2021 Grant Awards

1) Applicant Name: Hui Mauli Ola
PR Award Number: S362A210061
Funding Amount: $558,798.00

Hui Mauli Ola addresses the needs of native Hawaiian students, parents, families and communities through the coordination and implementation of out of school learning experiences, including expanded learning time or weekend academies. The project design recognizes and supports the unique cultural and educational needs of Native Hawaiian students. The project will focus on families in the Ko’olau and ‘Ewa communities, which is home to 32 percent of the Native Hawaiian population, by serving: (1) 280 parents, offering culturally grounded skills and practices to increase the health and well-being of themselves and their children; and, (2) 240 students in middle school offering culturally grounded skills and practices to increase their health and well being.

The project will provide a total of 40 eight-week courses of Hawaiian Culture-based health and wellness educational courses providing parents and students with skills and practices to increase their health and wellbeing in the home as well as cope with the challenges caused by COVID-19 so that they can better address academic performance and learning loss.

2) Applicant Name: Kanu o ka Aina Learning Ohana
PR Award Number: S362A210067
Funding Amount: $1,385,750.00

Ē kāmau, a Hō‘ola Mauli Ola (to persevere, and revive the breath of life) focuses on the operation of community-based learning centers that address the needs of Native Hawaiian students, parents and families. In partnership with Hawaiian Focused Charter Schools (HFCS), Project Hō‘ola will reach seventeen communities across four islands to provide much-needed resources for program development and implementation of culturally rich in- and out-of-school programs. The project will increase Native Hawaiian education and cultural experiences for 4,600 Native Hawaiian kindergarten through grade 12 students over a three-year period, who attend 17 Hawaiian focused charter schools at 15 sites on four islands. These services will be provided through in- and outof-school and summer school programming focusing on cultural, educational, and socio-emotional well-being and on building relationships with post-secondary institutions to enhance college and career readiness and attendance. This will result in improvements in cultural knowledge and academic performance, increases in college attendance and on-time graduation rates, and positive improvements in student social- emotional well-being. The project is in direct response to adverse conditions impacting the Native Hawaiian community from the COVID-19 pandemic.

3) Applicant Name: University of Hawaii
PR Award Number: S362A210071
Funding Amount: $691,446.00

The goal of Project Hoʻokuʻi V: Kūlia i ka Nuʻu (strive to reach the summit) is to support all Native Hawaiian students – including students with disabilities (SWD), at risk, gifted and talented- and to increase enrollment of Native Hawaiian students in postsecondary degree and certificate programs leading to employment. Utilizing the Hoʻokuʻi model, the project will offer services that: (1) mentor students on cultural, academic, and career issues to develop postsecondary education and career goals; (2) Prepare students to transition to postsecondary education through three tier support groups ( meets criteria for Mānoa Academy, meets criteria for dual enrollment in both high school and college courses, or needs intensive support to meet criteria); (3) offer individualized computerbased, accelerated instruction in reading and math; (4) provide academic tutoring; (5) offer financial assistance to cover college tuition and books; and (6) support the total well-being of each student aligned with Nā Hopena Aʻo. This project will add to the model by providing specific wrap around supports for the gifted and talented students by partnering with Hawaiʻinuiākea, Native Hawaiian Student Services, offering opportunities in place-based learning, Native Hawaiian identity in the 21st century, aʻo (simultaneous learning and teaching), strength-based mentoring, attending and presenting at professional conferences.

At least 50 students will be part of the mentoring cohort from each of the 4 public high schools, public charter schools, and/or Native Hawaiian immersion schools; 1 on Molokai, 1 on Kauai, and 2 on the Big Island. In addition, the project will arrange financial assistance for another 160 students (who are not part of the mentoring cohort) to make progress in transitioning to postsecondary education by covering college tuition for those who dually enroll).

4) Applicant Name: University of Hawaii
PR Award Number: S362A210073
Funding Amount: $769,642.00

Project Hōkūlani Hui addresses the adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Native Hawaiian (NH) youths’ educational opportunities and will increase the number of NH students transitioning into postsecondary STEM fields by leveraging NHEP funded Project Hōkūlani (S362A200035). During the pandemic, the educational needs of NH students, students with disabilities (SWD), gifted and talented (G/T) students, and students living in economically-disadvantaged or rural areas were largely neglected. Work-based learning was also limited due to worksite closures. Parents were challenged with limited access to educational resources and supports in helping their teens’ remote learning while navigating the pandemic crisis. To address the challenges, the project will create “hui” at local NH communities on the islands of O’ahu, Hawaiʻi , Moloka’i, Maui, and Kauaʻi for Hōkūlani scholars (i.e., NH high school students having potential in STEM) and provide differentiated a Hōkūlani Program, which includes: a year-long culture, strength, and work-based program consisting of STEM hands on learning; mentoring; college transition support; paid internship and internship project; and monthly ‘ohana gatherings and tailored support at community centers).

5) Applicant Name: University of Hawaii
PR Award Number: S362A210078
Funding Amount: $836,477.00

The Hawaii Positive Engagement Project’s (H-PEP) addresses Native Hawaiian parent, educator, and student needs that have been intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. The goals of the project are: (1) address Native Hawaiian educator and parent toxic stress resulting from the pandemic so that they are the most effective when working with and parenting Native Hawaiian students/children by holding five 10-week support cohorts for Native Hawaiian parents and educators (pre-K to high school); (2) build Native Hawaiian student literacy through the use of the Storytelling for the Home Enrichment of Language and Literacy Skills (SHELLS) model, an experiential bookmaking model that encourages positive parent-child engagement, by facilitating eight 4-week literacy support groups for Native Hawaiian parents of students (with or without a disability) who need additional support in reading and writing using the SHELLS model, as well as 15 monthly standalone SHELLS bookmaking weekend workshops for Native Hawaiian parents and young children who need support but are not able to commit to a cohort.; and (3) Goal 3: Conduct research on the current status and needs of Native Hawaiian educators and parents.

6) Applicant Name: Friends of the Future
PR Award Number: S362A210091
Funding Amount: $946,008.00

ALOHA: Advanced Learning Opportunities = Hawaiian Achievement, will serve 4,351 at risk, high-needs Native Hawaiian students and families enrolled in Kealakehe Complex schools on Hawai‘i Island by enhancing their academic and cultural learning. ALOHA Layers of Service, aligned to address identified needs, gaps and weaknesses, include: Layer 1 – Summer Learning; Layer 2 – School Year Learning; Layer 3 – Hawaiian Language / Cultural Enrichment; and Layer 4 – College and Career Readiness. ALOHA will provide: early literacy development programs utilizing Hawaiian-centric curricular materials; learning opportunities for at-risk Native Hawaiian students impacted by poverty, low academic attainment, special needs and limited access to education supports; extensive college and career readiness supports for youth to encourage enrollment in postsecondary education and success in careers in which Native Hawaiians are traditionally underrepresented; and provide numerous opportunities for study of Hawaiian culture and Hawaiian language across diverse proficiency levels, from beginning learners to advanced study in dual enrollment college courses in Hawaiian language and Hawaiian Culture Studies. Ongoing evaluation of ALOHA by an external evaluation team will promote continuous improvement of the project and provide data needed assess project outcomes.

