The Board of Educationapproved Ka‘ala El Principal BobDavis’ appointment to complexarea superintendent for Leilehua-Mililani-Waialua. He willtransition into the position held bylongtime leader John Brummel,

who is retiring.(See interviewwith Brummel,Page 3.)

“Bob is atremendous leaderwho cares aboutthe well-being ofall students. His

approach to management hasresulted in positive improvementsthroughout Ka‘ala Elementary,which saw a significant drop inchronic absenteeism,” said Supt.Kathryn Matayoshi. “Bob is avested community member whostarted his educational career at hisalma mater, Leilehua High. Hepossesses a strong understanding ofthe needs of administrators, teachersand students in the Complex.”

Also, AnneMarie Puglisi hasbeen nameddirector of theCivil RightsComplianceOffice. She comesfrom the Hawai‘iDepartment of

Human Resources Development’sEqual Employment OpportunityOffice. She brings a wealth ofexpertise as a licensed attorneywith extensive background inemployment and labor law andhuman resources.

Superintendent’s

EDUCATION UPDATEHAWAII STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION | DECEMBER 2016

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OpportunitiesEDUCATORS

The annual lifechanger of theyear program recognizes andrewards K-12 educationprofessionals. LifeChangers mustbe K-12 educators, teachers,administrators or any member ofa school’s staff who makes apositive difference in the lives ofstudents. Anyone – includingadministrators – can nominate upto three educators per academicyear for LifeChanger of the Year.Register by Jan. 1.lifechangeroftheyear.com

nstA’s shell science labchallenge competitionrecognizes outstanding middleand high school programs fortheir exemplary approaches toscience lab instruction usinglimited school and laboratoryresources, and raises awarenessand exposure of the outstandingwork being done in the scienceeducation field. Chance to win upto $93,000 in prizes, including a$20,000 school science labmakeover. Apply by Jan. 23.www.nsta.org/shellsciencelab

Fund for teachers awardsfellowships for self-designedprofessional learningexperiences to PreK-12 teacherswho recognize the value ofinquiry, the power of knowledge,and their ability to make adifference. Grants ($5,000individual, $10,000 team) are foran unlimited variety of projects tocreate enhanced learningenvironments for teachers, theirstudents, and their schoolcommunities. Apply by Jan. 31. fft.fundforteachers.org

Waikiki El 84%Momilani El 84%Kaelepulu El 83%Noelani El 81%Lanikai El 80% Mililani Mauka El 78%Mililani Ike El 77% Wilson El 75%Palisades El 74%Mililani Uka El 74%

Pearl Ridge El 73%Malama Honua 73%P.C. Highlands El 73%Pearl City El 72%Koko Head El 72%Pauoa El 72%Kahala El 71%Nuuanu El 71%Hickam El 71%

Full results online bit.ly/StriveHI15-16

Pauoa El’s all-girls robotics team snapped victory from the jawsof defeat in their regional competition last month.

LEADERSHIP

Ka‘ala El’sBob Davis tohead LMW

toP strive Hi scHools:MAtH AcHieveMent

Davis

Puglisi

Pauoa Elementary has hadgirls steadily involved inrobotics, and this yearfielded its first all-girls team.

The team, led by teachersDuncan Sutherland and LenaWong, are held to a highstandard of commitment andperseverance.

This year’s team decidedto increase practices tomake an impression in thedistrict robotics competitionon Nov. 4. “The girls had tomemorize, rehearse, andpresent in front of variousaudiences,” Wong said.

During the obstacle

course, their bot struggledto get through the first task.The team kept their cool,made adjustments to awheel, and made the courselook easy in the next tworounds, scoring nearlydouble the next highestcompetitor. They won theoverall championship and aspot in the First LegoLeague state championship.The next two spots went toteams from Mililani Ike Eland Punahou School. Full story:bit.ly/PauoaRobots

Determination fuels all-girl roboticsteam to advance in competition

Shortly after Principal DanielHamada took the helm at Kapa‘aHigh in 2010, he put into place astructure for the school called“The Kapa‘a Way .” It has afoundation that supports 9thgraders in their high schooltransition, followed by a ladderof skills-focused supports andopportunities designed to helpthem reach their college, careerand community aspirations.

