Hawaii

There is just not much to say about a state that, despite its beauty and the warmth of its people, simply hasn’t given parents the power they need to better educate their children. Recent modest improvements to the state’s charter law gives it a slight boost, but few chances to learn through digital means, poor teacher quality measures, and little transparency yields a persistently low score on the Parent Power Index.

The state only permits parents choices among traditional public schools (often called open enrollment or public school choice), which permits students to attend any public school in the state if there is room.

SOURCE: The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice

Hawaii has one of the weaker charter laws in the country. In 2012, the governor signed a bill to improve the charter law. Some of the changes appear to be strong, including creating a statewide, semi-independent commission to authorize schools, and giving more freedoms to charter schools with regard to teachers and basic rules and regulations. However, until the commission is actually approving new charter schools, it’s unclear how effective these changes will be.

SOURCE: The Essential Guide to Charter School Law 2013 National Ranking and Scorecard

Access and acceptance of online learning is extremely scarce, despite a fairly favorable policy environment.

SOURCE: Digital Learning Now!

The state has recently changed its teacher policies for the better, including annual evaluations where student growth accounts for 50 percent of the total rating. Tenure is given after three years, and receiving it is tied to performance it, but revocation is not. Teachers who receive unsatisfactory evaluations are eligible for dismissal, but performance is outweighed by seniority in layoff decisions.

Beginning in mid-2013, pay increases will be tied to performance ratings and teacher evaluations, and there are also bonuses for teachers rated highly effective.

SOURCE: National Council on Teacher Quality

Hawaii has no local school boards. School governance is centralized at the state Board of Education. Additionally, no information on school report cards, evaluations or options is available online at the state Department of Education’s website.