Column: Our keiki deserve an education fitting their unique needs

Every January, schools, parents and educators celebrate National School Choice Week and the diversity of available education options. As someone who benefited greatly from school choice, I welcome the opportunity to reflect on my educational journey in Hawaii, which was anything but traditional.

My mother was a public school teacher for 30 years before retiring from Mokulele Elementary. As a teacher, she understood the importance of a quality education and where it could take me.

After much deliberation, my parents decided to homeschool their children throughout elementary. For those elementary years, this was the best option for my family.

Homeschooling instilled in me a love for learning inside and outside of our nontraditional classroom. For me, learning wasn’t confined to an 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. school day. Learning also took place in the hours reading before bed, during summers spent visiting museums, even in our backyard, as classroom concepts came to life.

As middle school approached, my parents decided to send me to St. Ann’s, a private Catholic school in Kaneohe. My first experience in a structured classroom enabled me to cultivate new skills, such as public speaking, and group collaboration.

After graduating, I attended Radford High School on a geographical exception. I continued to flourish, taking AP classes, belonging to several student groups, and graduating in the top 5% of my class.

Each learning environment served me in different ways, and allowed me to develop different skills. While homeschooled, I developed independence and a thirst for knowledge. In private school, I learned discipline and collaboration. In public school, I learned the importance of hard work and pushing oneself to succeed.

These lessons were foundational for my career in education policy. Later, when I found myself in Washington, D.C., as a senior policy staffer in Congress, I knew it was thanks to my diverse education.

Experiencing those educational environments taught me a one-size-fits-all education system is never the best option. Children are different. They learn differently, thrive in different environments, and have different strengths. So we should strive to provide the individualized options which enable every child to succeed.

Unfortunately, school choice opportunities for Hawaii families are scarce. While we have many types of schools, including public, private, public charter and homeschools, many families are unable to access some options because of financial constraints.

In other states, families unable to afford the school of their choice are still able to access them through various school choice programs.

The most flexible is an educational savings account (ESA) which enables parents to access a portion of their state’s education funding. The ESA can fund different aspects of their child’s education which may include tuition, textbooks, tutoring, online programs and other learning options.

Another type of program, tax credit scholarships, enables students to attend the school of their choice through tax deductible donations.

Unfortunately, Hawaii does not have either option, or any other school choice program; so many low-income families are forced to send their children to a school which may not be a great fit.

Hawaii has so many wonderful education options, but we shouldn’t be limiting them to those who can afford to pay. Hawaii should implement one or more school choice programs so every family has the ability to provide their children with a personalized education.

Even though National School Choice Week ends Jan. 28, the legislative session is just starting. Lawmakers, and our new governor, have the chance to refocus our education system on students’ educational needs.

I urge them: Put our keiki first and give families the opportunity to provide the best education they can for their children.

Noelani Kahapea is director of policy and strategic partnerships at the Association of American Educators, a nonunion teaching association serving tens of thousands of educators nationwide.