Report echoes concern about Hawaii schools reforms

HONOLULU — A new report by an education policy think-tank echoes the U.S. Department of Education’s concern about progress by Hawaii schools on promised Race to the Top reforms.

The Washington, D.C.-based Center for American Progress report was released Monday, a day before four federal officials visit Hawaii to examine the state’s Race to the Top performance. State education officials were warned in December that a $75 million grant could be taken away.

The federal review team will include Ann Whalen, director of the implementation and support unit and Melissa Siry and Monika Bandyopadhyay, program officers for the unit. Because of Hawaii’s “high-risk” status, Jane Hess, an attorney with the Office of General Counsel, will also be in Hawaii.

The report is a state-by-state evaluation of Race to the Top performance of how states that won awards have met promises. The high-profile competition is a signature education initiative under the Obama administration, meant to kick-start key education reforms in states and districts and create the conditions for greater educational innovation. Of the 11 recipients, only Hawaii and Florida are “not meeting expectations,” according to the report.

Stephen Schatz, Hawaii’s assistant superintendent for strategic reform who is overseeing the Race to the Top effort, noted Monday that a lot of data in the report is based on the first year of the grant. “We’ve made a lot of progress since then,” he said. “We’ve turned the corner.”

State education officials have said some reforms have been slowed by a labor dispute between the state and the teachers union. The union is embroiled in a prohibited practice complaint it lodged with the state labor relations board against the state. The union claims the state violated members’ rights by implementing its “last, best and final” contract offer over the summer.

While reiterating state budget cuts and teacher contract disputes delayed implementation of several key promises — such as lengthening the school year and rewarding teachers who improve student learning — the report notes Hawaii has fulfilled many commitments that don’t require a collective bargaining agreement.

“Now, a year into the program, the state can point to some clear and important victories. Using federal dollars the state has improved graduation requirements, broadened access to early childhood programs and boosted the ability of educators to use student data,” the report said.

The union’s labor dispute is not to blame for all the delays, the report said, which is what union leaders want to stress when they meet with the federal reviewers on Tuesday. “We want to know how labor negotiations will affect the grant,” said Wil Okabe, president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association. “It’s for the kids, but there needs to be buy-in from the teachers.”

The report also highlights how Secretary of Education Arne Duncan was reportedly “surprised and upset” and his staff was in a “near panic” when Hawaii became a winner, as few observers thought that Hawaii would win a grant.

Ulrich Boser, the report’s author, said many will be paying close attention to what happens with Hawaii’s grant after this week’s visit.

The visit will not yield immediate decisions and is part of annual on-site program reviews of each grantee.

“Our team on the ground is there to listen and learn from state and local officials,” said Liz Utrup, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Education. “After the visit and over the next several weeks, the team will follow up with the Hawaii Race to the Top officials to ensure we have a full understanding of where the state stands in meeting the commitments outlined in their plan.”

Schatz said he’s hopeful the team will see improvement from the previous visit. “The picture the U.S. DOE will see this week is a different one from what they saw in June 2011,” he said.

Among the recommendations the report makes is for states to do more to honestly communicate their problems and successes to the public. Boser noted Hawaii has created a website, http://hawaiidoereform.org , but said it could go further. “We’ve seen states produce these very rosy, glossy documents,” he said. “It’s hard to believe in those documents if they’re overly optimistic.”