By Amber Strong Makaiau
Visionary founder of Hull-House, a Chicago-based settlement house established in 1889, Jane Addams was critical to the development of the American progressive education movement. Vehemently "against a restricted view of education” (Addams, 1910, p. 51), Addams built Hull-House to meet the needs of the community it served and expand traditional notions of schooling by including innovative social, educational, and artistic programs. Philosophically aligned to other pragmatists of the time, she believed that education should not be "disconnected from the ultimate test of the conduct it inspired" (Addams, 1910, p.46). In other words, the collective work of teachers and learners must be rooted in ambitious efforts to engage with communities in creatively addressing the most pressing issues of the current moment so that we are all better equipped to face the unknown challenges of the future.
John Dewey deeply admired Addams and built his own philosophy of education around his experiences at Hull-House. Both Dewey and Addams “saw the value of creating a robust democracy and the importance of education that engaged the students’ experience. They emphasized action in the real world over abstractions” (Bertram, 2015, p. 440). Compared to other big thinkers of the era, Dewey particularly respected Addams’ ability to translate her progressive philosophy of education into action. A testament to this accolade, Hull-House is now remembered as “an excellent example of community inquiry” and an innovative “incubator for new social programs,” which resulted in:
“the first little theater, juvenile court, and citizenship-preparation classes in the United States, as well as the first playground, gymnasium, public swimming pool, and public kitchen in Chicago...Hull-House residents organized labor unions, a labor museum, tenement codes, factory laws, child labor laws, adult education courses, and cultural exchange groups. They collected demographic data and turned it into an early version of geographic information systems to enable scientific approaches to countering the spread of disease, infant mortality, and substance abuse, as well as to ensure equitable treatment of citizens by municipal authorities” (p. 440).
Thanks to the Hull-House legacy, educators now have real world evidence that institutions of education can be more than just places for academic instruction (i.e. teaching students how to read, write, and do math). Instead, schools can be sites for community inquiry and innovative social programming for the purpose of a better life both now and well on into the future.
Given the challenges we face in the COVID-19 era, the lessons learned at Hull-House are relevant and important. This is especially true, as educators find themselves asking: What role can schools play in mitigating the current health crisis, including stopping the spread of COVID-19? As a community hub, can schools provide the students and families they serve with credible information about the pandemic, opportunities for screening and testing, and other on-site medical services? How can educators build bridges between non-profits, business, government, and higher education to design innovative and far reaching programs that meet the current demands of the community? Recently, a program hosted by the Hanahau’oli School Professional Development Center (PDC) illustrated how a broad community coalition here in Hawai‘i--including educators, scientists, physicians, economists, and public health leaders--have come together to answer these questions and live out the legacy of Jane Addams in present times.
The Pacific Alliance against COVID-19 (PAAC), under an award from the National Institutes of Health, Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics Underserved Populations (RADxUP) offered a free, two-day workshop via the Hanahau’oli PDC online. The two-day program was structured as a panel-town hall meeting, and focused on providing strategies for safer school reopening and addressing community members’ questions. A full description of the program can be found here.
The first day of the two-part series included Dr, Sarah Kemble, MD, Hawaii Department of Health State Epidemiologist, and Kara Gormont, RN, School Testing Program Director, who addressed COVID-19 testing in schools and other COVID-19 school issues. Dr. Alika Maunakea, John A Burns School of Medicine, examined the roles of variants, vaccinations, and human behavior on case rates. Paul Kepka, Kamaile Academy PCS Principal, shared his school-based testing program, and Gail Vannatta, Damien Memorial School Assistant Principal for Academics, described her school’s comprehensive strategies for safer school opening, including grade level development of COVID-19 curriculum.
On day two, panelists Dr. Ruben Juarez, University of Hawaii at Manoa Professor of Economics, presented research on attitudes to vaccinations. Kaleolani Hanohano, Kahuku High School Hawaiian Language/Modern Hawaiian History teacher, and Jamie Psak, Kaimuki High School Health Teacher, shared their school’s COVID-19 in-servicing followed by an explanation of student outcomes from teaching the PAAC modules. Kaleolani was joined by fellow curriculum writer Ka‘olinokaimana Yasuoka, Voyager PCS teacher. In both sessions, the town hall format encouraged question asking, sharing concerns, and celebrating successes related to teaching and learning in the COVID-19 era. In both sessions, the facilitators offered significant data and resources. Recordings of the two workshops, as well as presentation slides and accompanying materials may be found here.
Educators who work with Pacific Islander, Filipino, and Native Hawaiian students found the professional development opportunity especially relevant as these communities are currently experiencing higher COVID-19 cases than Asian and White communities in Hawaii. The teachers who attended also appreciated how each of the Hawaii/Pacific-focused curricular modules was accompanied by a 15 minute video and teacher developed lessons. They learned that the PAAC curriculum is constantly being updated based on the most current research and science. For example, Module 4: Tests, Vaccines, and Variants was updated August 23. Teachers across age groups, content areas, and various roles found the interdisciplinary, place-based modules and videos to be relevant and timely. A number of participants in the audience had experimented with the lessons in their classrooms and expressed gratitude for the ways in which the lessons engaged students in public health inquiries with peers and ‘ohana. Messages in the chat illustrated how the curriculum was personally meaningful, culturally responsive, and empowering.
As we continue to find our way while teaching and learning in troubled times, it is important that we reflect and lean on the legacies of those who came before us. Let us remember that despite the challenges they faced, incredible innovations emerged out of their constraints and struggle, many of which have endured and continue to offer opportunities for a better life. Addams reminds us “that no one achieves great progress alone. Collective action was not only more effective, it was also essential to achieve democratic ends by democratic means” (p. 441). By expanding our thinking about the relationship between school and community, we can build the network and democratic systems needed for human flourishing no matter what external obstacles there are to overcome.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dr. Amber Strong Makaiau is a Specialist at the University of Hawaiʻi 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.
Works Cited:
Addams, J. (1910). Twenty Years at Hull-House, with Autobiographical Notes. New York: Macmillan.
Bertram, B. (2015). What Jane Addams Tells about Early Childhood Education. In M. Y. Eryman & B. C. Bruce (Eds.), International handbook of progressive education (pp. 437 - 450). Peter Lang Publishing.
