2017 Awards
(S362A170031) University of Hawaii (HI) $489,944 Ka Pilina No`eau seeks to develop, implement, and replicate the Math and Science Learning Model (MSL Model) to enhance math and science educational services and ultimately improve the math and science outcomes of Native Hawaiian (NH) children and youth. The MSL Model will be an out-of-school intervention with: (1) informal and formal evaluation of students’ math; (2) early reading and literacy; (3) acceleration, enrichment, and remediation in math and science; (4) real-world application group activity and service learning/field trip; and (5) parent workshops on building math skills, on resources on STEM activities at home, and on understanding diverse learners. The target parent population is parents of intervention group students. The project will serve 600 K-8 NH students and 360 of their parents over 3 years, with half in the intervention group and the other half in the control group.
(S362A170032) University of Hawaii (HI) $606,617 Manawa Kūpono (“opportunity”) seeks to increase the college readiness, access and success for Native Hawaiian students from high-poverty schools on O`ahu, Hawai`i, Kaua`i, and Moloka`i. In contrast to other college readiness programs, this program will provide intensive and individualized services to a targeted group of students who are most at risk of not attending college. There are three objectives: (1) to increase the college readiness of 11th and 12th graders at the target schools by providing systematic college preparation outreach activities that include sessions on test-taking strategies, the college application and financial aid process, and activities to promote family awareness of and involvement in pursuing college; (2) to increase college enrollment through supporting graduates from the target schools to participate in a 6-week college bridge program and by providing financial support for the 1st year of college; and, (3) to increase college success of first-year college participants through a highly effective retention program and through the provision of tuition scholarships. The project will serve 9 high schools on 4 islands: O’ahu, Hawai`i Island, Moloka`i, and Kaua`i. The majority of schools are high-poverty schools and all serve a significant proportion of Native Hawaiian students.
(S362A170013) Partners in Development Foundation (HI) $995,272 Na Pono O Ke Alopali (Family Resilience) seeks to expand and intensify services to more effectively address the needs of the whole family (birth-adult) and increase the long-term success of the community. The purpose and goal of the project is to equip and inspire the at-risk families of Waimānalo (including homeless/hidden homeless families) for success and self-sufficiency. Nā Pono’s objectives are to serve at least 1500 at-risk, family members of Waimānalo over the course of three (3) years, of which at least 80% of these families will be of Native Hawaiian ancestry: to prepare young children and their families for success in kindergarten and beyond; to increase academic skills of students in grades Kindergarten through 6th; to increase family engagement and parenting skills; to inspire and work with adults who need their high school equivalency diploma and/or want to be employed; and to increase knowledge, understanding, and use of Native Hawaiian language and culture through place-based curriculum/activities.
(S362A170023) Aha Punana Leo, Inc. (HI) $632,300 Kahua Kukulu: Foundation for Building aims to increase the percentage of Native Hawaiian children who demonstrate kindergarten readiness, particularly in Hawaiian language literacy. Two objectives, implemented with fidelity, are expected to significantly impact the chances of reaching this goal: to improve the levels of competency among in-service Hawaiian Medium Environment (HME) preschool teachers and to increase the number of qualified HME preschool teachers. Proposed project sites include Hilo Nawahi Pre-K and Hilo Hiʻipēpē, Waimea, Kona, Maui, Lahaina, Hāna, Molokaʻi, Honolulu, Mānoa, Waiʻanae Hiʻipēpē, Koʻolau Poko, Koʻolau Loa, and Kauaʻi. The project will support the in-service training and credentialing of 100 participants. In addition, 270 participants will enroll in college-level coursework, receiving assistance and support. By increasing teacher effectiveness, an estimated 333 children and their families will be impacted over three years.
