Public schools represent society's belief in all children's potential and promise to become the leaders and shapers of a better future. Yet in Hawaii, as in the rest of the nation, public schools do not serve all students equally. Children in wealthy neighborhoods attend schools with more resources and higher-performing peers than children in less wealthy neighborhoods. Children of different ethnic backgrounds fare differently, with widely varying achievement scores and graduation rates. This means that students' opportunities vary greatly depending on their race and socioeconomic status. In a nation founded on the principle that all are created equal, we need a system of public education that raises all students to the same high standards, not a system that deepens existing inequalities. Achieving equality and closing the "achievement gap" between students of different backgrounds depends on a political and educational system that supports all students' achievement through policy reforms, transformational leadership, fiscal transparency, high expectations, and data-driven planning, curriculum, and instruction. It also depends on parent, community, and student commitment to entering school ready to learn and with unflagging focus on educational goals.
The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation is committed to closing the achievement gap in public education so that all of Hawaii's children have access to a high-quality education that prepares them to pursue a wealth of future opportunities. The health of families, our communities, our economy, and our democracy depends on a system of excellent public schools for all students.
The Foundation's public education investment goal is to help eliminate the achievement and preparation gaps by building school and community leadership.
Preparing Leaders to Close the Achievement and Preparation Gaps:
The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation is committed to the creation of a school system characterized by the high achievement of all students. Research and case studies show that strong principals, teachers, and community leadership are critical to creating a school system that helps all students succeed. To help sustain and cultivate excellent school leadership, the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation supports efforts that:
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