{"id":2228,"date":"2024-11-13T05:00:22","date_gmt":"2024-11-13T05:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learnercc.wpengine.com\/?p=2228"},"modified":"2025-01-29T02:02:37","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T02:02:37","slug":"partner-story-with-hawaii-public-charter-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learnercentered.org\/blog\/partner-story-with-hawaii-public-charter-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"How Hawaiian Charter Schools Are Honoring Identity"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Contributions from Katie Martin, Learner-Centered Collaborative<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u200dTraditional metrics tell just one part of a school’s story. For Hawaii’s charter schools – particularly those grounded in cultural missions and indigenous values – standard assessments weren’t capturing the depth and richness of student learning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Recognizing this gap, the Hawai’i Public Charter School Commission partnered with <\/span>Learner-Centered Collaborative<\/span><\/a> to champion a new approach to measuring school success.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the heart of this work are schools like <\/span>Malama Honua<\/span><\/a>, which guides K-8 students through their “Mind of the Navigator” framework, and <\/span>H\u0101lau K\u016b M\u0101na<\/span><\/a>, which empowers \u02bb\u014dpio (youth ages 6-12) through culturally enriched learning and community-focused projects. Despite their innovative programs, these schools faced a common challenge: their assessment systems were primarily focused on Western standards-based metrics that didn’t reflect the rich cultural and academic experiences they provide their students.<\/span><\/p>\n

The solution? A collaborative process to co-design custom scorecards that start with each school’s unique vision, mission, and values. These scorecards make patterns and trends visible – creating the conditions for continuous improvement aligned with community goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Building Trust Through Collaboration<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Charter school leaders collaborate during a monthly community of practice meeting<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The journey began by bringing charter school leaders together, shifting isolated efforts into an engaging community of practice. Through monthly meetings, these leaders found strength in shared experiences, building the trust necessary to tackle complex challenges together. This collaborative foundation proved essential for the work ahead.<\/span><\/p>\n

“At the end of the year, when the leaders were coming together in their celebration of learning, the trust in the room had increased significantly,” shares Katie Martin, Chief Impact Officer at Learner-Centered Collaborative. “They were each getting up and sharing their journey with pride, sharing how their data points had improved because they were focusing on them, and just their joy about the opportunity to co-create something that really told their story.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Expanding What Counts as Evidence<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Central to this work was expanding the definition of what constitutes valid evidence of learning. The process involved:<\/span><\/p>\n