Here are the important documents that came out of our HE‘E monthly meeting yesterday.

Hawai‘i Student ATTENDANCE

Sara Alimoot shares her presentation on the HI DOE campaign to address these challenges with a positive approach.

HI DOE Student Support Specialist Sara Alimoot's Slides

Joint HE‘E PPS BOE Testimony

from HE‘E and Parents for Public Schools of Hawai‘i on longterm concerns that have been recognized and addressed with recommendations by the Council on Great City Schools.

We have submitted this written testimony.

I expect to present it orally at the BOE tomorrow.


HE‘E + PPS-Hawai‘i Jan 16th BOE Testimony

Two Questions

Please respond to - director@heecoalition.org

1) From Marissa Batiste/PTSA -

Should we move our HE‘E meeting to after the BOE agendas are published each month?

2) Scheduling question from me

Should we meet in the evening instead?

(If so, it would probably be zoom only)


Agenda: Deep dive into the Council of Great City Schools Review which the HI DOE commissioned

Attendance and Learning Loss Discussion

Council of Great City Schools Report Overview It is very positive that the HI DOE requested that the CGCS research our district from state, to complexes, to schools, and provide a report with commendations and recommendations for growth. Supt. Hayashi presented the findings to the Board of Education meeting Dec 13th as we reported last month. CGCS noted the high respect for the supt throughout the district and noted that our student achievement is mostly on a par wtih other districts.


The CGCS report raises problematic needs and issues we have been discussing throughout 2024 Integration of systems, Collaboration between departments, Coherent curriculum provided by the district, Disadvantageous policies on district vs school authority, Advanced digital resources Too "tall" an accountability model. We have been concerned that lacks in those areas are limiting student growth, attendance, and family engagement. Below are the specific recommendations from the CGCS. (We note that the report does not address family engagement.)

CGCS Recommendations:


1) Establish, implement, and monitor a systemic framework balancing complex area/school autonomy with system-wide consistency, ensuring equitable education for all HIDOE students. Develop clear structures, processes, guidelines, and standards for essential practices while preserving local decision making. Communicate this framework clearly throughout the organization. 


2) Implement an extensive data management strategy to consolidate and streamline the HIDOE's fragmented data systems.


3) Establish a comprehensive, multi-year program to develop and implement key performance indicators (KPIs) and other relevant performance metrics. Implement regular review cycles to assess the new structure's effectiveness and make necessary adjustments. This long-term initiative will drive data-informed decision-making, improve educational outcomes, and enhance operational efficiency across the HIDOE. 


4) Review and streamline HIDOE's administrative structure and workflows to enhance efficiency and responsiveness. Reduce the number of hierarchical layers to eliminate bottlenecks and simplify decision-making processes from the state level to the local level, enabling more agile and responsive management practices.


5) Leverage state-of-the-art technology to automate routine tasks, improve communication, and track progress effectively across the organization. 


6) Charge the deputy superintendent of Academics along with the assistant superintendent, the content and career readiness experts, and a team of the HIDOE’s expert teachers with defining what high quality, rigorous, standards-based instruction looks like and what it does not look like at each grade level (this can be used to create the portrait of a high school graduate). Articulate what student work should look like when instruction meets HIDOE expectations independent of the materials used.


7) All levels of the organization (e.g., HIDOE staff, CAS staff, school staff, teachers, and support staff) should use student data and root cause analyses to improve student learning outcomes. State office work should be directly relevant to CAS needs and address leadership, teaching, and learning challenges. 


8) Establish SMART goals for improving student outcomes across the state and regularly measure and report progress toward accomplishing those goals throughout the organization.


9) Create and invest in a research, evaluation, and strategic planning branch in OSIP designed to help evaluate programs' implementation or effectiveness and help aid the HIDOE in strategically examining questions from leadership and the board, or in support of other offices.


10) Move towards a common HIDOE-wide formative assessment.


11) Implement the recommended organizational change strategies to ensure an efficient and effective reorganization of HIDOE offices, prioritizing student success, operational excellence, and employee-centric practices.


12) Implement the recommended organizational change strategies to ensure an efficient and effective reorganization of HIDOE offices, prioritizing student success, operational excellence, and employee-centric practices. 


13)  Reduce the number of direct reports to the Superintendent to achieve a streamlined structure that allows the superintendent to focus on high-level strategic decision-making and system-wide challenges.

Attendance and Learning Loss


Sara Alimoot may be joining us from the HI DOE Office of Student Support Services.


