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FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Third-grade students Andy He, left, and Ying Shan Yu enjoy building their Viking ship at Kauluwela Elementary, which adopted a curriculum called Core Knowledge, a plan that spells out exactly what children should learn in each grade.

THE STRESS FACTOR

Most high-poverty
schools fail in student
achievement

But Kauluwela and Solomon
are two that defy the trend, thanks
to many factors, including
the Core Knowledge plan

Achieving schools

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By Susan Essoyan
sessoyan@starbulletin.com

One school abuts the H-1 Freeway, in the heart of urban Honolulu. The other is nestled in Oahu's leafy countryside. The first serves many immigrants; the other, military dependents. But the two schools have something remarkable in common.

Why teaching and learning at Hawaii's public schools can be more difficult than it should be.

Both are beating the odds. Kauluwela Elementary School and Solomon Elementary School are the only two out of more than 100 high-poverty schools statewide that have met their goals for student achievement for four years straight.

They are also the only two public schools in Hawaii to adopt a rigorous curriculum known as Core Knowledge, which spells out precisely what children should learn in each grade.

It may simply be a coincidence. Administrators at both schools call the curriculum just one of many factors in their success.

"It's not just one thing, it's a combination of many things," said Linda Yoshikami, principal at Solomon, located at Schofield Barracks in Central Oahu. "No matter how good the program may be, it comes down to the classroom teacher, the support staff, the feelings the school promotes, the parents."

But with the consequences of failure looming heavily over the state's schools, under the federal No Child Left Behind law, schools that are raising student achievement may be worth a close look. The state has been tracking performance at high-poverty schools for several years, and will do the same at all public schools starting this year. Those that fall short will get help, such as money for tutoring, but ultimately may be subject to sanctions, including restructuring or withdrawal of federal funds.

"These two schools have had success four years in a row, which has been difficult, no, impossible, for the others to achieve," said David Rolf, a former member of the National Education Goals Panel Task Force, who helped introduce Solomon to Core Knowledge. "Against that backdrop, they stand out like diamonds. It's a matter of why wouldn't we pick up those diamonds?"

Most U.S. school districts, including Hawaii's, provide general curriculum guidelines that list skills students should master, but without specifying content. Teachers are free to teach what and how they wish, as long as state standards are met. That allows for academic freedom and creativity, but it can also lead to duplication of efforts and gaps in student knowledge.

Concerned about the lack of a clear curriculum at Solomon several years ago, then-Principal Bjarne Kaer asked his teachers to list by grade level everything they were teaching.

"What we found was that in certain cases, different grades were teaching the same thing," said Berna Austin, Solomon's curriculum coordinator, who has been at the school since it opened in 1971.

"For instance, in kindergarten, the kids were learning about dinosaurs; in first grade they were learning about dinosaurs; and in fourth grade, they were also learning about dinosaurs."

That is no longer a problem at Solomon or Kauluwela, thanks to the Core Knowledge Sequence. The detailed, year-by-year plan outlines specific content to be taught in language, history, geography, math, science, music and visual arts. It is supposed to provide a coherent base of study, accounting for roughly half of the curriculum through eighth grade. The rest is left up to school districts.

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Teacher Laura Bolles works with Jasmine Smith as a class studies the solar system at Solomon Elementary.

The concept began with University of Virginia professor E.D. Hirsch, Jr., who believes there is an essential body of knowledge all Americans should share. Hirsch, the author of "Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs To Know," worked with educators nationwide to cull a list of 5,000 key concepts, dates, characters, events, and even sayings.

The Core Knowledge Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1986, then developed the sequential curriculum, drawing on America's heritage and civilizations from around the world. Hirsch edited its popular series of books, "What Your Kindergartner Needs to Know," up through "What Your Sixth Grader Needs to Know."

"Our Hawaii Content and Performance Standards are very broad, very general," said Laura Ahn, a third grade teacher at Kauluwela. "We had no clear direction. Core Knowledge points the way. It's really interesting, and the kids are so motivated."

Solomon adopted Core Knowledge in the 1997-98 year, with Kauluwela following the next year, but neither decision came easily. The idea of dictating what should be taught rubs some teachers the wrong way.

"It was not an easy road in the beginning," said Austin. "We eventually got to the point where 80 percent said they supported it or at least wouldn't block it."

The wide-ranging subject matter in Core Knowledge requires teachers to get up to speed on topics they may not have dealt with for years -- perhaps never in their elementary classrooms.

"There was a lot of resistance at first," Ahn said. "It takes a lot of research and a lot of studying. For world history in third grade, for example, we had to learn about ancient Rome as well as the Vikings, and those aren't things we necessarily knew about."

