Vanessa Ott
Vanessa Ott is a former audio electronics and IT professional who became a Hawaii public school teacher in her mid 40s, and quit working for the DOE after five years of frustration. She now happily teaches piano lessons to beginning students of all ages, tutors children with reading difficulties, and helps elderly people with their computers.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
A Blueprint For Fixing Public Education
It includes writing a constitutional amendment ballot question that will withstand legal and public scrutiny.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat/2015
Celebrating The International Day For Failure
Hawaii鈥檚 public schools will go nowhere until 鈥渇ailures鈥 become a tool for growth instead of weapons of destruction.
Cory Lum/Civil Beat
An Open Letter To The BOE About Community Engagement
Without a framework that supports community schools, 鈥渓ocal control鈥 will mean little more than dictatorships with unqualified rulers.
Pixabay
Why Hawaii Should Adopt Finland’s Annual Day For Failure
If we embraced learning from mistakes and working to improve rather than punishing people for being human, we’d all be better off.
Who Should Be Appointed to the Board of Education?
Transparency and diversity are important considerations.
Nathan Eagle/Civil Beat
21st Century Schools Require a 21st Century Board of Education
Hawaii’s statewide school board needs to improve its own communication and technology capabilities if it wants schools to improve.