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Speakers offer
solutions to Kalihi
pupils’ problems

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By Harold Morse
Star-Bulletin

Kids can do better in Kalihi public schools if parents read to them at home, take an active interest in schools and insist the state adequately fund education.

Just ask Iva Tiave, a Farrington High School counselor.

"I've never seen any parent that doesn't care," she said. "We need to make sure our kids are reading at home."

She thinks parents should be involved in their children's elementary and intermediate education and "over-involved" in their high school education. Also, the way to bring out the best in ethnic groups is for them to mingle, she said.

About 200 residents heard panelists make such points in a nearly three-hour town meeting last night at Kapalama School. The turnout encouraged speakers to call for more such gatherings.

There was much discussion about comparatively low scores of Kalihi students on standardized achievement tests.

"The standards-based system redefines equity," said state Superintendent Paul LeMahieu. "The easy way out means not standing up for what one community needs if it is more than some other community needs."

LeMahieu said Kalihi children are not receiving the same education that children in some other neighborhoods are.

Each location has its unique challenge for a combination of material, financial and intellectual resources and support to provide sound education for its students, he said.

But equity comes into play with regard to disbursement of funds to schools statewide. This creates conflict between quality and equity.

"Those two things simply cannot co-exist," LeMahieu said.

Hamilton McCubbin, chief executive officer of Kamehameha Schools, said school personnel must understand the populations they're serving.

He told of an African American community in the nation's capital that declined to come to a health clinic for blood-pressure checks but came in for the service when it moved to a barber shop with barbers trained to make the checks.

Randy Hitz, dean, University of Hawaii college of education, stressed proper teacher training.

"Where I would put my money is in professional development," he said.

Proper management of teachers in schools would enable them to better serve students, he added. "What they need is the time and resources to get that work done."

His college is having some success in recruiting underrepresented minorities for teacher-training, Hitz said.

Tom Barlow of Pacific Resources for Education and Learning said Pacific Islanders -- Samoans, Tongans and Micronesians -- have linguistic needs. Teachers need to understand the linguistic cultures, he said.

He discussed needs of immigrants in Kalihi schools.

These children often lack the parental support at home others have, he said. "Both parents have to work day and night."

The extended family and community outreach they knew back home doesn't exist for them here, he said.

Standardized achievement tests may not be a fair measurement for them, Barlow said. "We really need multiple measures to address student achievement."

Until immigrants feel enfranchised in education here, their children's performance will lag, Barlow said.