envision | learning-first

OUR VISION

Learning First Hawaii wants to put teachers in the driver's seat of education policy. As an association made up of teachers, we believe that teachers are the experts in education. We understand the gaps in in our students' learning, in our own preparation, and in our support network better than anyone else. We know what policies work in our classrooms, which ones don't, and which ones do more harm than good.

We envision a professional association of teachers that:

Is heavily involved in shaping school, district, and system policy
Supports the professional development and pathways to leadership of all teachers
Creates stronger relationships and communication between teachers and the community
Encourages robust engagement and participation in the Hawaii State Teachers Association

Educating students is what really matters. We believe that policy should be more responsive to and reflective of the actual needs of our classrooms, rather than focusing on programs and tasks that, while well intentioned, make it harder for us to focus on our central mission. Teachers need to organize and make that happen, and that's what LF is about.

OUR MISSION

Learning First Hawaii has 3 primary foci:

Engage teachers in policy writing: Create forums and focus groups for teachers to come together and write white papers and policy suggestions. We also want to form positive relationships with policymakers in the DOE and congress to make sure we can get those policies in the hands of the right people.
Strengthen relationships within the community: We want to gain direct, relational support for teacher-written policies by communicating with and making ourselves available to parent groups, community groups, education policy groups, and any other organized entity that works toward the common goal of improving our schools. When Meg, my cofounder, and I started doing this work, we found education policy groups that were writing policy suggestions without a single educator in the room to tell them what that policy would look like on a school level or whether or not it would actually be beneficial. We need to lend our perspective and offer our support in areas in which the community feels they have a stake.
Encourage and support an active and informed union body: We believe in the importance and power of a robust teachers' union, and we want to encourage teachers that currently aren't involved to get involved, stay informed, and make their voices heard.