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  • National Overview
  • Select Your State
  • About The Index

PARENT POWER!

  • National Overview
  • Select Your State
  • About The Index
Menu
  • National Overview
  • Select Your State
  • About The Index

PARENT POWER!

  • National Overview
  • Select Your State
  • About The Index
Menu
  • National Overview
  • Select Your State
  • About The Index

Hawaii

U.S.
Rank

#36
Overall PPI Score:
62.9%
PPI Grade Key:
← Back to Hawaii state overview
A
B
C
D
F
  • Opportunity
  • Innovation
  • Policy Environment

Charter Schools

Score:

68%

Grade:

D

Rank:

#32

A small but robust diverse array of schools are highly prized but heavily regulated, limiting their autonomy and potential for growth.

Fast Facts:

Law passed: 1994

Most recently amended: 2019

Number of charter schools: 37

Number of charter students: 12,000

Cap on the number of schools allowed:? No

Virtual charters allowed? Yes

Charter Law Analysis:

AUTHORIZERS: Hawaii State Public Charter School Commission (SPCSC) has statewide authorizing authority. Universities, county and state education agencies, and non-profits are permitted to apply to the state board of education to authorize charters as well. However, there are currently no active authorizers other than the SPCSC.

Appeals go to the state board.

GROWTH: No cap, but the regulatory environment has led to slow growth of charter schools in Hawaii. In January 2019, the SPCSC voted to suspend approval of new Online, Virtual, and Blended Learning schools until an internal working group submits a new report.

OPERATIONS:Charters receive a blanket waiver from most regulations that apply to district schools. The Commission, however, heavily regulates charters, especially finances, which greatly limits autonomy. Another change enacted in 2019 further constrains charters and authorizers with additional reporting requirements. Charters are also subject to the master collective bargaining agreement that applies to all Hawaiian teachers.

EQUITY: Charter school funding is a line item in the state budget, making charters vulnerable to budget cuts and other funding inequities.

Learn More:

Hawaii Charter School Law

Choice Programs (Scholarships, Vouchers, Tax Credits, etc.)

Score:

50%

Grade:

F

Rank:

#42

There are no choice programs in this state.

Fast Facts:
Choice Laws & Analysis:
Learn More:

2019 ALEC Report Card on American Education

Teacher Quality

Score:

70%

Grade:

C

Rank:

#32

50% of student growth is factored into evaluations, but requirements for content knowledge are deficient.

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 59%
General Teacher Preparation 55%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 55%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 65%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 58%
Alternate Routes 60%  

STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 67%
Hiring 60%
Retaining Effective Teachers 74%

TEACHER EVALUATION: 80%

TEACHER COMPENSATION: 75%

Learn More:

National Council for Teacher Quality State Teacher Policy Database

Charter Schools

Score:

68%

Grade:

D

Rank:

#32

A small but robust diverse array of schools are highly prized but heavily regulated, limiting their autonomy and potential for growth.

Fast Facts:

Law passed: 1994

Most recently amended: 2019

Number of charter schools: 37

Number of charter students: 12,000

Cap on the number of schools allowed:? No

Virtual charters allowed? Yes

Charter Law Analysis:

AUTHORIZERS: Hawaii State Public Charter School Commission (SPCSC) has statewide authorizing authority. Universities, county and state education agencies, and non-profits are permitted to apply to the state board of education to authorize charters as well. However, there are currently no active authorizers other than the SPCSC.

Appeals go to the state board.

GROWTH: No cap, but the regulatory environment has led to slow growth of charter schools in Hawaii. In January 2019, the SPCSC voted to suspend approval of new Online, Virtual, and Blended Learning schools until an internal working group submits a new report.

OPERATIONS:Charters receive a blanket waiver from most regulations that apply to district schools. The Commission, however, heavily regulates charters, especially finances, which greatly limits autonomy. Another change enacted in 2019 further constrains charters and authorizers with additional reporting requirements. Charters are also subject to the master collective bargaining agreement that applies to all Hawaiian teachers.

EQUITY: Charter school funding is a line item in the state budget, making charters vulnerable to budget cuts and other funding inequities.

Learn More:

Hawaii Charter School Law

Choice Programs (Scholarships, Vouchers, Tax Credits, etc.)