7) Applicant Name: Hui Malama O Ke Kai Foundation
PR Award Number: S362A210093
Funding Amount: $365,593.00

Hui Mālama o ke Kai (HMK: “The Group That Stewards The Ocean”) is the grateful recipient of a 2020-2023 Native Hawaiian Education Program (NHEP) grant award. This award modifies and builds on the current NHEP-funded activities to address the additional impacts of COVID-19 and necessary adjustments. The four objectives are: (1) to strengthen positive personal development and knowledge of Native Hawaiian culture, language, and practices; (2) to improve the health of participating youth through the promotion of ocean-based and ʻāina (land) based physical fitness activities and nutritional practices; (3) to strengthen the academic development and achievement of participants by providing high quality academic support activities; and (4) to support the college/career readiness of participating youth by providing exposure to ʻāina-based careers and majors and providing them with essential information about college. In addition, in response to the COVID pandemic, HMK will expand safe learning spaces, increase student transportation, and continue to implement CDC guidelines and government mandates to ensure the safety and health of program youth, their families, and the community. At least 75 youth, 50 families, and 100 community members will be served annually by this project. HMK is located on an 11-acre agriculture parcel in rural Waimānalo, Oʻahu, a community with a large population of Native Hawaiians. The project will serve at least 4 schools in the area: Mālama Honua PCS, Pope Elementary, Waimānalo Elementary and Intermediate, and Kailua High School.

8) Applicant Name: University of Hawaii
PR Award Number: S362A210094
Funding Amount: $847,245.00

Kākau mea nui 2.0 (Writing Matters), addresses the achievement gaps faced by Native Hawaiian (NH) students through implementation of a teacher focused, job-embedded professional development (PD) program. The project will build upon the work of a previously funded NH Education Program Grant, Kākau mea nui 1.0. Kākau mea nui 2.0 posits that teachers’ attitudes, knowledge, skills, and approaches to teaching writing improve, the students they teach will become more proficient in writing at a significantly higher rate than what is typical for the population by grade level/age – which is the goal of Kākau mea nui 2.0. Kākau mea nui 2.0 will be implemented in the Leilehua-MililaniWaialua and Kailua-Kalaheo complex areas with high concentrations of NH students to meet the unique needs of such students in writing. Teachers from Kindergarten to Grade 8 are all invited to participate. They will receive job-embedded PD activities designed to increase students’ writing proficiency in virtual, hybrid or in-person model. Supplemental services will be out of school time to students in grades K-8 whose writing is 2 grade levels or more below their grade level and will be provided by participating teachers, project staff and pre-service teachers practice what they learned in PD with smaller groups of students. Furthermore, it will train the teachers as trainers and build complex area capacity. The project will provide PD and services to approximately 144 teachers reaching 4,340 students. Additionally, the PD activities will be available and open to any teacher within the Hawai‘i DOE system through the PDE3 system.

9) Applicant Name: University of Hawaii
PR Award Number: S362A210102
Funding Amount: $457,184.00

The Poʻi Nā Nalu Native Hawaiian CTE & STEM Pathways is a project of Honolulu Community College (HonCC) that will provide activities that enable Native Hawaiians to enter and complete programs of postsecondary education through counseling, guidance, and support services. The project will serve 1,000 Native Hawaiians in three years, and is designed to address the low self-sufficiency income standards of Native Hawaiians who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic by providing activities that lead to employment in high-skill, high-wage, in-demand careers.

This will be achieved by the following objectives: 1) Increasing Native Hawaiians’ exposure to Career and Technical Education (CTE) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM); 2) Increasing enrollment, retention, and completion of Native Hawaiians in the 23 CTE and STEM programs at HonCC; 3) Increasing Native Hawaiians’ career-readiness skills to prepare for employment in CTE and STEM; and 4) Strengthening Native Hawaiian students’ cultural identity to support academic and professional aspirations and achievements. The project outcomes are increases in Native Hawaiian enrollment, retention, graduation, and employment in high-skill, highwage, in-demand careers in CTE and STEM.

10) Applicant Name: Friends of the Future
PR Award Number: S362A210064
Funding Amount: $949,778.00

Knowledge, Opportunity, Achievement (KOA) will serve up to 3,796 at-risk, high-needs Native Hawaiian students in grades 6 – 12, enrolled in three (3) Kealakehe Complex schools (Kealakehe Intermediate; Waikoloa Elementary / Middle; Kealakehe High) and two (2) Konawaena Complex schools (Konawaena Middle; Konawaena High) located along the Kona Coast of Hawai‘i Island. KOA is a multi-layered project with services designed to prepare middle and high school students to enter postsecondary education and future careers with the skills needed to succeed. Layers of Service, aligned to address identified needs, gaps and weaknesses, include Layer 1 – Rigorous Academic Programs; Layer 2 – Academic Enrichment; Layer 3 – College Fit; Layer 4 – Career Fit and Layer 5 – Family Learning. Implementation of KOA will expand the diversity of learning options for students enrolled in Kealakehe and Konawaena Complex schools, enrich learning with the study of Native Hawaiian culture and Hawaiian Language, and increase student motivation to pursue and readiness to succeed in postsecondary education and careers. Implementation of KOA will help Friends of the Future, participating schools, and partner organizations meet and exceed the following project objectives: 1) Diversify and expand learning opportunities for Native Hawaiian students; 2) Increase academic performance of Native Hawaiian students in reading, math, and science; 3) Improve student knowledge of Native Hawaiian culture and language; and 4) Improve college and career readiness of Native Hawaiian students.

11) Applicant Name: Ke Kula ‘O Nāwahīokalani’ōpuʻu
PR Award Number: S362A210069
Funding Amount: $1,278,423.00

Project Kupu Ke Ohi: Nurturing Growth and Safety builds upon the 2020 NHEP grant, Kolo Ke Aʻa: Firmly Rooted as We Grow, both of which seek to increase access to Hawaiian language medium (HLM) opportunities that foster 21st century skills. Kolo Ke Aʻa refers to the spreading of roots and Kupu Ke Ohi refers to the sprouts that come about from those roots. Project Kupu Ke Ohi will aim to increase Nāwahī’s capacity to ensure a safe return to in-person instruction, and further grow the efforts put forth in their 2020 NHEP grant award. Located in Keaʻau on the island of Hawaiʻi, Nāwahī is a HLM school, where Hawaiian is used as the language of all courses, all internal operations and administration. Nāwahī will collaborate with UH Hilo’s College of Hawaiian Language and multiple community partners to serve about 570 students, 500 families, and 65 teachers (over 1,235 total participants).

