Previous writings focus on why centering assessment design around students' cultural, social, and/or linguistic diversity is important and how performance-based assessment can support such aims. This article extends previous work by describing how a culturally responsive classroom assessment framework was created from a culturally responsive…

The transgressive use of language by out-group speakers, or crossing is used in a variety of ways to achieve both affiliative and disaffiliative ends among youths. However, crossing can also be used as an affiliative resource in asymmetrical power relations between teachers and students. Reporting on the findings of a 1.5 year ethnography of an…

"How come your students are so engaged?" "What are the reasons your students perform so well on the Hawai'i State Assessments and Advanced Placement Exams?" "What makes the student experience in your classrooms so different?" "How do you use philosophy to teach language arts and social studies?" "The…

In the struggle to raise U.S. students' achievement in literacy, Hartnett-Edwards says, the emphasis has shifted from finding the right materials to creating better teachers. Central to creating better teachers are literacy coaches. The author claims that the role of literacy/reading coach has evolved beyond its roots in NCLB legislation, when…

This study examined outcomes of using a generative multimedia environment for writing. Students in grades 9 to 12 enrolled in a special education language arts class participated in an eight-week intervention during which they wrote five stories that included pictures, audio, and text. Stories were scored using a Hawaii standards-based rubric…

An educator within Hawaii's PETOM (Preservice Education for Teachers of Minorities) program discusses student evaluation, reflecting upon his own teaching and assessment practices and examining culture and multiple learning styles. Because traditional assessment is not always appropriate, teachers must be willing to be creative, involving students…

The article relates one teacher educator's experiences teaching a course in language development to college students in Hawaii's PETOM (Preservice Education for Teaching of Minorities) program. The teacher learned about building on background knowledge, starting with students' experiences, and providing opportunities for dialogs with students. (SM)

Elementary principal from Hau'ula, Hawaii, explains how her diverse students require teachers who understand their unique needs, noting how she hires graduates of Hawaii's PETOM (Preservice Education for Teaching of Minorities) program because their awareness of cultural differences and cultural compatibility is effective for Hau'ula's low…

Describes PETOM (Preservice Education for Teachers of Minorities), a Hawaiian education program that believes education is most effective when children are taught through a process that is compatible with their home culture. In their coursework, students develop cultural sensitivity and appreciation, analyze relevant cultural features, and create…

Discusses changes being made in Hawaii's PETOM (Preservice Education for Teachers of Minorities) program, highlighting graduate support and networking, total immersion of students in the program, partnerships between faculty and field experience teachers, and educational technology. The article examines how PETOM faculty members are maintaining…

Video is a powerful tool, and it can be used to motivate student achievement and learning. One of the greatest advantages in getting students to work with digital media is that they can retake and re-edit a project until they are satisfied with it. Students become very occupied in applying what they have learned by producing mini-documentaries,…

Describes features that make the Preservice Education for Teachers of Minorities (PETOM) program unique among Hawaii's teacher education programs. Designed to prepare educators to teach children of culturally diverse backgrounds, the PETOM program includes a committed staff, modeling of effective teaching strategies (including collaboration), and…

An elementary teacher who completed her preservice fieldwork with Hawaii's PETOM (Preservice Education for Teaching of Minorities) program discusses the experimental process she uses to teach students to read and to love reading. By presenting her diary, the article highlights her whole-language approach to teaching a love of reading. (SM)

As teachers, an important part of planning curriculum is considering the relevance of what they teach their students. The author believes that project-based learning that integrates technology, language arts, and critical media literacy can be a powerful tool for learning. Not only does this kind of work connect students to the curriculum, it also…

As part of Hawaii's PETOM (Preservice Education for Teachers of Minorities) program, future educators are taught not only to teach but also to enjoy reading and writing. The article explains how PETOM students learn the joys and struggles of reading and writing and learn to become teachers of the subjects. (SM)