|
Aloha HE'E Members and Participants,
June and July 2012 has been a flurry of activity for the Coalition, with our lunch discussion on Race to the Top and the ESEA Flexibility Waiver with Assistant Superintendent Stephen Schatz and a follow up meeting and discussion on the Hawaii Growth Model with Richard Wenning of SchoolWorks. Mahalo to those who participated. At the July meeting Stephanie Shipton of the Department of Education elaborated on the ESEA Flexibility application and gave members an opportunity to provide input on questions relating to the accountability system and also how to improve family and community partnerships. Notes for the meeting are provided here, along with Richard Wenning's powerpoint presentation. The meeting was also filmed by Olelo and will be available sometime in August. Please check our website for link to Olelo website.
Upcoming HE'E Meetings
August 14, 2012 9:00am-11:00am at The Learning Coalition Office-HE'E Planning Meeting: We are pleased to have HE'E member Zach Dilonno from Appleseed give a presentation on social justice issues. We will also start discussions on areas of focus for the upcoming legislative session.
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
HIDOE ESEA Flexibility Application and Opportunity for Public Comment
The Hawaii State Department of Education is engaging and soliciting input from diverse stakeholders and communities. The draft of the application as well as a summary document are posted at this DOE website. Public comment period will close on August 17, 2012. Feedback may be provided through an online survey, available here. Additional comments and letters of support may be sent to NCLBFLEX@notes.k12.hi.us.
Timeline for the waiver process is as follows:
Late July - Early August, 2012 - A draft of the ESEA waiver application will be available for public feedback
September 6, 2012 - Deadline for submitting the application to the US Department of Education
September, 2012 - Peer review of Hawaii's application
Although the public feedback period is short, we would like to provide HIDOE with as much constructive input as possible.
HIDOE Strategic Plan
On July 3, 2012 the Hawaii Board of Education approved the revised Department of Education's Strategic Plan 2011-2018. HE'E was pleased to see the new Strategic Plan support family-school and community partnerships. The Coalition also supports the DOE's indicators of success as they align with those of our community. We look forward to working together on the implementation of the strategies. Link to Strategic Plan is here.
HE'E' on Olelo Voter Viewpoint
On July 24, 2012, HE'E participated in the Olelo Voter Viewpoint panel discussion on Education. Voter Viewpoint is a series of discussions hosted by 'Olelo every election season to bring together experts on issues that affect Hawai'i voters. Kathy Bryant from HE'E joined Joan Husted, Stephen Schatz, and Dee Jay Mailer for a lively discussion on education. All panel discussions will air on cable television, be provided 'on-demand' on the internet, and will be featured on a "Vote Central" webpage that will allow for public comment on an on-line message board. Comments and transcriptions will be distributed to our returning and newly elected officials by year's end. We encourage everyone to view and comment on the education discussion as well as other topics, which include Poverty in Hawaii, Sustainability, Hawaiian Affairs, among others.
Television Airtimes for Education are the following:
Sun, July 29 | 8:00pm | *FOCUS Ch. 49
Mon, July 30 | 8:00am | OAHU Ch. 52
Wed, Aug. 1 | 3:00pm | OAHU Ch. 52
HE'E Member News
SPIN Conference April 6, 2013-Save the Date 27th Annual Meeting.
Charter School Enrollment Reaches 10,000 Milestone Hawaii public charter schools will achieve an enrollment record this week as over 10,000 kindergarten through 12th graders begin classes after summer break. The projected enrollment of 10,097 represents a milestone for Hawaii's charter movement, which served just 1,341 students in 2000.
"All our charters remain committed to innovating public education," said Lynn Finnegan, executive director of the Hawaii Public Charter School Network (HPCSN). "We accomplish this by empowering principals and teachers, making decisions at the local level and providing for the needs of individual students. And our charters succeed in their missions despite receiving no facilities money and other forms of support afforded to regular public schools," Finnegan added.
Now, with the addition of Laupahoehoe Community Public Charter School this year, Hawaii has 32 public charter schools. Currently there are seven applications for new campuses awaiting review by the Charter School Commission. For more information visit the Hawaii Charter Schools website.
The Be My Voice Hawaii (BMVH) campaign has two new voices joining the campaign starting in July - Jacce (Jc) Mikulanec and Deborah Zysman
Deborah Zysman is the new Executive Director at the Good Beginnings Alliance and Jacce Mikulanec will be managing the BMVH campaign and assisting with policy development. Both bring a broad range of experience and energy to the table and have hit the ground running.
How is BMVH working to ensure all of Hawaii's four-year-olds have access to quality preschool? By listening to you, and working together with all stakeholders to come up with a plan that will be a legacy for our keiki. How can you get involved? Here are four things you can do today:
1) Join the Be My Voice Hawaii campaign by signing-up on the Be My Voice Hawaii website.
2) Ask your candidates running for state and federal offices what their plans are to support preschool opportunities for all of Hawaii's keiki.
3) Follow Be My Voice Hawaii on Facebook and Twitter - stay current on preschool and early childhood education news and events.
4) Tell your friends and neighbors to sign-up and join the BMVH campaign.
We need your help and commitment so please join us! Feel free to call or email Jacce if you have any questions, jmikulanec@goodbeginnings.org, 808-531-5502.
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!
|