Nāwahī aims to accomplish five main objectives through 11 project activities: 1. Increase foundational computer science skills through (Activity 1.1) expanding HLM computer science to elementary levels to broaden pathways; and (Activity 1.2) expanding teacher professional development (PD) to enhance their capacity to deliver quality elementary level HLM computer science curriculum and related student performance assessments. 2. Increase language proficiency and maintain 100% on-time graduation rates through participation in HLM early- and dual-credit coursework applicable toward STEM baccalaureate degrees through (Activity 2.1) expanding access to HLM early and dualcredit courses required for STEM baccalaureate degrees; and (Activity 2.2) expanding teacher PD to deliver quality HLM early- and dual-credit courses and related student performance assessments. 3. Increase work-based learning opportunities and 21st century skills for students through (Activity 3.1) expanding industry partnerships for HLM student internships to provide work-based learning experiences; and (Activity 3.2) expanding industry partnerships for teacher externships to inform instruction and curriculum that support 21st century skills. 4. Decrease barriers to equitable access to safe HLM opportunities and food security by (Activity 4.1) purchasing temporary energy-efficient trailer classroom units to support safe in-person learning; (Activity 4.2) renting a portable bathroom unit to support safe in-person learning; (Activity 4.3) purchasing an energy-efficient school bus to increase equitable access to safe transportation; and (Activity 4.4) purchasing a food delivery vehicle and delivering nutritious meals to students. 5.Increase language proficiency through parent engagement activities by (Activity 5.1) providing self-paced online Hawaiian language program to families; and (Activity 5.2) providing HLM communication and learning opportunities and interactions with families. Long-term project outcomes include: Nāwahī attains or exceeds the targets for the outcome indicators for this project; maintain student on-time graduation rate of 100%; increase the number of students who meet or exceed proficiency standards in reading on a test of the Native Hawaiian Language; increase families’ language proficiency; and increase access to STEM coursework, work-based learning experiences; early and dual credit courses, safe learning environments, and safe transportation.

12) Applicant Name: Maui Family Support Services, Inc.
PR Award Number: S362A210132
Funding Amount: $776,400.00

Maui Family Support Services, Inc. (MFSS) is a private, 501(c)3 non-profit agency currently in its 41st year of providing continuous service to families on the Islands of Maui, Lana‘i, and Moloka‘i. The mission of MFSS is to promote healthy family functioning by providing supportive services which build on family strengths. The mission is coupled with the prime directive to utilize our collective resources toward the prevention of child abuse and neglect.

MFSS’ Ho’owaiwai Kaiāulu project proposes to serve Native Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian children and families in Maui County (Maui, Moloka‘i, and Lana‘i) under Absolute Priority 1: Native Hawaiian Education Activities. The project proposes to provide programs for Native Hawaiian parents and their infants from the prenatal period of the infants through age 3 and up to age 5; early childhood education programs; and family literacy services. The expected outcome of the project is to increase the protective factors within families of at-risk children and youth (an NHEP priority area). These include increasing the social-emotional competence of children, increasing the parents’ knowledge of parenting and child development, which will improve social connections for families, building parental resilience, and providing and/or connecting families with concrete supports. The project will provide services that support these outcomes in the following ways: 1) Identifying at-risk families in need of support and providing community connections to resources; 2) Providing parent support groups in order to decrease feelings of isolation, increase parenting skills, family literacy, and child development; 3) Providing life skills training to youth in intermediate and high schools to increase healthy decision-making skills and decrease risk-taking behaviors including substance/use and abuse; 4) Providing one-to-one parent support, parenting education, and connection to community support through home visiting services with prenatal parents and families of children 0 – 5 years old; and 5) Increasing school readiness and healthy child development via licensed infant and toddler care. During this three-year project, the project will serve 875 individuals in Year One, 1,275 individuals in Year Two, and 1,460 individuals in Year Three.

13) Applicant Name: Kai Loa, Inc.
PR Award Number: S362A210065
Funding Amount: $512,494.00

The goal of project Lama Kukui is to improve the health and well-being of the Kamakau learning community to the highest possible level. The three-year Lama Kukui project will improve the health and well-being outcomes for Kamakau staff and families with a concentration on strengthening one’s mauli, their “life force,” through enriching cultural practices and health and wellness interventions. The project will also increase the capacity and resiliency of Kamakau to respond to crisis and challenges faced by the community. In Year 1, Lama Kukui will serve 20 staff, 110 families, and 146 students at Kamakau. In Year 2, the project will serve 22 staff, 115 families and 150 students. In the final year of the project, 25 staff, 120 families and 155 students will be served. The single project site will be in Haʻikū, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, on Kamakau’s 10-acre campus.

The objectives of Lama Kukui are the following: 1) Raise the awareness of and ability of the Kamakau community to improve physical and mental health; 2) Improve physical and mental health by supporting the guiding educational philosophy of the Kamakau community through connections to land and place; 3) Support guiding educational philosophy of the Kamakau community by increasing the knowledge and skills of traditional practices, which improve physical and mental health; and 4) Increase the capacity to serve the Kamakau community and allow for the safe physical distancing of educational service delivery. The project will achieve the following outcomes: Objective 1.1:100% of staff will be educated about annual health check-ups in Years 1-3. Objective 1.2: The project will provide two mental health improvement strategy workshops for staff in Years 1-3. Objective 1.3: The project will provide two mental health improvement strategy workshops for parents in years 1-3. 2.1: 60% of staff will increase their connection to ʻāina (land) in Year 1, 75% in Year 2 and 100% in Year 3. Objective 3.1: 75% of staff will create tools for their Aloha ʻĀina Toolkit in Year 1, 80% in Year 2, and 90% in Year 3. Objective 3.2: 30% of parents will participate in cultural activities in Year 1, 50% in Year 2 and 70% in Year 3. Objective 4.1: The project will complete the minor remodeling of an existing modular building in Year 1.

14) Applicant Name: Consortium for Hawai’i Ecological Engineering Education
PR Award Number: S362A210104
Funding Amount: $787,433.00

The proposed project, Kū ‘A‘ali‘i, will address academic learning loss, trauma and socioemotional needs, and academic preparation for high school and beyond among Native Hawaiian (NH) middle school students coming out of the pandemic. The project will equip schools and communities that serve at-risk NH youth with culture-based, trauma-informed resources in-class and after-school, as well as during intersessions. The goal of Kū ‘A‘ali‘i is to inspire students from NH communities to achieve academic success in STEM by building resilience through culture-based, trauma-informed education and the experience of Hawaiian cultural values and practices with hands-on learning. This project will serve 880 youth and faculty from West O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island, including NH students from Ka‘ū High & Pāhala Elementary, Kamaile Academy, and Hilo Intermediate, and organizations serving at-risk NH youth.

The project’s first objective is to increase student knowledge of STEM content as it is aligned to the Common Core and NGSS standards by creating an integrated trauma informed, culture-based curriculum. This objective will be measured by (a) a statistically significant (p<.05) increase (target) for 200 students in their knowledge of STEM, as measured through pre- and post-knowledge assessments; (b) a percentage of 75% of 200 students and facilitators served indicating that they agree or strongly agree with the statements on the project satisfaction survey; and (c) serving 880 faculty members and students at Ka‘ū High & Pāhala Elementary, Kamaile Academy, and Hilo Intermediate in three years. The second objective is to increase trauma-informed support to students through training and implementation on Hawaiian culture-based trauma-informed care (TIC) approaches and resources. This objective will be measured by (a) serving 500 classroom students from Hilo Intermediate, Kamaile Academy, and Ka‘ū High & Pāhala Elementary, with 75% of students and facilitators indicating they agree or strongly agree with the statements on program satisfaction survey within three years; (b) serving 300 intersession and summer program students from Hawai‘i Island and West O‘ahu, with 75% of students and facilitators indicating they agree or strongly agree with statements on program satisfaction survey within three years; (c) 80 faculty members and peer mentors trained at Ka‘ū High & Pāhala Elementary, Kamaile Academy, and Hilo Intermediate in three years.

