While teachers and schools across the country actively work to impart curricula that is relevant and meaningful to their students, the written standards and reading lists too often represent a Eurocentric perspective and reinforce inequities perpetuated by the status quo. Too frequently, teachers are inadequately supported with or provided…

"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…

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…

The purpose of this handbook is to provide assistance to kindergarten through grade two classroom teachers in assessing student needs and implementing strategies to increase student achievement and mastery of the basic skills in the language arts. The first part of the handbook presents the underlying considerations in determining appropriate…

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…

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)

Describes the field experience component of Hawaii's PETOM (Preservice Education for Teachers of Minorities) program. Student teachers visit rural schools, becoming acquainted with their future students and schools. PETOM offers experience with many classrooms and teaching modules. Students are encouraged to reflect and analyze, thus developing…

The paper presents an overview of a two-year program called PETOM (Preservice Education for Teachers of Minorities), which receives funding from the Kamehameha Schools and the University of Hawaii to prepare teachers of underachieving minority children. The program educates teachers who can make school successful for Hawaii's minority students.…