The School of Teacher Education (STE), in the UH Mānoa College of Education (COE), has been awarded a $150,000 grant by the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation to redesign the undergraduate elementary education teacher preparation program with a focus on literacy instruction. The two-year project, Redesigning with Kuleana: Preparing Elementary Educators for Hawaiʻi and Beyond, integrates research-based, culturally-sustaining, community-engaged, and innovative teaching practices.
The project team, led by STE Professor Stephanie Buelow and STE Associate Director and Professor Lori Fulton, includes STE Associate Specialist and Elementary Statewide Coordinator Rayna Fujii, STE Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education Leah Muccio, STE Assistant Professor of STEM Education Aaron Sickel, and Assistant Professor of Special Education Cindy Farley.
“This award affirms our collective commitment to preparing knowledgeable, reflective, and culturally-responsive educators,” Fulton said. “Through the generous funding of the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation grant, we now have the resources to engage deeply and thoughtfully in this work alongside faculty, community partners, and other key stakeholders.”
The project centers on literacy as the foundation for all learning. It is rooted in the university’s commitment to being a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning (NHPoL) and aligned with the COE’s Strategic Plan for nurturing innovation and continuous improvement, including the use of new ways to advance equity and sustain excellence in teaching and learning.
STE data currently shows that 84% of graduates report feeling prepared in the area of literacy instruction, and 77% report this same level of preparation for working with students with reading difficulties. The redesigned program will strive to have 100% of graduates report that they feel very prepared to provide literacy instruction to all students.
“Over the next two years, we will work to redesign and align our K–6 elementary program so that teacher candidates learn to teach reading through research-based methods, while also using literacy as a powerful tool for disciplinary thinking across all content areas,” Buelow said. “Most importantly, we will deepen community partnerships through research-based field models, ensuring that our candidates are grounded in authentic, community-centered learning experiences that ultimately benefit Hawaiʻi’s schools and students.”
