Keola on Lanai (Improving Teacher Quality Grants)

Lanai students and teachers have the least resources in Hawaii with limited opportunities for success at school. Keola on Lanai seeks to enhance instructional practices and student outcomes. This project will provide teachers (9-18) and paraprofessionals (14) with leading edge educational practices; and improve the outcomes of students (80), who are 2+ years below grade level.

Goals include:

1. Introduce new teaching strategies. Teachers and paraprofessionals have subject matter knowledge in the academic subjects and will gain additional knowledge to integrate computers and technology. They will be introduced to ACE Literacy programs, including Math, and to Video Futures for skills needed to succeed in school (ACE = Actual Community Empowerment).
2. Improve performance of children and youth in with low academic achievement, by boosting much-needed skills in positive learning experiences. Using Computer ACE, TeenACE and ACE Puzzles, students will improve their literacy and math skills (1-3 yrs).
3. Create positive learning experiences in all grades through new methods. We will support teachers in other teaching/learning methods of their choice, based on principles of feedforward, the 90:10 rule, and project-based learning. Teens will learn to create video feedforward (self modeling) under teacher supervision. Teachers will select programs from an available menu.
4. Provide accountability through data. We will systematically assess the professional development of teachers and paraprofessionals. School staff will provide data on outcomes of their students, related to literacy acquisition and other aspects of school bonding and performance. Main outcomes will be studied in an experimental research design.