View Point
HAWAII'S teachers and students work hard, but their efforts are hampered by an educational system that has been unchanged by the Legislature. While state government has devoted considerable money to education, earmarking $1.09 billion for lower education in 1999, public schools continue to suffer from unequal teaching and testing methods, dilapidated facilities, out-of-date textbooks and burgeoning class sizes. Charter schools offer
empowering optionAs recently reported in Education Week magazine, Hawaii educational standards slid from a "B" in 1997 and a "C" last year to an alarming "D-" for 1999. School climates were given an "F" for both 1998 and 1999; efforts to improve teacher quality are on an upward trend yet only merited a "C" rating against national standards.
While Hawaii is not alone in its educational challenges, we must do better.
Charter or student-centered schools afford flexibility to public schools to address student-specific needs. Charter schools also offer more choices to parents and the opportunity for teachers to have the autonomy needed to implement innovative ideas.
Charter schools have the freedom and flexibility to supplement their curriculum and shape their academic program in ways not readily possible for traditional public schools.
In the wake of the Felix Consent Decree, charter schools are part of the solution for the needs of gifted and talented students, physically or mentally handicapped students, language minority groups and socio-economically disadvantaged youth. These are the students who are too often overlooked or ignored by the system.
As the principal of one charter school said, "The public school has tried to be all things to all people for too long. By specializing, schools can attract like-minded students, even bring back students who have left the public system."
Parental involvement is key to a successful charter school. Some schools establish contracts with the parents during the initial interview. Others use the business and professional contacts of parents to supplement their resources with computers, dance studios, music and art lessons, language teachers and the like.
Charter schools are an affordable, cutting-edge environment for children. They empower families to choose the school they want, rather than having the schools chosen for them.
The Hudson Institute project, "Charter Schools in Action," found that more than two-thirds of parents say their charter schools are better than their children's previous schools with respect to class size, school size and individual teaching attention.
Over three-fifths of parents say that the charter school method is better for instructional quality, parental involvement, core curriculum, extra help for students, academic standards, accessibility and openness, and discipline.
From the first charter school legislation in Minnesota in 1991, there are more than1,200 charter schools in operation across the nation and waiting lists at over 65 percent of them.
Even though student-centered and charter schools are fully supported by Hawaii's new educational superintendent, Dr. Paul LeMahieu, limited budgets and Department of Education regulations have kept the number of charter schools in Hawaii to a mere two: Waialae Elementary and Lanikai Elementary.
But Hawaii has 187,395 unique and promising young keiki who each deserve the very best our schools can offer them. Student-centered schools provide an opportunity to tailor an education program to the specific needs of the students in a given community.
Colleen Sotomura Olden, a parent volunteer at Waialae School, shares these very sentiments: "All children have different learning styles. All families do not value the same type of education system, whether it is a traditional textbook type of school or a non-traditional school with multi-age classes or thematic teaching methods. Charter schools enable the community of families and educators to mutually design a more dynamic, fluid environment to meet the collective needs of their children."
These schools integrate accountability and high standards, as do all successful schools. Assessments are made internationally and are evaluated on the development and performance of their students. While the 1994 student-centered school legislation is enabling in nature, additional regulations should not hinder the creation of student-centered schools but should work to reward excellence in teachers and to encourage new, effective teaching methods.
The announcement by the governor and the attendant legislation regarding the "New Century Schools" is promising, as these schools are akin to charter schools and student-centered schools. This legislation, which passed third reading in the House Tuesday, will enable more existing public schools to become charter schools and, if signed into law, will move Hawaii in the direction of genuine reform.
With the combination of freedom, flexibility and autonomy coupled with the accountability and choice inherent in these schools, there is no doubt they can play an important rule in strengthening Hawaii's public education. Parents deserve options and the opportunity to be empowered by being involved.
"Perhaps the key element is one of communal ownership, the reality that the learning community must work together to create their school," says Principal Donna Estomago of Lanikai Elementary, Hawaii's other charter school. "It means moving from the 'I' to the 'we' mentality and looking to how we will take care of all of our children."
Noemi Pendleton is a member of the state
Board of Education. Rep. David A. Pendleton is an attorney, a former
schoolteacher and minority floor leader in the state House.
They have three children, the oldest of whom
attends public school.