Reforms target
struggling students

Efforts to restructure 24 schools
start with aiding groups unable
to meet test standards

The reform of 24 underperforming public schools will focus initially on specific student groups such as nonnative English speakers and the learning disabled who struggle to meet federal test-performance requirements.

The division of students into various categories is one of the most problematic aspects of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which labels an entire school as failing if even one subgroup doesn't measure up to the law's benchmarks.

Broad reform plans are likely for each school, but the relentless federal focus on test scores means the lagging subgroups will get priority, said Kathy Kawaguchi, assistant state schools superintendent for curricula.

"The reform effort will be school-wide, but there will be a particular focus on those groups. We've got to make sure there is a laser focus on them," she said.

The Department of Education last week announced that principals of 24 schools statewide must relinquish control to their regional superintendents. Private school-reform companies will be hired in most cases to implement reform plans under the superintendents' direction.

The schools, all of which have high-poverty student populations, are being punished for consistently failing to meet No Child Left Behind's stringent testing criteria.

In many cases, schools on the whole met the criteria, but specific subgroups did not.

"We will look at those groups first. What is it about those children that they are not able to succeed?" Kawaguchi said.

The various subgroups include special-education students, foreign speakers, the economically disadvantaged and the various ethnic groups.

Superintendents and outside school-reform companies are meeting this week to discuss the needs of each school.

Kawaguchi said the Department of Education hopes to identify the private providers for each school this week and has set a tentative March 17 deadline for finalizing contracts. Providers will have 60 days to develop a restructuring plan. However, schools that are showing progress on raising test scores will be allowed leeway to continue that, said Lea Albert, a regional superintendent for Windward Oahu.

"If something is working, we'll let it keep working. Absolutely. We won't break something that's not broken," said Albert, who will oversee restructuring of Hauula Elementary, Kahaluu Elementary and Waiahole Elementary.

Though she may contract for certain outside services, Albert says she won't hire private providers for at least one and possibly all three schools.

"There is a lot of talent right here in the state of Hawaii. I still believe that. It's just a matter of making the best use of it," she said.

The providers are likely to include firms such as ETS Pulliam, Edison Schools and America's Choice.

Kawaguchi said it remains to be seen whether the mainland firms can deal effectively with the unique ethnic and cultural makeup of Hawaii schools.

"That's what they need to provide to us: How exactly will they be meeting the needs of schools and focusing on areas that need it?" she said.

Calls to several providers were not returned yesterday.

Honowai Elementary School Principal Curtis Young said the Waipahu school has benefited greatly from the "rituals and routines" provided by America's Choice, which supplied a structured curricula for the whole school. Once labeled a "failing" school, Honowai has met testing targets the past two years. But the program did not have to cater to special education or foreign-speaking students, of which the school has few.

Young said the high expectations of those groups will tip more schools into the ranks of those labeled as failures.