Score:

50%

Grade:

F

Rank:

#42

There are no choice programs in this state.

Fast Facts:
Choice Laws & Analysis:
Learn More:

2019 ALEC Report Card on American Education

Teacher Quality

Score:

70%

Grade:

C

Rank:

#32

50% of student growth is factored into evaluations, but requirements for content knowledge are deficient.

TRAINING AND RECRUITMENT: 59%
General Teacher Preparation 55%
Elementary Teacher Preparation 55%
Secondary Teacher Preparation 65%
Special Education Teacher Preparation 58%
Alternate Routes 60%  

STAFFING AND SUPPORT: 67%
Hiring 60%
Retaining Effective Teachers 74%

TEACHER EVALUATION: 80%

TEACHER COMPENSATION: 75%

Learn More:

National Council for Teacher Quality State Teacher Policy Database

Digital & Personalized Learning

Digital Learning:

Score:

85%

Grade:

B

Rank:

#4

Hawaii has made extensive statewide efforts with various digital learning programs and initiatives to promote digital access and equity for students. 

Hawaii’s Department of Education’s E-School Program supports classroom learning through online instruction for middle and high school students in both district and charter schools. The state places a high emphasis on blended learning by using the Future Ready Learning framework to accelerate equitable digital learning access. In 2016, the state DOE expanded Future Ready Learning by creating the Future Ready Pathway initiative, adding 38 additional schools, where school leadership teams work to develop individualized school plans for integrating technology. 

Hawaii also encourages computer science to be taught to all students, and has a multi-year plan to incorporate computer science education into all public schools in the state by 2022. As part of this effort, in 2018 Hawaii adopted Computer Science Standards in an effort to fill computer science jobs after students graduate. 

The Hawaii Virtual Learning Network is a state virtual school that opened in 2007, giving students the opportunity to take online courses through the HDOE E-School program. Any public school student (traditional and charter) can enroll in HVLN supplemental classes. Enrollment numbers are relatively small; there were approximately 1,500 students enrolled in the 2016-17 school year.

Bandwidth: “100% of students in Hawaii can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds.”

Personalized Learning:

Hawaii has many resources on their website advocating for personalized learning to be used in every school. The state encourages and provides schools information and resources on implementing competency-based learning, differentiated instruction, flexible learning environments, and performance-based assessments.

Learn More:

Department of Education’s E-School Program

The Hawaii Virtual Learning Network

COVID-19 Response

Hawaii first announced school would close on March 19 in response to the COVID crisis. Gov. Ige and state Superintendent Dr. Kishimoto were committed to no loss of instruction time or skills and as a result the state’s 180,000 public school students have been consistently in online learning.  Hawaii’s emphasis on continuing to provide learning differentiated it from most states, who used emphasizing safety as a distraction from their inability to provide adequate distance learning.

Summer e-courses were also offered for high school students so they can get ahead in credits and a strong website provides resources and guidance for students, teachers, and parents.

Throughout all periods of school closure, Hawaii schools continued to offer essential services as safely as possible, including grab-and-go offerings for meal services.

Despite geographic challenges, the state worked to embrace changes needed to provide students with learning opportunities they need. A strength of Hawaii’s resource page was it’s highly user-friendly parent portal, which provided materials each week for all age groups in order to assist parents in participating in their children’s distance learning. These materials were provided through the summer. Another vital feature of the parent portal is a separate page for Special Learners, including students with IEPs and ELL students.

Hawaii delayed full reopening of schools until Aug. 17th.

Fast Facts

4th Grade Math Proficiency:

37%

8th Grade Math Proficiency:

22%

12th Grade Math Proficiency:

24% (nat'l average)

4th Grade Reading Proficiency:

35%

8th Grade Reading Proficiency:

31%

12th Grade Reading Proficiency:

37% (nat'l average)

Graduation Rate:

85%

Average SAT Score:

1124/1600

Average ACT Score:

18.8/36

Public School Enrollment:

173,178

Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:

6.6%

Average Student Funding:

$16,564.00
Digital & Personalized Learning
Digital Learning:

Score:

85%

Grade:

B

Rank:

#4

Hawaii has made extensive statewide efforts with various digital learning programs and initiatives to promote digital access and equity for students. 

