Kākau Mea Nui (Writing Matters)

The purpose of the proposed Kākau mea nui (Writing Matters) Project is to change teachers’ attitudes, knowledge, and skills for teaching writing, thus impacting upon NH students’ writing proficiency. Literacy is critical to success in the 21st century, and students who lack basic writing skills face considerable barriers to success within and after school. This school-wide writing project is located at Waimanalo Elementary and Intermediate School (Kindergarten-8th grade), a high-poverty school with over 500 students, a significant majority of Native Hawaiian/part-Hawaiian (61%) students and 79% on free/reduces lunch. Thirty-three teachers and support personnel are participating in on-going professional development activities, designed to address the unique education needs of NH students and increase writing proficiency.

The project objectives are to: 1) build a collaborative relationship with administrators, teachers and support personnel; 2) design and deliver professional development (PD) activities on writing instruction and strategies which use culturally responsive methods and are developmentally appropriate (grade K-8); 3) evaluate the effectiveness of PD activities on increasing NH students’ writing proficiency using valid qualitative and quantitative measures; and 4) disseminate and sustain effective components. The evidenced-based writing activities and strategies, aligned with the Common Core State Standards, focus on explicit writing instruction (Learning to Write), increased writing opportunities across content areas (Writing to Learn), coupled with the use of technology (web-based writing tool and word processing) for ongoing assessment to gauge students’ progress and needs. Targeted instruction, practice, and descriptive feedback through on-going professional development (PD) and coaching activities provide a comprehensive approach to developing and improving writing instruction, with the measurable outcome of increased writing proficiency of Native Hawaiian students.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Norma Jean Stodden