Blueprint for Change in Hawaii: State Teacher Policy Yearbook, 2010
Author: National Council on Teacher Quality
Date: 2010-00-00
Type: Numerical/Quantitative Data
Subjects: Teaching (Occupation),Elementary Secondary Education,Educational Policy,Teacher Evaluation,Teacher Effectiveness,Teacher Improvement,Tenure,Teacher Dismissal,State Government,State Regulation,Academic Achievement,Educational Improvement,Teacher Certification,Alternative Teacher Certification,Needs Assessment,Yearbooks,Retirement Benefits,Educational Change,Teacher Education,Special Education Teachers,Elementary School Teachers,Middle School Teachers,Educational Objectives,Comparative Analysis,Public Schools

The 2009 &quot;State Teacher Policy Yearbook&quot; provided a comprehensive review of states' policies that impact the teaching profession. As a companion to last year's comprehensive state-by-state analysis, the 2010 edition provides each state with an individualized &quot;Blueprint for Change,&quot; building off last year's &quot;Yearbook&quot; goals and recommendations. State teacher policy addresses a great many areas, including teacher preparation, certification, evaluation and compensation. With so many moving parts, it may be difficult for states to find a starting point on the road to reform. To this end, this paper provides a state-specific roadmap, organized in three main sections. Section 1 identifies policy concerns that need critical attention, the areas of highest priority for state policymakers. Section 2 outlines &quot;low-hanging fruit,&quot; policy changes that can be implemented in relatively short order. Section 3 offers a short discussion of some longer-term systemic issues that states need to make sure stay on the radar. In the 2009 &quot;State Teacher Policy Yearbook&quot;, Hawaii had the following grades: (1) Delivering Well Prepared Teachers (D-); (2) Expanding the Teaching Pool (F);   (3) Identifying Effective Teachers (D); (4) Retaining Effective Teachers (D); and (5) Exiting Ineffective Teachers (D). Hawaii has an overall grade of D- for 2009. In the last year, many states made significant changes to their teacher policies, spurred in many cases by the Race to the Top competition. Based on a review of state legislation, rules and regulations, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) has identified no recent policy changes in Hawaii. States were asked to review NCTQ's identified updates and also to comment on policy changes that have occurred in the last year, other pending changes or teacher quality in the state more generally. Hawaii stated that the Hawaii Teachers Standards Board retains full authority over the approval process for teacher preparation programs, but that &quot;programs are now required to obtain National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) unit and Specialized Professional Association (SPA) accreditation in order to be eligible for State Approved Teacher Education (SATE) approval.&quot; The state noted that as described in its Race to The Top (RTTT) proposal, it will provide additional tools to the Hawaii Teachers Standards Board to assist in determining teacher preparation program effectiveness. In addition, the state pointed out that Hawaiian law requires that teachers and Department of Education educational officers be evaluated every year. Hawaii also indicated that it has conducted a study on license portability and will review it for possible policy changes this school year. Meanwhile, the state's New Educator Support Team has recommended a draft of Hawaii Teacher Induction Standards, which is currently being reviewed. In addition, Hawaii pointed out that Hawaii State Teachers Association's past and current contract articulated the process for terminating teachers for unsatisfactory performance. Lastly, Hawaii provided commentary on current policy relating to preparing elementary teachers to teach reading, elementary teacher preparation in math, special education licensure requirements and alternative route to teaching programs. Individual sections contain footnotes. (Contains 5 figures.) [For the related reports, see &quot;Blueprint for Change: National Summary. State Teacher Policy Yearbook, 2010&quot; (ED515614) and &quot;State Teacher Policy Yearbook, 2009. Hawaii&quot; (ED511888).]