Fall Newsletter 2012
Executive Office of Early Learning Joins the Hawai‘i P-20 Leadership
The Governor's Executive Office of Early Learning (EOEL) has joined the Hawai‘i P-20 leadership as its early learning partner. This partnership brings Terry Lock, who is the director of the Executive Office of Early Learning, to the Hawai‘i P-20 leadership team along with Kathryn Matayoshi, Superintendent, Hawai‘i State Department of Education and M.R.C. Greenwood, President, University of Hawai‘i System. "Having Terry on our leadership team shows the Governor's clear support for linking a high quality early learning system to the educational pipeline," says Karen Lee, Executive Director, Hawai‘i P-20. "Terry brings a wealth of knowledge in the field of early childhood education which will help ensure that the Hawai‘i P-3 initiative meets its goal of every child reading at grade level by grade three." The role of the Executive Office of Early Learning will be to provide for the necessary coordination and cooperation among all relevant governmental departments and agencies in order to bring a high quality early childhood experience to all of Hawai‘i's keiki.
P-20 Alignment Summit Brings National and Local Educators Together
Approximately 140 local educators attended a summit, coordinated and hosted by Hawai‘i P-20, designed to engage higher education faculty and administrators in a discussion of the next generation K-12 standards and assessments. The summit, entitled "Aligning Our Efforts: The Common Core State Standards, Smarter Balanced Assessments, and the Role of Higher Education", was held on September 21 at the Ala Moana Hotel and attended by representatives from all ten University of Hawai‘i campuses, Chaminade University, Hawai‘i Pacific University, Brigham Young University, and the Hawai‘i State Department of Education. Conference attendees heard from representatives from Education First, the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, as well as Hawai‘i teachers, faculty, and administrators about current implementation efforts and cross-sector alignment projects. They also had the opportunity to share their views on what language and concepts should be included in a statewide definition of college and career readiness. Hawai‘i State Superintendent, Kathryn Matayoshi, and University of Hawai‘i System Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Linda Johnsrud, stressed the importance of fostering collaborative partnerships between K-12 and higher education in order to increase student success and promote college and career readiness. Hawai‘i P-20 will continue to support cross-sector alignment activities with future summits and trainings in math, English language arts, and teacher preparation, through the administration of the GEAR UP Alignment Grants, and by facilitating the creation of a statewide definition of college and career readiness.
GEAR UP Hawai‘i Celebrates National GEAR UP Week
During National GEAR UP Week, September 10-16, GEAR UP Hawai‘i showcased the positive impact its program has had on students, families, schools and communities in the state. The celebration included a "GEAR UP Week" proclamation by Governor Neil Abercrombie, television morning show interviews on KITV and Hawai‘i News Now, and special recognition in the national GEAR UP Week media outlets.
College Application and Exploration Season Helps Students Apply for College
From October through December, GEAR UP Hawai‘i will launch "College Application and Exploration Season" (CAES) to assist high school students with their exploration and applications for college. CAES is a new initiative of GEAR UP Hawai‘i and is based on the "College Application Week" program started by GEAR UP North Carolina in 2005 which has since expanded to 22 states. The goal of CAES is to encourage high school seniors, particularly prospective first-generation college students from low-income families, to apply to at least one college before they graduate from high school, giving every student the option to go to college. Local volunteers, college faculty and staff will work with pilot high schools in the state to plan events that encourage their seniors to complete a college application. The five pilot schools participating this year include: Kea'au High School, Ke Kula ‘O ‘Ehunuikaimalino, McKinley High School, Roosevelt High School and Waipahu High School. Special packets will also be sent out to over 14,200 Step Up Scholars to provide them with resources and information on preparing and applying for college and financial aid.
Hawai‘i Education Leaders Attend Achieve's ADP Leadership Meeting
Eight representatives from the State of Hawai‘i Governor's Office, State Legislature, Hawai‘i State Department of Education, Hawai‘i Board of Education, State Office for Career and Technical Education, University of Hawai‘i and Hawai‘i P-20 attended the annual Achieve American Diploma Project (ADP) Leadership Meeting for state education leaders in Washington D.C. in September. Hawai‘i State Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi was featured on a panel on college and career-ready standards and aligned asessments.
More Teachers Seek the PK-3 Certificate Program
Twenty-nine teachers are on their way to earning the PK-3 Graduate Certificate Program at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa. Hawai‘i P-3's third cohort of graduate students, comprised of 17 public school teachers, began this fall by starting their first course in a series of five graduate-level courses. There are currently 12 teachers from the second cohort who are enrolled in their third course of the certificate program. The PK-3 Graduate Certificate Program has been very successful since its launch in 2009. In Spring 2012, the first cohort graduated from the program and two of the teachers went on to complete 12 additional required credits to earn their Master's degree in education with an emphasis in PK-3 education.
15 to Finish Campaign Increases Freshman Earning 15+ Credits at UH Campuses
A higher percentage of incoming freshman students at the University of Hawai‘i campuses statewide registered to earn 15 or more credits for the Fall 2012 semester than freshmen who entered the UH system last year. This increase can be attributed to the "15 to Finish" Campaign, which launched in June under the University of Hawai‘i's Hawai‘i Graduation Initiative. Students who register for 15 or more credits are on track to complete college on time, whether they are earning an associate or bachelor's degree. At the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa campus, 55.5 percent of first-time freshmen signed up for 15 or more credits this year, a 17.2 percentage point increase from the previous year. UH Hilo experienced an increase of 12.3 percentage points, while UH West O'ahu saw an increase of 26.7 percentage points. The UH Community Colleges increased their percentage of freshmen taking 15 or more credits by 4.6 percentage points. For more information on "15 to Finish" go to 15tofinish.com.
Helping Families Find Money for College
Over the next several months, GEAR UP Hawai‘i will sponsor over 50 financial aid workshops and events statewide to help students and families apply for financial aid. The Scholarship Aha events, in partnership with the University of Hawai‘i, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Native Hawaiian Education Association, and the Pacific Financial Aid Association are organized for the Native Hawaiian community to provide information about the financial aid process. There will be 16 statewide events starting in November featuring representatives from various Native Hawaiian scholarship organizations. Last year, these events reached over 1,200 students and families. To see a complete list of dates and locations click here. In addition, GEAR UP Hawai‘i is supporting the Pacific Financial Aid Association in hosting free financial aid workshops at various high schools around the state. For event dates and locations click here.
New Video Encourages Students to "Take Charge of Your Future"
GEAR UP Hawai‘i produced a new student video called "Take Charge of Your Future" to motivate middle school and high school students to pursue higher education. The video focuses on three key messages: College is for Everyone, How to Prepare for College, and College is Affordable. To view the video click here.
Hawai‘i P-3 Launches a New Website
Check out Hawai‘i P-3's brand new website which provides detailed information on Hawai‘i P-3's community-based demonstration sites and the quality assessments and standards that are being implemented in early childhood probrams around the state. Visit www.p3hawaii.org today!
New Hawai‘i P-3 Program Specialist Joins the Team
Skyla Seltzer recently joined the Hawai‘i P-3 team as the P-3 Program Specialist. Sklya has lived in Hawai‘i for two years and previously served in the Peace Corps in Washington D.C. Prior to that she served as a Peace Corps volunteer in schools and worked in curriculum development in Namibia, Africa. Skyla also has a wealth of experience working in public schools in Connecticut and Missouri.
Hawai‘i P-20 Annual Report Released
Click here to view Hawai‘i P-20's latest achievements and accomplishments for 2011-2012.