I think it needs to be performance-based. Another important group in the formula is parents. I think we need parents. A lot of our parents are not making their kids attend school, making sure they do their homework. Parents need to be sure that their children attend school and do their homework.
Businesses also have a role.
They need to let schools know what they are looking for in a future work force, she said. They need to tell the school what they need in the way of skills when kids leave school. If we enable kids, especially with high-tech skills, then we don't have to pull workers from the mainland. Schools over time have become disenfranchised from the community and there needs to be a move back toward putting schools at the center. The editor of Honolulu magazine was an active parent in Waialae Elementary School's early efforts as one of Hawaii's first two charter schools.