News Brief
Hawaii DOE Progress Leads to Partial Removal of Race to the Top “High Risk” Status
By Abby HexterThe U.S. Department of Education (ED) has announced that the Hawaii State Department of Education is no longer designated as "high-risk" Race to the Top (RTTT) status for its ongoing work on standards, assessments, and data system development and use.
In August 2010, ED awarded Hawaii a four-year $75 million RTTT grant. In December 2011, Hawaii was placed on high-risk status. The removal of high-risk status applies to assurance areas B and C; the state remains on high-risk status in Assurance Areas A, D, and E.
"This is a turning point for us as we continue our strategic transformation in our public schools," said Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. "The progress being made gives us great hope that federal officials will acknowledge the improvements made in the other areas of the grant."
"Hawaii is clearly making gains in its reform efforts, as evidenced in the implementation of the Common Core Standards and the progress of its students," said CCSSO Executive Director Chris Minnich. "I applaud Superintendent Matayoshi, Department of Education staff, and educators around the state for their collaboration and determination to improve education for Hawaii students."
On Feb. 1, 2013 the ED released its second-year RTTT report, which highlighted Hawaii's progress made through August 2012. HIDOE received recognition for a number of major accomplishments over that time period. Hawaii also made significant progress in implementing important reforms, including programs to support educator effectiveness, implementing the Common Core State Standards, and maintaining a longitudinal data system.
To learn more about the Hawaii's RTTT accomplishments, please visit: http://hawaiidoereform.org/. To read about the HIDOE and Board of Education strategic plan, click here.