Summary

Kanuikapono Hawaiian-focused Public Charter School incorporated the power of the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) standards and movement, the power of Hawaiian values to support happiness, wholeness, and mental health to create their own SEL Standards Framework seen below.

Standards must be integrated into the curriculum plan at every grade level, so Kanuikapono worked to integrate CASEL and Illionois SEL guides and created a listing of the Hawaiian qualities, behaviors, and ethos to guide SEL integration.

Because of the importance of this effort and its potential peacebuilding power, Susan Chandler and partners worked to develop a guide to simplify Hawaiian values-enriched implementation. This guide can help teachers to effectively implement these principles in their classroom work.

Instructional leaders in the school see the educational plan as a tree with roots, branches and leaves.
Here is a depiction of the Academic Plan – Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)

This illustration shows Elements of this SEL-balanced Instructional Approach.

Professional Development Support will be needed to Implement this Hawaiian-based SEL Across the Curriculum.

The work done by Susan and colleagues could well benefit educators in other Hawaii schools and beyond as we engage in the important work of supporting emotional health and growth of our youths.