15) Applicant Name: Papa Ola Lokahi
PR Award Number: S362A210059
Funding Amount: $740,577.00

The purpose of the Resilient Communities, Families and Schools project is to ensure equitable access to disadvantaged Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander communities by strengthening community partnerships, promoting trauma-sensitive practices, and enhancing coordination of wrap-around prevention/intervention services for children and families. The project’s five partners—Papa Ola Lōkahi – Native Hawaiian Health Care System, Hawaiʻi Department of Education, University of Hawai‘i Hilo Center for PlaceBased Socioemotional Development, Hawai‘i After-school Alliance, Seeds of Peace, and HawaiiKidsCAN—will support five (5) Title I elementary schools located in rural and remote communities where poverty, substance abuse and unemployment are pervasive, and which have limited access to health and further education. The project will serve a total of 2,167 participants (1,667 students; 500 adults including educators, family and community-based service organizations across) 5 high-poverty rural Title I Elementary schools across the State of Hawaiʻi: 1) Mountain View Elementary on the East side of Hawaiʻi Island; 2) Hōnaunau Elementary on the West side of Hawaiʻi Island; 3) Waiʻanae Elementary on the West side of Oʻahu Island; 4) Blanche Pope in East Oʻahu; and, 5) Pāʻia Elementary in East Maui. With equitable and accessible education at its core, the project’s overarching goal is to increase academic achievement and social emotional resilience by strengthening community partnerships, family involvement and wraparound services. The project goal will be achieved through the following objectives: 1) Transform five Title I rural elementary schools into Resilience Hubs; 2) Deliver ʻOhana resilience intervention for at-risk youth and their families; 3) Implement the community schools strategy with fidelity and in alignment with the Hawai’i Multi-Tiered System of Support (HMTSS) in under-resourced schools.

By creating a lasting system of support where schools are better equipped to serve students’ diverse academic and their most basic needs, this project will build capacity for school staff, community providers, and parents to better support students through positive behavioral and mental health interventions and preventions. Social-emotional learning instruction and wrap-around services will be integrated to further enhance student resilience through the HMTSS. Fully described in the comprehensive management plan, the proposed objectives will achieve the following outcomes: increased student supports, increased attendance, increased resilience of students receiving direct support, decreased referrals and suspensions of students, increased teacher self-efficacy, and increased utilization of wrap around services by caretakers, as well as increased satisfaction with those services.

16) Applicant Name: Hanona
PR Award Number: S362A210129
Funding Amount: $742,252.00

The Hoʻokō Naʻauao project, proposed by Hanona, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization and a first-time NHE applicant, will address social development by imparting traditional knowledge and practices to strengthen the cultural identity of the community they serve, and to enable community members to continue the practices of their culture. The project’s target community are the members of the Native Hawaiian group Nā Hanona Kūlike ʻO Piʻilani (NHKOP) and their families. NHKOP has just over 100 cultural practitioners that are dedicated in various areas of traditional Hawaiian studies such as chant, prayers, songs, hula, protocols, skills, and crafts. Primarily, the project will provide traditional apprentice-type training, involving intensive interaction between masters, instructors, and students, to support the continued perpetuation of the following practices: Hawaiian dry stack masonry, Hawaiian thatched housebuilding, indigenous land stewardship practices, archaeological/historic preservation practices from a cultural perspective, and kahuna pule (spiritual practitioners that are knowledgeable in Hawaiian protocols and the knowledge base associated with such protocols). Since each practice requires a considerable time investment to fully develop, the project will focus on a small number of individuals with the intention of raising their abilities to a level where they can begin providing for their community’s needs, as well as continue with their chosen practice through service and teaching.

17) Applicant Name: University of Hawaii
PR Award Number: S362A210076
Funding Amount: $589,040.00

Kūkulu ʻohana (“building the family”) grows the Hawaiian language skills and cultural practices in Native Hawaiian (NH) families, in order to overcome barriers to higher education for students and parents. Ke Kula Kamaliʻi ʻo Hānaiaulu, the childcare center at Windward Community College (WCC), will leverage student-parent engagement in workshops, with the purpose of growing family language capacity and providing access to and success at college for the makua. The goal of the project is to increase access to and success at higher education for NH parents of infants and toddlers by providing access to high quality Hawaiian-language-medium childcare, parent engagement and student employment that grows ʻohana language capacity. Project objectives include the following: 1) At end of each month, student-parents will report increased use of specific Hawaiian language vocabulary and sentence structures with their children; 2) Student-parent families, the Hānaiaulu childcare center, and local early childhood education providers and agencies will have access to a greater number of Hawaiian language materials for young children (10 per year, 30 by end of project); 3) Through feedback from local early childhood education agencies, the project will create a library of effective Hawaiian language early childhood literacy-building materials available for teachers, parents and community agencies; 4) By the end of each year of the project, student-parents will report greater use of the Hawaiian language in their homes with their family, as documented through surveys; 5) Student-parents enrolled in Hānaiaulu childcare center will demonstrate high levels of academic success (C or better) each semester and make efficient progress towards their degrees.

Sixteen student parents will be provided with stipends, which will cover the cost of their child’s enrollment in the Hānaiaul childcare center. Six of these parents will be employed at the childcare center. All will take part in weekly workshops that relate to the childcare curriculum and center on the creation of Hawaiian language materials. Regular (monthly and annual) surveys of parents, feedback from community agencies, and data review and collection (including parent grades and progress) will inform the project and the college at large.

18) Applicant Name: University of Hawaii
PR Award Number: S362A210096
Funding Amount: $401,342.00

‘Aha Lamaku ‘Oia ‘i ‘o Ho ‘oikaika A ‘e (ALO-HA) is a culturally responsive leadership and academic support system designed to accelerate learning and expand opportunities for at-risk Native Hawaiian youth. ALO-HA builds on an existing NHE grant (ALO, PR Number S362A200012). The ALO-HA project will leverage current NHE-funded ALO activities to address the additional impacts that COVID-19 has had on Native Hawaiian students residing in Hawai’i Island’s Ka‘u-Kea‘au-Pahoa Complex Area (KKP). ALO-HA builds on a large-scale comprehensive effort led by a longstanding partnership between the (1) University of Hawai‘i’s Curriculum Research & Development Group, (2) Pacific Literacy Consortium (CRDG PLC), and (3) the Hawai‘i Department of Education (HIDOE).

ALO-HA will build on current ALO services that, on an annual basis, serve secondary students enrolled in KKP’s Ka’u High and Pahala Elementary, Kea’au High, Kea’au Middle, and Pahoa High and Intermediate. ALO-HA will increase ALO’s reach to 2,450 secondary students, 180 of whom will be tracked longitudinally within cohort groups. ALO-HA will add a seventh cohort group and one additional year of services to four of six cohorts. Project schools will serve as demonstration sites, providing data on the effectiveness of the project’s expanded learning interventions and the potential for replication. ALO-HA services will be delivered through various venues, including project led STEM Learning Academies, student-family career forums, culture- and art-based leadership development, and music-media community outreach. With a focus on mentoring and career preparation, these expanded learning opportunities will accelerate learning. Students will engage with professionals from diverse occupations through real-world, place-based learning experiences. In partnership with HIDOE’s Library Media Services, ALO-HA will also deploy a virtual library service, Ke Ala ‘Imi Na’auau, for the four project sites, none of which employ a school-based librarian. ALO-HA’s virtual library service will provide students and teachers a single point-of-access to online resources and assistance from a pool of certified school librarians.

