Research Guides: Micronesians in Hawaiʻi: Education

Education

Banner, Pohnpei Public Library (photo by G. Sinclair)

Micronesian Education Community in Hawaii

Waipahu High School Multilingual Marauders EL Program
Resource page with links to EL strategies, educational and cultural resources; WHS has a large Micronesian student population in the DOE.
Federated States of Micronesia Cultural Resources Page
Waipahu High School EL department page with information about the four states, from west to east -- Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrae. The four states share some cultural commonalities, but each has their own language and cultural distinctions. People from the FSM will often identify with their home island (Ex. Chuukese, Pohnpeian) more than the term"Micronesian").
Marshall Islands Cultural Resources Page
Waipahu High School EL program's page on The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), a group of atolls and islands located about 2,400 miles west-southwest of Hawaii. The population of the RMI is about 60,000 people and there are approximately 100 Marshallese students at Waipahu High School. Geographically, the Marshall Islands are located in Micronesia, but people from the RMI identify primarily as Marshallese, not Micronesian.
Chuuk Me Nessor (Chuuk Language and Culture School)
The School is dedicated to serving Chuukese speaking families living in Honolulu County on Oahu. The Saturday School or Chuuk Language and Cultural School was started by a family in the Chuukese Steering Committee led by Setiro Paul at the Waipahu Safe Haven Immigrant Resource Center.
Marshallese Education Day
Facebook page of event held in Honolulu to recognize Marshallese students who have achieved a 3.0 GPA or higher.

General Resources

Hawai‘i’ Department of Education (HIDOE)
Official website for Hawai‘i’s public school system. Provides recent news, notices, and celebrations for the public to see. Also provides information surrounding assessment, curriculum, and programs for the students of Hawaiʻi.
Select Vision for Success from the horizontal menu at the top to navigate to the School Data and Reports.

HIDOE English Learner Program
Hawaii's DOE EL Program includes many students from the Federated States of Micronesia. Find information about programs, policies and standards.
HIDOE Multilingualism Page
Information about policies, programs, and resources for multilingual learners in the public schools.

Selected Resources

Racism and Discrimination against Micronesians in Hawai‘i: Issues of Educational Inequity
Report by Hawai‘i Scholars for Education and Social Justice, May 2022.
Multicultural Educational Resources
Pacific Resources for Education and Learning
Contains educational resources such as projects, articles, and general information and resource websites.
Micronesian Students' School Experience in Hawaii: A Case Study of Ecological Systems
University of Hawaii at Manoa
A qualitative case study of the ecological systems of four Micronesian youth who were English language learners in Hawaii.
How Hawaii Schools Are Building Bridges To Micronesian Students
Civil Beat article by education reporter Suevon Lee on how schools and community groups are trying new ways to close cultural and academic gaps for the growing population of Micronesian students enrolled in the HIDOE.
Culturally Responsive Schools for Micronesian Immigrant Students
Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL)
Brief by Hilda C. Heine
more...less...
This paper provides background information about the geography, language, culture, and
political history of the Micronesian region. Extensive information on the Freely Associated States (FAS) is given in order to put into context the migration of the FAS people to the U.S. and its island territories. The paper closes with a focus on educational challenges facing Micronesian students from the FAS states and offers suggestions for teachers and other educators who work with them.

Crossing Spaces video

As the newest group of Pacific Islanders to arrive in the Hawaiian Islands, Micronesians aspire to the same dreams as every new immigrant group before them. Similarly, many face discrimination and poverty as they struggle to build new lives. Despite these obstacles, higher education remains the key to unlocking the American dream for themselves and their families. Crossing spaces is a series of three documentary shorts profiling three Micronesian women in Honolulu as they grapple with the challenges of higher education and work to enact meaningful change for their families and communities.