Hawaii’s Department of Education’s E-School Program supports classroom learning through online instruction for middle and high school students in both district and charter schools. The state places a high emphasis on blended learning by using the Future Ready Learning framework to accelerate equitable digital learning access. In 2016, the state DOE expanded Future Ready Learning by creating the Future Ready Pathway initiative, adding 38 additional schools, where school leadership teams work to develop individualized school plans for integrating technology. 

Hawaii also encourages computer science to be taught to all students, and has a multi-year plan to incorporate computer science education into all public schools in the state by 2022. As part of this effort, in 2018 Hawaii adopted Computer Science Standards in an effort to fill computer science jobs after students graduate. 

The Hawaii Virtual Learning Network is a state virtual school that opened in 2007, giving students the opportunity to take online courses through the HDOE E-School program. Any public school student (traditional and charter) can enroll in HVLN supplemental classes. Enrollment numbers are relatively small; there were approximately 1,500 students enrolled in the 2016-17 school year.

Bandwidth: “100% of students in Hawaii can access the Internet at speeds of 100 kbps per student, and many students are connected at higher speeds.”

Personalized Learning:

Hawaii has many resources on their website advocating for personalized learning to be used in every school. The state encourages and provides schools information and resources on implementing competency-based learning, differentiated instruction, flexible learning environments, and performance-based assessments.

Learn More:

Department of Education’s E-School Program

The Hawaii Virtual Learning Network

COVID-19 Response

Hawaii first announced school would close on March 19 in response to the COVID crisis. Gov. Ige and state Superintendent Dr. Kishimoto were committed to no loss of instruction time or skills and as a result the state’s 180,000 public school students have been consistently in online learning.  Hawaii’s emphasis on continuing to provide learning differentiated it from most states, who used emphasizing safety as a distraction from their inability to provide adequate distance learning.

Summer e-courses were also offered for high school students so they can get ahead in credits and a strong website provides resources and guidance for students, teachers, and parents.

Throughout all periods of school closure, Hawaii schools continued to offer essential services as safely as possible, including grab-and-go offerings for meal services.

Despite geographic challenges, the state worked to embrace changes needed to provide students with learning opportunities they need. A strength of Hawaii’s resource page was it’s highly user-friendly parent portal, which provided materials each week for all age groups in order to assist parents in participating in their children’s distance learning. These materials were provided through the summer. Another vital feature of the parent portal is a separate page for Special Learners, including students with IEPs and ELL students.

Hawaii delayed full reopening of schools until Aug. 17th.

Fast Facts

4th Grade Math Proficiency:

37%

8th Grade Math Proficiency:

22%

12th Grade Math Proficiency:

24% (nat’l average)

4th Grade Reading Proficiency:

35%

8th Grade Reading Proficiency:

31%

12th Grade Reading Proficiency:

37% (nat’l average)

Graduation Rate:

85%

Average SAT Score:

1124/1600

Average ACT Score:

18.8/36

Public School Enrollment:

173,178

Percent Enrolled in Charter Schools:

6.6%

Average Student Funding:

$16,564.00

Leadership

Your governor:

David Ige (D)

Second term began in 2018 (two-term limit)

Governor David Ige should be a strong advocate for parental choice, having sent his own children to private school, but he generally aligns with the teachers unions on education policy matters. A potential sign of Gov. Ige comes from his previous opposition to allocation of public funds for private preschools and instead has advocated for universal public preschool. He did declare School Choice Week in Hawaii in January, so perhaps there is the potential for him to become more pro-parent in the future.

State Legislature:

Hawaii is a left-leaning state, with a Democrat Governor, and Democrat-controlled House and Senate. They passed a bill that makes a small improvement for charter school access to facilities in 2019, but in general it would be difficult to pass any big pieces of education reform legislation. The state Superintendent of Education is Keith Hayashi, the Interim Superintendent, who was appointed by the state board, which is appointed by the Governor.

Constitutional Issues

Hawaii’s Supreme Court has interpreted the state’s Blaine Amendment broadly and restrictively.

