The latest schools and education news including coverage of the Hawaii Department of Education, the University of Hawaii system, national news and more.
Students and employees of King Kamehameha III have been working since mid- October in “high-quality tent structures” and borrowed classrooms on the campus of Princess Nahienaena Elementary School above Lahaina. Read more
Schools nationwide have invested millions of dollars in the monitoring technology, including federal COVID-19 emergency relief money meant to help schools through the pandemic. Read more
It is the latest move by the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis to challenge the education establishment. Read more
Free virtual workshops to help families complete the recently revised Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, are being offered on selected Wednesdays through April 24. Read more
The state Public Charter School Commission, which oversees Hawaii’s 37 public charter schools, finally has a permanent executive director after having been without one since 2020. Read more
Hawaii public school officials are arguing for more money to restore state budget cuts, cover inflation, continue students’ academic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and insulate against coming “funding cliffs,” but some state legislators are pressing them to first trim spending on any obsolete and ineffective programs. Read more
The Punahou Carnival, which was founded in 1932, traditionally is organized each year by the school’s junior class. “ Read more
Test score data suggests that students in Hawaii’s 37 public charter schools as a group are lagging markedly behind regular public school students statewide in core subjects, and that has led some state lawmakers to demand stronger accountability and standards from charter school officials. Read more
The school is notifying staff and students’ families of the closure. Read more
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Under a new agreement, the University of Hawaii at Manoa hopes to promote greater research and development of new satellite-based technologies to better study Earth from space. Read more
While University of Hawaii tuition has become more affordable over the past 10 years when adjusted for inflation, and the financial benefits of a degree remain strong, college enrollment rates among Hawaii public school graduates have declined since the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more
The University of Hawaii at Manoa has narrowed down three candidates for the new dean of the John A. Burns School of Medicine. Read more
A survey asking what ought to be the top priorities for the University of Hawaii and its next president is open for only one more month, and UH leaders are urging all stakeholders — students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and community members — to participate. Read more
That 13-year-old Ellen Ruckmann-Bruch has won Honolulu Waldorf School’s annual spelling bee two years in a row, is fluent in German along with English and has run three virtual marathons makes her unusual. Read more
In the midst of the upheaval following the catastrophic Maui wildfires, three Lahaina third graders found a creative outlet for their emotions through an art class that culminated in a book they wrote and illustrated. Read more
The accelerated forgiveness drew fire from Republicans, who called it an attempt to win voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Read more
The lawsuit filed Wednesday mirrors others filed since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Read more
Tensions flared anew Wednesday in the first public meeting of the legislative season between University of Hawaii President David Lassner and some of his key critics in the state Senate, as UH administrators faced pointed questions over such problems as a dormitory that has stood vacant for seven years due to disrepair. Read more
Where passersby might peer into the two new preschool classrooms at Nanakuli Elementary School and see blocks and books and tot-sized furniture, Principal Lisa Ann Higa sees a head start that disadvantaged students urgently need. Read more
While Gov. Josh Green has proclaimed Jan. 21-27 as Hawai‘i School Choice Week, officials say the proclamation does not indicate that he supports a policy shift toward school vouchers or other systems allowing public education funds to follow students into private schools. Read more
Despite many testifiers’ pleas to include University of Hawaii faculty, students and staff as well as community members on the selection committee that will choose the next UH system president, the UH Board of Regents opted Thursday to stick with a “committee of the whole” composed exclusively of the 11 regents. Read more