Last week, at their campus on Aala Street, her students fashioned Viking ships out of construction paper and cardboard tubes, with striped sails, chopstick masts and wooden oars. Third-grader Diane Yang, her long hair pulled into ponytails, cut out paper Viking shields and decorated them with glitter glue. Asked what she liked best about school, she answered quickly: "Core Knowledge," she said, "because it's so interesting."

Nonetheless, Kauluwela Principal Gwendolyn Lee cautioned against singling out Core Knowledge as a prescription for success. Her school integrates reading programs, strategies for nonnative speakers of English, character education, and use of computers, along with the curriculum.

"Core Knowledge provides the vehicle for us," she said. "But I think every school needs to look at their data and plan accordingly, and not use one model or another. It has to be tailor-made to be effective."

Solomon School also prides itself on a multifaceted approach, working with the "whole child," getting parents involved, even offering counseling to families, Yoshikami said. It also tests kids regularly, and coaches them on test-taking skills, such as not getting hung up on a single question.

Both schools used federal grants, roughly $100,000 a year, to buy instructional material and give teachers time to create Core Knowledge lesson plans in line with Hawaii's standards. The program is relatively inexpensive, with much available via its Web site.

As if to underline that Core Knowledge is not a cure-all, both Solomon and Kauluwela added another program to their tool chests this year: Reading Mastery, also known as Direct Instruction. The scripted program breaks down the task of learning to read into small steps, reinforcing success and quickly correcting errors.

"Core Knowledge has wonderful content, but all the content in the world isn't going to help you if you're not a good reader," Austin said. "The beauty of this program is that our kindergartners are going to be leaving us as readers."

Some parents are surprised at such academic rigor. On their son's sixth birthday earlier this month, Timothy and Jennifer Eye arrived at school with trays of chocolate-frosted cupcakes. Kyle has an "awesome teacher and loves his class," his mother said, adding that the curriculum seems a bit intense.

"It's a lot of reading and numbers," she said. "That's a little strict for kindergarten. I expected more hands-on activities, finger painting, music and playing outside. After all, they have 12 more years of the academics."

More than 50 other Hawaii schools have taken advantage of federal funds to launch other research-based programs, with names like "America's Choice" and "Success for All." Results so far are mixed.

"It hasn't really made a tremendous impact on test scores yet," Edward Oshiro, principal of Waipahu Intermediate School, which adopted America's Choice in the fall of 2001, said at a Department of Education Forum. "I feel like down the line it will. But now we are really under the gun to get those scores up, because if we don't, there's a consequence."

To make what's called "adequate yearly progress," schools have had to show steady improvement in three of four indicators: SAT reading, SAT math, attendance, and one selected by the school, such as writing. The number of students scoring at proficient levels on the SAT, for example, is supposed to rise 2 percent per year.

Just Solomon and Kauluwela have succeeded four years straight since 1997, excluding 2001, when there was no testing because of the teachers' strike. Eight other schools met the goal in three of the four years measured. Fifty schools failed to do so in any of the years. There were 127 high-poverty, or Title I, schools last year, but the number varies each year, depending on how many students qualify for subsidized lunch.

"I applaud the two schools," said Elaine Takenaka, administrative services director for curriculum instruction and student support at the Department of Education. "When you come down to it, a lot of teaching is really the teachers. And you have to appreciate the fact that they're giving so much, learning about and implementing the programs."

The element of chance also weighs heavily in the equation. Third grade scores, for example, are compared year to year, but different children are involved, so variation is natural. Making steady progress is difficult. A school can make a big gain one year, then fall back slightly the next, and still "fail" that second year. Even Kauluwela and Solomon did not improve on reading and math every year, although they met their overall goals.

Starting this year, all schools in the state will be monitored, and the criteria are stricter. Previously, schools as a whole had to show improvement. Under the new system, each subgroup at a school must progress, including different ethnic groups, low-income students, those with limited English and those in special education.

FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM Students Lesley Wong, left, and Sharmaine Sibayan make Viking ships out of construction paper in connection with their world history class at Kauluwela Elementary. A completed ship sits on the table in teacher Laura Ahn's third-grade class.

Takenaka said the school system is stepping up efforts to give teachers more direction and support. "In February, they're going to roll out the standards tool kit, with the curricular framework, instructional guides, and assessments that you can use," she said. "Teachers will get some very clear guidance."

"We're on a time calendar for improvement," she added. "No Child Left Behind says we must get all children to be proficient by 2014. Reform models are not for all schools. But where the schools have tried a lot of things and come up short, maybe the reform model will work."