 

Learn More:

Institute for Justice: Hawaii School Choice and State Constitution

Transparency

School report cards are easily accessible on their Department of Education homepage by clicking Vision for Success. The Strive HI report is in pdf format, making it easy for parents to print. They also link prior reports back to school year 2012-13, so parents can see whether a school has been improving or declining over the past decade. Reports are clear and easy to read, providing a snapshot on enrollment, performance on state assessments, achievement gaps, and student satisfaction. There is also a useful section that highlights the percentage of students that: graduate on time, enroll in postsecondary institutions, and complete a Career and Technical Education program by 12th grade. All of this is important data for accountability and transparency in a state.

Educational options are also easily found on the homepage in two clicks: Teaching and Learning → Education innovation.

School board elections are during the General Election cycle, which gives parents more power in their decision making because of higher voter turnout.

Leadership
Your governor:

David Ige (D)

Second term began in 2018 (two-term limit)

Governor David Ige should be a strong advocate for parental choice, having sent his own children to private school, but he generally aligns with the teachers unions on education policy matters. A potential sign of Gov. Ige comes from his previous opposition to allocation of public funds for private preschools and instead has advocated for universal public preschool. He did declare School Choice Week in Hawaii in January, so perhaps there is the potential for him to become more pro-parent in the future.

State Legislature:

Hawaii is a left-leaning state, with a Democrat Governor, and Democrat-controlled House and Senate. They passed a bill that makes a small improvement for charter school access to facilities in 2019, but in general it would be difficult to pass any big pieces of education reform legislation. The state Superintendent of Education is Keith Hayashi, the Interim Superintendent, who was appointed by the state board, which is appointed by the Governor.

Constitutional Issues

Hawaii’s Supreme Court has interpreted the state’s Blaine Amendment broadly and restrictively.

 

Learn More:

Institute for Justice: Hawaii School Choice and State Constitution

Transparency

School report cards are easily accessible on their Department of Education homepage by clicking Vision for Success. The Strive HI report is in pdf format, making it easy for parents to print. They also link prior reports back to school year 2012-13, so parents can see whether a school has been improving or declining over the past decade. Reports are clear and easy to read, providing a snapshot on enrollment, performance on state assessments, achievement gaps, and student satisfaction. There is also a useful section that highlights the percentage of students that: graduate on time, enroll in postsecondary institutions, and complete a Career and Technical Education program by 12th grade. All of this is important data for accountability and transparency in a state.

Educational options are also easily found on the homepage in two clicks: Teaching and Learning → Education innovation.

School board elections are during the General Election cycle, which gives parents more power in their decision making because of higher voter turnout.

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Charter Schools

Charter schools are public schools, open by choice, free from most rules and regulations that hamper traditional public schools and held accountable for results.

Since 1991, when charter schools were first established in Minnesota, the principle has remained the same — increased operational autonomy in exchange for increased accountability for outcomes. This freedom to innovate allows academically excellent charter schools to flourish.

As of 2020, there were more than 7,300 charter schools across the country with more than 3.3 million students, with demand higher everywhere they are located. Forty-six states, including Washington, D.C. have charter school laws. West Virginia enacted the most recent law in 2019. All charter laws are not created equal, however, and in fact, many are so flawed that they allow for only minimal opportunity for parents. PPI draws from CER’s newest Charter School Law Rankings and Scorecard, produced in the summer of 2020. For the US as a whole, the glass is more empty than full when it comes to meaningful charter choices.

Since 1996, CER has researched, analyzed, and ranked charter school laws, taking the content of each law into consideration as well as how it impacts charter schools on the ground. This Parent Power Index looks at four main areas of each state’s law:

If it allows for multiple authorizers, and if applicants have the ability to appeal a denial; whether it allows for growth, particularly with no caps on number of schools or enrollment; if schools and teachers have freedom to innovate; and if there is equitable funding of schools, including for facilities and transportation.

Charter schools are the most analyzed public school reform in decades. Since 1996, CER has studied their impact, their environment, and their practice and made recommendations for how to improve each law. The Parent Power Index charter score is based on whether the law allows for freedom and flexibility that can ensure parents, teachers and the general public are able to build vibrant, successful charter schools without undue interference from flawed state regulators, with equitable funding and parents in the driver’s seat. More about how this works can be found in CER publications, most notably Charting a New Course and The Future of School.