The design is simple, andHamada is fond of saying, “Thisisn’t rocket science.” But it’s

producingrocket-propulsion-styleresults.

In 2015-16,along withracking upstrong trenddata, the East

Kauai school recorded big year-over-year improvements in allfour areas of the state’saccountability system:

ACHIEvEMENT: Up 12points in math, 25 points inEnglish Language Arts/Literacy(ELA), and 6 points in Science.

GROWTH: Up 7 points inmath and 20 points in ELA.

READINESS: Kapa‘a has oneof the highest graduation rates inthe state (92 percent, 10 pointsabove state average). That’s up 4points over last year and 12points since 2012-13. Plus, with60 percent of its students takingadvanced coursework (dualcredit, Advanced Placement), it’srunning 17 points higher than thestate average for high schools.

ACHIEvEMENT GAP: InELA, Kapa‘a has dropped itslearning gap by 10 points, and isrunning 19 points below the stateaverage for high schools.

While it’s common for schoolsto show year-over-year strengthin one or more categories, to bepulling weight in all four isnoteworthy. Kapa‘a, once aschool that struggled withAchievement and Growth, isnow on-par with high schools

statewide. And importantly, it’s aleader in boosting Readiness andreducing the Gap.

THE KAPA‘A WAY

Hamada’s first year at Kapa‘awas grim for his 9th graders — athird were getting D’s and F’s,12 percent were chronicallyabsent, and 1 in 5 were beingheld back from the 10th grade.

His prior experience in schooland state leadership positionsmeant Hamada was wellinformed about how pivotal 9thgrade supports are. Data showthat faltering in 9th grade greatlyincreases the likelihood of laterfailure and dropping out. It can bea tough hurdle even for the best ofstudents. “They’re coming fromthe middle to the high school. Youcannot assume they’re ready.”

He also knew the learning andsupport structures had to connectwith students. “Whatever you’retrying to do, it has to make senseto the kids, to your customers.They have to understand whythey’re learning what they’relearning, or they won’t.”

The Kapa‘a Way is:1) A Hui & Academy Structure

that provides the foundation andscaffolding.

2) Norms of Practice thatprovide the “fuel” that movesstudents through the componentsof school, and maximizes theeffectiveness of teachers andsupport staff.

The Hui are two smallerlearning communities for 9thgraders that includes a yearlong“Transition Skills to HighSchool” course, with curriculumand assessments written andimplemented by the teachers thatfocus on life skills. Each Hui of alittle more than 100 students hasits own instruction and studentsupport team comprised of core

subject teachers, plus a counselorand a vice principal.

Within a year of setting up theHui, these were the results of thenext cohort of grade 9 students:

• Attendance rate up 4 points,• Behavioral referrals down 3

points to 2 percent,• Students earning D’s and F’s

dropped by more than half to 15percent,

• Students passing Algebra hit97 percent (+11 pts) and Englishhit 96 percent (+12 pts).

And the retention rate, whereone in five students (20 percent)weren’t moving on to 10th

grade? Slashed to only 4 percent. T hat was in one year. Four

years later, those numbers haveimproved even further.

The teacher leaders of theseHui are veteran educators.Calvin Paleka at Hui Ikaika hastaught social studies at Kapa‘aHigh for 25 years and is anassistant athletic director. KaheleKeawe at Hui ‘Onipa‘a hastaught English at Kapa‘a for sixyears, and another seven atKamakahelei Middle before that.He also coaches track and is an

PAGE 2 › EDUCATION UPDATE

Bright Spot KAPA‘A HIGH

Hamada

continueD, neXt PAGe

Teacher and Hui leader Kahele Keawe, 4th from right, with his inclusionteacher Cheryl Morita and students from their first freshman hui cohort attheir graduation in 2015.

FULL STORY ONLINE

bit.ly/KapaaWay

Q: What is unique about yourcomplex that you believe is oftenoverlooked?

