UH Manoa awarded $3.8 million in grants to improve Native Hawaiian educational outcomes

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Contact:
Anna Ah Sam, (808) 956-9217
Office of Student Equity
Kristen Bonilla, (808) 956-5039
External Affairs & University Relations
Posted: Nov 21, 2006

HONOLULU — The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa‘s Office of Student Equity, Excellence and Diversity has been awarded three grants from the U.S. Department of Education totaling $3.8 million over the next five years. The grants support three different programs with various objectives that all ultimately seek to improve and enhance Native Hawaiian educational outcomes.


  • Mānoa Educational Talent Search Program (METS)

    The Mānoa Educational Talent Search Program (METS) will receive nearly $1.1 million over the next five years. METS will provide educational support services, including educational and college planning activities, to 600 participants from Nanakuli Intermediate and High School and Waiʻanae High School. Two-thirds of the participants will be from low-income families and potential first-generation college students.


  • Manana Kūpono: Supporting At-Risk Native Hawaiian Students to Succeed at UH Mānoa

    Manana Kūpono aims to increase postsecondary access for Native Hawaiian high school students from at-risk Oʻahu communities, increase the transfer rate of Native Hawaiian community college students into baccalaureate programs, and increase the retention and graduation rates of Native Hawaiian undergraduate students attending UH Mānoa. To achieve this, the program will provide college preparation outreach activities for these students as well as work with faculty to improve teaching and advising of Native Hawaiian students. The program will receive $1.4 million over the next three years.


  • Program for Afterschool Literacy Support (PALS)

    The Program for Afterschool Literacy Support (PALS) will address the literacy needs of Native Hawaiian children in grades 3 to 6 by examining the effectiveness of specific literacy interventions on student achievement outcomes related to the No Child Left Behind Act. The study aims to answer two research questions — 1) Does a high quality, research-based afterschool literacy program increase student literacy skills and attitudes for students enrolled in "restructuring" schools?; and 2) Is the value of a high quality, research-based afterschool literacy program mediated by the nature of reform efforts at the "restructuring" schools or by student characteristics? The PALS program is supported with an award totaling nearly $1.3 million over the next three years.



The Office of Student Equity, Excellence and Diversity (SEED) recognizes underrepresented groups in higher education, and provides programs for the recruitment and success of students from these groups. Groups that promote diversity in higher education include Native Hawaiians, underrepresented ethnic groups, students transitioning from welfare to work, students with disabilities, under-prepared students, academically gifted students, adults returning to education, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex students. The office also provides administrative support to committees addressing diversity issues at Mānoa and at campuses across the university system.

For more information, visit www.hawaii.edu/diversity.


ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAIʻI

Established in 1907 and fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the University of Hawaiʻi is the state‘s sole public system of higher education. The UH System provides an array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees and community programs on 10 campuses and through educational, training, and research centers across the state. UH enrolls more than 50,000 students from Hawaiʻi, the U.S. mainland, and around the world. For more information, visit www.hawaii.edu.

For more information, visit: http://www.hawaii.edu/diversity