(S362A170003) Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture (INPEACE) (HI) $713,007 Keiki Steps: Evaluation and Impact seeks to meet the school readiness needs of at-risk Native Hawaiian young children and their families through increasing their participation in a high-quality early education program that is culturally responsive, standards-based, and literacy-focused. This will be accomplished through the following six objectives: 1) recruiting children, families, and teachers from 12 high-poverty Native Hawaiian communities; 2) improving literacy and school readiness skills in participating children through implementing the research-based curricula and culturally relevant literacy instruction; 3) increasing knowledge of child development and positive parenting practices in participating parents by emphasizing a strong family involvement and evidence-based parent training component; 4) increasing the capacity and competency in early childhood educators by providing job-embedded professional development that incorporates college coursework, dynamic coaching, professional learning communities, and training in Mind in the Making: Seven Essential Life Skills; 5) assisting 12 elementary schools in high poverty communities with their school readiness activities by offering a Keiki Steps to Kindergarten transition program in the summer; and 6) conducting a rigorous quasi-experimental design study to examine the effects of the program on participating child outcomes. At least 1,200 children, 800 families, and 36 teachers will be served by the project (over 2,000 total participants). The project will serve 12 sites on 3 islands located in high-poverty elementary schools with high concentrations of Native Hawaiian students: Oahu (Leihoku, Maili, Makaha, Nanakuli, Nanaikapono, & Waianae), Hawaii (Pahoa, Kapiolani, Keaau, & Keaukaha), and Kauai (Kapaa & Kekaha).
(S362A170004) Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture (INPEACE) (HI) $787,340 Growing Our Own in Waianae seeks to meet the needs of at risk Native Hawaiian children (early childhood education through 12th grade) and their families through the pilot and evaluation of a cultural Grow Your Own teacher model for the Waianae Coast of Oahu, Hawaii. Through this model, participants will be provided with Teacher Recruitment, Teacher Career Access and Navigation, and Native Hawaiian Educator Retention components to 1) increase the pool of teachers with the credentials and foundation in culture-based education to effectively fill early childhood and K-12 educator positions on the Waianae Coast; 2) increase the number of Native Hawaiian community members applying to and employed in the field of education on the Coast; 3) increase the retention of Native Hawaiian educators in Waianae Coast schools; and 4) increase the engagement of students and families taught by participant teachers. At least 150 Native Hawaiian educators working on the Waianae Coast, and Native Hawaiian community members interested in becoming early childhood or K-12 educators on the Coast will be served annually. The project will serve community members from and teaching on the Waianae Coast of Oahu, Hawaii.
(S362A170042) University of Hawaii (HI) $634,437 Kūkulu Kumuhana K-3 Hawaiian Language Student and Family Literacy Project (Building Common Foundations) seeks to develop informational Hawaiian language books, curricula, teacher training, and family literacy workshops for Hawaiian language medium (HLM) students in the target early elementary grade levels. Kūkulu Kumuhana has the overarching goal of fostering growth in literacy for 2,150 K-3 HLM students who by project end, will demonstrate improved proficiency in the reading of informational texts in the Hawaiian language. Project objectives include: (1) Improving the literacy and academic outcomes of K-3 HLM students by producing 50 or more original culture- and place-based informational reading texts in the Hawaiian language for HLM students and families; (2) Developing curricula and assessment resources that strengthen K-3 HLM student proficiency in reading and writing original Hawaiian language informational texts; (3) Engaging 40 or more of the 73 K-3 HLM partner school teachers and teacher training candidates in a collaborative effort to improve the literacy and academic outcomes of their students by providing preservice and in-service training on project books, curricula, and best practices in literacy development; (4) Collaborating with schools to host family book and language workshops in order to foster family literacy engagement and use of the Hawaiian language in the home environment. The 2,150 Hawaiian language medium K-3 students to be served are taught by 73 teachers at 17 school sites on the 5 islands of Hawaiʻi, Maui, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu, and Kauaʻi.