A: We have a high number ofmilitary dependent students inour schools that we serve. Eachof the 20 schools in the LMWComplex Area are so diversedemographically. Some of ourschools have high economicallydisadvantaged studentpopulations who performacademically in the top 10percent of the state.

Q: How have you created andmaintained such a strongrelationship between the DOEand branches of the military?

A: In my experience, gettingto know the military leadershipat a personal level has supportedmy role as complex areasuperintendent to support themilitary-impacted schools in theLMW Complex Area. This typeof relationship ensures opencommunication of informationbetween the military andHIDOE. Establishing andmaintaining this type ofrelationship is important as theexchange of information

becomes easy no matter who hasa problem or conflict. Hostingmeet and greets for militaryfamilies, Army School PlanningCommittee meetings, Jointventure Educational Forummeetings, attending Change ofCommands and other social andcommunity events are just someof the events in the LMWComplex Area that support ourmilitary families and partnership.

Q: What bright spot or spotshave made an impact on you andthe way you lead your complex?

A: Our district team will askprincipals to share bright spots atour north area leadershipmeetings. It is important for ourdistrict team to seek input andlearn from principals in order tobecome a better district leader.Always build leadership capacityand provide guidance to those inleadership positions to besuccessful. I believe in theimportance of getting to knowteacher leaders in theCertification Institute for SchoolLeaders (CISL) program. Placingpeople in district positions togain experience with different

responsibilities before theycomplete CISL provides themwith a different perspective ofthe bigger picture.

Q: What is a program orinitiative you started during yourtime as CAS that you’reparticularly proud of?

A: The Tripler Army MedicalCenter’s School BehavioralHealth Team (SBHT) programhas been working incollaboration with the HawaiiDepartment of Education toprovide care to six military-impacted schools and fivechild development centers.`Ike Pilialoha, acollaborative effort ofHIDOE, the Queen’sMedical Center, and TriplerArmy Medical Center,represents the firstsuccessful federal-state-privatepartnership tointegrate theprovision ofSBHTservices ontwo schoolcampuses,

with expansion to other LeilehuaComplex schools. After a cut infunding from state sources, theprogram was able to continuethrough funds from variousfoundations.

Q: As a former teacher, whatadvice would you give a newteacher in his/her first year?

A: Ask as many questions asyou can. Always be student-

centered. Takepride in success

stories of thedifferentstudents youserve.

DECEMBER 2016 ‹ PAGE 3

advisor for student athletes. “Prior to 2011, the set up was

scattered,” Paleka said. “Kidswere moving all over campus,mixing with the upperclassmen.Keeping all 9th graders inproximity, all in the lower part ofcampus next to each other, iteliminated a lot of problems interms of tardies and referrals,and we could build thoserelationships with the students towork with them closely.”

The foundational course,“Transition Skills to HighSchool,” includes training forcollaborative projects on Google

for Education, service learningprojects with local nonprofits,college readiness skills trainingvia AvID, the Kauai LeadershipChallenge that connects theGeneral Learner Outcomes withreal-world expectations, andcareer pathways explorations viathe CTE program.

The Hui leaders credit Hamadafor letting the teachers lead.“We’re empowered to takeownership of the house, to leadand be innovative. It’s almost abottom-up leadership model,”Keawe said. “We designed andimplemented the Transitions

course on our own. We went toMr. Hamada and said, ‘This iswhat we want to do.’ He said yes.”

In tandem with the Hui’sacademics is the StudentConcerns Intervention Model,supported by the Hui’s counselorand vP. Data-driven profiles foreach student are built with coursemarks, attendance, reading levelsand more, and each has anintervention plan mediated by ateacher-mentor. Paleka said theHui structure makes it easy tobuild trusting relationships withstudents. “There’s at least oneteacher they’re close to who can

help them.”When Hui students move into

10th grade, they select one oftwo academies to join: HopesAcademy with career pathwaysbased on service, and IdeasAcademy with pathways basedon design. They can move fromone academy to another, butthanks to the Transitions coursethey’ve been exposed to a broadrange of career and learningoptions, as well as whole childsupports, that provides solidfooting for the upper grades. Full story online:bit.ly/KapaaWay

