# Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Program

# FY 2016 Project Abstracts

## PR Award:  P031R160002

## Institution:  University of Alaska, Fairbanks – Bristol Bay Campus

## Title:  From Education to Employment: Implementing Strategies for Student Success

Priorities Addressed:  Absolute, Invitational, and Competitive Preference Priority 2 

Studies Cited: http://1.usa.gov/1qCgHTw

http://1.usa.gov/1v0T2Ze

Level and Affiliation: The University of Alaska Fairbanks Bristol Bay Campus (UAF BBC), in Dillingham, Alaska is an extended campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a nonresidential four-year public institution that serves 49 Alaska Native villages in the Bristol Bay and Aleutian-Pribilof regions of southwest Alaska.

Student Characteristics:

Faculty Characteristics: As of Fall 2015, UAF BBC has two full time professors who are tenure-track: Environmental Sciences Associate Professor and Sustainable Energy Assistant Professor. Three faculty are term funded: Nursing Assistant Professor, ABE/GED Assistant Professor, and Instructor of Construction Trades Technology. We also share Chemistry, Tribal Management, and Math faculty with the main UAF campus. In addition, UAF BBC has 50 part-time (adjunct) instructors.

Programs of Study: Occupational Endorsements, Certificates, Associate of Arts, Associate of Applied Science, Bachelors, and Master’s degree programs are offered via distance delivery and local instruction in Accounting, Applied Business, Community Health, Early Childhood Development, Education, Environmental Studies, Information Technology, Nursing/Allied Health, Rural Development, Sustainable Energy, and other Technology, Nursing/Allied Health, career and technical education fields.

## PR Award:  P031V160010

## Institution:  Windward Community College

## Title: Mala a’oa’o kaiaulu: Growing a garden of speakers in our community

Despite enrolling a large percentage of Native Hawaiians (40 percent) and increasing Native Hawaiian (NH) and overall graduation, Windward Community College (WCC) suffers from decreased high school and adult learner enrollment, an increased NH gap in graduation, and lower than expected growth for our A.A. Hawaiian Studies. While our community is rich with Hawaiian language medium K-12 schools, there is no Hawaiian medium education for post-secondary education. This is reflected in low, unstable enrollment of immersion students in college.

***Goals:***

WCC Goal 1: Increase the educational capital of the state by increasing the participation and completion of students, particularly Native Hawaiians, low-income students.

WCC Goal 2: Create more high-quality jobs and diversify Hawaiʻi’s economy .. addresses the challenges and opportunities faced by Hawaiʻi and the world.

WCC Goal 3: .. modernize .. campus environments to be safe, sustainable and supportive of modern practices in teaching, learning and research.

WCC Goal 4: .. commitments *to being a foremost indigenous-serving college and advancing sustainability.*

***Activities:***

· **Ke ʻAla Hele o Ka Naʻauao “The Pathway of Knowledge”**

Develop a Hawaiian language based curricular pathway, which includes both a short-term certificate credential for Hawaiian language paraprofessionals and substitute teachers, as well as an associate’s level credential, which can lead to baccalaureate transfer.

· **Na Kaunoʻo Aʻoaʻo “Centers of Instruction/Learning”**

Create community-based Hawaiian language centers to provide pathways to college through partnering with and leveraging current K-12 language learning centers.

· **Aʻahu Noʻeau “Armor of Wisdom”**

Provide professional development for WCC instructors in order to increase WCC’s capacity to offer Hawaiian medium instruction.

This project is built upon best practice strategies such as Content and Language Integrated

Learning (Goris et al. 2013) (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263339008_Effects_of_the_Content_and_Language_Integrated_Learning_approach_to_EFL_teaching_A_comparative_study ) and Early College High School (American Institutes for Research 2013) (http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/ECHSI_Impact_Study_Report_Final1_0. pdf) which meet standards for moderate evidence of effectiveness (CPP2).  Successful completion of this project will result in real and positive change for this institution and our community. Implementation of the activities and associated tasks will increase Hawaiian Language certificate and degree completion by 15 graduates, A.A. Hawaiian Studies completions by 10 percent per year, and overall NH degree completions by 15 percent at project end. This addresses the NH graduation gap and lower than expected A.A. Hawaiian Studies degree completion through enrollment of immersion students, their parents and school family in college sites at the immersion schools in a curricular pathway that is cohesive with their educational and cultural values, utilizing Hawaiian medium education at the college level. This will be the only such immersion pathway at a community college in Hawaii and can serve as a model for the state in addressing Native Hawaiian higher education needs. It positions us as a foremost indigenous serving institution, creates sustainable learning environments, and addresses a shortage of immersion language teachers by creating a language-based pathway for potential teachers through the community college system.

## PR Award:  P031V160011

## Institution:  Windward Community College

## Title:  Puʻuhonua ʻPlaces of sanctuary’: Empowering incarcerated & highly at-risk community members to grow through education

Despite enrolling a large percentage of Native Hawaiians (40 percent) and increasing Native Hawaiian (NH) and overall graduation, Windward Community College (WCC) suffers from decreased high school and adult learner enrollment, an increased NH gap in graduation, and decreased service to incarcerated and at-risk youth populations. The Women’s Community Correctional Center, Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility, and Olomana School are predominantly Native Hawaiian, high needs, and underserved. This project proposes to provide service to these populations and through this increase target enrollment and NH graduation.