(S362A170012) Ke Kula O Nawahiokalaniopuu Iki (HI) $392,837 Kuleana No ʻAneʻi (“We Have a Responsibility Here”) seeks to increase Hawaiian language fluency, academic proficiency, and college readiness of Native Hawaiian students in grades 7-12 through curricular and extra-curricular activities that integrate students with the college environment and with older peer groups of Hawaiian speakers. This will be accomplished through the following three objectives: 1) increasing the academic proficiency and college readiness in 75% of students attending the target school through participation in college-level Hawaiian medium coursework, as measured by results on the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Tests and successful completion of college-level courses; and 2) increasing the fluency and frequency of Hawaiian language use in 75% of target school students through their participation in school, community, and workplace programs (including Hawaiian medium preschools) that integrate them with older peer groups of Hawaiian speakers, as measured by observations of an expert ethnographer; and 3) increasing the capacity in providing quality coursework and activities in Hawaiian in 90% of target school teachers. At least 300 students, 220 families, and 20 teachers will be served by the project (over 500 total participants). The project will be based in the largest Hawaiian language medium school on Hawai`i island: Ke Kula `O Nāwahīokalani`ōp`u Iki Public Charter School. The school serves Native Hawaiian children and families residing throughout the island, particularly those from the largest two districts: Hilo and Puna.
(S362A170055) Keiki O Ka Aina Preschool, Inc. (HI) $999,867 Hawaiian STEAM – Hawaiian Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) seeks to give at least 7,655 Native Hawaiian children (Pre-K through Grade 4), their parents and their teachers, from predominately Hawaiian communities, the opportunity to participate in classrooms and authentic outdoor environments to experience culturally relevant exploration in STEAM. Young Hawaiian children will participate in Hawaiian STEAM knowledge and skills they will need to be successful in the 21st century workplace through culturally relevant instruction and authentic environments. Hawaiian STEAM will (1) serve 7,655 children, parents and teachers in predominately Native Hawaiian communities through a forked approach. Kalihi Waimanalo Kaneohe Waianae Ewa Palolo Wailuku Kihei Hilo Kona Keiki O Ka Aina Family Learning Centers Hawaiian STEAM 2 Preschools will be able to utilize a rigorous and engaging 32-week curricula for implementation in 8 Pre-K classrooms that embed critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity and culturally relevant academic concepts; (2) Develop, coordinate and implement Hawaiian STEAM training and mentorship for Pre K-Grade 3 teachers and to use modules cumulating in authentic fieldtrips at the Cultural Center at Kalei for knowledge and skills to improved student outcomes; (3) Plan, coordinate and implement a 9 session Board and Stone series for parents and teachers associated with the Project. At least 150 individuals will enroll for the Board and Stone series each year for a total of 450. Children will be exposed first hand to culturally-relevant instruction, reciprocal strategies for teaching and learning in Hawaiian STEAM authentic environments; (4) Plan, coordinate and implement two Hawaiian STEAM Days for at least 500 children, teachers and parents culturally relevant exploration of core academic concepts through hands-on activities.
(S362A170048) Mana Maoli (HI) $601,461 Mana Mele K-16 Creative Industries Pipeline Project seeks to deliver culture-based education and creative industry experiences for the purpose of increasing Native Hawaiian educational attainment and employment rates in well paid creative industry fields. The project goal is to create a three-tiered education program to address dire community needs and close achievement and opportunity gaps while guiding youths to achieve success in sustainable career pathways. Project Objectives include: (1) Connecting students from grade K to postsecondary with facilitators and mentors in progressively focused learning experiences in creative industry fields including music, video, and communications; (2) Engaging youth participants in the creation and sharing of authentic multimedia products and performances to build skills, knowledge, and experiences while raising the profile of contributions to Hawai‘i’s creative economy by members of a new generation of NHs. The project will serve 1,830 children, youths, and young adults in grades K-16 at 11 schools, including 3 Hawaiian language medium schools, located in 4 school districts on the islands of O‘ahu and Kaua‘i, and at various colleges and career settings following graduation. Letters of support from all partner schools are included.