In addition, past rankings document how states have grown or confined charter schools and what best practices should be followed. Finally CER has provided a model charter school law for policymakers that is the standard bearer for advocates who believe that parents, not systems, should drive education.

Choice Programs

Educational choice is best defined as the availability of a multitude of public programs that provide parents with the ability to include private and religious entities – schools, tutoring, and other organizations – in their choices. Those programs are enacted at the state level, allowing in a wide variety of ways that the funds allocated for education in a state either follow the student to the institution the parent chooses or, as in the case of tax credits, public funds are redistributed to support the choices parents make, rather than automatically going to government based school districts.

These options are often referred to as scholarship programs, vouchers, tax credits, education accounts and more.

The existence of a higher degree of educational choice in a community or state, particularly for lower income students, has been found to be a significant factor in improving education and ensuring all students have access to the best school that meets their individual needs. Where once private options were only available to the more advantaged, most choice programs today ensure that those without resources have the power to shape their student’s education and invest in their future.

PPI 2020 assesses the extent to which every state gives families better and more abundant educational options through various mechanisms. Choice programs are analyzed and evaluated on their potential to reach all children across a state and for the degree to which they can actually support the full choice of parents, as opposed to only providing a modest amount of financial support. Programs where a significant population of parents can obtain scholarships or vouchers to send their children to the school of their choice score higher than those that have limitations based on geography, income, and student eligibility constraints.

To determine scores, PPI relies on well-established organizations which study, advance and support such programs. The scores were developed with this lens, and on information and ratings from EdChoice’s School Choice in America Dashboard, American Legislative Exchange Council’s Report Card on American Education: 23rd Edition, and American Federation for Children’s School Choice Interactive Map.

Teacher Quality

Teacher Quality is an equally important facet of ensuring greater educational opportunity. There is a direct correlation between quality teachers and student achievement, and teachers have the power to foster highly effective learning environments and leave a lasting impact on the future of their students. State teacher policies are critical in ensuring that students have the opportunity to receive the best education possible. Without schools full of well-prepared teachers who are held accountable either directly to the parent or to taxpayers for student achievement, opportunity can be meaningless. Most states vary widely in the criteria used to train, hire, retain, evaluate, reward and advance teachers, and local rules also influence that criteria greatly, as do teachers unions. PPI looked again to the expert analysis of the National Council of Teacher Quality, and from several aspects of their work PPI extrapolated final teacher quality scores. (NCTQ does not grade each state.)

Relying solely on the rich data collected from the National Council on Teacher Quality, states are measured by across a wide range of policy categories: Training and Recruitment, Staffing and Support, Evaluation, and Compensation. The score is by no means comprehensive about teacher quality across every community and state, but it is based on the extent to which states rigorously expect, manage and measure different aspects of teacher training, hiring, evaluation and compensation. States score higher when they have strong, data-driven, performance-based accountability systems that ensure teachers are rewarded, retained, and advanced based on their effectiveness. Likewise, states that establish rigorous teacher preparation programs and offer alternative licensing programs earn higher scores.

For more information about the Teacher Quality landscape, please see the National Council on Teacher Quality’s detailed analysis in their State Teacher Policy Database.

Innovation

States are measured on their increasing commitment to and practice of innovative approaches to education that include digital learning models and pathways, full or in part, encouraging personalized learning through focus on competency and mastery – even on a pilot level – or by allowing flexibility in schools and school districts that want to do it. Personalized learning models value mastery of material over traditional subject matter time tests, and competency over end of course grades. While these practices are best decided locally, closest to the student, states can motivate, incentivize, fund, discourage or encourage.

To determine scores, the PPI drew heavily from ExcelinEd’s 2019 State Progress Toward Next Generation Learning, Aurora Institute’s 2020 Future-Focused State Policy Actions to Transform K-12 Education, and KnowledgeWorks’ 2019 State Policy Framework for Personalized Learning.

