Ke Ali`i Pauahi’s Vision
Ke Ali`i Pauahi’s vision is to enhance the capability and well-being of people of Hawaiian ancestry through meaningful education. The LIS mission, “Creating preferred futures for Hawaiian children through literacy,” directly supports and promotes Pauahi’s vision.
The Kamehameha Schools (KS) Literacy Instruction and Support (LIS) Division supports the learning of students in select State of Hawaiÿi Department of Education (DOE) schools in the area of literacy. LIS provides several types of services to schools:
- The In-School Literacy (ISL) services target students in kindergarten through grade three to build a strong literacy foundation through whole-class instruction of reading, writing, oral language. Services for students in upper grades focus on integrating literacy thinking strategies within various content areas;
- The Kaliÿimamo After School Literacy (ASL) services focus on integrating culture andinquiry to provide relevant experiences for students in grades two and three, to become servant leaders through taking action in service learning projects;
- The ʻOhana Literacy Program services empower family and caregivers to be fullpartners in their child’s education; and
- Professional Development in Literacy supports the integration of literacy thinking across the content areas such as language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science.
Literacy is the ability to appropriately and meaningfully apply information to achieve one’s academic, social, cultural, and personal goals. Literacy must be viewed as a process of continual growth and development and is the gateway that allows people to:
- Construct a learning experience for oneself about an unknown topic
- Engage in and finding the spiritual and emotional side of learning
- Affect change and transform relationships (Costa, 2007)
LIS instruction is grounded in Hawaiian culture and integrates the current literacy work of collaborating schools, the recently adopted Common Core Standards, and the Hawaiÿi Content and Performance Standards III (HCPS) with best practices in literacy instruction. LIS services are strategically located in schools within KS-defined target communities and where the student population is at least 50% Native Hawaiian.
When compared with other schools, Hawaiʻi public schools with high proportions of Native Hawaiian students:
- Are more likely to be in schools that are in “restructuring” status
- Are more likely to have less experienced teachers
- Are more likely to have high teacher turnover
- Have lower family involvement and lower parent satisfaction
- Struggle for resources, especially Hawaiian immersion schools, charter schools, and those in rural Hawaiian communities
- Are more likely to be successful when they have strong, focused, data-orientedlearning communities, shared accountability and leadership, active community involvement, and ongoing professional development opportunities (Ka Huakaʻi: 2005
Native Hawaiian Educational Assessment)
Keeping the desire to improve student outcomes at the forefront, LIS recognizes that our work to build and sustain literacy excellence is strengthened by the support and collective efforts of all instructional leaders and staff at the schools we serve. LIS believes that the potential of the group far surpasses our own individual contributions. In order to realize this potential, LIS is developing a systemic approach to working with school leaders at the state, district, and school level to collaborate and develop collective priorities around instructional leadership and literacy. By building capacity within our public educational system, LIS can make an enduring impact on improving student outcomes that lasts well beyond our direct service hours with students.