Hawaii Educational Policy Center Releases Reports on Education Boards and Student-Weighted Formula

The Hawaiʻi Educational Policy Center (HEPC) recently released two reports designed to assist policy makers and the general public in their quest for meaningful educational reform.

The first, "The Effective Policy Board: A Handbook on Maximizing the Effectiveness of Education Boards as Policy Makers," was developed to inform policy makers and community members about the structure, powers, and roles of education boards. This report may be helpful to decision-makers as they take a closer look at creating local boards.

The second report, "Adoption of a Student Weighted Formula for Funding Hawaiʻi‘s Public Schools: Policy Issues," is especially timely as Hawaiʻi officials are considering the adoption of a student-weighted formula to fund Hawaiʻi‘s schools. This report outlines the recent history of decentralization efforts in Hawaiʻi, and describes several mainland experiences with student-weighted formulas.

The HEPC conducts, sponsors, commissions, and/or coordinates analytical studies that inform policy discussions. The purpose of HEPC is to provide objective, data-based information in the form of policy briefs, reports, articles, and forums bearing on public and private education policy and practices at all levels. Examples of issues that are addressed include performance-based assessments, state financial support for public education, implementing health education standards, feasibility of establishing a K-16 student data system, and others.

The HEPC provides the infrastructure to support data-based decision-making and uses data sources such as the U.S. Census, National Center for Educational Statistics, Public Welfare, and the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education. Copies of the reports can be downloaded from www.hawaii.edu/hepc.

For more information, visit: http://www.hawaii.edu/hepc