History
From DOE School...
Lanikai Elementary School opened its doors in 1964 as a Department of Education (DOE) school to serve this small seaside neighborhood. By the ‘80s, many Lanikai families were sending their children to private schools, and for a time there was discussion at the Board of Education of closing the school because of declining enrollment. The tide turned, however, when a handful of activist families expressed their willingness to try a public school—as long as they could be part of the governance structure and demand excellence in teaching, in curriculum choices, and in educational philosophy. Their vehicle for change was the DOE’s recent School-Community-Based Management (SCBM) format, but the Lanikai families found it was still too much a part of the one-size-fits-all DOE system.
...To Conversion Charter School
In 1994, the Lanikai SCBM Council, looking for “transformational leadership,” brought on a visionary principal who understood the potential of charters. Two years later the school applied for and was granted “Student-Centered School Status,” the name the Hawaii Legislature was using for charter schools. In 2000, the school was recognized by the Legislature as one of the state’s first two conversion charters. During this time of change, the Board of Education loosened regulations on geographic exceptions, allowing more students from other communities to apply to Lanikai. Our enrollment began to grow and today exceeds 330 students.
Lanikai—and all other charter schools—are public schools directly and individually accountable for compliance with many state and federal laws and programs, and they are governed by their own independent boards.
Curriculum and Assessment Today
Lanikai, like all public schools across the country, is accountable for meeting the No-Child-Left-Behind regulations in regard to teacher qualifications and adequate yearly progress. Although charter schools may design curricula that support their particular thematic or philosophical approach, all students must take the annual Hawaii State Assessment (HSA) that tests student mastery of the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards. Lanikai also uses the nationally-normed Terra Nova assessment for grades three through six. Our curriculum is based on the Hawaii standards and our students have performed exceptionally well on the state assessment.
All of our students enjoy a class in art, another in music, and two in PE each week. Grades kindergarten through three are also learning Japanese. Our Art Gallery link on the website displays award winning examples of student art, and the Student Projects link leads to examples of student work that supports the classroom curriculum.
For the past several years, Lanikai has received recognition as a Hawaii Distinguished School and has consistently met the national No Child Left Behind requirements for Adequate Yearly Progress. In 2008 we were also selected for the pool from which Hawaii’s nominees for the national NCLB/Blue Ribbon School award were chosen. These kudos are a testament to the quality of our staff and our high expectations for our students.
Celebrating our Accreditation
It is with pride that Lanikai School celebrates our accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges - Accrediting Commission of the States (WASC-ACS). It was not an easy task! This quest started with a request for affiliation with WASC as early as January, 2006, and between then and now the whole staff and a loyal core of parent volunteers have spent countless hours exploring our practice to determine where it measured up, where it fell short, and how we could improve in organization, curriculum, instruction, student services, and use of our resources. The result is a fresh dedication to outstanding professional development for staff, alignment of curriculum across grade levels, and increased expertise in meeting individual student needs through differentiation in instruction. Our initiatives will bring steady growth in student learning and set both students and staff firmly on our vision “Path to Excellence in Learning and Life.”
