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The state of Hawaii’s plan for improving public education under the Every Student Succeeds Act was approved Friday by the federal government. Read more

The state of Hawaii’s plan for improving public education under the Every Student Succeeds Act was approved Friday by the federal government.

U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos signed off on plans submitted by Hawaii’s Department of Education as well as those of five other states.

Hawaii Schools Superintendent Christina Kishimoto said the state’s plan “empowers our educators to innovate and design schools that meet the needs of their communities.”

“This plan is a reflection of the voices of our students, teachers, parents, administrators and community partners that worked together to offer their recommendations on the direction of public education in Hawaii,” she said.

Under the plan, Hawaii will measure success with various indicators, including academic performance, chronic absenteeism, teacher retention, family engagement and the backlog of facility repairs.

The Every Student Succeeds Act requires states to set long-term goals and interim targets for all students as well as subgroups, such as low-income students and English language learners.

“Today’s approval is good news for Hawaii,” Gov. David Ige said in a statement. “We’re moving ahead to better prepare our students to be competitive in today’s global innovation economy.”

In a letter to Kishimoto, DeVos offered her congratulations and thanked education leaders for their efforts to “lead Hawaii’s students to achieve at high levels.”

The executive summary of the plan is available online at 808ne.ws/ESSAplan.