By Jingwoan Chang and Amber Strong Makaiau
In 2019, Hanahau‘oli faculty and staff visited more than 20 progressive schools across the country. This was the ambitious Hele A‘o (Learning Journey) initiative, and the purpose was to spark new ideas, inspire innovation, and plant seeds for future growth at our beloved school. Among the key takeaways from Hele Aʻo was a desire to learn more about social justice as it pertains to progressive education. At a number of schools, Hanahau‘oli faculty and staff saw teachers referring to students as “changemakers.” They also observed language related to diversity, equity, and inclusion as a fully integrated part of progressive school curricula. Above all, the students were able to articulate ways in which they were promoting social justice, and were taking action in their communities.
John Dewey tells us that a defining feature of progressive educators is their “acquaintance with a changing world” (Dewey, 1938, p. 20) and since 2019, much has transpired, which has awoken educators’ moral responsibility to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) work in schools. DEI work is not new to educators, especially those with a progressive philosophy and pedagogy. In fact, concepts like justice and informed action, which aim to bring about systemic change, have always been at the heart of the progressive education movement. However, the current moment has reminded us that attention to social justice in education requires vigilance. It is ongoing work that requires continuous observation, analysis, reflection, and growth. This is evident in the history of Hanahauʻoli School.
Over the years, diversity, equity, justice, inclusion, and action have been woven into the fabric of Hanahau’oli’s school culture and curriculum. This is evident in the school, structures, and traditions established at Hanahau’oli’s founding and in the changes to curriculum and program that were made in response to a changing world. Examples shared by Peters (2018, 2019) include:
1920 - School structures, daily routines, and traditions are grounded in community, shared governance, democratic values, and civic engagement
1930 - Thanksgiving, originally focused on the traditional Pilgrim story, became Makahiki--one example of the school’s commitment to place-based and multicultural learning
1940 - Local and international community service projects are incorporated into schoolwide and individual class curricula, including student-led fundraising for identified causes, distribution of resources, and natural restoration projects
1950 - Hanahauʻoli admissions process is studied and refined, affirming the school’s commitment to a “variety of children and individual diversity”
1960 - Board of Directors adopts a statement of “Hanahauʻoli Aims and Ideals,” which reiterates founding principles such as “to listen thoughtfully, to live and work happily in a group which appreciates democratic values, and to understand self and others”
1970 - Multiage classrooms proposed as a way to formalize the school’s commitment to serve the unique nature of each child, and honor that children learn at different rates and in different ways
1980 - Christmas program becomes a more inclusive Holiday Program aimed at teaching about diverse holiday traditions, religions, and world cultures through music and movement
1990 - Kulaiwi social studies unit on families is expanded to include examples of diverse family structures
2000 - Racial injustice and the civil rights movement is incorporated into the 6th grade curriculum
2010 - Kukunaokala social studies unit on shelters addresses houselessness and engages children in taking informed action at projects like Kahauiki Village, a transitional housing community
2020 - All-gender bathrooms are adopted school-wide, and the school community engages in teaching and learning related to gender equity and inclusion
This ongoing work in social justice education at Hanahauʻoli School was most recently catalyzed by the thoughtful reflections from the Hele A‘o school visits and the growing momentum around DEI movements nationally. More specifically, these factors inspired a team of 13 faculty and staff to volunteer for a DEI Thinking Team in the 2020-21 school year. The group was designed to attend to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a focus on how children and adults at Hanahauʻoli School can continue “to learn about, [and] to put into action, a commitment to diversity and to improving the lives of others'' (Kohn, 2008) in the present moment.
One initiative addressed by the DEI Thinking Team in the 2020-2021 school year was gender identity and expression in our community. On the Northern California Hele A‘o journey, DEI team members Sarah DeLuca, Jennifer Stierli, Lia Woo, and Veronica Kimi observed 1st and 5th grade buddies at Park Day School in Oakland, California introducing their names, hobbies, and gender pronouns with confidence and ease. Similarly, teachers visiting other schools from the Pacific Northwest to the East Coast noted with awe the inclusive messages emblazoned on classroom walls about gender identity and empowerment. Hanahau’oli faculty and staff also saw numerous examples of schools with all-gender bathroom policies. These efforts to “move beyond the pink/blue binary to support students who don’t conform to narrow gender norms” (Kilman, 2013) struck our teachers as profound, yet age-appropriate, ways to promote a community that embraces diversity with action.
Established research supports the importance of early conversations about gender identity and inclusivity across the curriculum (Goldfarb & Lieberman, 2020). A 2009 report found that “nearly 90 percent of transgender youth surveyed had experienced verbal harassment at school because of their gender expression.” Others felt unsafe or experienced physical harassment (Kilman, 2013). Drawing on research and gender inclusive practices at other progressive schools, the DEI team led faculty meetings to share their learning. They also developed a Gender Spectrum Conversations Resource Guide for Hanahau’oli faculty and staff so that individual teams could lead age-appropriate conversations with their homegroups.
In the Junior Kindergarten classroom where anti-bias teaching starts at the young age of four and five, students used literature to spark curiosity, conversation, and understanding about the concepts of identity, diversity, and inclusion. For example, “ALL ARE WELCOME” was a big idea in the book Neither. The children then brought that idea into their classroom agreements and came up with examples of how to welcome others into all aspects of life. Kukunaokala students made similar connections to their classroom agreements, and created signs of inclusiveness that went up around the school.
