Approve the Hawaii Connections Academy charter application

Hawaii Connections Academy is an innovative, much-needed K-12 virtual public charter school whose mission is to maximize academic achievement for students throughout Hawaii who need an alternative to the traditional classroom, including students with special learning needs.

Working from home or a supervised community location under the guidance of Hawaii-certified teachers with whom they interact via technology, Hawaii Connections Academy students benefit from a rigorous curriculum that is aligned to Hawaii Content and Performance Standards and is the only national program of its kind to be accredited by the Commission on International and
Trans-Regional Accreditation.1 As a high-quality public charter school accessible to students throughout all of the islands of Hawaii, Hawaii Connections Academy will also provide the Hawaii Department of Education (HIDOE) with a unique and effective choice for students seeking a transfer option under No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

Each Hawaii Connections Academy student will have a Personalized Learning Plan and a “Learning Coach” – a parent, extended family member, or other caring adult designated by the parent/guardian. In addition to the curriculum that is rich in print, enhanced by technology, and tailored to their individual learning needs, Hawaii Connections Academy students will have access to powerful learning software and communications tools through the Learning Management System designed specifically for this K-12 virtual school. The school will loan each family a laptop computer and provide for a printer and an Internet connection subsidy. The diverse students to be served by Hawaii Connections Academy have unique educational needs. They may be special education students (as 12-18% of Connections Academy students are nationally) or children who simply learn differently; gifted or struggling or both; grappling with chronic illness or training for the Olympics; be the bullied or the bully. They may attend a school designated as low-performing under NCLB and seek a transfer. For myriad reasons, these students are not thriving in the typical classroom setting but can reach their full potential in a personalized virtual school environment.