I recently read with interest an article, "British Kids Log On and Learn Math - in Punjab" published in the New York Times. It reports that schools in Britain are outsourcing both supplemental and private education to math tutors in India via online technology.

Reading local newspapers about yearly school progress can certainly be discouraging. And as backwards as it may seem, each article makes me wonder if we are indeed setting the "bar" for success too low? Too low, you say, when students often do not make the minimum proficiency set by each state?

Even though Hawaii was one of the states awarded Race to the Top funds back in the second round, we still know it takes the grass roots efforts of parents and teachers to make positive change for their children academically.

I continue to be amazed at the high quality articles in our local in-flight magazine. Hawaiian Airlines should receive a medal every year for their astounding Hana Hou magazine, which fortunately for everyone "off island" is also featured online.

STEM at MIT is an exciting Web site experience that promotes their summer institute, mentoring program, and parents' programming. The site also offers a resource page with links to NASA Kids, Discovery Channel, and the MIT museum.

A resource like STEMtube would have been fantastic for our family when my son, Philip, was in middle school. He did his science fair project on "Extracting Iron from Cereals" because he realized that in reading the labels on cereal boxes, it was not clear to him what "kind" of iron was inside of them.

I agree with Maurice Elias's blog entry about furlough days for Hawaii's public schools -- a total redesign of the school day to meet the needs of our 21st-century learners. This means relevant, creative-project and service-learning environments aligned not only to state standards but also to student interests.

Recently, Hawaiian Airlines, in its in-flight magazine, ran an inspiring article titled "Kicking Bot" that every K-12 teacher in America should read as food for thought.

Society today seems more likely than ever to accept the idea of holistic solutions to educational and community problems. Each day, foundations are created to reach out to populations that are unable and unprepared to empower themselves.

Being an educator in Hawaii is a truly humbling experience. Each day -- as you work with high-need schools -- you realize that your personal contribution will help not only the immediate community of teachers, students, and families but also future generations as well.