Aloha HE'E Members and Participants, The second quarter of 2012 has been a busy one for HE'E and we would like to thank everyone who supported the Coalition's work. Despite a mixed outcome from the legislative session, momentum clearly continues to build for community engagement with public schools and we acknowledge the great work that is being done around the State. SB2545 on Early Learning passed and is enrolled to the Governor, SCR79 (Senate Concurrent Resolution) on Family Engagement also passed and we are anxious to work with the Department of Education to improve family school partnership initiatives. We will continue press for HE'E's other priorities which include safe schools and fair teacher evaluation. Mahalo to all those who participated in and gave feedback to HE'E's policy team. The Coalition will continue to monitor BOE policy and initiatives this year. Mahalo also to the Hawaii State PTSA, the Coalition for Children with Special Needs and the Hawaii State Student Council for presenting at our large group meeting on May 2. Upcoming HE'E Meetings June 6, 2012 Wednesday, 11:00am-1:00pm at the Japanese Cultural Center-A Conversation with Stephen Schatz on RTTT and the ESEA Flexibility Waiver: HE'E is pleased to be hosting a conversation with Stephen Schatz, Assistant Superintendent for Strategic Reform, about the status of Race to the Top (RTTT) and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Flexibility Waiver. Location is the Japanese Cultural Center Ewa Ballroom, 2454 S Beretania St. Lunch and validated parking will be provided. Registration is now closed. However, broadcast will be on Olelo at a time to be announced. June 12, 2012 Tuesday, 9:00-11:00am at The Learning Coalition Office-HE'E Planning Meeting: Planning Team will discuss any follow up regarding the RTTT and ESEA Flexibility Waiver lunch and correspondence with BOE on upcoming policy issues. The Learning Coalition Office is at 841 Bishop Street Suite 301. Validated parking available at Ali'i Place at 1099 Alakea Street.
HE'E News and Member News
EdWeek's May 17, 2012, N.Y. PTA President Testifies about Parent Engagement. Click for article here.
In preparation for Hawaii's August primary elections, HE'E member Kanu Hawaii will produce a multi-issue candidate questionnaire to be distributed in early-June - Kanu's first step in a long-term effort to empower citizens to hold their elected leaders accountable. They intend to distribute responses widely online (social media, Kanu's email list of 16,000), via media partners, and offline with a mailer.
HE'E's Planning and Policy Team have suggested the following questions to recommend to Kanu:
On Early Learning:
Would you commit to making public funding of pre-kindergarten education a top priority if elected?
On Teacher Evaluations:
Would you support passing into law a comprehensive teacher performance evaluation system, like the one laid out in the BOE policy? If so, what components do you think a teacher's evaluation should be based on?
On Safe Schools:
Do you favor making bullying a misdemeanor offense, subject to criminal prosecution?
On School Sustainability:
Would you support initiatives to make schools more sustainable in energy and water use? What initiatives would you be willing to support?"
Kanu will make the decision to use our recommendations in their questionnaire but if they chose to do so, they will indicate that the questions were developed by HE'E. We have committed to Kanu that we will distribute the results of the questionnaire to our networks.
Upcoming Events
June 2, 2012 Saturday, 8:30am-12:00pm at He'eia Elementary School Cafeteria-Castle Complex Education Summit VI Family-School Partnership: See flyer here.
- Celebrate family engagement and recognize the many dedicated family-school partners in the 2011-12 school year
- Learn six strategies families and schools use to partner to strengthen schools, families and student achievement
- Learn about the new Castle Complex Family-School Partnership Initiative and how we can make it happen
June 5 and June 19 Tuesday, Board of Education Meetings- Meeting notice link is here.
June 18, 2012 Monday, 5:00pm to 8:00pm at Jessie's Restaurant 1101 North King Street- Office of Community Service (OCS) is having a talk story session on Oahu. OCS' mission is to serve the poor, disadvantaged persons, refugees and immigrants. It is an opportunity to hear directly from community stakeholders to help OCS gain greater insight and understanding of what is relevant to their present needs and recommend programs that will work for them. See flyer here.
We would like to continue to share upcoming events, great news, accomplishments or acknowledgements of the Coalition so please feel free to update me with the great work that is going on in the community!
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