(S362A170002) Partners in Development Foundation (HI) $4,727,935 Tutu and Me: Ka Pelika O Na Ohana (Grandparent and me-committed to children and families) seeks to continues the highly effective traveling preschool approach in 24 underserved and predominately Native Hawaiian communities on five islands in the State of Hawaiʻi as follows: Kauaʻi: Kapaʻa, Anahola, Kekaha and Hanapēpē Oʻahu: Waialua, Makakilo, Kahaluʻu, and Papakōlea Molokaʻi: Kaunakakai and Kualapuʻu Maui: Lāhainā, Kīhei, Makawao, and Kahalui Hawaiʻi: Olaʻa, Pāhoa, Waiākea, Panaewa, Pāhala, Nāʻālehu, South Kona, KailuaKona, Waimea and Honokaʻa. Caregivers attend the program with their child and are involved in activities that can easily be replicated in the home. These activities enable caregivers to grow in their understanding of child development while strengthening their bond with their child. In addition, this project will continue its home visiting component in the rural districts of North and South Kohala, Ka‘ū, and will expand to the Hāmākua district which is located along a 50-mile stretch of the east coast of Hawai‘i island. It will also serve the island of Moloka‘i. The goal and expected outcome of the project is that caregivers will understand their role as their child’s first and most important teacher which enable them to prepare Native Hawaiian children to enter school ready to learn and succeed. With a target number of 50 children and 50 caregivers at each community location, and including families served in the home visiting program, in three years’ time, 4,020 children ages birth to 5 years old will be exposed to Tūtū and Me’s traditional Traveling Preschool and Home Visiting program and at least 3,510 caregivers will benefit from resources, and support and guidance modeled by our staff.
(S362A170039) University of Hawaii (HI) $604,230 Hoomanalowai: STEM Student and Teacher Preparation Program seeks to provide scholarship & academic support to a minimum of 160 undergraduate students at six NH-serving postsecondary institutions: Honolulu Community College, Kapiʻolani Community College, Leeward Community College, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, & Windward Community College on Oahu and the University of Hawaiʻi in Hilo on Hawaiʻi Island; conduct STEM enrichment & pre-college workshops for 180 parents & students with Nā Pua Noʻeau; and advance science & math skills for 120 students via a partnership of joint K-5 STEM teaching activities at Mālama Honua Public Charter School in Waimānalo, Oahu. The target population for this project is the Native Hawaiian (NH) student with an interest in becoming a scientist, engineer, teacher, or other STEM professional and those with an interest in teaching science or mathematics in the NH community. The desired project outcomes for the program are pre-college students proficient, prepared, and motivated in mathematics and science; NHs pursuing college and post-secondary degrees in STEM; an increase in the pipeline of preservice STEM teachers, and NHs proficient, prepared, and motivated to enter the STEM workforce as professionals and teachers.
(S362A170051) Kulaniakea (HI) $323,785 Kumu Ola seeks to develop, pilot test, and implement an illustrated Hawaiian-English children’s book in order to support the whole family literacy development (from age 2 to adulthood). The school will use the book to create and assess a family-based early childhood literacy program. The program will consist of an academic curriculum (40 lesson plans with a teacher’s guidebook) and a parent companion (40 home activities and reading program). Project objectives include: OBJECTIVE 1: 30 students, 2-6 years old, will consistently demonstrate increased levels of Hawaiian and English language literacy and STEM knowledge and OBJECTIVE 2: 60 family members/parents will demonstrate increased levels of Hawaiian and English language literacy and STEM knowledge in order to support their children’s learning. The project activities will be carried out at one location, preschool, in Kaneohe, Hawaii.
(S362A170052) Boys & Girls Club of Hawaii (HI) $685,331 Native Hawaiian Educational Enhancement Initiative (the Initiative) is a first twelfth grade program designed to remediate skill gaps and move students forward academically. Project goals include the following: Goal 1: Reduce the achievement gap between Native Hawaiian students and their peers in Reading, Math and Science; Goal 2: Increase school attendance and engagement of Native Hawaiian students; Goal 3: Increase the academic-to-home connection through parent/guardian involvement. Each year the Initiative will serve 2,025 students in grades 1-12 (43% age 6-10, 23% age 11-12, 24% age 13-15, and 10% age 16 and up). The Initiative will be delivered at 19 Boys & Girls Club sites located on the islands of Oahu, Kauai, Maui and Hawaii (the Big Island): Oahu and Kauai – Cities of Ewa Beach, Waianae, Kailua, Kapaa, Lihue, Waimea and Honolulu; Maui – Cities of Kahului, Haiku, Wailuku, Makawao and Lahaina; The Big Island – Cities of Hilo, Kea’au, Pahala and Pahoa.
