Education K-12

This January, Keaau students in kindergarten through grade 8 began working under a digital curriculum that includes a digital device, such as a laptop or tablet, assigned for their personal use....

The strategy focuses on improving health, development, and learning experiences and outcomes of Hawaii’s youngest children, prenatal to age eight....

Hawaii’s law still needs significant improvement in several areas, including beefing up the requirements for charter application....

Among the major challenges identified by the USDOE was the delayed principal evaluation implementation.

Last week the State Department of Education finally released the criteria for principal evaluations....

...school choice advocates—including parents, teachers, schoolchildren and administrators, and many others—will come together to promote educational choice, with more than 3,600 events taking place nationwide....

In its proposal, HSTA seeks to:

• Increase teachers’ base pay by 48.1 percent over the next four years,
• Delay implementation of the new Educator Effectiveness System,
• Gain veto power over development of each step of the system.

...there is much more that can be done to help ensure that new teachers are “classroom ready.” ...

Given the nature of negotiations, the proposal HSTA took to the table is a starting point and is subject to change....

All Hawaii public school principals will receive enhanced supports and evaluations beginning in the 2013-14 school year under an agreement between the Hawaii State Department of Education (DOE) and the Hawaii Government Employees Association (HGEA)....

“I believe comprehensive educational reform can still be done, but not with the ill will the current administration has sown among the educators."

Hawaii Families for Educational Choice is proud to participate in this nation wide effort and will be hosting several events during National School Choice Week....

Beginning this month, schools will mail or ask students to bring the surveys home....

To date, one school has successfully applied for funds. Because the school was not awarded the full amount of the carryover, HIDOE has asked USDOE for approval to use the balance of the carryover for ... Hawaii School for the Deaf and the Blind (HSDB).

“The State informed HSTA that there will be a formal response made at our next bargaining session on January 22."

...schools that enter into these contracts and see their electric bills drop will actually get to keep the savings as a result....

The wisdom of John Rosemond is something to ponder before initiating costly pre-kindergarten programs....

What happens when a government program simply does not do what it is supposed to do?

After 50 years of federal funding, the US Department of Health and Human Services has determined in two separate studies that Head Start is completely ineffectual....

...if every union were to get the same raises and benefits, it would cost the state an extra $1.4 billion beyond the budget....

"Our intent is to work with the DOE to create a successful Educator Effectiveness System that could lend itself to being a model, nationwide.”

Eventually, the goal is a statewide early childhood education program for more 4-year-olds....

"Hawaii is making progress on strengthening its education policies" -- StudentsFirst

Nearly 51,000 high-school students in 81 cities around the world joined the 2013 Kickoff via live NASA-TV broadcast and webcast....

Hawaii. Student enrollment increased 2.7 percent while administrators and other non-teaching staff increased 68.9 percent from FY 1992 to FY 2009....

The mother claims that her daughters teacher and state administrators not only failed to investigate the abuse that occurred on and off school grounds, but conspired to cover it up, and then suspended her.

The U.S. Department of Education releases first-year progress reports for the 12 winners of the Race to the Top grant....

...it will administer college and career readiness assessments to all middle and high school students statewide in grades 8, 9, 10 and 11 beginning next spring....

...a design flaw in Farrington High School’s 58-year-old auditorium contributed to its roof collapse....

... Washington Middle School in Olympia, Wash., [was] projected to use 28% less energy. The school consumed 19% more energy ....

Former Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA) President Jim Williams yesterday sent a letter to current HSTA President Wil Okabe asking for clarification on Mr. Okabe’s recent public statements on negotiations....

...The Court’s ruling this morning confirms that the HLRB's determination of when and how to issue a ruling in this case remains in its discretion....

· DATE: Tuesday, December 18, 2012

· TIME: 2:00 PM

"...it's certainly not unconstitutional for a public school orchestra or other singers to go to a religious venue like, in this case, New Hope Church and have a concert."

... an advisory committee, including HSTA representatives, to review the new teacher evaluation system ....

“Yesterday, HSTA and the State resumed negotiations. While this is only our second bargaining session, talks were the most productive in months.”

Hawaii Police Department (HPD) is assisting school officials with security measures and made eight student arrests ....

The volunteers that were supporting Moanalua have decided to put on a charity concert to benefit Mercy Ships. It will take place at the New Hope Ministry Center (290 Sand Island Access Road) on Friday, December 7th at 730pm

“This argument over what is covered by the contract and what isn’t, is a distraction and a deflection from the real issue - the fact that teachers have been disrespected by the governor.” -- Wil Okabe, HSTA President

Over 200 teams from schools statewide came to the Neil Blaisdell Center this weekend to compete and showcase their robots in the 2012 Hawaii FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Championships....

Governor Abercrombie has 30 days from his receipt of the list today to make his appointment.

A Quality Teacher in Every Classroom was approved by Leeward HSTA to be shared with the HSTA board on Saturday....

Services will be held at Waialae Baptist Church on Sat., Dec. 15....

Chief Justice Recktenwald has 30 days from his receipt of the list today to make his appointment.

...providing safe and reliable utility service at a reasonable cost, through the development of Resource Plans and Scenarios....

...the Honolulu City Council will be voting this Thursday to accept or not the federal grant allotment for the rail system....

...Honolulu Council Committee on Legislative Matters hearing this Monday, November 26 at 10 a.m. at Honolulu Hale....

I want to make it clear that while I fully support Mayor-Elect Caldwell, I won my own election as the State Representative for District 46 – Wahiawa, Whitmore Village, Launani Valley, and my intention at this time is to stay in the House....

Kawailoa Wind project has been completed and commercial operations have begun. Located on Kamehameha Schools’ Kawailoa Plantation lands on Oahu’s North Shore....

HART will sign a full funding grant agreement with the FTA to provide $1,550,000,000 for the Oahu rail project, according to a Congressional notification sent to the Senate Committee on Appropriations....