As students learned to speak more inclusively and confidently about gender expression and identity, they began using bathrooms according to cohort location, without regard for gender, while respecting the pandemic safety bathroom protocols. In December 2020, Hanahauʻoli School facilities staff replaced the existing "Boys'' and "Girls'' bathroom signs around campus with "All-Gender Bathroom" signs.
After winter break, all students gathered for a virtual assembly to hear the story of Hoʻonani Kamai, a local student who identifies neither as a boy, nor a girl, but as being "in the middle." This assembly, a community-wide event to introduce the all-gender bathrooms, laid the groundwork for age-appropriate language related to gender identity. It also deepened conversations around inclusivity, respect, and community. After hearing Hoʻonani say, “I'm not one or the other, boy or girl, I'm both,” a Junior Kindergarten child reflected, “I learned so much and it helped me understand who I am better. And I'm in the middle because I like girl things like wearing dresses. And I'm a boy. I’m both!” School counselor John Kim also worked with 6th grade teachers and P.E. teacher Jewel Toyama to make connections between the existing health curriculum and concepts of gender identity and expression. Since then, teachers have continued to engage students in ongoing conversations related to these topics through literature, art, and music.
To support this work on campus and to extend professional learning around these issues within the broader community--the Hanahau‘oli School Professional Development Center hosted a number of social justice education programs including workshops, courses, and public talks:
Leaders of Social Justice in Education
Learning for Justice: Essentials for the K-12 Classroom
We Have Diversity, We Have Equity, We Have Inclusion: What We Really Need is Change
Moving From Theory To Practice: Using the Social Justice Standards in Anti-Bias Classrooms
Creating Affirming and Just Schools: The Gender Spectrum and Best Practices for Serving LGBTQ Youth
Each of these programs sent the resounding message that the work of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion must be personal, grounded in community, and most importantly, ongoing.
While pandemic response took up much of the attention of Hanahau’oli School faculty and staff in the 2020-2021 school year, we are proud that Hanahau‘oli continued its social justice work in building a strong foundation for a diverse, inclusive, and sustainable democracy. Events occurring outside our mock orange hedge also reinforced the critical role that schools can play in creating a better future society. Through Hele A’o, extended research, and reflection, we learned that social justice work in schools is relevant at all ages and grade levels, and that we must be proactive in initiating these conversations with kids, instead of waiting for events to occur or for students to ask:
Waiting until you hear something from the children to do anti-bias education promotes silence - and abdicates teacher responsibility. It means allowing children to figure out some of the most difficult issues in our society on their own. (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, p. 16)
As we look forward to future work on campus, the DEI Thinking Team is excited to become the formal Social Justice Committee, meeting regularly to support the Hanahauʻoli community. These conversations will continue to be grounded in school-wide beliefs of “respect and responsibility to self and others," along with a continued commitment to progressive education for a just, sustainable, and diverse democracy.
Mahalo to all the members of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee at Hanahau‘oli School: Sarah Deluca, Gabby Holt ’02, John Kim, Veronica Kimi, Maia Dosland, Alex Salas ’07, Jennifer Stierli, Jewel Toyama, Noreen Varney, Lia Woo ’88.
References:
Derman-Sparks, L. and Edwards, J. O. (2016). The Goals of Anti-bias Education: Clearing Up Some Key Misconceptions. Exchange, 14-16.
Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and Education. Simon and Schuster.
Goldfarb, E. S. and Lieberman, L. D. (2020). Three Decades of Research: The Case for Comprehensive Sex Education. Journal of Adolescent Health 68(1), 13-27.
Kilman, C. (2013). The Gender Spectrum: Move Beyond the Pink/blue Binary to Support Students Who Don’t Conform to Narrow Gender Norms. Learning for Justice Magazine (44).
Kohn, A. (2008). Progressive Education. Independent School Magazine.
Peters, R. G. (2018). 100 Years of Joyous Work: Hanahauʻoli School 1918-2018. Hanahauʻoli School.
Peters, R. G. (2019). Hanahauʻoli School: 100 Years of Progressive Education. Mutual Publishing.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Jingwoan Chang left a career as software developer and technical writer to teach high school Mandarin in Chicago Public Schools. After teaching K-12 students in different independent schools in Chicago and Honolulu, she now teaches at Hanahauʻoli School. Her professional interests include the movement away from traditional grading systems, proficiency-based and comprehension-based (CI) language instruction, and social justice education. She is currently a doctoral student at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa, in the department of Curriculum Studies, with a research interest in social justice education in Hawaiʻi.
Dr. Amber Strong Makaiau is a Specialist at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Director of Curriculum and Research at the Uehiro Academy for Philosophy and Ethics in Education, Director of the Hanahau‘oli School Professional Development Center, and Co-Director of the Progressive Philosophy and Pedagogy MEd Interdisciplinary Education, Curriculum Studies program. A former Hawai‘i State Department of Education high school social studies teacher, her work in education is focused around promoting a more just and equitable democracy for today’s children. Dr. Makaiau lives in Honolulu where she enjoys spending time in the ocean with her husband and two children.
