Blogs on Hawaii

Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, recently discussed a report from Public Agenda titled "Important, But Not for Me: Parents and Students in Kansas and Missouri Talk About Math, Science, and Technology Education." The report found that even though parents and students say that they understand the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, they don't see how it applies to them personally.

Interdisciplinary events can demonstrate the achievements of the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards, and they motivate K-6 students with learning opportunities related to those standards.

This is the first post in a two-part entry.

Grassroots efforts are revitalizing the understanding of how STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) applies to everyday life for communities in Hawaii. The journey began in Hilo at the Institute for Astronomy nine months ago when the Charter School Administration Office sponsored a one-day brainstorming session to expand the definition of STEM across Hawaii's communities.

When single mom Kelly Stern moved to Hawaii in 1990, she did not know the local public school system was poorly rated in educational quality compared to those in other states across the nation. Private schools were financially out of her reach, so Stern reached out to other families in similar situations.