Kauluwela first-grade teacher Jill Puletasi recommends the Core Knowledge program, calling it "enjoyable to teach." Her copy of "What Your First Grader Needs to Know" is so well-thumbed that its pages are falling out. She says she's looking forward to introducing her students to its next history section, on the American Revolution.

"Starting next month, I'll be collecting taxes from my students, just to give them a sense of what it was like for the colonists," she said. "We'll have pretend money, and I'll be King George. If they want to sharpen their pencil or go to the bathroom, they'll have to pay for it.

"By the end," she predicted with a grin, "they'll be ready to revolt when we have our Boston Tea Party."

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Achieving schools Two schools have met the state's goals for achievement for four years straight: >> Solomon Elementary >> Kauluwela Elementary Eight schools have done so in three of the past four years: >> Kalihi-Uka >> Kuhio >> Likelike >> Linapuni >> Royal >> Waialua Elementary >> Washington Middle >> Wheeler Elementary Sampling of the Core Knowledge sequence Every grade covers language arts, history and geography, visual arts, music, mathematics and science. Here are glimpses of a few items in each category. For more information, go on the Web at www.coreknowledge.org KINDERGARTEN VISUAL ARTS Painting: Introduce children to line and color as elements of art: >>View works such as Paul Gauguin's Tahitian Landscape, Picasso's Le Gourmet, Katsushika Hokusai's Tuning the Samisen, and Diego Rivera's Mother's Helper. Sculpture: Recognize and discuss the following: >> Statue of Liberty, mobiles of Alexander Calder, Northwest American Indian totem pole FIRST GRADE WORLD HISTORY Mesopota7 >> Code of Hammurabi, why laws are important Ancient Egypt: >> Geography: Africa, Sahara Desert >> Importance of the Nile River, floods and farming >> Pharaohs: Tutankhamen, Hatshepsut >> Pyramids, mummies, animal gods, Sphinx >> Hieroglyphics SECOND GRADE AMERICAN HISTORY Through narrative and biography, introduce students to the concept of civil rights: >> Susan B. Anthony and the right to vote >> Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights and human rights >> Rosa Parks and the bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala. >> Martin Luther King, Jr. and the dream of equal rights for all >> Cesar Chavez and the rights of migrant workers THIRD GRADE MATH >> Recognize fractions to one-tenth >> Identify numerator and denominator >> Recognize equivalent fractions >> Compare fractions with like denominators >> Identify lines as horizontal, vertical, perpendicular, parallel >> Polygons: recognize vertex; identify line segments, and polygons >> Identify right angle; four right angles in a square or rectangle >> Compute area in square inches and square centimeters FOURTH GRADE SCIENCE Geology -- The Earth's layers: >> Crust, mantle, core >> Movement of crustal plates >> Earthquakes: Faults, San Andreas fault; measuring intensity, seismograph and Richter Scale >> Tsunamis >> Volcanoes: Magma, lava and lava flow; active dormant or extinct; famous volcanoes >> Hot springs and geysers: Old Faithful >> Theories of how the continents and oceans were formed FIFTH GRADE AMERICAN HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY Westward exploration: >> Daniel Boone, Cumberland Gap, Wilderness Trail >> The Louisiana Purchase: Lewis and Clark, Sacagawea >> Pioneer land routes: Santa Fe Trail and Oregon Trail >> Rivers: James, Hudson, St. Lawrence, Mississippi, Ohio, Columbia, Rio Grande >> American Indian resistance >> "Manifest Destiny" and conflict with Mexico SIXTH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS Writing and Research. Write a research essay: >> Asking open-ended questions >> Gathering relevant data through library and field research >> Summarizing, paraphrasing, and quoting accurately when taking notes >> Defining a thesis >> Organizing with an outline >> Integrating quotations from sources >> Acknowledging sources and avoiding plagiarism >> Preparing a bibliography SEVENTH GRADE MUSIC Classical music -- Romantics and Nationalists: >> Hector Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique >> Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 1 >> Franz Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 >> Antonin Dvorak, Symphony No. 9 >> Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky, 1812 Overture American musical traditions: >> Blues: Twelve bar blues form >> Jazz: Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis EIGHTH GRADE LANGUAGE ARTS Novels: >> Animal Farm (George Orwell) >> The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck) Essays / speeches: >> "Ask not what your country can do for you" (John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address) >> "I have a dream"; "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (Martin Luther King, Jr.) >> "Death of a Pig" (E.B. White) >> "The Marginal World" (Rachel Carson) Drama: >> Twelfth Night (William Shakespeare)

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State Department of Education