A Night of Star Gazing
If you love looking at the stars in the night sky, but want a better view than you get from your backyard, you might consider renting a Mauna Kea observatory for a night. There are 11 observatories perched above the…
Education
A New Era for Chaminade University
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK ARBEIT One of the things that sets Chaminade University apart is its emphasis on community service. If you want to see how that plays out, tag along with Joan Riggs’ students in the environmental and interior design program.…
Talk Story with Bernard Ho, President and CEO of Damien Memorial School
Ho, 71, took over at the school on June 26, 2007, after nearly 40 years in executive roles at HMSA, including executive VP from 1994 to 2005. He also served as chairman of Damien’s school board from 2002 to 2006.…
Local universities not ready to join the online revolution
Thomas Friedman, global columnist for The New York Times and the author of “The World Is Flat,” overflows with enthusiasm. “Nothing has more potential to lift more people out of poverty – by providing them an affordable education to get a…
Ninja Skills
Adult’s definition of parkour: a noncompetitive sport that builds coordination, strength, patience and discipline, while emphasizing safety, community and creativity. Kid’s definition of parkour: ninja skills and Spiderman training. Parkour, which originated less than a generation ago in the immigrant-rich suburbs outside of Paris,…
Exceptional Family Outings
The Art of Learning Back when it was The Contemporary Museum, it was an idiosyncratic destination in the hills above Honolulu, a place where you could walk the gardens, grab lunch in the cafe and see intriguing contemporary art that…
Can the University of Hawaii make millions off its research?
These bacteria are a key part of UH’s plan to double the money it collects from federal grants over the coming decade “Micro-organisms dominate this planet,” says David Karl, director of C-MORE, the UH-based Center for Microbial Oceanography, Research and…
5 Great Edu-Apps
Interactive Alphabet What’s Learned? Letters Description: Hawaii-connected app-maker Piikea Street won instant recognition for Interactive Alphabet, which charms your littlest technophile through the early stages of literacy with easy, interactive play. Latest versions offer lower-, upper- and mixed-case letters and…
Two Versions of Educational Reality
Inside this issue, we explain how public school teachers, principals and administrators are evaluated and held accountable for their on-the-job performance. You already know that students are held accountable every time they hand in an assignment for grading or take…
Report Card: School Administrators
Are sweeping changes in Department of Education’s leadership enough to fix Hawaii’s schools? New three-part strategy emphasizes student achievement first, followed by improved support and IT systems, and better training/accountability/HR. Don Horner, chair of the two-year-old, appointed Board of Education,…
Report Card: DOE Principals
The most important person at a school is evaluated yearly on test scores, creating a good “school culture” and other factors Principals say success depends on building a strong team and creating support within the community Every day at Iroquois…
Accountable for Results
Possibly the best way to improve public schools in Hawaii is to set goals around student achievement and to hold administrators, teachers and principals accountable for results. Here are three report cards on what is being done about accountability in…
Report Card: Hawaii Teachers
New contract says teachers must be rated as “satisfactory” or better to get pay raises A rating of “unsatisfactory” can get you fired Kristen Brummel spends a lot of time thinking about what “teacher accountability” means. In fact, it was…
Building Your Skills Halfway Around the World
Students crave internships that make them stand out from the crowd on a college or job application. How about a summer volunteer program that takes you halfway around the world to work with children from war-ravaged countries alongside other international…
Hb Guide to College Scholarships
Along with the good news that arrives with college acceptance letters comes the daunting prospect of paying for higher education. Scholarships can help, but there are so many to check out and the application process can appear overwhelming. In this…
Talk Story with David Heenan
Heenan has served in many influential roles in Hawaii: trustee of the Estate of James Campbell, CEO of Theo H. Davies & Co., dean of the UH-Manoa College of Business and UH VP for Academic Affairs. He is currently a…
What's the ROI on Early Childhood Education
The return on investment is good but turns up in unexpected places This legislative session, as lawmakers debate a bill that would make preschool universal among Hawaii children, you may hear some outrageous claims from the advocates of early childhood…
Parting Shot: Kamehameha Schools
11:37 am, Thursday Warehouse in Kakaako Photographer: David Croxford >> Nuulani Atkins works on Kamehameha Schools ahupuaa-themed float, “Kuu Home, Kulaiwi Aloha.” Atkins’ father helped design the float, which was presented at the 66th Annual Aloha Festivals Floral Parade on Sept. 22. The…
Hawaii's Public Schools Leave Best and Brightest Behind
The grand ambition of the No Child Left Behind law was proudly contained in its name: Everyone deserves a chance to succeed. That meant teachers, principals, school administrators and taxpayers should give every child – rich, poor or in-between –…
A Computer For Every Student
ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANDREW J. CATANZARITI Peek into Lorelei Saito’s seventh-grade social studies class at Punahou’s Case Middle School and you’ll see students sitting in front of personal laptops, completing multimedia projects to share with students in a classroom halfway around…
Preparing the workforce of tomorrow at Hawaii's public schools
Download Pathways Offered by Each School (PDF) Download Classes Within Each Pathway (XLS) Instead of joining the chorus of complaints that high school students are not prepared for today’s workplace, Russ Ogi, Eric Kim and Derek Kurisu are doing…
More-Affordable Legacies
It will cost about $2 million if you want to name – in perpetuity - the Information Commons at Windward Community College after yourself or someone you love. The coffee shop and terrace will run you $1 million and the…
Tech sparks enthusiasm for learning
Consider the wildfire-like spread of tablet technology and it’s no surprise that teachers, students and parents are excited about the latest educational tools and software. One of the most popular is the Promethean ActivBoard, an interactive whiteboard. “Imagine an 87-inch…
Go Back to School
That’s what EMS chief did after getting to the top. During almost three decades of service, Patty Dukes worked her way up from paramedic to become chief of Honolulu’s Emergency Medical Services. Now, she’s back in school, finding that you’re…