle High School

Palolo Elementary – A Model for Improvement

Two Moms Ensure Hawaii’s Public School Children are Never Furloughed Again

2010 Milken Teacher Award

Community Helping Schools

Kailua Elementary School recognized by American Association of School Libraries

Healthy Families, Healthy Schools

admin — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 05:01:05 +0000

Health Families, Healthy Schools is a program of HEM that aims to help families understand the link between a healthy lifestyle and student success. Using the pillars of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! Initiative, HEM provides resources to families to support them in their endeavor to eat healthy and be active.

About 28 percent of Hawaii’s high school students are overweight according to the Hawaii Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). Although this rate is lower than the national rate of 32 percent, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation study noted that Hawaii high school obesity rate rose from 10.5 percent in 1999 to 14.5 percent in 2009. Further, the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) states that health and success in school are related, and schools cannot achieve their primary mission of education if students and staff are not healthy and fit physically, mentally, and socially. But the evidence also shows that making healthier choices can make a difference: healthy food choices and physical activity contributes to increased academic performance and a child’s ability to pay attention in class.

In response to some of these childhood health issues, the Hawaii DOE now requires all schools to have a wellness policy. How is your school implementing its wellness policy? How do you know if a snack or beverage meets the Hawaii DOE wellness guidelines? For starters, Hawaii Action for Healthy Kids (AFHK) provides a list of items that meet the DOE guidelines. Here you’ll find ideas for healthy snack foods and healthy fundraising. Another excellent resource, Hawaii 5210! , is an initiative to promote healthy eating and active living and prevent childhood obesity in Hawaii through a coordinated, collaborative, locally relevant health education campaign. On their website you will find ideas for supporting a healthy school environment that can help your school meet the DOE wellness guidelines.

Doing something innovative at your school to support wellness? Let us know, we want to share your story.

ZAMZEE!

Generous support from Kaiser Permanente Hawaii has made possible the launch of our first program of the Healthy Schools, Healthy Families Initiative, Zamzee. In partnership with Hope Lab, HEM will pilot this project that aims to increase physical activity among ‘tweens’ (teens 11-14 years old) through the use of Zamzee, a technology that monitors, quantifies, and rewards physical activity in a motivating and engaging way. Zamzee is an innovative way to leverage the power and appeal of technology to encourage healthier lifestyles, showing the emerging role of technology in the promotion of physical activity among youth. In scientific studies, Zamzee increased the physical activity of tweens by as much as 30 percent.

Beginning November 2011, HEM will pilot the efficacy of Zamzee with approximately 750 youth on Oahu. For more information please contact Jennifer Dang at limiakokua@hawaii.rr.com.

Healthy School Resources

Kokua Hawaii Foundation just released its Healthy Snack and Waste-Free Classroom Celebrations Resource Guide. Encourage your school to serve healthy snacks during HSA testing. This resource contains excellent ideas to increase compliance with the DOE Wellness Policy, while reducing your environmental footprint.

Action for Healthy Kids

Alliance for a Healthier Generation

Center for Ecoliteracy

Chop Chop: The FUN Cooking Magazine for Families

Fed up with Lunch

Fruits & Veggies More Matters

Hawaii 5210!

Hawaii State DOE Wellness Guidelines

Kokua Hawaii Foundation

Let’s Move

National Farm to School Network

S’Cool Food