Two zones
Zones for School Innovation targeted support for struggling schools in rural or remote, hard-to-staff areas serving the largest population of native Hawaiian and economically-disadvantaged students in the state.
In 2009, when the program started, five of the state’s six “Priority Schools” (the state’s lowest-performing schools) were in the ZSI. The ZSIs (priority schools, plus neighboring and feeder schools, including public charter schools) were in the communities of Nanakuli and Waianae in west Oahu, and in Kau, Keaau and Pahoa in east Hawaii.
The
Kau-Keaau-Pahoa Complex Area covers a wide geographic area from Hilo to Naalehu (65 miles). Eight in 10 students are economically disadvantaged, while nearly half are native Hawaiian – student groups that consistently rank below non-disadvantaged, non-Hawaiian children in reading and math proficiency.
| *Kau-Keaau-Pahoa Complex Area | Statewide |
|---|
Demographics |
Count |
Percent |
Count |
Percent |
|
Special Education |
893 |
13.32% |
19,334 |
10.58% |
|
English Language Learners |
650 |
9.70% |
18,099 |
9.91% |
|
Disadvantaged |
5,047 |
75.29% |
94,855 |
51.92% |
|
Hawaiian |
3,073 |
45.85% |
50,548 |
27.67% |
|
Male |
3,566 |
53.20% |
95,208 |
52.11% |
|
Female |
3,137 |
46.80% |
87,497 |
47.89% |
|
Total |
6,703 |
100% |
182,705 |
100% |
*Data from 2011-12 school year.
The picture is similar in the
Nanakuli-Waianae Complex Area, where seven out of 10 students are disadvantaged, up to two-thirds are of native Hawaiian descent, and many are homeless.
In a 2003 Center on the Family community profile, Waianae and Nanakuli ranked poorly on measures of child and family well-being, including unemployment, per-capita income, children in poverty, child abuse rates and school safety. Educational attainment falls well below state and national averages.
| *Nanakuli-Waianae Complex Area | Statewide |
|---|
|
Demographics |
Count |
Percent |
Count |
Percent |
|
Special Education |
1,382 |
14.56% |
19,334 |
10.58% |
|
English Language Learners |
575 |
6.06% |
18,099 |
9.91% |
|
Disadvantaged |
7,055 |
74.34% |
94,855 |
51.92% |
|
Hawaiian |
6,267 |
66.04% |
50,548 |
27.67% |
|
Male |
4,978 |
52.46% |
95,208 |
52.11% |
|
Female |
4,512 |
47.54% |
87,497 |
47.89% |
|
Total |
9,490 |
100% |
182,705 |
100% |
*Data from 2011-12 school year.
To engage students, educators are introducing culturally-relevant educational programs that use project-based learning and collaboration to build critical thinking skills and teamwork, while teaching the same academic standards required across the state.
The New Tech High School programs in Nanakuli and Waianae draw students into project-based learning as they increase proficiency in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Under the ZSI, reform plans were tailored for individual schools and relied on research-driven actions and strategies, attracting and retaining highly-qualified teachers, providing data coaches, developing community partnerships and offering comprehensive support for students' non-academic needs.
Facilities and technology projects were prioritized for the ZSIs. Students in the ZSI benefitted from early-childhood subsidies, early-learning centers, extended learning opportunities, and comprehensive supports such as health care.
For example, Kamehameha Schools and INPEACE partnered with ZSI schools to prepare students to learn before they enter kindergarten and keep students engaged through graduation.