COVID-19 Response

When COVID-19 reached our shores in early 2020, states were forced to close their schools for in-person instruction. Whether and how to continue teaching and set expectations for continued learning outside of the classroom was a big debate. Many states and schools quickly pivoted to delivering education remotely, either through technology enabled tools or with low-tech paper packets and phone calls, or a combination of both. The response from schools and school districts varied widely, with some being willing to adapt and some actually discouraging both teaching and learning. CER tracked those responses (and continues to do so, given the fluidity of the situation). States that were encouraging, set expectations, and demanded that schools figure out whatever they could to keep moving students forward, tended to have more schools and districts that responded well and worked to deliver education regardless of challenges. Many states that had digital or virtual learning programs in place were able to make a more seamless shift. Innovative leaders at local and state levels rose to the occasion. But many states and localities dragged their feet and, in some cases, outright discouraged schooling to keep going, including forbidding teachers in some areas to be required to do any face to face teaching via technology.

States were evaluated based on reviewing their official notices and declarations, and by reviewing a broad array of surveys and data many groups have been maintaining. This score also factors in states’ prior commitments to expanding broadband and internet access and how they worked to provide devices to keep students learning and engaged.

What was, and is, a challenging and unprecedented time for schools, teachers, and parents was also an opportunity to look at states’ and schools’ abilities to adapt, be flexible, and innovate.

For more on Education Innovation, check out the CER ACTION Series:

  • Virtual Events & Videos
  • Key Data
  • Resources
  • Publications

Leadership

Improving education opportunity and innovation requires leaders who boldly and courageously push forward to create or expand successful programs that allow a wide variety of educational choice and individualized programs to thrive. Governors and state legislators are the most important entities in each state to pave the way, or deter, expanded parent power. Some leaders pay lip service to issues, while others wake up with a fire in their belly to ensure that they are doing what they can every day to push through conventional wisdom and demand 21st century schooling opportunities for all students.

Whether or not your governor is the bold, fire-in-the-belly kind, or a passive applauder of others’ efforts, is evaluated to help you push or prod or applaud. PPI looks at their positions AND actions on charter schools, choice programs, innovation, and commitment to increasing educational opportunities for all students at every level and summarizes it for you here. You have the power to elect leaders who prioritize parents and students!

Constitutional Issues

The ability for states to enact educational change can be significantly limited depending on certain provisions in state constitutions.

The most common clause that limits educational opportunity in most states are “Blaine Amendments” – named after 19th century Congressman James Blaine nearly 150 years ago. Historically, these provisions in 37 state constitutions were either interpreted to restrict educational choice programs that include private schools or have been a deterrent for many programs being considered, let alone enacted.

This issue received a great deal of press leading up to and following the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 30, 2020 decision in the case of Espinoza vs Montana Department of Revenue, a case that dealt with Montana’s Blaine Amendment. That landmark decision found that the U.S. Constitution “forbids states from excluding religious schools as options for families participating in educational choice programs, including through Blaine Amendments.”

As a result, most states have a new path to enact programs that provide options for families, including religious schools. Their individual versions of Blaine Amendments can either be nullified with attorney generals’ opinions, with legislation or with both. Additional restrictions on expanded opportunity are often dedicated by what is called a Compelled Support Clause where dated constitutional language restricts public funding to government entities.

We look at each state’s particular constitutional issues, utilizing a number of sources, CER attorney analysis and the Institute for Justice’s research as our guide. Additional information about Espinoza and Blaine Amendments can be found here.

In addition, if states have other constitutional barriers to more opportunity, they are evaluated in this area.

Transparency

Transparency is a key element of providing great opportunities for students. Every parent needs and deserves full transparency of school-level data to allow them to make informed decisions and drive changes in how their students are educated. School report cards empower parents in their decision making by giving them access to meaningful and quality education data about a particular school or district. Report cards often provide information on student performance, student growth, attendance, graduation rates, demographics, teacher quality, school environment, assessments, and more. States that have greater transparency and accountability provide the public with data that is current, readily available, and easy to understand.

States are measured based on the transparency and accessibility of data for the average person looking to learn about their child’s school. States have more gas in the tank when school report cards are easily accessible from their state DOE homepage; report cards are comprehensive, user-friendly, and easy to understand; and information about educational options are readily available. Additionally, states score higher when they hold School Board Elections during the General Election cycle, as opposed to off-times of the year when turnout is low, because this tends to afford parents more power in their decision-making.