19) Applicant Name: University of Hawaii
PR Award Number: S362A210120
Funding Amount: $919,011.00

The Nā Hokua Project (NHP) at the University of Hawaiʻi (UH) at Mānoa, in collaboration with the UH Community College System (UHCC), proposes to intensively support at-risk youth to overcome learning losses and to meet other pandemic-induced needs to achieve college success. Because the NHP is already operational at all seven of Hawaiʻi’s community colleges, with established collaborations with other campus and community service entities, staff will be able to layer on NHP-COVID relief supports that meet the needs expressed by youth themselves. The services will support approximately 350 highly-impacted students pursuing STEM education and careers. The project will positively impact the professional development of faculty and staff who are working with NH youth at each of the UHCC campuses. Three UH universities, seven UHCC campuses, and four satellite sites are planned for statewide project activities across the three years of the project. Students will receive assistance within an inclusive, culturally responsive support structure while pursuing a STEM program of study in post-secondary education (PSE).

Project objectives are the following: 1) Build Partnerships to Develop Support Capacity for STEM Education and Career Pathways by developing and facilitating campus- and community-based teams and workgroups to coordinate services and supports aimed at achieving a shared vision; 2): Develop and Deliver Professional Development and Technical Assistance by assessing feasibility and designing activities to meet stakeholder-expressed needs; 3) Implement and Test Coaching Strategies and Activities for STEM Outcomes by generating and refining critical variables to be addressed; conducting feasibility analyses; designing pre-post assessment process with instruments; and tailoring activities to each campus. 4) Deliver Systemwide Scope and Sequence of Aligned COVID-19 Relief STEM Activities by delivering coaching strategies and activities using a protocol to guide implementation across the UHCC system; collecting fidelity data and using results to refine field test protocol and develop an expansion and replication package; and supporting site coordinators and peer coaches to deliver coaching strategies; 5) Determine Effectiveness of Delivery of New COVID-19 Relief Strategies by administering pre- and post-assessments with participating and nonparticipating students on each campus and using the results to make continuous quality improvements. 6) Plan for Sustainability and Statewide Dissemination within UHCC System by distributing sustainability and replication materials to administrators and support personnel at each UHCC system campus; providing training and technical assistance on replication with fidelity; and developing website with access to project resources. The project will attain the following outcome: At-risk Native Hawaiian youth who would otherwise do poorly in or not attend postsecondary education due to COVID-19will now be able to access, retain, and complete a STEM program of study, leading to quality employment or transfer to a four-year program, raising overall Native Hawaiian success rates for key postsecondary education indicators.

20) Applicant Name: Kulaniakea
PR Award Number: S362A210089
Funding Amount: $651,424.00

Kūlaniākea is a 501(c)(3) Native Hawaiian-serving nonprofit research, development, and service organization with a mission to advance Indigenous education. The organization operates a lab preschool in Kāneʻohe, Hawaiʻi which delivers Native Hawaiian culturebased education to both children and adults. Kūlaniākea seeks to design and implement an innovative culturally-, linguistically-, and age-appropriate Early Childhood Education (ECE) program for children ages 0-3 years old, as well as for their families. The organization will achieve its goal first through administering Native Hawaiian Education activities. Through the project, 9 staff members will receive professional development to improve their abilities to provide ECE instruction to address the unique needs of Native Hawaiian students in their Hawaiian Culture-Based educational program. Additionally, the organization indicates that 16 unduplicated children will consistently demonstrate increased levels of Hawaiian language and socio-emotional development. Lastly, Kūlaniākea indicates that 32 unduplicated parents and family members will consistently demonstrate increased levels of Hawaiian language literacy.

By the end of the project, the staff of Kūlaniākea will attend 90% of all offered trainings and events, score at or above proficient on ANA ‘ŌLELO (a Hawaiian language proficiency assessment), produce an 18-unit culture-based program, and receive “successful” performance reviews. By the end of Year 1, 50% of the students enrolled in the program will score at or above exhibiting on the Montessori Assessment for 0-3 year old children in the ANA ‘ŌLELO (Hawaiian language proficiency assessment). This score, the program notes, will increase such that by the end of Year 2 and 3, 75% and 95% of the students – respectively – will score at or above on the assessments. Furthermore, by the end of Years 1, 2, and 3, 50%, 75%, and 95% (respectively) of the parents will score at or above proficient on ANA ‘ŌLELO. Overall, the Kūlaniākea project will produce a replicable model for a comprehensive culturally-responsive early childhood educational model for Native Hawaiian children, ages 0-3 years old. It will consist of 18 educational units (including a teacher’s guide), a parent activities companion with 18 home activities, and 18 hands-on educational materials. The organization’s project will create a Hawaiian culture-based ECE program blueprint, which can be adapted and transferred to other schools that wish to open an infant/toddler program. Kūlaniākea will ensure that their program is available to other schools thus establishing Hawaiian medium pathways for children faster, so that programs will not need to “start absolutely from scratch.” Given that the need for Kūlaniākea’s services are high, the organization indicates that it is critical to share this project with a broader educational audience.

21) Applicant Name: University of Hawaii
PR Award Number: S362A210127
Funding Amount: $1,017,306.00

ʻImiloa’s Project Hawaiʻi i ke Alo: Forward Facing Hawaiʻi aims to increase access to Hawaiian language medium (HLM) digital media assets that foster Hawaiian language proficiency. The project indicates that it will accomplish its goal by helping to develop a highly-trained HLM digital media workforce and by increasing Hawaiian language normalization in STEM fields. Throughout the project, ‘Imiloa will engage and support an estimated 80 high school and college students, 60 teachers, and 10 STEM partners. In order to achieve its goals, ‘Imiloa – housed in the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (UHH) – will first work to create and provide teacher professional development to strengthen their ability to use and develop digital media curricula. The organization will also create and deliver Hawaiian language digital media early/dual credit courses for its high school and college students as well as develop and manage high school and college internships for digital media creation through the Hawaiian language. Additionally, the organization will remodel existing space at the University of Hawaii – Hilo to create a digital media training facility that meets industry-standards will and produce HLM digital media assets focused on local science & environmental stewardship.

Ultimately, ʻImiloa’s long-term project outcomes involve attaining and exceeding the targets for the outcome indicators for their project as well as maintaining an on-time graduation rate of 100% for ʻImiloa’s target student population. The program strives to ensure increased number of students who meet or exceed proficiency standards in reading on a test of the Native Hawaiian Language as well as increased Hawaiian language normalization and relevancy and an increased engagement & community influence/support for STEM inquiry through Hawaiian language and culture.

22) Applicant Name: Ho’okako’o Corporation
PR Award Number: S362A210095
Funding Amount: $576,640.00

The Ho’okako’o Corporation seeks federal assistance to implement the “Hawaiian Arts Integration Project.” The Project will comprise of a robust system of instructional support at Kamaile Academy and Kualapuʻu Public Charter School, with the goal to implement best practices and culturally based instruction through the integration of the Hawaiian Arts. In order to achieve the project’s stated outcome that is “Teacher improvement in the application of instructional best practices,” Ho’okako’o Corporation’s project objectives are to first ensure teachers receive individualized, quality instructional support and next ensure that teachers are supported in the delivery of Hawaiian Arts integrated instruction.

