Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 38, Number 11, 1 Nowemapa 2021 — The Coral Heads of Native Hawaiian Education [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

The Coral Heads of Native Hawaiian Education

V 'AHA HO'ONA'AUAO 'OIWI HAWAI'I V NATIVE HAWAIIAN EDUCATION COUNCIL *

By Elena Farden "Hepūkoa kani 'āina;A coral reefthat grows into an island." A person heginning in a small way gains steadily until they heeome firmly established. - 'Ōlelo No'eau This olelo no'eau reflects the travels of our ancestors across the Pacific that would pass many coralheads whieh the navigators would then mark in their memories to pass on to their apprenticies. Steadily through time, as these small coralheads grew into full islands, so comes the advice that great success doesn't happen over night. Rather often it starts small and over time, like a coralhead, grows into excellence. In Native Hawaiian education, how it started and how it's going is a testament to the people and the programs that fought for change. Programs such as 'Aha Pūnana Leo, Pīhana Nā Mamo, Nā Pua No'eau and others eame into existence to address the unique educational needs of Native Hawaiians. These programs were the budding coral heads of our olelo no'eau that have now heeome the pillars and cornerstones for our Native Hawaiian families and communities. But just as our coral heads need optimal eonditions for growth so, too, do our eommuni-ty-based programs require a steady flow of funding, resources, and support to succeed. One such funding pathway comes from the Native Hawaiian Education Program funded by the federal Native Hawaiian Education Act. When the Act was first established in 1988 under the Hawkins-Stafford Ofīice of Elementary and Secondary Act, there were six programs initially funded: 1. Kamehameha Schools' Family-based Education; 2. 'Aha Pūnana Leo; 3. Kamehameha Schools' Native Hawaiian Model Curriculum Implementation Program; 4. Pīhana Nā Mamo;

5. Native Hawaiian Higher Education Program; and 6. Nā Pua No'eau The KS Family-based centers and 'Aha Pūnana Leo headed the pre-K educational programs such as parent-infant education, center-based preschools, and Hawaiian language. The Model Curriculum Program supported the Kamehameha Schools elementary language arts programs with the Hawai'i State Department of Education. For special education for Native Hawaiians in our puhlie school system, Pīhana Nā Mamo led program efforts to address these needs, while Nā Pua No'eau led programs for gifted and talented Native Hawaiian students. To round out this six-program portfolio, the Native Hawaiian Higher Education Program provided scholarships and counseling for Native Hawaiian students pursuing postsecondary pathways. Today, the Native Hawaiian Education Program has funded hundreds of programs in our communities, including 67 current programs awarded in the 2020 and 2021 grant competition. As a community, we celebrate increased programs that serve our keiki, our 'ohana, and our kaiāulu. I encourage you to seek out the Native Hawaiian Education Programs funded in your area to participate and learn more about these programs. ■ For more information on the Native Hawaiian Education Program, please visit the U.S. Department ofEducation wehsite at oese.ed.gov or view the list ofprogratns by year with the links helow: https:lltinyurl.com/NHEPGrantees2020 https://tinyurl.com/NHEPGrantees2021 Elena Farden serves as the executive directorfor the Native Hawaiian Education Council, established in 1994 under the Native Hawaiian Education Act, with responsibility for coordinating, assessing, recommending and reporting on the effectiveness of educational programs for Native Hawaiians and improvements that may be made to existing programs, policies, and procedures to improve the educational attainment of Native Hawaiians. Elena is a first-generation college graduate with a BS in telecommunications from Pepperdine University, an MBA from Chaminade University and is now in her first year ofa doctorate program.