Focus on Creating Solutions • Focus on Students • Focus on Teaching & Learning

Focus on
Creating Solutions

The Hawai‘i Small Schools Venture promotes and supports school redesign in Hawai‘i's secondary schools with a number of activities and services:

• We support a Hawai‘i faculty and research cadre that is involved in developing, documenting, and disseminating understandings about high school redesign.
  
  
• We provide professional development institutes that focus on teaching and learning, organizational structure, and facilitative leadership.
  
  
• We organize parent/community focus groups.
  
  
• We facilitate/arrange visitation to recognized exemplary sites in Hawai`i and across the country.
  
  
• We provide opportunities to participate in national networks of practitioners and researchers involved in redesigning large high schools.
  
  
• We provide trained small school coaches to assist in the small school planning and implementation process.
  
  
• We assist schools in preparing grant applications.
  
  
• We maintain a Resource Center of materials on school redesign.
  

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Focus on
Students

Successful small schools create real advantages for students. Through large high school conversion, the Hawai‘i Small Schools Venture is working to provide all students with

• a safe and respectful learning environment.
  
  
• an intellectually challenging and engaging curriculum.
  
  
• opportunities for real-world learning.
  
  
• an environment where student voice is encouraged.
  
  
• an adult advocate for each student.
  

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Focus on
Teaching & Learning

The Hawai‘i Small Schools Venture provides technical and funding assistance for large conversion high schools to create autonomous small schools as they strive to

• provide academic rigor and relevance for all students.
  
  
• utilize best teaching practices to meet national, state, and school learning goals.
  
  
• teach for equity.
  
  
• provide service learning opportunities for students.
  
  
• develop professional learning communities.
  
  
• engage in reflective practice.

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