Hawaii Noyce Teacher Scholarships NSF Evaluation
This project produced locally grown well-trained educators that are personally aware of the cultural and ethnic diversity of the Hawaiian Islands. This broader understanding of the interplay between culture and science in Hawai’i allowed HINTS scholars to more successfully promote participation and critical thinking in underrepresented groups and students in rural areas.
Scholars participated and presented in several national math and science conferences and faculty produced several publications.
Evaluation data reflected scholars who were continuing to progress in their program, graduated and were working in the field, and two who did not continue in the program. Major activities such as Math Day were evaluated and demonstrated positive results from participants and scholars.
Hawaii Department of Health, Maternal Child Health Branch contract
Hawaii Department of Health, Maternal Child Health Branch contract assisted with the planning, implementation and follow-up assistance with the development of a three-year strategic plan. CDS also provided assistance with the implementation of training sessions related to child mortality issues.
New Beginnings for English Language Learners (NB-ELL)
Today’s schools are becoming increasingly diverse with students, who are multicultural and multilingual, and teachers who do not feel prepared to design instruction that meets the needs of all learners. The goal of the NB-ELL project was to provide professional development training to in-service classroom teachers to promote the use of evidence-based strategies that increase academic achievement for students who are English language learners (ELL). Four 15-week graduate level courses were developed, refined, and offered over the 5 years of the project. The 3-credit courses focused on teaching language and literacy skills to multi-language learners through the content areas of science, technology, and math (STEM).
The four courses were asynchronous and offered on line through UH Manoa’s distance learning technology system (Laulima). This provided opportunities for professional development to teachers in rural and geographically remote areas across the state of Hawaii, American Samoa (AS), and The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). A total of 318 teachers completed the courses and earned 3 PD (or university) credits in partnership with UH Manoa’s Outreach College and Hawaii Department of Education’s PDE3 system. These PDE3 credits could be used for teachers’ step and salary increases.
During each course the teachers applied what they learned by implementing an 8-week case study. The case study included: (a) creating detailed profiles of each student, (b) designing 3 standards-based lesson plans that included the strategies they had learned, (c) a data collection plan, and finally (d) a summary analysis and reflection on the data, student achievement, and outcomes. The case studies were applied with at least 1- 3 students who the teachers selected and believed would benefit from the intervention(s). Some teachers were able to implement an after-school program and/or use paraprofessionals to support the endeavor.
We developed a consent form and set of six comprehensive evaluation surveys for each of the courses. The evaluation data was collected and analyzed each semester and the results used to improve the courses and project operations. Surveys showed that the teachers were ‘very satisfied’ with the courses (overall mean rating = 4.25/5.00) and thought the strategies implemented in the case study were useful, of good quality, and highly relevant. The majority reported that they intended to continue using the strategies in the future. A qualitative analysis of 72 teacher responses on RC-Math (a doctoral dissertation) supported the quantitative survey findings of the positive impact the courses had on the teachers’ instructional pedagogy. This analysis, based on transformational learning theory, supported the hypothesis that long-term change could be achieved through sustained and applied professional development learning across a semester.
Shorter 5-week trainings were specially adapted to meet the needs of teachers in American Samoa and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and offered in summer sessions. Seventy-six teachers completed these trainings on a variety of topics for multilingual learners including: writing in science, reading comprehension in science and math, and technology and UDL.
Dissemination of the project results was completed through a variety of presentations (49) at national and international conferences; published articles (2 are under development), and through creating a network of PD trainees. An accessible web site was established to provide information relevant to the project as well as online resources teachers were invited to use. These resources include training videos and lesson plans on a variety of science/math topics for various grade levels.
In 2015, one of our foundational programs, TeenACE Writing in Science, received an exemplary program award for services in inclusive environments from the American Council on Rural Education (ACRES).
Evaluation of Family Court’s Zero-to-Three Program (11/1/14-7/31/16)
The Center on Disability Studies was contracted through an MOA to evaluate how well the Family Court of the First Circuit was meeting its objectives in implementing the Hawaii Zero-to-Three (HZTT) program, funded by a grant from the US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The purpose of HZTT was to support the reunification of parents with their infants and toddlers ages 0 to 3 years who had been removed to foster care due to abuse and/or neglect. HZTT was designed to accomplish this through creation of a multidisciplinary support team for each family; intensified case management; and regular Family Court hearings to ensure clients were meeting their obligations to participate in services and maximize visitations with their children in foster homes.
The evaluation was carried out by David Leake. The primary evaluation challenge was lack of information about the key evaluation indicators, including reduction of alcohol or drug consequences; decrease in length of stay in foster care; increase in visitations by parents; improved timeliness of service procurement; and increase in access to services. Paper files were examined to obtain relevant information on only 10 out of 19 participating families, and the information was incomplete for many of those 10 families. To gain fuller understanding of the system and its strengths and weaknesses, qualitative interviews were therefore conducted with eight adult clients and with eight professionals involved in HZTT.
Based on the available information, there were strong indications that HZTT was having a clear beneficial impact for those parents who took advantage of the available services. This conclusion was presented in the final 50-page report (submitted at the end of July 2016) which included detailed summaries of the available data and of the interview responses. The CDS study was cited in the text of a bill in the Hawaii State Legislature to fund HZTT so it could continue after the end of its grant funding. Unfortunately, this bill was not passed, but it is expected that the Keiki Caucus will again propose similar legislation in the 2018 session.
Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice in Hawaii with a Focus on People with Disabilities (10/21/15-04/20/17)
Jurisdictions receiving Federal funds for housing are required to regularly submit reports to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development that describe an analysis of impediments to fair housing choice and provide plans for addressing identified impediments. The UH Center on Disability Studies was engaged to conduct the State of Hawaii’s analysis of impediments because the eight State and County housing agencies responsible for the report decided that is should focus on people with disabilities. This is because “disability” has become the most common basis for complaints alleging housing discrimination.
The CDS study team consisted of David Leake, Heather DeWoody, Sharene Chow, Tammy Tom, and Eran Kong. They produced a report of 133 pages with an appendix of 168 pages. The primary impediment identified is the lack of housing for rent or purchase that is both affordable and accessible for people with disabilities. The report’s most substantive recommendation is that all new housing in Hawaii should be mandated to meet the lowest level of accessibility (called Type C) according to U.S. and international building codes: (1) at least one zero-step entrance; (2) interior doors with at least 32 inches of clear passage space; (3) at least a half bath (preferably a full bath) that is accessible on the main floor; (4) reinforcement in bathroom walls for future grab bar installation; (5) space to maneuver a wheelchair in food preparation areas; and (6) light switches and electrical outlets within comfortable reach for all.
This basic level of accessibility is often referred to as “visitable” because it helps prevent social isolation by enabling people with mobility impairments to visit their friends, relatives, and neighbors. Visitable homes are also often promoted as essential for enabling people to age-in-place without the need for expensive modifications, such as installing wheel chair ramps or making bathrooms accessible.
CDS is taking a lead role in promoting visitable housing, through talks to relevant audiences, working with legislative bodies to draft legislation, and promoting collaboration on this issue through a listserv and a website. An initial success was assisting Honolulu City Council member Brandon Elefante draft a resolution (passed in May 2017) requesting the city administration to study and implement changes to the housing code to require visitability for all new homes.