Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 10, 1 ʻOkakopa 2017 — Celebrating 30 years of kaiapuni education [ARTICLE]

Celebrating 30 years of kaiapuni education

j HO'ONAAUAO ^ > EDUCATION f

By Treena Shapiro When the Department of Education piloted two Hawaiian language immersion kindergarten classrooms in 1987, the number of native Hawaiian speakers had dwindled to about 1,500. But three decades later, 'ōlelo Hawai'i has become the primary medium of instruction for more than 2,800 keiki a year. Wliile Ka Papahana Kaiapuni has been in the newly-created Office of Hawaiian Education for two years, it is celebrating its 30th anniversary in DOE. That OHE was created shows the value the DOE now places on culture-based education, as well as Hawaiian language. Last year, the DOE introduced a new

Seal of Biliteracy for students fluent in more than one language - for kaiapuni graduates, that means that

fluency in 'ōlelo Hawai'i - onee banned in public schools - is now a distinction of honor. "There's definitely been a positive shift," said 'Ānela

Iwane, educational specialist for Ka Papahana Kaiapuni, whieh now has programs in 23 schools on five islands. "I think one of the many accomplishments over 30 years was the movement away from translation into curriculum created in Hawaiian, and from a Hawaiian

perspective, That's huge." Immersion curriculum didn't exist three decades ago. "In the early

days, there were no books printed in Hawaiian so there were people that would translate books, then type it out, then we would have to cut it out and paste it over the English in the books," recalled Mālia Melemai, a resource teacher who started her career in 1991 at Pā'ia Elementary,

the state's third kaiapuni site. As part of the 30th anniversary eelebration, OHE will republish some

of the first books the DOE had created specifically for the kaiapuni program, she said. Instructional materials are still ■ in short supply - particularly

reading books for middle elementary students - but teachers are also becoming more creative at developing their own instead of relying ; on translations. And many lessons l don't eome from books. "Onething that's unique about immersion education is that we try to teach the

kids Hawaiian perspective, whieh is different from English or Western perspective. So they do spend a lot of time outside of the classroom, for mālama 'āina, or studying the environment. We eall it kilo, to observe," said Melemai. That approach has produced successful graduates, including Kalani Pe'a, who gave kaiapuni education an intemational spothght when he won a Grammy Award earlier this year. Other graduates are becoming aeademics and educators, activists and actors, fashion designers and filmmakers. "They're very noimal. They just speak Hawaiian," said Melemai. "They're everywhere," she added, noting that kaiapuni students work at Ihe mall or at other after school jobs. Some immersion graduates retum to become kaiapuni teachers. There's a statewide shortage of malh and sciSEE KAIAPUNI ON PAGE 17

I think one of the many accomplishments over 30 years was the movement away from translation into curriculum created in Hawaiian, and from a Hawaiian perspective. That s huge." — 'Ānela Iwane, Ka Papahana Kaiapuni

KAIAPUNI Continued from page 6 enee teachers in general, and kaiapuni schools have the additional challenge of finding highly qualified subject area teachers who are also fluent in Hawaiian. Rather than relying on emergency hires and substitutes, OHE worked with teacher preparation programs at the University of Hawai'i's Hilo and Mānoa eampuses, Kamehameha Schools, the DOE's Office of Human Resources and the Hawai'i Teacher Standards Board to create a Kaia'ōlelo-Ka-iapuni special permit with a different pathway to licensure that includes a 30-hour induction course, a language proficiency interview and a cultural growth and development plan. Participants are also given mentoring and other support as they work toward teaching credentials. There's still a long way to go before there's a kaiapuni program in every community. Wai'anae and Nānākuli middle and high schoolers have to bus to Ānuenue in Pālolo, Iwane said, raising the question of fair access. And it will take generations to normalize 'ōlelo Hawai'i to

the point that you'll find a Hawaiian speaker wherever you go. Yet, 30 years in, the kaiapuni movement is still gaining momentum, with kindergarten and first grade classes just added in Hāna. "It's been a very grassroots effort," from the beginning, said Kalae Akioka, a resource teacher who eame to OHE from Pū'ōhala Elementary, the second immersion site on O'ahu. "The parents all banded together, did marches, submitted testimonies, inundated the legislators with letters and every year fought to get more added on." The hierarchal public school system doesn't always engage its stakeholders, said Akioka, but immersion proponents are making progress through 'Aha Kauleo, a statewide eouneil that provides leadership, direction and advocacy for Papahana Kaiapuni Hawai'i. "I think it's a huge accomplishment to be able to move as a community and grassroots organization within a system like this one." Check huiheluhelu.weebly. eom, aokaiapuni.weebly.com and ahakauleo.org for more information about Ka Papahana Kaiapuni and upcoming anniversary events. ■