Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 11, 1 November 2008 — Educator lauded [ARTICLE]

Educator lauded

David Kekaulike Sing, director of Nā Pua No'eau, has been named Educator of the Year by the National Indian Education Association. Sing received the prestigious honor last month in Seattle at the annual conference for the NIEA, whieh is dedicated to increasing educational opportunities for students of Native American, Hawaiian and Alaskan ancestry. Under Sing's leadership, Nā Pua No'eau has successfully developed its statewide enrichment programs for gifted and talented Native Hawaiian children, including developing curriculum for K-12 students that has served as a model for the state's Hawaiian-focused charter schools, establishing seven Nā Pua No'eau outreach centers, whieh offer educational programs in collaboration with University of Hawai'i campuses and other

Native Hawaiian coimnunity and professional organizations, including OHA, a major funder of Na Pua No'eau. Sing is the first Native Hawaiian board member of the NIEA, whieh held its 2007 convention in Honolulu, attracting more than 3,000 educators. As part of his work with NIEA, Sing established a Native Hawaiian Education Association to provide additional support for Nā Pua No'eau as a venue for research, teacher training and coimnunity discourse on improving education for children of indigenous ancestry.