As we observe the social and political environment existing today in our community, we note a congruence of thought among policymakers, educational and business leaders, and the philanthropic community, giving rise to powerful ideas about improving our schools. We note the auspiciousness of the times, and the potential and promise for sweeping change when like-minded groups are working together for a common cause.

We founded the Voices of Educators about three years ago, believing that professional educators possess unique knowledge and skills that can and must inform the conversation on the important issues of the day.

To such ends, the Voices of Educators now sets forth an agenda for change and growth that encompasses urgently needed improvements in four key policy areas. We also pledge to work together and with others, to advocate during the upcoming legislative session for the approval of measures that will mobilize action toward the fulfillment of those goals.

We believe the time for commitment is now. Building upon the bold vision of Act 51, now is the time to actively pursue change with a five-year plan of action in mind.

Commitment No. 1: Now is the time to commit to a comprehensive early learning system statewide.

Hawai'i must agree on a long-term vision for early learning, with a dedicated funding source, along with defining the responsibility for stewardship. This system must recognize and maintain the benefits of an already effective partnership of public and private providers of early childhood education and acknowledge the role of parents as the child's first teacher.

We support the conclusions and recommendations of the Early Learning Educational Task Force to launch a "five-year quality early learning system plan, beginning with 4-year-olds" designed to increase quality and access, increase school readiness, and increase reading at grade level. We believe that investment in early learning will impact the success of our overall educational system, enhancing success in K-12 and beyond.

We agree that quality staff linked to quality standards with an aligned curriculum will result in quality programs for early learning. This system must ensure an adequate number of qualified teachers and staff with compensation comparable to that earned by faculty and staff in K-12 programs.

We recommend that by 2012, all 4-year-old children have access to a quality early educational program that supports their social, emotional, and cognitive growth.

Commitment No. 2: Now is the time for an unprecedented capital investment in all our schools.

We must modernize our early learning, elementary, secondary, and higher education campuses with infrastructure capable of supporting 21st century instruction.

We know that developmentally appropriate teaching and learning in early childhood depends on environments specifically designed for the young learner with space, color, light, sound, diverse mediums and materials, small learning centers, and adequate outdoor play space that contribute to the cultivation of the imagination.

We have known for years that inadequate cooling of classrooms in our tropical climate, inadequate electrical infrastructure, and inadequate or poorly maintained physical education and performing arts centers are all barriers to successful teaching and learning. In addition, preparing students to be successful in the 21st century means providing access to 21st century technologies.

In addition, teachers, principals and those working steadfastly on enhanced teaching and learning must have a state-of-the-art facility as a beacon for excellence, as a place to solve problems of practice, and as a gathering place for the best minds working together to create a better school system.

We recommend that by 2012 a dedicated source of capital funding for renovation and improvement be created and implemented. We support the expansion of preschool sites statewide and call for dramatic infrastructure improvements in our elementary and secondary schools. In addition, we support the recommendation of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawai'i for state funding to plan and build a new College of Education facility that models best learning environments for K-12 and higher education.

Commitment No. 3: Now is the time to encourage transformational leadership for our schools.

We must take bold action to create a cadre of empowered school leaders capable of transforming school cultures to enable achievement of the goals outlined in Act 51. We envision principals who are "change leaders."

These leaders must provide instructional leadership with teachers in classrooms.

This means ensuring classrooms that have students engaged in their own learning, supporting a rigorous standards-based curriculum, encouraging dedicated and caring teachers, and focusing on literacy, numeracy and technology skills to prepare our youth to be global citizens.

Empowered school leaders must demonstrate ownership for their schools within local communities. We believe that only those equipped to work collaboratively with community leaders will be able to sustain a large-scale, long-term effort to enhance teaching and learning.

We recommend that efforts underway to cultivate change leaders be designed on a larger scale, recognizing the expertise provided by educational partners in the state. We envision the development by 2012 of a Hawaii Principals Institute.

Commitment No. 4: Now is the time to invest in urgently needed educational workforce development priorities.

We believe that high-quality education in academic content areas, the fine arts, physical education and the practical arts depends on the quality of professional educators who must possess the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to help all students to learn. We believe high quality professional educators should be compensated for their value to our community and our future because only a well-educated child becomes a contributing member of society.

One priority in developing the teacher workforce must be Early Childhood Education, with investments in developing a four-year degree program, including the expansion of distance learning options for early childhood coursework, and community-based support for early childhood professionals.

Having said that, we also must address urgent priorities in the teaching profession with new approaches designed to recruit, retain and continually renew the best and brightest minds for positions that are hard to fill and most in need of high quality teaching.

Strategies include focusing on preparing teachers to teach in their own communities; providing pathways for career changes; supporting professional development schools; ensuring high-quality school leadership; providing more comprehensive and statewide induction and mentoring efforts; constructing a career ladder for teachers; and providing sustained school-based professional development opportunities for educators.

We recommend that by 2012 the salary levels and working conditions for educators will be competitive with other professions requiring similar educational investment. Professional development schools across the state will provide effective mechanisms to prepare and retain teachers, and the state will invest in a comprehensive system for induction, mentoring and ongoing professional development for educators.

We fervently believe that the educational opportunities we must create for every child in Hawai'i depends entirely on the courage and conviction and commitments that will be made this year by those already engaged in the reinvention of public education, for whom the next five years are urgent and crucial.

The time for commitment is now.

This commentary, part of a series, is a collective effort by the members of Voices of Educators, a nonprofit coalition designed to foster debate and public policy change within Hawai'i's public education system, in partnership with The Honolulu Advertiser. It appears in Focus on the first Sunday of the month.

Voices of Educators is comprised of some of Hawai'i's top education experts, including: Liz Chun, executive director of Good Beginnings Alliance; Patricia Hamamoto, superintendent of the Department of Education; Christine Sorensen and Donald B. Young of the College of Education, University of Hawai'i; Joan Lee Husted and Roger Takabayashi from the Hawaii State Teachers Association; Sharon Mahoe of the Hawai'i Teacher Standards Board; Alvin Nagasako of the Hawai'i Government Employees Association; and Robert Witt of the Hawai'i Association of Independent Schools. Visit their Web site at www.hawaii.edu/voice.