Leadership Q+A Complex Area Supt. John Brummel, Leilehua-Mililani-Waialua

Dr. John Brummel has been in education for 43 years, with 41 years as either a high school principal or superintendent. He was appointedcomplex area superintendent (CAS) for the Leilehua-Mililani-Waialua (LMW) Complex Area in 2012 after serving as vice principal atAliamanu Middle, Waialua High, and Mililani High. He was named Hawaii’s High School Principal of the Year in 2007. He is a graduate ofNorthwest Missouri State University where he earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree, as well as the University of Missouri where he earneda doctorate in Educational Administration. He is retiring at the end of the year.

Education Update is a monthly newsletter by the Department’s Communications Office, distributed to schools, the first Board of Education meeting of the month, and posted toHawaiiPublicSchools.org. We encourage submissions! Send to: 1390 Miller Street, Rm 312, Honolulu, HI 96813. Phone: (808) 586-3232; Email: doe_info@hawaiidoe.org.

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Don’t Miss This! EVENTS, DEADLINES & FUN STUFF

After eight months ofoutreach and engagementwith our school communitiesand the public, the Strategic Planhas reached its final stage.

The DOE/BOE Strategic Plan2017-2020 is the culmination ofgathering and codifyingthousands of important voices,and the guiding document forpublic school education inHawai‘i for the next three years.There will continue to be differentperspectives on how to achievethe best educational outcomes forchildren. In fact, politicaltransitions may well result inmore change for our schoolsystem. But let’s remember thatwe are now on a course of

progress. It did notcome easy. We rose

to the occasion andcreated opportunities for

students to strive higher.The feedback gathered for the

Strategic Plan shows that there isa need and a strong desire towork together—teachers,administrators, parents,community, businesses—towardsproviding supports that result inequity and excellence so allstudents can succeed.

Kaua‘i principals and districtofficers testified before the BOElast month in support of theprocess, stating that a“community created view ofStudent Success provides the

framework that comprises a clearguide of the updated StrategicPlan.”

I believe that Hawai‘i can be anational leader in education bymobilizing the strengths of ourdiverse communities and

stakeholders. It is up to all of usto put forward our best efforts torealize that goal, and to empowerour students to reach theirhighest aspirations.

Supt.’s Corner

‹‹‹ DEC 5-11

coMPuter science Week There are currently 525,293 opencomputing jobs nationwide, but only42,969 computer science studentsgraduated into the workforce last year.Hour of Code and Computer ScienceEducation Week are organized to sparkstudent interest in this important field.See events around the islands on theglobal map: https://csedweek.org.Pictured, teacher Howard Kam atRoosevelt High’s coding class last year.

Read the plan & executive summary: bit.ly/DOEBOEstratplan

‹‹‹ DEC 7

MArkinG 75 yeArsDuring this special anniversarycommemorating the attack on PearlHarbor, children can attend eventsincluding a youth symposium, DiscoverPearl Harbor historic sites tour, and ayouth day. Teacher resources that blendhistory with art, science and civics areavailable: http://pearlharbor75thanniversary.com. You can also registeryour classroom for a virtual field trip toPearl Harbor to be hosted on Dec. 7 atwww.pearl75.org/electronic-field-trip

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Ho! Ho! Ho! Does yourschool go all-out for theholidays? Wewant to see it! We’ll be sharingposts of holidaymerriment andcommunity service at ourschools this month. Tag us inyour social media, or email us atdoe_info@hawaiidoe.org.

DEC 30

DesiGn our BiliterAcy seAlHIDOE’s new Seal of Biliteracy isawarded upon graduation to studentswho demonstrate a high proficiency ineither of the state's two officiallanguages and at least one additionallanguage. Juniors and seniors enrolledin either a Graphic Arts, Digital Media orVisual Arts course are encouraged todesign a logo for this new program.Students can submit work individuallyor as a team. Details and entry forms: bit.ly/HIDOE-biliteracy