Testimony Presented Before the
House Committee on Hawaiian Affairs
March 23, 2011 at 8:30am
by
Donald Straney
University of Hawai‘i at Hilo
HCR 180 – URGING HAWAII’S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO SUPPORT THE
REAUTHORIZATION OF THE NATIVE HAWAIIAN EDUCATION ACT
Chair Hanohano, Vice Chair Lee and Members of the Committee:
The University of Hawai‘i System, and the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo in particular, have benefited from the Native Hawaiian Education Act. Under this program, our faculty have developed programs that benefit Native Hawaiian students throughout the state. Programs such as Na Pua No‘eau and the indigenous teacher preparation programs have been very effective.
There remains, however, considerable work to do to ensure that Native Hawaiian children have access to an effective and responsive educational system. Continuation of the native Hawaiian Education Act will ensure that we are able to develop and provide the education that our citizens require.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify on this measure.