Hawaii Tribune-Herald Sunday, March 19, 2017 9 UNIVERSITY TOWN TEACHERS From page 8 said Michele Ebersole, professor and chairwoman of UH-Hilo’s School of Education. “And (they) attract local students, who are more likely to stay.” Kahuawaiola is part of the College of Hawaiian Language. It’s a three-semester, graduate certificate program taught primarily in Hawaiian. It trains students for jobs in Hawaiian language immersion programs from preschool through secondary levels. More than 120 students have graduated from Kahuawaiola since it began in 1998. Graduates are employed throughout the state in Department of Education schools, Hawaiian immersion public charter schools and private schools such as Kamehameha Schools. For example, Rodrigues is now a student teacher at Ke Kula ‘O Nawahiokalan‘opu‘u, a state public Hawaiian immersion charter school in Keaau. He will graduate in May with a license to teach elementary and secondary math. Ideally, he said, he hopes to secure work at a Hawaiian language immersion school in East Hawaii or elsewhere in the state. The Master of Arts in Teaching program graduated its first cohort in 2013-14. The program prepares students to apply for licensure after three semesters — about 73 have done so to date. It also offers a Master of Arts in Teaching degree for those who continue a second year. Forty students have completed a master’s degree, Ebersole said. The state DOE has struggled to retain teachers over the years. As a result of its longstanding shortage, it recruits heavily each year throughout the state and from the mainland. The Master of Arts in Teaching program has a 93 percent retention rate, Ebersole said. About 82 percent of graduates work in state DOE schools and about 87 percent find work locally on the island. “I believe many of these teachers are also more likely to stay on the island and in the teaching profession because they have a strong commitment to the people and the place,” Ebersole said. For example, Mailei Bumanglag, 28, a 2016 Master of Arts in Teaching graduate, now teaches at her alma mater — Pahoa High and Intermediate School. “I think we have a pretty big advantage if we grew up here,” Bumanglag said. “We have a better understanding of the students we’ll potentially work with, and I think the connection can be created a lot quicker because we’re familiar with the culture, lifestyle and issues our students face on an everyday basis. “I’m glad they had this program here so I didn’t have to leave to go get my licensure or degree.” Email Kirsten Johnson at kjohnson@ hawaiitribune-herald.com. Photos by HOLLYN JOHNSON/Tribune-Herald ABOVE: Masters of Education students prepare to meet with several Department of Education principals and employees for the students’ program at UH-Hilo. BELOW: Waiakea Intermediate School Principal Lisa Souza talks with Masters of Education students during a get-together with various DOE principals and employees. “I believe many of these teachers are also more likely to stay on the island and in the teaching profession because they have a strong commitment to the people and the place.” MICHELE EBERSOLE Professor and chair, UH-Hilo School of Education
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