The development of “Hawaiʻi Graduates for Hawaiʻi‘s Future,” earning a $20 million federal grant to boost early education efforts and the expansion of work-based learning across the state are a few of the highlights in the Hawaiʻi P–20 Partnerships for Education (P–20) 2023 Annual Report.
Hawaiʻi P–20 is a statewide partnership led by the University of Hawaiʻi System, Hawaiʻi Executive Office on Early Learning and the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education that works to strengthen the education pipeline from early childhood through postsecondary education and training.
Hawaiʻi Graduates for Hawaiʻi‘s Future is a new goal focused on educational progress that leads to students being able to find good jobs in Hawaiʻi, with a concerted effort to align educational programs with workforce needs and economic development. This commitment is displayed both in UH’s newly adopted Strategic Plan and the State of Hawaiʻi Board of Education’s Strategic Plan.
In January 2023, Hawaiʻi P–20 was awarded a nearly $20 million federal grant to strengthen the early childhood system by building upon existing federal, state, and local early learning and care investments. This grant will support coordination and collaboration among the state’s existing programs, improve program quality, expand access, invest in workforce and maximize parental engagement in the early childhood mixed delivery system.
Hawaiʻi P–20 has provided resources and support for several work-based learning intermediary organizations to expand work-based learning. Each regional intermediary organization increased student participation in job shadowing, mock interviews and internship opportunities. Hawaiʻi P–20 aims to expand the program to more schools.
Other highlights:
- The Stay at Home, Grow Your Own Teacher Pathway pilot project was developed to address one of Hawaiʻi’s biggest challenges: high teacher vacancy rates especially in the most rural schools, and schools with the highest poverty rates among students.
- There is promising college enrollment data for GEAR UP Hawaiʻi and Soar Higher schools. Between 2020 and 2022, college enrollment at schools with transition support programs showed a 3.2% increase in college enrollment compared to a 0.4% decrease at high schools without them.
- In partnership with the UH Community Colleges, Ke Ala Naʻauao mentors implemented its first onboarding campaign, Finish in a Flash. This campaign aimed to support graduating seniors in completing their enrollment steps to college in early May.
