COMMENTARY
Preparing graduates for what lies ahead
By Donald Young and Kathy Jaycox
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This commentary is part of a series of articles prepared by Voices of Educators, a non-profit coalition designed to foster debate and public policy change within Hawai'i's public education system, in partnership with The 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; Donald B. Young, of the College of Education, University of Hawai'i; Joan Lee Husted and Roger Takabayashi from the Hawai'i 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 website at www.hawaii.edu/voice.
This month, nearly 13,000 young people across the state will celebrate the milestone of high school graduation.
Some have plans for college, others are entering the workforce, and many are pursuing both paths; meanwhile, in stadiums, auditoriums and backyard lu'au, their families, friends and former teachers are wondering about their future. So much is uncertain, and so much opportunity lies ahead.
The Hawai'i P-20 Initiative, United for Learning, was established to help ensure that these and all future high school graduates will be able to take full advantage of the opportunities available to them and continue on toward a bright future. It brings together families, communities, educational institutions, businesses and the state government in pursuit of a shared vision: that all of the people of Hawai'i will be educated, caring, self-sufficient, and able to contribute to the common good.
The inclusive sentiment expressed by the use of the word "all" is significant. Empowering all of Hawai'i's residents to be successful, responsible and productive citizens requires that all sectors of the population, not just the education community, collaborate to make educational equity a reality and provide the public with equal access to educational opportunities and support, regardless of age, economic status or ethnicity.
Greater than the issue of access to education, however, is that of preparedness. Due to the increasing specificity of professions and the integration of technology in all fields, a high school diploma no longer automatically ensures that graduates are qualified for jobs that provide economic self-sufficiency or are prepared for college.
Many occupations, such as carpentry and shipyard work, require applicants to take a math test to enter a training program, and even our community colleges, which offer "open enrollment," require that degree-seekers take a math and English placement test to determine whether they need to attend remedial courses before working toward a certificate or degree.
These examples are indicative of the mounting expectations both employers and post-secondary institutions have for graduates, and illustrate the need for a high-quality, well-rounded education — beginning with a strong foundation at the preschool level and continuing all the way through high school — in order to meet the demands of the modern world. A high school diploma should represent that a graduate is prepared for work or higher education without the need for remediation. We all need to take responsibility for creating an educational system that produces such graduates, because the state's future depends on these graduates and the rest of Hawai'i's students.
The Hawai'i P-20 Initiative, United for Learning, is a voluntary partnership focusing on lifelong learning from preschool (P) through adult (20). It was not mandated by legislation or by government directive. Its leadership consists of the University of Hawai'i president, the state Department of Education superintendent, and the executive director of the Good Beginnings Alliance, working at the grass-roots level with institutional and community groups, and at a statewide level with an executive advisory council. The P-20 Initiative is characterized by three principles:
This cradle-to-grave approach to learning reflects the realities of our 21st-century existence. P-20's two major goals are to have all children read at grade level by the third grade, and to have all students graduate from high school prepared for work or college.
The work of the P-20 Initiative is guided by a strategic plan for 2006-2010. The plan addresses education at all levels over this five-year period. Currently, with support from the state and private support from both local and national foundations, the initiative is focused on two broad areas. The first, P-3 (Capturing the Momentum), seeks to develop literacy in young children and to guarantee that all third-graders will read at grade level. From infancy up to grade three, children learn to read; from grade four onward, they read to learn. This is why skill mastery by grade three is so significant. This work includes attention not only to students, but also to parents, communities, and teachers and administrators in preschools and grades K-3.
An eight-year, $10 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation supports statewide efforts to assure early literacy through the third grade. At this year's P-3 Summit on Aug. 30, elementary school principals, early-childhood educators and community partners will learn how the Kellogg grant can support their efforts to improve children's transition into school and literacy within a community. The second goal, graduating from high school prepared for work and college, focuses on students moving from secondary to post-secondary pursuits. These efforts begin with middle school, encouraging students, families and educators — regardless of educational or economic background — to enroll in a rigorous high-school curriculum.
Federal support in the form of a grant provides additional resources for families who qualify economically. In addition, under the auspices of the P-20 Initiative, Hawai'i will participate in the American Diploma Project, joining 28 other states across the country committed to similar efforts of curriculum alignment, academic rigor, strategic assessment and data-based accountability.
Also ongoing is support for a variety of accelerated learning opportunities for high school students, such as Advanced Placement, Running Start, and Career Academies. Recognizing that many learners do not fully grasp the need for lifelong learning until they have been out of school for five, 10 or even 20 years, the P-20 Initiative also works with the Community Adult Schools and the Workforce Development Committee to promote adult education and workforce training.
This initiative serves as a catalyst for change, facilitating collaboration, resource sharing, and strategy development. Its mission is to assure that more of Hawai'i's people persist and succeed through the education pipeline — and to close the achievement gap between those who historically have been well-served by educational institutions and those who have not — so that the people of our state can be globally competitive in the 21st century.