The Hawaiian Arts Integration Project will involve activities which ensure that students not only receive instruction in the Hawaiian arts, but that they have an opportunity to learn other core content areas through the medium of Hawaiian arts. For example, the integration of hula, (dance) mele (song), ʻoli (chant), and hulakiʻi (puppetry) into core instructional practices and curricula will assure students’ active participation in learning, while stimulating their critical thinking, perseverance, and memory skills, altogether building their confidence to learn. Overall, the project reflects the current research regarding instruction in culture-based education and art integration, while also building upon the recent groundwork put forth by schools which have already begun this work. The two schools supported by this federal assistance will serve over 1000 at-risk PreK-6 grade students in the Waiʻanae and Molokai communities. Given the immense set-backs from this past year’s Covid-19 pandemic, The Ho’okako’o Corporation is confident that The Hawaiian Arts Integration Project will play a critical part in Native Hawaiian children’s recovery process.

23) Applicant Name: Malama Loko Ea Foundation
PR Award Number: S362A210136
Funding Amount: $733,150.00

The Mālama Loko Ea Foundation (MLEF) is a community-based organization situated at historic Loko Ea fishpond in Haleiwa, Hawaii. The Foundation seeks federal assistance to support environmental and cultural restoration through culturally meaningful programming – infused with an emphasis on Hawaiian language, values, and practices – to address the unique needs of Native Hawaiian children who thrive in place-based learning. MLEF points out that COVID-19 disrupted the continuity and access to environmental and cultural restoration for the local community. The community, they state, is seeking to advance a shared sense of increasing capacity and community resilience. Therefore, the Foundation is seeking funds to support its range of ongoing and proposed programming, called Restoring Ea, that directly addresses systemic inequalities endured by Hawaiians which are magnified as a result of the pandemic.

The “Restoring Ea” project will involve advancing ʻĀina Education to deliver comprehensive community-based educational programs that highlight cultural knowledge, environmental stewardship, and best practices for restoring and sustaining Hawaiian fishpond(s). MLEF seeks to service 6,000+ preschool to graduate-level learners via site-based and virtual programming that focuses on Hawaiian culture, relevant history, scientific observation and data collection, invasive species removal, water quality monitoring, and problem solving. Additionally, MLEF seeks to advance its ʻĀina Restoration project. This will involve strengthening Hawaiian and local community resilience through place-based resource management that presents opportunities for increased food production, cultural skills development, training and employment, and collaborative innovation with community stakeholders. MLEF seeks to increase the fish pond depth to create suitable conditions for increased biomass and aquatic food production and to provide internships and employment for local people as well as to broaden its organizational partnerships and stakeholders through outreach and events. Through this federal assistance, MLEF seeks to continue to serve as a focal point for committed partnerships that recognize a shared vision of Hawaiian cultural restoration, place-based educational programs, traditional land stewardship, sustainable food production, and the advancement of food sovereignty.

24) Applicant Name: Ho`oulu Lahui Inc.
PR Award Number: S362A210088
Funding Amount: $431,052.71

Native Hawaiian organization Hoʻoulu Lāhui seeks federal assistance to offer professional development activities for educators through the development of an in service program to improve the ability of teachers who teach in schools with high concentrations of NH students to meet the unique needs of such students. The organization also hopes to enhance the recruitment and preparation of NH, and other individuals who live in communities with a high concentration of NH, to become teachers. In order to achieve its goals, Hoʻoulu Lāhui – in partnership with Kū-A-Kanaka, a NH social enterprise – developed the program Hoʻomōhala ʻIke Kumu ʻĪnana (HIKI), which can be translated as “causing the blossoming of knowledge of emergent teachers.” Over the course of the 36-month project, HIKI will ensure that 100 in-service teachers, teaching at DOE, charter, and private schools with high NH students on four islands, will have e-portfolios with documented evidence of their knowledge of Hawaiian Culture instruction, curriculum and assessment, created as part of their participation in HIKIʻs blended in-service program. Next, 500 NH and other individuals who live in NH communities will participate in HIKI Teacher Recruitment Trainings and at least 100 will register for HIKI Teacher Recruitment Support. Finally, over 500 in-service and preservice teachers will participate in 12 Kanaka Kitchen Online Trainings, over 200 in 15 Kanaka Kitchen Live Workshops, and 60 will join in Kūkulu Kumuhana Immersion Camps – in Hawaiian language and culture online and in-person HCBE learning environments – held in cultural kīpuka on Hawaii Island.

Ultimately, HIKI will serve over 1,500 participants in multiple locations on the islands of Hawaiʻi, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu and Kauaʻi. The project’s intermediate outcomes include 100 in-service teachers able to design, implement, and assess HCBE as verified by LRP; 100 NH and other individuals will receive Teacher Recruitment Support; and over 750 in-service and prospective teachers will utilize Hawaiian language and culture immersion practices as a result of participating in HIKI Hawaiian Language and Culture immersion programs. HIKI’s long-term results include a thriving NH community, unique NH needs met in blended learning environments, culturally-grounded educated NH youth, and familial connections and mutual understanding between teachers, students, and their families as a result of Pedagogy of Aloha.

25) Applicant Name: Partners in Development Foundation
PR Award Number: S362A210075
Funding Amount: $2,527,045.02

The Keiki Assets Account – KAʻA (pronounced kah-ah) project seeks federal assistance to address the negative effects of COVID-19 on the financial assets of Native Hawaiian (NH) families. The Keiki Assets Account is housed under the Partners in Development Foundation. The project will complement other grants secured by the Foundation (S362A200001 Tūtū and Me; S362A200002 Ka Pa‘alana; S362A210013 Nā Pono No Nā ‘Ohana) as well as partner family child interaction learning grantees INPEACE (S362A200028) and Keiki O Ka ‘Aina (S362A200046 and S362A200048). Specifically, the Keiki Assets Account will address the fact that financial assets are critically linked to educational outcomes. The leaders of The Keiki Assets Account indicate that the effects of COVID-19 in Hawaiʻi on NH families has meant greater unemployment and poverty, further reducing assets, especially among ALICE households that are already asset-limited, income-constrained, employed. These economic changes will have lasting, potentially multigenerational impacts on the educational decisions and opportunities that families make and secure for their children.

Given that Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders have faced a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, as well as higher levels of unemployment and economic insecurity, than other groups in Hawaiʻi, The Keiki Assets Account seeks to advance three well-established family-child interaction learning (FCIL) partners in early childhood education – Partners in Development Foundation (PIDF), the Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture (INPEACE), and Keiki o Ka ʻĀina (KOKA). The Keiki Assets Account will foster collaboration to create a high-impact, multigenerational savings and education program designed to increase early learning engagement and support needy households to access educational opportunities, including college or other expenses for school fees, summer programs, tutoring, special needs, and more.

