October 2010

Unions: Education's Kryptonite?

Katherine Poythress, Honolulu Civil Beat

By now, many education reporters and experts have had the chance to see "Waiting for 'Superman'" and weigh in on it.

Read more

Group proposes plan to save Kaimuki elementary school

Jim Mendoza, Hawaii News Now

KAIMUKI (HawaiiNewsNow) - A garden in a gated corner of a Kaimuki campus honors Queen Liliuokalani. She founded the elementary school on Waialae Avenue that bears her name.

But a lot has changed.

"The enrollment has been slowly declining," said Randy Moore, assistant superintendent with the state Department of Education.

Queen Liliuokalani School is being considered for possible consolidation.

Community organizer Dwight Synan and others think a better idea would be to turn the elementary school into a charter school for middle-schoolers.

Read more

Charter Schools: The Good Ones Aren't Flukes

Andrew J. Rotherham, TIME

Charter schools are all the rage these days. The public is increasingly smitten with them — in this year's Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup education poll, 68% of respondents said they support charter schools, up from 42% in 2000 — but few people know what charters are.

Read more

Principal: Is "Superman" The Conversation We Need?

Katherine Poythress, Honolulu Civil Beat

"Waiting for 'Superman'" isn't even here yet, but local educators can't help talking about it.

The documentary has been touted as a major conversation-starter for public education, but some principals fear it may inaccurately portray public schools as "dropout factories" and charter schools as the only salvation.

Read more

Waiting for Waiting for "Superman"

Katherine Poythress, Honolulu Civil Beat

I've been eagerly looking forward to screening "Waiting for 'Superman,'" which has been touted as one of the most powerful education documentaries in years. And the time has come, finally! It will be here in less than three weeks.

A synopsis says the film shows the state of public education in the U.S. and puts the onus of responsibility for children's futures on everyday people in the community.

Read more