(S362A170021) University of Hawaii (HI) $576,251 Literacy Through Digital Media K-3 (LDM K-3) seeks to improve the academic outcomes of Native Hawaiian (NH) children in Hawaii‘s elementary schools. This will be accomplished by 1) introducing culturally relevant technology lessons to grades K-3 and 2) training Hawaii Department of Education (DOE) teachers, Educational Assistants (EAs), and kūpuna to enhance the language arts experience of students by integrating culturally relevant technology lessons into instruction. The lessons developed/selected by the LDM K-3 Project will incorporate Hawaiian language, culture, history and values and adhere to reading and writing DOE Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for grades K-3. Three schools in the Windward and Central Districts are committed to participating: Blanche Pope, He‘eia, and Kipapa Elementary, as well as the DOE Kūpuna and Kahua Teacher Induction Programs. Over the course of the project 900+ K-3 students in the 3 project schools will receive culturally relevant and digitally rich instruction aligned with CCSS. Training of 200+ DOE teachers, EAs, and kūpuna will take place during Years 1-3, resulting in 2,500+ additional students participating in the lessons, with direct support from project-trained teachers, EAs, and kūpuna.
(S362A170053) Hui Malama O Ke Kai Foundation (HI) $598,574 E Kūkulu I Nā Alakaʻi Hawaiʻi (Building Hawaiian Leaders) seeks to effectively address the achievement, economic/employment, and socio-emotional issues that impact Native Hawaiians. The E Kūkulu I Nā Alakaʻi Hawaiʻi (Building Hawaiian Leaders) Project will help support the Hui Mālama O Ke Kai Foundation (HMK) programs as well as implementation of an important organizational capacity building project which will unfold a progressive, culturally competent, three-year educational development and staff training initiative focused on shifting the organization’s focus to a placed-based curriculum. HMK is a vital, evolving, seamlessly integrated system of after-school youth development and leadership, higher education support and professional internship, and family strengthening/community building programs offering research-driven services that incorporate cultural methodology into traditional educational enrichment models. The HMK programs address the well documented socio-emotional, achievement, and health-quality gaps of Native Hawaiian students and their families. HMK programming is based in the underserved “Hawaiian Homestead” community of Waimānalo, Hawaiʻi and on average over twenty-five hours of direct, weekly after-school and weekend/evening services are provided, five-to-six days each week, at no cost to the 200 annual youth program and family/community participants. The project will purposefully and strategically weave core HMK programming into the culturally competent development of HMK’s new eleven acre site while simultaneously building organizational excellence.
(S362A170014) Partners in Development Foundation (HI) $1,659,686 Ka Pa’alana Homeless Family Education Program has served over 5,000 homeless Native Hawaiian families on the Leeward Coast of O‘ahu by providing comprehensive family education programming at all steps of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC)—Outreach, Emergency Shelter, Transitional Shelter, Public Housing. The overall goal of Ka Pa‘alana is to break the cycle of generational poverty by implementing an intensive and integrated family education program that is infused with timeless Native Hawaiian culture and values, and that provides an educational support to all four steps of the HUD CoC. Over a period of three years, Ka Pa‘alana will serve approximately 2580 at-risk/homeless Native Hawaiians (by preparing 740 at-risk/homeless children living along the Leeward Coast for formal education and equipping 1,090 at-risk/homeless adults with effective care giving skills through Parent Education and workforce readiness through Adult Education). The Home Visiting Specialists will conduct 750 home visits.
