Hawaiʻi is one of 10 states that will serve as a national model for implementing Common Core State Standards and associated assessments to improve students’ readiness for and success in college.
The states were selected by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors to help align K–12 and postsecondary education systems under a grant program called Core to College: Preparing Students for College Readiness and Success.
Hawaiʻi will receive $200,000 per year for three years to foster long-term collaboration between state higher education and K–12 entities that will improve student achievement and college readiness and ultimately, increased rates of enrollment and graduation.
Hawaiʻi P–20 Partnerships for Education, a statewide partnership led by the Early Learning Council, the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education and the University of Hawaiʻi System, will administer the grant.
Readiness in Hawaiʻi
“As the state’s sole system of public higher education, the University of Hawaiʻi has a vested interest in ensuring that Hawaiʻi&38217;s students are prepared as well as they can be for success in college and beyond,” said UH President M.R.C. Greenwood. “Hawaiʻi&38217;s selection to serve as a model for other states is a recognition of the concerted and coordinated efforts with our partners to build a solid foundation for learning for all of our students.”
Establishing a statewide common definition of college readiness is key, said Kathryn Matayoshi, state superintendent. “The Common Core State Standards are high quality academic benchmarks that clearly define the knowledge and skills all students should master. Hawaiʻi is primed for increased success as our focused Race to the Top reform efforts reach every classroom and equip our graduates with the requisite skills for the global marketplace.”
More about Core to College
States selected in addition to Hawaiʻi are Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Oregon and Washington. The were chosen based on geographic diversity, assessment consortia membership and demonstrated capacity to undertake this work.
Funding for Core to College is provided by the Lumina Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The partners developed Core to College with the assistance of Education First Consulting, which will provide continuing project management. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the program’s fiscal sponsor, is responsible for grant decisions and all aspects of ongoing grant administration.
