The impetus for Schools of the Future (SOTF) was based on the realization that future graduates need to have different skills to succeed in the 21st century. Among them, the ability to think critically, communicate well, be creative, and work collaboratively.
Watch this video to hear more about the goals of SOTF and the experience of participating in the process.
SOTF, an initiative of the Hawaii Community Foundation and the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, distributed $5 million in grants between 2009 and 2014 to transform teaching and learning in a cohort of schools in Hawaii. See the progress through reviewing the independent evaluation of the program, which provides guidelines on how schools can foster changes to improve learning. The schools and teachers have emerged as role models for transforming instructional practices, capturing local and national attention for findings like these:
- 90% of participating teachers improved their effectiveness.
- 80% of teachers report a positive impact on students.
- Student engagement was described as higher.
- Dramatic increase in the use of technology as an important educational tool.
- Teachers incorporated the learning of skills, not just content, as an instructional goal.
- Teachers used more diverse methods of teaching.
One of the most valuable outcomes of this initiative was a better understanding of what it takes to affect school change. Given the rapid pace of change in our modern day life, schools need to be among the most nimble, rather than entrenched, institutions in our society. HCF continues to see the ripple effect of investing in 21st century education-read Honolulu Magazine's article "Re-imagining Schools," all six of the schools interviewed were SOTF schools.
Please also visit Hawaii's Schools of the Future annual conference.
As part of the program, the teachers and the schools developed a number of tools that they have shared in this collection of resources.