(S362A170022) Friends of the Future (HI) $798,625 ALOHA MAP – Meritorious Achievement Program aims to serve up to 1,226 high-needs Native Hawaiian students enrolled in eight Kealakehe Complex schools along the Kona Coast of Hawai‘i Island. Implementation of ALOHA MAP will provide partners with the opportunity to develop, test, refine, improve and sustain a cultural learning model that promises to have lasting, positive impacts on Native Hawaiian students. ALOHA MAP Native Hawaiian learning strategies – Layer 1: Summer Learning; Layer 2: School Year Learning; Layer 3: Hawaiian Language / Cultural Enrichment; Layer 4: College and Career Readiness – will demonstrate the effectiveness of combining academic and native language/culture study as a strategy to increase student engagement in learning and readiness for academic success. Refinement of a successful pilot during the grant period will allow the program to best integrate culture studies and academic content into a diverse, multi-grade level, year-round learning experience that reduces summer learning loss, strengthens student awareness of native cultural traditions (arts/history/language), expands student and family access to college and career planning resources and builds early literacy skills to accelerate early academic growth.
(S362A170037) Kanu o ka Aina Learning Ohana (HI) $371,736 Ke Ala `Ike (the way to knowledge) seeks to address the issue of underemployment in teaching careers through a teacher training/licensure program which will make significant economic impact. In addition to this direct job and economic impact, underserved at risk Hawaiian students in the schools and communities employing our program graduates will benefit as they will be instructed by qualified culturally competent ELL early literacy trained teachers, a shortage of which currently exists in Hawai’i. Activities will target pre-service teacher candidates who will work at 17 high need target charter schools throughout the state of Hawai‘i. Key Outcomes are 30 students will complete a pre-service certificate program; 30 of the preservice completers will be licensed in the State of Hawai‘i; and KALO will be accredited by the Distance Education Accreditation Council as a degree granting organization. Through the 30 newly licensed teachers this project will indirectly serve 1,500 students, the majority being at-risk.
(S362A170034) University of Hawaii (HI) $531,154 Ka Waihona o Na’auao (KWON) Whole School (WS) Place-based Learning and Community Engagement in School (PLACES) seeks to focus on serving all 680 students grades Kindergarten through 8th grade and their 48 teachers and coaches at KWON. The overarching goal of this project is to support the academic achievement and aspirations of KWON students. This goal will be realized through four primary objectives. The objectives are: 1) to support students’ academic achievement by using community resources as a springboard for learning and for nurturing students’ developmental assets; 2) to transform teacher pedagogy by increasing understanding of and skills in teaching Place-based Cultural Projects (PBCP) curricular approach; 3) to increase student engagement by exposing them to rigorous curriculum that is connected to their communities; and 4) nurturing community participation in school. KWON WS PLACES is designed as a series of overlapping support systems, which wrap around children and offer multiple opportunities for support and learning. Support systems include place-based opportunities for teaching and learning, student mentoring across grade levels, multiple connections to institutions of higher education, and multiple connections to the arts. It will improve overall student achievement by integrating in-school and out-of-school supports, providing quality professional development, and inviting significant community development.
(S362A170036) Keiki O Ka Aina Preschool, Inc. (HI) $1,836,123 Pūpūkāhi i Holomua (Move Together to Unite) project seeks to serve a total of 4,950 individuals and is dedicated to the teaching and learning of young Hawaiian children through family engagement and dual language preschools and services. The Project Goal is to increase the number of Native Hawaiian children who enter school ready to learn and to amplify family engagement in children’s education for success. The Pūpūkāhi i Holomua Project will address the problem as follows: 1) establish and coordinate 7 Family Learning Centers (FLC), 2 preschools, one with an Infant Toddler Center for 3,790 Hawaiian children, to provide a seamless system of services on 3 islands (O’ahu, Maui and Hawai’i) for 10 Native Hawaiian communities in Hawai‘i. Kalihi Waimanalo Kaneohe Waianae Ewa Palolo Wailuku Kihei Hilo Kona; 2) increase the quality of parent strengths and skills through participation focused on child development, cultural connectedness and positive family interaction; 3) increase the identification, timely referrals and services for children with special needs; and 4) support the unique cultural and educational needs of Hawaiian families by replicating a family engagement culture.