26) Applicant Name: Awaiaulu, Inc.
PR Award Number: S362A210128
Funding Amount: $748,934.00

Awaiaulu, Inc. seeks federal assistance to support the development of academic and vocational curricula to address the needs of Native Hawaiian children and adults, and to enhance professional development activities for educators. The organization’s goal is that by the end of Year 3, an estimated 10,000 Native Hawaiians throughout the islands will improve their ability to access reliable ‘ike Hawai‘i (Hawaiian historic knowledge) from primary and secondary sources in the Hawaiian and English languages for use primarily in pre-K to post-secondary educational institutions in Hawaiʻi and secondarily by the general public. In order to achieve its goal, Awaiaulu, Inc. will develop Kipapa ʻohina (online resource collections) with a curriculum for pre-K to post-secondary learners in reliable ʻike Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian historic knowledge). The organization will also conduct ʻIke Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian historic knowledge) summits with educators and practitioners to gather input from the community and to share the Kīpapa process of creating ʻOhina (online resource collections). In its first year, the summit will focus on Hawaiian language conventions, and in the second and third years it will focus on ʻOhina Development.

In terms of outcomes, Awaiaulu, Inc. will strive towards an increased number of reliable ‘ike Hawai‘i (Hawaiian historic knowledge) resources in the Hawaiian and English languages readily available online for public use thus increasing access of these resources to the Native Hawaiian community. The grantee will develop a comprehensive online repository of reliable historical resources addressing the knowledge gaps of ʻike Hawaiʻi. And, in the long term it will strive to develop an enlightened Lāhui Hawai‘i (Hawaiian nation, race, people) immersed in the knowledge of their cultural values, beliefs, practices and responsibilities and well-versed in their traditions and history.

27) Applicant Name: Hula Preservation Society
PR Award Number: S362A210090
Funding Amount: $260,948.00

The Hula Preservation Society seeks federal assistance to advance Kaiao: Elder Knowledge for Classrooms and Community. The Society knows that Native Hawaiian students who are grounded in culture-based educational settings have stronger connection to their culture, improved outcomes on various academic measures, and better attitudes toward learning. For Native Hawaiians, the applicant notes, there is nothing more grounding than the voices of our kūpuna (elders). Through hearing the voices of their kūpuna (elders), and by greatly increasing elder-based learning resources online, students (and likewise their ʻohana/families) will gain stronger Hawaiian cultural affiliation, kuleana (responsibility), and connection to land, culture, and community, and become more grounded in the lifeways, knowledge, and values of Hawaiians, which can result in stronger socio-emotional well-being and engagement for learners of all ages, and more robust, resilient communities. Therefore, the project will encompasses an education program based on an oral history library developed my Hawaiian elders themselves. The oral history library was envisioned 20 years ago, to uplift, inspire, and ground Native Hawaiian youth, families, and community in their culture, history, and language. Specifically, over a 3-year project period, the grantee will plan, write, disseminate, and implement 40 unique thematic learning units (20 in Hawaiian and 20 in English). They will be designed for Native Hawaiian youth in grades 7-12 and bring native elder knowledge to the classroom and community to increase knowledge and transference of Hawaiian language, culture, and history. The bilingual thematic units developed under this project will be based on the elder oral histories, connecting the words of our past to the children of our future. Culture and language are central to the identity and well-being of a people, and culture-based educational initiatives – both in the classroom and in the community – will help overcome historical injustices whose impacts continue to affect learner outcomes, socio-emotional development, and success to this day.

In terms of outcomes, by the end of the grant, 720 Native Hawaiian students grades 7-8 and 9-12 will complete a minimum of various thematic units per year to achieve an increase in knowledge and transference of culture, history, and language. Additionally, a minimum of 10 public and private educators will be mentored and supported to maximize the use and dissemination of 40 Kaiao thematic units. These will be made accessible through 3 accessible online repositories, expanding the elder learning resources for practical awareness, easy access, and positive perception. Furthermore, 4 advanced public programs for 150 Native Hawaiian students and their families and communities will be planned, conducted, and maintained to increase awareness of the Kaiao elder learning resources and the contributions of the elders, and promote greater understanding of the value of cultural knowledge. Overall, the program will aim to serve 1,000 Native Hawaiian youth, their families, teachers, and community members (70% – youth and teachers through classroom implementation; 30% families and community through outreach programs). There is a potential to connect with 500,000 Native Hawaiians across the islands and the U.S. Continent through online resource sharing.

28) Applicant Name: Pacific American Foundation
PR Award Number: S362A210117
Funding Amount: $540,000.00

The NALU (“Nature Activities for Learning and Understanding”) Studies Maui Nui Project – consisting of educational partnerships on three islands of Hawai‘i – Maui, Moloka’i, and Lana’i, known as Maui Nui – seeks federal assistance to advance its work. The Project is a collaboration between the three islands’ middle and high schools, the University of Hawaii, Maui College, and the Maui Family Court, working together to provide training and applicable, real-world, hands-on learning opportunities for high-risk Native Hawaiian youth to value education, Hawaiian culture and protocols, stewardship, and science. Through the Project, students will learn to identify real world environmental issues, collect, and analyze data to share with science agency partners, and present solutions to the public. Students will learn cultural protocols and connect to the environment through meaningful, engaging approaches with caring adult mentors helping them become environmentally responsible leaders who peer mentor their younger at-risk middle school students.

Overall, NALU offers three courses each year for an annual cohort of students recruited from their schools and will receive dual high school and college science credit. The courses start in Spring 2022 with NALU 101 Ahupua’a course – an 8-week NALU Nature and Academic sessions, followed by Summer 2022 NALU Middle School Mentoring, and concluding with Fall 2022 NALU 102 Marine Science. The schedule for these three courses will then repeat in 2023 and 2024. The Project, with many partnerships including Maui Complex and the Hawai’I Department of Education, will serve 192 high-risk, adjudicated, Native Hawaiian high school and middle school students in public, charter, alternative, and court programs of Maui County (Maui, Lana’i, Moloka’i). It will ensure that 150 high-risk, adjudicated Native Hawaiian high school students will be recruited and enrolled, that 42 at-risk Native Hawaiian middle school students will be mentored by NALU peer-mentors, and that 7 teachers will be recruited to serve from King Kekaulike, Maui, Lahainaluna, Kihei, Hana, Lana’i, Moloka’i.

29) Applicant Name: Kamalani Academy
PR Award Number: S362A210086
Funding Amount: $675,919.00

Kamalani Academy seeks federal assistance to advance its belief that each haumana (student) is born with great abilities. The Academy became a Nā Mea Hawai’i through the Arts Integration Public Charter School. The institute felt that using culture and arts to enhance the learning of core academic subjects would provide all students with vital skills such as creativity, communication, leadership, and collaboration. The Academy follows closely to its vision – to provide a space where children become leaders, prepared for a Twenty First Century the Academy cannot even imagine. Specifically, the project addresses its community’s needs through stupporting reading and literacy skills, special needs of students with disabilities, professional development activities for educators, a community-based learning center, programs to assist those seeking post-secondary education, research and data collection, among other activities.

Kamalani Academy’s students come predominantly from the Wahiawā community where a majority of disadvantaged students struggle academically in traditional classrooms. The Academy intends to use its funds to meet the needs of all students. Specifically, this will include working towards increasing student academic outcomes, closing achievement gaps, providing a community center, and fostering, promoting, and cultivating an engaging learning environment for the Academy’s 232 students, 13 teachers, and 6 administrators and teacher leaders.

