What if we had a high school modeled after the best research?
For no more than $10,000 per pupil, controlled and spent at the school level, we could do it.
The Hawaii State Teachers Association proposal is a place to start. Its agenda includes a broad curriculum, class-size caps, support for teachers and good facilities.
Our ideal school would educate the whole child — with art, music drama, PE, science, social studies, civic education, etc.
The University of Hawaii Lab School, with less operating funds than state Department of Education schools, manages to “require” all of these for all students. Cost? $0.
The new C3 civics framework focuses on geography, history, economics and government to prepare future citizens. This is policy, not finance. Cost? $0.
It would be a small high school, no larger than 400 students, using multiple class sizes for subjects and projects, often mixing grades and ages. No cookie cutter 27 students in every factory-like classroom. Cost? Creative design for flexible class spaces.
Learning would include inquiry, philosophy and habits of mind — already done at Waikiki Elementary and other schools. Cost? $0.
Service learning would be required, in conjunction with hands-on, project-
based learning. Character education — fostering empathy, good listening, respect, and curiosity about how others think and see the world — are worthy goals. Cost? Professional development for teachers.
The learning day would open campus early, but extend well into the afternoon for various clubs and activities. Teenage brains do not wake up until mid-morning. Cost? A longer school day would require funds to pay adults to be there for more hours; some would be teachers.
Our school should have a public health nurse, a social worker counselor, and an academic counse-lor. Yes, this would have additional costs, but we would save money on delinquency and the prison system.
Teachers deserve sabbaticals, and opportunities to occasionally trade off with teachers at other schools, fostering a multischool learning community. Cost? A few more teachers, who should be provided with free supplies, with some supplies provided through community partnerships.
Students would earn credits for outside success in music, art, the science fair, the speech league, history day and a myriad of other activities that might well operate outside of the regular school day. This is policy, not finance. Cost? $0.
Students should learn democratic decision-making by assisting administrators in creating rules, peer justice programs, and even keeping the books.
Every student would graduate with a portfolio — creating short novels, poems, or screenplays. For social studies, students would write a short history or biography. For science, students would be engaged in progressive, year-by-year research. The high school is a microcosm of society. This is policy and curriculum control. Cost? Planning time among teachers.
The school would educate global citizens who know about, understand and are thoughtful about the multicultural, multinational world we live in. Cost? Geography and world history are already among our standards. More funds needed, perhaps, for foreign language teachers or support for new English learners.
Students would be involved in preparing and teaching lessons for their younger colleagues, as well as mentoring. You learn a lot by having to teach something. Cost? Time — during classes to assist students.
Preparing students for future learning means taking one online course per year. It is a different kind of learning, and one that is increasingly relevant. Cost? Cheaper than a face-to-face class.
The school community councils would be given much more power and money — where they belong. If we funded the school and not the bureaucracy, we could do it.
