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A drop in enrollment should not be the criteria for closing a school down—at least not one bearing her name!  Principal Raelene Chock needs to keep the children safe and without too much stress for student achievement—but is she? With the contents of the corner stone removed from the school premises, I believe I have nothing else to say about the desecration of the Hawaiian Kingdom—except to mention that the ownership of the contents belongs to the alumni and the Hawaiian Kingdom subjects.  Are the Alumni Hawaiian Kingdom subjects?  With this understanding, I believe the alternative center, specialty academy or a charter school are not options for Queen Liliuokalani Elementary.  People in power such as the Schools Superintendent are no different than the business men that imprisoned our Queen, illegally overthrew her crown, and sent little children into destitution.   Those 99 students have opportunities—we don’t!  I would argue closing down Kamaile Academy Elementary Waianae and keeping Queen Liliuokalani Elementary School in Kaimuki open!

The children in Kaimuki are sustainable because their environment supports higher education; where as Kamaile Academy offers poverty and cash cropping for their corporate structure.  With the dismissal of Glen Kila and Clarence De Lude, the Department of Education did not protect the children from a corporate takeover; therefore the Kamaile Academy should be shut down.  Speaking from experience the students at Kamaile Academy are our future poor, poverty and social deviates because the corporation goals are for professional development and not student achievers for Waianae.  Where was the Board of Education when this was happening in Waianae—nowhere to be found!

The criteria for closing down a school should be their test scores.  In comparison, those students at Queen Liliuokalani Elementary are Waianae economy whereas Kamaile Academy will be dots on line for failing budgets across the Hawaii’s unsustainable environments.  Social ill list is endless in the native Hawaiian communities, whereas, all alumni from non native communities such as: Kokohead and Kamiloiki Elementary Schools in Hawaii-Kai strengthens Hawaiian Kingdom and her people’s aina. Is this not the purpose of ‘Liliu’s’ education?  Kamaile Academy is America’s rotting spoils!

David Thielen

David Thielen is founder & CTO at Windward Studios

Posted: July 12, 2010 12:05 AM

In part, I am risk taking by citing David Thielan’s interview with now Governor Neil Abercrombie.  I think it is only fair because of my bashing of Kamaile Academy and its corporate takeover, that we read from another’s perspective:

“I next asked what's the one thing that will be better if he is Governor.

Neil immediately answered "leadership.

"He sees the fundamental issue that without effective (his) leadership, Hawaii will import real estate speculators and export our kids and grandkids.

………

Neil then discussed how education was the primary issue requiring this leadership. That fixing education is the necessary precursor to addressing the other big problems facing Hawaii (boy is that true!). He then discussed the need for strong leadership to address education, oil independence, increased local food, better jobs, etc.

Neil then dove in to education saying he wants to decentralize the system so the schools are in control of their own destiny and the principals become CEOs (Chief Education Officers). He said Hawaii is essentially a rural state with the stretch along South Oahu being the one dense urban part, containing half the state's population. So half the students are in little enclaves or villages. And he sees that with the internet this can be done connecting each school to outside resources.

I asked how do we get accountability in this decentralized system.

Neil's first response to this is that "a lot of the measurements [saying the schools are performing poorly] are false and of no real utility." He did bring up the real need to measure critical thinking. And he is very contemptuous of the tests that measure rote learning and the various forms the teachers have to fill out, all of which takes time away from teaching. Neil has been a teacher (I would guess a very good one) and so he can truly put himself in the position of the teachers. Neil summed this up with "I would take personal responsibility [as Governor] for restoring public confidence in the education system."

To dive further in, I asked if there would be consequences for schools under this decentralized system that are not doing a good job (and brought up the specific example of Colorado's new law that removes tenure for teachers doing an inadequate job 3 years in a row).

Neil first challenged what Colorado was doing, asking among other things will the legislature provide all the additional funds needed to improve the schools (the answer today is no because with the recession there is no more money). He then went on to say "I couldn't disagree with that approach more" calling it the Captain Bligh approach.

Neil went on to say that teachers want to do a good job. That teachers are in that position because they want to teach. And he then discussed the issues with having a few high stakes tests (which is a real issue). And what those tests measure which many times is rote learning and nothing creative (also a serious issue).

Neil is very passionate about good education. He talked about what makes a good teacher and the tremendous impact those teachers have on a child's life. And how critical it is to have teachers like that. I agreed and asked him how do we insure that we have teachers like that in the classroom. Neil's reply was that by eliminating the tests and leaving teachers alone, they would then teach at this level. He concluded by saying the Governor's role is to encourage this.

My $0.02: I think everyone is in total agreement with Neil about what we want to see in the classroom. And Neil is very passionate on this issue - it truly will get a lot of his attention as Governor. But Neil's approach has no system to find where teaching is sub-standard and no process to improve the classroom in those cases. I think Neil's experience with superb teachers blinds him to the teachers that do a lousy job. So the intent and effort is there, but not a systemic approach.

Next I asked if he has someone who is his insurgent (someone who challenges him on the fundamentals).

Neil said that is any parent who fought back against furlough Friday. He then went on to talk about how the discussion over furlough Fridays became wrapped up in process instead of people working through from their values. He wrapped it up by saying his insurgent is the parent who makes clear that the process is less important than getting the education to the child. (Furlough Friday was the worst possible alternative and everyone who signed off on that - every single group - deserves contempt for that "solution.")