*Goals:*

WCC Goal 1: Increase the educational capital of the state by increasing the participation and completion of students, particularly Native Hawaiians, low-income students and those from underserved regions and populations...

WCC Goal 2: ... addresses the challenges and opportunities faced by Hawaiʻi and the world.

WCC Goal 3: .. modernize .. campus environments to be safe, sustainable and supportive of modern practices in teaching, learning and research.

WCC Goal 4: .. commitments *to being a foremost indigenous-serving college and advancing sustainability.*

*Activities:*

· **Na kaunoʻo - ʻApuakea (WCCC) ame Kanikoʻo (OS/HYCF)**

Create college centers of learning for incarcerated females and incarcerated and/or at-risk students (i.e. disengaged from school, other academic risk factors, and/or history of failures) on the windward side.

· **Waihona Hoʻonaʻauao "Building the education"**

Create college credit curriculum specific to these populations that leads toward a degree or certificate appropriate to the specific population.

· **Kakoʻo haumana “supporting students"**

Develop appropriate student support strategies to promote college success for these populations.

This project is built upon best practice strategies such as Early College High School (http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/ECHSI_Impact_Study_Report_Final1_0.pdf) (American Institutes for Research 2013), which meet standards for moderate evidence of effectiveness (CPP2) and will be implemented for OS and HYCF. WCCC will form a cohort of learners. Successful completion of this project will result in real and positive change for this institution and our community. Implementation of the activities and associated tasks will increase Fall to Spring semester NH retention by 5 percent, Fall to Fall NH retention by 5 percent, overall NH degree completions by 15 percent at project end. This addresses the NH retention and graduation gap, which are current weaknesses at WCC. Through development of specific curricular pathways for each population and appropriate student support strategies, the centers developed to provide college education to these populations serve as a model for the state in addressing the higher education needs of incarcerated and highly at risk populations. This is critical as Native Hawaiians are over-represented in both the juvenile and adult justice systems. It positions us as a foremost indigenous serving institution, creates sustainable learning environments, and addresses an underserved,  at- risk population.

## PR Award:  P031V160005

## Institution:  University of Hawaii – Maui

## Title:  Enhancing Music and Hawaiian Performing Arts at UHMC 

Institutional/Student Profile: University of Hawaiʻi Maui College (UHMC) enrolls 3,593 students, and serves the islands of Maui, Molokai, and Lanai, as well as two remote locations in Lahaina and Hana. UHMC enrolls 1,134 Native Hawaiian (NH) Students, comprising 31.5 percent of its total student population. The College has significant performance gaps for the NH student population including persistence (reenrollment), degrees awarded, and transfer to higher levels of education.

The proposed project addresses Competitive Preference Priority #2.

Project Goals:  1) renovate the existing recording space in Ka‘a‘ike 111 to create a flexible learning studio and performance space that allows our Hawaiian students to explore, express, and reinforce their Hawaiian identity through recording and performing arts, and 2) support the development a new Academic Subject Certificate in Hawaiian Performing Arts (ASC-HPA), assess and enhance the existing Academic Subject Certificate in Hawaiian Music (ASC-HM) to allow for instruction to students at UHMC’s Moloka‘i Outreach Center, assess and enhance mainstream music curriculum by infusing it with Hawaiian knowledge, pedagogy, and values, and develop and offer faculty professional development seminars and activities to music faculty so that they can teach the new and modified curriculum, and better understand and address the needs of Native Hawaiian students.

Expected Outcomes:  1) UHMC will have  fully-functional, commercial-quality recording and learning studio to create a Hawaiian sense of place where creativity and expression of Hawaiian- ness is nurtured. According to NH researchers Kanaʻiaupuni and Malone (2006), creating a Native Hawaiian learning space on campus is important as it grounds and strengthens the identity and self-esteem of Native Hawaiian students, which has been positively correlated with   increased persistence and academic success. By creating an intentional space for Hawaiian Studies courses that welcomes Hawaiian perspectives, reinforces Hawaiian identity, and promotes collaboration among faculty and students, we will increase persistence, engagement, degree attainment, and transfer rates by 10 percent (cumulative) for NH students.

2) UHMC will create new and modify existing music and Hawaiian performing arts curriculum to create a new Academic Subject Certificate (A.S.C.) in Hawaiian Performing Arts, enhance curriculum for the existing A.S.C. in Hawaiian Music so that it can be delivered to the island of Moloka‘i, where 70 percent of the students are Native Hawaiian, infused existing music curriculum with Hawaiian knowledge and pedagogy. Fox (2010) has shown how increased participation in indigenous traditional arts has resulted in higher connectedness and healthier ethnic identity, and ultimately to improved well-being, life satisfaction, self-efficacy, and resilience, along with reduced psychological symptoms. Outcomes also include an 80 percent participation rate by music faculty who has been trained to instruct using the modified curriculum and how to address the needs of Native Hawaiian Students.

We will evaluate the impact our activities have on NH student success so that we can contribute to the research on effective pedagogies and strategies for indigenous populations.

Links to CPP 2 Evidence Studies:

· https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4-dxoYqT8hYemNnZTh1YWRwWWM/view

· https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4-dxoYqT8hYLVNKc29yQnptakE/view