30) Applicant Name: Keiki O Ka Aina Family Learning Centers
PR Award Number: S362A210087
Funding Amount: $2,207,987.00

Keiki O Ka Aina (KOKA) Family Learning Centers propose to address the pandemic related challenges of limited classroom space and shortened instructional time through creating new, long-term modular learning spaces among eight communities with high enrollments of Native Hawaiian students. KOKA aims to create two new modular classrooms that will be available for early education programs, parent training/communication with teachers, cultural programs, family-strengthening activities, and other NH activities that often have difficulty locating space. Additionally, modular classrooms will house KOKA’s new pandemic-response programs including after-school tutoring/programs, STEM-oriented summer camps, and social-emotional supports for students, teachers, and families.

These modular spaces will result in increased learning time – especially in math, science, and reading achievement – which, in turn, should bolster the learning outcomes of and encourage 21st-century workforce participation for the 7,850 Native Hawaiian students served by KOKA. Modular classrooms will further be additional environments in which loss of student socialization and pandemic-induced trauma can begin to be addressed by learning with community members. Extra learning space bolsters distancing efforts in main campus buildings and complements the activities proposed under additional grants received by KOKA as well.

31) Applicant Name: Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture
PR Award Number: S362A210112
Funding Amount: $350,471.00

Eō establishes an afterschool culture- and place-based program that engages Native Hawaiian youth in the discovery of self, cultural identity, and connection to place in order to promote and develop the motivation, pride, and leadership skills to envision and work towards a positive future and academic success. The program operates on the premise that connection to culture, community, history, and traditional practices can be instrumental to the youth’s success in both school and community life, indicated in research conducted by both Native Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian scholars alike. Each program unit implements strategies that engage Native Hawaiian youth in a rediscovery process of self, culture, and family values and practices as they relate to Hawaiian ‘ike (knowledge) and ways of life.

The program enables the engagement of youth (grades 4-6) across multiple years through a scaffolded system of progressive leadership roles and skill development prior to their transition into middle school. The Institute for Native Pacific Education and Culture proposes that 90 youth in addition to 6 elders, 60 parents/adult family members, and 120 community members will be able to participate in this project by its third year – ultimately resulting in youth participants actively engaging in leadership roles, having a greater knowledge of community, Hawaiian language, and cultural practices, and improving upon their leadership skills.

32) Applicant Name: University of Hawaii
PR Award Number: S362A210082
Funding Amount: $585,616.00

The MAUŌ project aims to increase access to, and success within, post-secondary educational programs among Native Hawaiian students in the County of Kaua‘i. The project will 1) increase Native Hawaiian success in post-secondary education by ensuring that Native Hawaiian students have access to support systems while transitioning from school or work to college, 2) increase funding to support scholarships for Native Hawaiian students who are enrolled in Kaua‘I Community College’s (KCC) Waiʻaleʻale and Kīpaipai programs, 3) provide comprehensive student wrap-around services to Native Hawaiian students who are enrolled in KCC’s Waiʻaleʻale and Kīpaipai programs, and 4) implement a resource development model to support long-term sustainability for the Waiʻaleʻale and Kīpaipai programs beyond the term of this grant.

As a result of this project, the college-going rates of Native Hawaiian high-school seniors, students with disabilities, and those who have high-school certificates are expected to increase. This will, in part, be a function of financial and application counseling for 120 families under the project, boosting the number of FAFSA applications from Native Hawaiian families. Additionally, 263 students already in the Wai‘ale‘ale and Kīpaipai programs will experience increased credit-achievement rates and GPA-growth – as well as greater basic-needs support and individually-tailored student success plans.

33) Applicant Name: University of Hawaii
PR Award Number: S362A210107
Funding Amount: $439,772.00

Kuhikuhina Kaulike will support and improve the abilities of educators in schools with high concentrations of Native Hawaiian students to meet their cultural and learning needs. To meet its goals, this project will provide professional development on Instructional Conversations for Equitable Participation (ICEPs). ICEPs are collaborative, small group discussions that integrate students’ cultural and everyday experiences, include all students in the conversation, and promote higher-order thinking. The project objectives are to: (a) promote teachers’ understanding and use of ICEPs in classrooms for Native Hawaiian students; (b) improve Hawaiian students’ classroom participation, value of classroom tasks, and self-efficacy; and (c) disseminate project findings to other teachers of Hawaiian students. This program is particularly important as pre-existing challenges for Native Hawaiian students in accessing meaningful interactions with peers and teachers were only intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. In total, the project will serve approximately 88 teachers who teach over 4,000 students, the majority of whom will be Native Hawaiian. The project will bolster students’ perception of their self-efficacy, and encourage their greater participation in, and appreciation for, classroom activities.

34) Applicant Name: University of Hawaii
PR Award Number: S362A210122
Funding Amount: $941,393.00

The University of Hawai‘i – West O‘ahu (UHWO) proposes He Paepae Aloha: A Foundation of Caring as a means to increase Native Hawaiian participation and completion of postsecondary education. He Paepae Aloha will develop academic and vocational curricula that incorporate: Native Hawaiian traditions and culture, in-service professional development activities, and learning activities that include financial literacy, leadership development, and community stewardship. As a result, the project will 1) improve access of Native Hawaiian high school students to high-quality college-tocareer pathways; 2) increase participation of 400 Native Hawaiian high school students (and 90 high school faculty) in high-quality college-preparatory and college-level courses within those pathways; and 3) increase enrollment of advanced-status Native Hawaiian students to UHWO.

In order to create sustainable systems change, He Paepae Aloha will strengthen and integrate professional development for high school teachers and college instructors that centers Hawaiian culture-based learning/support strategies and innovative technologies (with emphasis in math and science coursework); programs that foster high school students socio-emotional learning, resilience and college-readiness; programs that raise student and family awareness of available academic and career pathways; and opportunities that provide Hawaiian culture-based early college/dual credit courses.

35) Applicant Name: University of Hawaii
PR Award Number: S362A210110
Funding Amount: $853,095.00

The goal of the Hilinehu: Educational Leadership Advancement (HELA) initiative is to increase the number and quality of Native Hawaiian graduate level kumu (teachers). The HELA initiative is a collaboration between the University of Hawai ‘i at Manoa College of Education and the UH Manoa Student Equity Excellence Diversity (SEED) office. HELA proposes building individual capacity for advanced degree educational success, cultivating a supportive network of academic, career, and community stakeholders, and creating a Hawaiian innovation resource center to support advanced degree success for Native Hawaiians – with the ultimate aim of meeting the educational needs both of the thirty Native Hawaiian graduate students at the College of Education annually, and those Native Hawaiian students who will one day be taught by these graduates.

To meet its goals, HELA will center the development of academic and vocational curricula to address the needs of Native Hawaiian children and adults, including curriculum materials in the Hawaiian language and math/science curricula that incorporate Native Hawaiian tradition and culture; the development of programs to prepare prospective teachers to address the unique needs of Native Hawaiian students within the context of Native Hawaiian culture, language, and traditions; the support of in-service programs to improve the ability of teachers who teach in schools with high concentrations of Native Hawaiian students to meet the unique needs of such students; the recruitment and preparation of Native Hawaiians, and other individuals who live in communities with a high concentration of Native Hawaiians, to become and teachers; and the provision of professional development and fostering of peer networks for pre-service and in-service educators and administrators.