These three documents should enrich our discussion:


If Sara cannot be with us, or if you miss the meeting, here are some answers she has provided as I have asked what can be done to address the urgent problem of absenteeism, especially extreme with our Native Hawaiian (43%) and Pacific Islander students (47%).
Sara - The department is shifting from the use of "chronic absenteeism", meaning "missing 10% or more of school" to focusing on "regular attendance", meaning "attending 90% or more". 
Last school year 75% of students attended school regularly. Where 58% of Pacific islanders, 63% native Hawaiians and 65% of students with special education attended regularly. https://adc.hidoe.us/#/kpi
Factors contributing to not attending school regularly are so vast and complex. What research tells us, absenteeism can be broadly categorized into 4 categories:
Aversion Barriers Misconceptions Disengagement
Studies are currently underway to understand what are some root causes for the groups you mentioned to be better equipped to respond, specifically post pandemic. 
For pacific islander communities, education may not be viewed with the same emphasis. While many families place a high value on education, the expectations may sometimes differ, with community and family responsibilities being prioritized over schooling.
For some students, particularly those from large, multi-generational households, family care responsibilities can take precedence over school attendance. In Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian cultures, family bonds are incredibly strong, and young people may feel a sense of duty to care for siblings, grandparents, or other family members, which can conflict with regular school attendance.
Deborah - if there is a difference in absentee rates for schools that give parents access to the Infinite Campus Parent Portal so they can see if their child is late or misses classes— class by class during the day with one click from their smart phone or computer?
Sara - I don't have enough information as to which schools provide access to online parent portals like IC or Jupiter to comment specifically. Reports inform us that parents often underestimate the number of days a child misses school - parents can't address what they are unaware of. Some schools in the department are utilizing support centered nudge letters to notify parents of total absences to address misconceptions and encourage attendance. As a state, we are exploring how we might modernize our attendance communication. 
Deborah - Since so few parents show up for BOE community meetings and school meetings (given multiple jobs, cultural differences, etc)— how can the HI DOE help parents to see the impact of absenteeism on not only school performance but future careers? (What other ways will the HI DOE try to reach families?)
Sara - We are in the early stages of launching an attendance campaign - You may have seen Attend Today, Achieve tomorrow Banners around the state. We are looking to run PSA and ads in high traffic areas such as on the city bus and in malls. We are also looking to communities to help emphasize this message through their channels. 

Strive HI info to use considering Learning Loss.

HawaiiKidsCAN's State and National Family Survey Results Full PDF reports here: National Survey Hawai‘i Survey

For your convenience here is the summary of the family survey state and national results HawaiiKidsCAN's Alexandria and Erica shared with us in December.


Hawaii ranks near the top of the country in community learning opportunities such as tutoring and out of school programs. The concept of Learn Everywhere has deep roots in our state.


With one of the highest percentages of non-profit organizations in the country, it’s no surprise the survey finds Hawaii as a leader in participation in tutoring, afterschool, organized sports, arts, dance and music.


There are significant gaps by income for participation in these programs. Despite Hawaii’s leadership in community programs and summer learning, there are alarming participation gaps of up to 30 percentage points between low-income and mid-high income families. This speaks to a need for more resources to help families afford these powerful opportunities.


Hawai“i families are not satisfied with their schools. In an alarming finding, Hawaii is ahead of only New Mexico, Oregon and Nevada when it comes to school satisfaction. Given Hawaii’s stagnant student achievement results, we know much work remains to reach the ambitious goals of the State of Hawai‘i Public Education 2023-2029 Strategic Plan. Families are anxious about higher education and career opportunities. HawaiiKidsCAN has focused relentlessly on expanding quality pathways to higher education and careers, as the growing affordability crisis has highlighted the small margin of error young adults have to find economic stability in Hawaii.


Not only is Hawaii near the bottom of states in confidence related to these areas, but we have the extremely rare circumstance of middle- and high-income families having less confidence than low-income families. Based on our work since 2017, we believe these findings speak to ongoing challenges students have accessing high-wage, high-growth jobs in fields such as computer science and data science, as well as uncertainty over the academic preparation of students to attend a college that delivers strong return on investment.

An article in '74 an online education journal discusses the HCAN survey and its finding that families, particularly of students at lower achievement rates, are relying more on teacher perceptions than grades. (This argues for advances in teacher-family communications)

Looking forward to seeing you in person at PACT at 1300 Halona St. or on Zoom Tuesday January 14th @ Noon!
Mahalo for all you do! - Deborah