SPIRIT OF ALOHA, A PROGRAM ASSESSMENT

Spirit of Aloha, A Program Assessment

An Action Research Project

Submitted to Dr. David R. Blair

By

Gregory P. Harrs

In partial fulfillment of the obligations for the

Master of research in Educational Administration

National University La Jolla, San Diego California

10/20/2010

Copyright ( 2010 by Gregory P. Harrs

All Rights Reserved

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY

School of Education

Department of Education Administration

We certify that we have read this action research project of Gregory P. Harrs entitled Spirit of Aloha, A Program Assessment and that, in our opinion, it is satisfactory in the scope and quality of an action research project for the degree of Master of Science in Education Administration in the School of Education, National University.

Signature____________________________________ Date_____________________________

Dr. David R. Blair

Instructor, EDA 637 (Action Research)

Signature______________________________________ Date_______________________________

Gary Hoban, Ph.D.

Department Chair, Education Administration

Signature_______________________________________ Date______________________________

C. Kalani Beyer, Ph.D.

Dean, School of Education

Chapter 1: Introduction

The Spirit of Aloha program is a culture- based, place-based, service learning program that was designed to increase student engagement, academic performance and community participation within the context of our Hawaiian host culture. This program has been implemented on the Big Island of Hawaii in a public secondary school by myself, parent volunteers and many elders from the Hawaiian community, as an initiative to help create academic relevance and meaning for our students raised in a very diverse mix of Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Asian and Western cultures. Service learning activities involve the restoration and maintenance of Hawaiian historical sites, Hawaiian cultural performance, history and language studies, and school beautification projects. This pilot program was launched in the 2006-2007 school year and is currently funded by a Twenty-First Century Community Learning Center, federal grant. The Spirit of Aloha program has run for the last four consecutive years, during the last ten Saturdays of the academic school year.

This seventy-hour program is an approved elective social studies course where students can earn academic credit that can be used towards credit recovery and meet graduation requirements. I hope to examine and determine if this cultural-based, place-based, service-learning program has achieved its goals of increasing student engagement, increasing academic performance and decreasing negative attitudes towards school. Due to our relative isolation in the Hawaiian Island and our unique culture and history, it is common for students to feel a disconnection between classroom instruction and it's relevant application. Many teachers grow frustrated with the disparity between our student's academic potential and their actual academic achievement. Historically, the traditional Hawaiian classroom was in the mountains, on the farm or on the beach. A sense of place and practical application was the center of all lessons taught and learned. For many of our students raised in the Hawaiian Islands, the Western system of schooling is not intuitive or meaningful to them in any practical way. Due to the large number of academic failures at our school, we need to assess the way instruction is being delivered. If we are going to increase academic rigor, we must effectively address the specific needs of our students and community. Background and declaration of the problem

As a social studies teacher, ...