Kamehameha outreach plan praised by experts
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Educational outreach plan praised
By Alice Keesing
Advertiser Staff Writer
Education experts yesterday hailed plans by Kamehameha Schools to invest in early childhood education as a key to tackling Hawai'i's education problems at their root.
Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser
The private school yesterday officially announced its plans to reach more Native Hawaiian children by partnering with other childcare providers and the public schools. Kamehameha's goal to serve at least 10,000 preschoolers in five years represents a renewed emphasis on early education.
Kamehameha Schools CEO Hamilton McCubbin describes a new initiative to extend the school's reach to more Hawaiian students.
"This is the greatest news for children in Hawai'i that we have heard for years," said Robert Midkiff, president of the Good Beginnings Alliance, which has long advocated for more early childhood education.
Kamehameha Schools Chief Executive Officer Hamilton McCubbin heralded the second phase of the trust's strategic plan as a "new beginning," yet in some ways it is a return to former ground. Kamehameha Schools has been in the early education field for 20 years, but its activities were considerably scaled back by the former trustees. Now it has the ambitious plan of reaching all of the state's 30,000 Native Hawaiian preschoolers within 15 years.
Study after study has shown the benefits of a quality preschool experience.
Children who attend preschool enter kindergarten ready to learn. They later have better test scores in reading and math. And they are less likely to be involved in crime as adults and less likely to become pregnant as teenagers.
• Expand early childhood enrollment from about 1,000 today to 11,400, representing about one third of eligible Hawaiian children in Hawai'i. • Increase K-12 enrollment from 3,500 to 6,400, much of it through partnerships in state facilities, the rest in growth of enrollments at campuses on Maui and the Big Island. • Bolster "career" education from 7,250 students seeking adult technical education to 8,460. • Expand "life-long learning" to 4,200 students through a new extension program. • More than double community development and "eco-cultural" training from 8,500 to 20,500, in summer schools, and camps and other efforts on the estate's vast land holdings.
But fewer than one quarter of Hawai'i's preschool age children are in a subsidized education program. There is no data on how many of those children are Native Hawaiian, but experts agree they are among the most at-risk.
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New initiatives
Kamehameha preschools currently enroll 1,000 children, making it the second-largest provider of preschool services after Head Start. Now the trust plans to expand to reach 11,000 children within five years and to reach all 30,000 Native Hawaiian children in 15 years.
Rather than building more of its own preschools, McCubbin said Kamehameha Schools is embarking on an "entirely different paradigm" by partnering with others in the community.
One strategy will involve providing early education scholarships that parents could use like preschool vouchers.
"Native Hawaiians are less likely to put their children into center-based care, they tend to prefer 'ohana-based care, so I think with Kamehameha Schools coming out and supporting center-based preschool, it may cause some Hawaiian parents to take a second look," said Marcia Hartsock, president of Hawai'i Kids Watch.
Parents would be able to use the scholarships to place their children in accredited preschools, said Kamehameha Schools spokesman Kekoa Paulsen.
"Assuming we get approval from the probate court, it's possible these scholarships could be available as early as May or June," he said.
Kamehameha Schools also has applied to run some of the state's Pre-Plus preschools. The Legislature has provided $5 million to build new preschools at 13 Department of Education elementary schools. The programs, which are expected to open by September, will be run by private providers and Kamehameha is among the applicants.
Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono, who is heading up the program, said the successful applicants should be selected by the first week of January.
Hirono welcomed Kamehameha's new initiatives, saying, "they clearly have resources to bring to the table."
In a third initiative, Kamehameha Schools will provide family educational services for children up to 2 years old. That would include workshops, home visits, seminars, materials, training and counseling, primarily for families in communities that are largely of Hawaiian ancestry and in need or at risk.
Further down the road, Kamehameha Schools also plans to partner with the public schools to reach Native Hawaiians in the K-12 age group. The target is to reach 1,000 more students in the next five years, but details are still conceptual.
One suggestion is creating a non-profit entity between the DOE and Kamehameha Schools to take over specific schools with large enrollments of Native Hawaiian students. Suggested areas include Waimanalo and Nanakuli. Another possibility is converting existing schools to charter school status. And there are discussions about using distance education to reach more Hawaiian students.
Nanakuli Elementary has partnered with Kamehameha Schools for the past two years on a reading program. The partnership has been positive, and students are advancing with great strides thanks to efforts on both sides, principal Sandy Ahu said.
However, Ahu issued a note of caution that any future partnership does not burden the schools, which already are facing numerous directives from the DOE.
"Often the policy makers make the decisions, but its with the teachers and the administrators where the rubber hits the road," she said.
Union leaders lent their support to yesterday's announcement by Kamehameha Schools, but indicated that in some ways they are withholding judgement.
"I think what Kamehameha Schools is offering is resources and support and to that extent we're entering this discussion," said Lei Desha, field services officer for the Hawai'i Government Employees Association, which represents school principals. "Obviously as a union we're concerned about the members we represent and what impact, if any, this partnership would have."
Hawai'i State Teachers Association Executive Director Joan Husted said teachers also are willing to explore the ideas but want to be sure any additional money is used to supplement existing resources, rather than supplant state money.
The union also has told Kamehameha Schools it is concerned there be equity in the decision making.
"When a school like Kamehameha puts in $24 million they are the 800 pound gorilla because they can always take their money and go home," she said. "And even if you say you want to share the decision making, the reality is those that have the money will always be first among equals."
Advertiser Staff Writer Walter Wright contributed to this report.