(S362A170025) Kamalani Academy (HI) $ 469,998 Ma ka hana ka ike (In working one learns) seeks to support the faculty, leadership, students, and families of Kamalani Academy (KA), a new arts-integration, Hawaiian focused charter school. Project goals are: (1) provide research-based PD activities in literacy instruction and Hawaiian culture-based and place-based instruction through art integration; (2) use innovative technology and develop high-quality digital tools for use in early literacy instruction; (3) measure levels of competencies in English Language Arts using by the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA); (4) integrate professional development strategies that support at-risk youth; (5) expose students to a multitude of career profiles and post-secondary pathways; and (6) provide Hawaiian language and cultural workshops. The project will serve 350 students, 15 teachers, and 6 administrators and teacher leaders.
(S362A170060) Educational Services Hawaii Foundation (HI) $ 432,723 `Imi `Ike Learning Centers will seek to implement an engaging academic and socio-emotional learning program that includes differentiated direct instruction and culture-based pedagogical components, meeting multiple needs of Native Hawaiian foster or kinship care youth and adult learners beginning at age 4 at outreach learning centers that are strategically designed to work with this group. The objectives of the Imi Ike Learning Centers are: 1) 100% of students who attend a minimum of 2 hours per week of direct instruction consistently, will show improvement in reading and math performance by at least the expected growth rate as measured by NWEA normed data; 2) 100% of students who consistently attend a minimum of 2 hours per week of either direct instruction or supplemental program services or a combination of services, will show improvement in their attitude toward school and learning; 3) Parents/Caregivers will show improvement in perception of parental support and involvement; and 4) 100% of students who consistently (with an attendance rate of 90% or better) attend a minimum of 2 hours per week of either direct instruction or supplemental program services (enrichments) or a combination of services, will show improvement in their sense of identity as Native Hawaiians.
(S362A170050) Keiki O Ka Aina Preschool, Inc. (HI) $ 997,237 Support Parents, Educators and Keiki (SPEAK) Hawaiian Language seeks to give children the opportunity to hear, respond to, and speak the Hawaiian language in the two places they spend the most time, in their preschools, and in their homes. SPEAK Hawaiian is dedicated to the dissemination, preservation and public integration of the Hawaii language, as one of the two official languages of Hawaii. We will also assist and mentor a total of 12 individuals, who are primarily Hawaiian speakers having learned the language in school, in getting their Child Development Associate (CDA) to become preschool teachers. The communities they will serve are as follows: Kalihi Waimanalo Kaneohe Waianae Ewa Palolo Wailuku Kihei Hilo Kona. SPEAK Hawaiian will work with teachers initiating young children through a bilingual dual language curriculum that correlates with increased cognitive development and abilities, intelligence, memory skills, problem solving, and improved verbal and spatial abilities. A total of 18,000 people will be served over the 3 years through this project. The Project will affect changes in school and family use of Hawaiian language and in the long term, positively redirect the trajectory the Hawaiian education. As our children are equipped with these solid skills and abilities in early childhood, studies suggest they will be more successful throughout their academic career.
(S362A170057) University of Hawaii (HI) $320,313 Mohali I Ke Ao (MIKA) is a culturally-responsive, multi-tiered beginning reading support system for schools and communities with diverse learners. Project MIKA meets critical needs in 12 elementary schools in the state of Hawai’i and will seek to provide multi-tiered literacy supports in these schools that have high proportions of Native Hawaiian students and notably high levels of poverty. The 12 schools, located across four islands (Hawai‘i Island, Maui, Moloka‘i, and O‘ahu) in the state and situated across six school complex areas, comprise 5,661 students and 346 teachers. The project will engage with project site leaders and teachers to establish a prevention and intervention model supported by sustained high-quality professional development designed to improve kindergarten through Grade 3 students’ application of foundational research-based early-reading domains that mediate the transition to higher levels of reading competence. MIKA’s project elements combine training, translating research into practice, need based improvement planning, evaluation, and continuous support from local and national literacy experts as a means to developing a successful and scalable culturally-responsive, multi-tiered beginning reading support system.
