A Call to Action - Military Children in Hawaii

Ummmmmm......... that's major GENERAL, as in CG of ythe 25th.

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oooh...I dunno.  It is an interesting assignment.  I think what they are saying is that since Federal Impact Aid is what funds much of the public school budgets of the state of Hawaii, the military has a vested interest, since FIA pays the most for military children.  If they don't improve, they don't get accredited and they don't get funding.  Carrot and stick.

When we were in Missouri, the schools routinely lost their accreditation.  In order to KEEP it, they had to teach to the below norm so everyone was able to pass.  Yes, it is a failing of the schools, but they do it to get the money and accreditation.  We didn't pay FIA because we weren't on the school radar and weren't required to register with the state.

This will be an interesting study.  Especially if the home school, charter school and private school kids test above their publicly educated peers.

I don't see that he will be demoted or retired early for asking the questions.

There's a reason HF6 homeschools the kids... and I'm sure the lack of quality HI education is high on the list of reasons.  I hope she participates.

Not just the schools:  Say Uncle spent some time in Hawaii as a kid and loves the place, He does not love the native Hawaiians, they having a tendency to beat on the haoles. Why are we white folks so famously racist, when everybody else is much more so, and much meaner about it?

I think children are inherently smart but need individual teaching for those who will struggle.  We have a dyslexic; he is our youngest.  However, in math, he gets it.  He struggles with language.
I seriously doubt the ps system, even here, would do right by him because of the the red tape we would have to go through to get him the classes he needs.  While hardly an argument for homeschooling, had it not been an option, we would be dealing with one angry kid right now.

Fortunately, the state of Georgia is more homeschool-friendly than most; but what can really ruin a kid isn't necessarily bad teaching but the hoops parents have to jump through to get the help the kids need.

Funding for special education and special needs programs require teachers who are in that field, and curriculum is cut instead of admin salaries.

Just my two cents.

No one will demote MG Champoux for voicing an opinion that a.) has been voiced before by those that do and do not outrank him, b.) is backed up by local and national test scores, c.) is voiced by local politicians both during and outside of campaign season, and d.) is blatantly obvious to EVERYONE in this state other than the Board of Education.

Yes, the schools here are lacking. In my opinion, there are a plethora of reasons but I'd list the top 5 as being:

1. a symptom of a nation-wide problem in that teachers are no longer taught HOW TO TEACH but merely how to implement curriculum (usually produced by the lowest bidder...and I'm sure most of you here know how that works out) and manage a classroom

2. a symptom of problems within society in that parents now expect schools to literally take on the role of parenting between the hours of 7:45am and 2:45pm (if not later, depending on whether after-school care is employed)

3. a result of a lack of local control - the Board of Education covers all seven islands and local communities (yes, they are different between the islands and even within an island itself) have no say in how their children are educated. Additionally, the district is incredibly top heavy in terms of administration and funding. The budget is huge but the monies rarely make it into the classroom.

4. The focus of education here (and elsewhere) is outcome-based the phrase "teach to the test" is in full effect here. It's all about checking the boxes (yep, taught that on Monday. Moving on...) and not about making sure that the students understand the concept and have a firm foundation before moving on to a more complex subject.

5. The economy also plays a role in the quality of education here. The cost of living is exorbitant and teachers' salaries cannot keep up with it. It is difficult, if not impossible, to live comfortably here on a teacher's salary. Therefore this state faces a "brain drain" of sorts - most graduates of teacher education programs on island do not stay on island after they have graduated. If they do stay, they don't stay for long - I can't recall the exact percentage but it's something like 40% of teachers leave the island after their 2nd year. Mainly because they find that their salary does not make it possible to live the life they want. So they go to the mainland where they can get more "bang for their buck".


I could go on and on. And yes, the quality of the schools here are a big reason as to why we pulled our children out and decided to homeschool them. It wasn't the only reason, nor was it the top reason. But it was a big one.

I'd love to see this study have an impact but I suspect that Hawai'i's education woes are simply a reflection of the woes of our education system nationwide. And yes, we will participate.