Given growing global environmental threats, national shifts in teaching and learning standards, and comparatively low science achievement particularly among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth, it is imperative that we change the way we treat our shared “place” and the way we teach our children. This study discusses findings from a three-year professional development program, the goal of which was to re-empower educators to embrace teaching and learning as a dynamic process that draws on indigenous knowledge and values in the development of 21st Century skills. Through a new construct—STEMS2 (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, social sciences and sense of place) education—the program (A`o Hawai`i) empowered teachers to implement place- and culture-based teaching and learning pathways that fostered student engagement and achievement via real-world application of interdisciplinary content knowledge, supported the social emotional development required for community and civic engagement, and promoted skills related to college and career readiness.