Hoʻākea creates learning experiences that connect classrooms to ʻāina, waʻa, and community. These experiences support students, educators, and leaders in developing the skills, understanding, and relationships needed to thrive.

Hands-on learning rooted in ʻāina and waʻa.
Explore Learning
Supporting educators as learners and partners.
Explore Learning
Co-designing learning grounded in place.
Explore Learning
Place-based learning for educational leaders.
Explore LearningWhile every Hoʻākea experience reflects the unique people, places, and stories of its community, all programs are guided by a common set of learning objectives aligned with HĀ and the Vision of a Hawaiʻi Public School Graduate.
HĀ · BREATH
Nā Hopena Aʻo, or HĀ, are the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education's shared learning outcomes. Hoʻākea grounds every experience in these six strengthened senses, which together spell BREATH.
HĀ–BREATH
Nā Hopena Aʻo
Strengthened Sense of
Belonging
He pili wehena ʻole
(A relationship that cannot be undone)
Kūpaʻa au i koʻu wahi no ka pono o ka ʻohana, ke kaiaulu, ka ʻāina a me ka honua nei.
Strengthened Sense of
Responsibility
Ma ka hana ka ʻike, ma ka ʻimi ka loaʻa
(In working one learns, through initiative one acquires)
ʻAuamo au i koʻu kuleana no ka hoʻokō pono ʻana i ia kuleana mai ka mua a ka hope.
Strengthened Sense of
Excellence
ʻAʻohe ʻulu e loaʻa i ka pōkole o ka lou
(There is no success without preparation)
Noke au ma ke ala kūpono e hiki aku ai au i koʻu kūlana poʻokela iho nō.
Strengthened Sense of
Aloha
E ʻōpū aliʻi
(Have the heart of a chief)
Me ke aloha au e hana ai i ʻili nā hopena maikaʻi ma luna oʻu, o ka ʻohana, ke kaiāulu, koʻu ʻāina a me ka honua nei.
Strengthened Sense of
Total Well-being
Ua ola loko i ke aloha
(Love is imperative to one's mental and physical welfare)
Me ke aloha au e mālama ai i ka noʻonoʻo, ka naʻau, ke kino a me ka pilina ʻuhane i pono koʻu ola.
Strengthened Sense of
Hawaiʻi
ʻO Hawaiʻi kuʻu ʻāina kilohana
(Hawaiʻi is my prized place)
Hōʻike au i ke aloha a me ka mahalo no koʻu ʻāina kilohana ʻo Hawaiʻi nei.
Guiding Framework
A shared foundation for the Hoʻākea Hui, the network of partners organizing Hoʻākea, that brings consistency, quality, and alignment to every event and program statewide, while honoring the unique strengths, voices, and visions of each community.
Students demonstrate curiosity, resilience, and reflection through hands-on, place-based learning rooted in the navigator tradition.
Students deepen their relationship to land, ancestors, and place through protocol, moʻolelo, and their relationship with ʻāina.
Students use academic and technical skills to address authentic problems and contribute to their communities.
Students act with kuleana, contributing to the well-being of ʻāina and their communities as leaders and civic participants.
Students articulate their growth through moʻolelo, creative expression, and performance-based assessments. Learners develop a visual or mapped understanding of their place from mauka to makai, deepening cultural identity and geographic literacy.
Hoʻākea engages students in hands-on learning rooted in ʻāina and waʻa, where culture, academics, and real-world experience come together. Students learn by doing, exploring their environment, listening to stories of place, and working collaboratively with peers, educators, and community practitioners. Learning is active, meaningful, and connected to Hawaiʻi and students' everyday lives.
This learning follows a clear arc of preparation, experience, and reflection, helping students carry what they learn back into their classrooms, homes, and communities.


Hoʻākea supports teachers as learners and partners in place-based education. Educators learn alongside students and community practitioners, building confidence and capacity to connect classroom instruction to meaningful, real-world learning rooted in ʻāina and culture. These experiences strengthen relationships, deepen understanding of place, and support engaging, student-centered instruction.
Hoʻākea is designed to support, not replace, classroom teaching — helping schools extend learning beyond the classroom walls.
Community organizations, cultural practitioners, and waʻa and ʻāina educators play a central role in Hoʻākea learning. Their knowledge, experience, and connection to place anchor learning in authenticity and care, creating meaningful experiences for students and educators alike.
01 · Design
Community partners co-design and lead hands-on learning experiences rooted in local places, stories, and practices.
02 · Share
Partners share moʻolelo, cultural knowledge, and place-based expertise that deepen student understanding and connection.
03 · Build
Hoʻākea fosters long-term partnerships between schools and communities, strengthening trust, collaboration, and shared responsibility for student learning.
Hoʻākea offers opportunities for educational leaders to experience place-based learning firsthand. These experiences help leaders better understand how ʻāina- and waʻa-based learning supports student engagement, cultural identity, and academic success.
By participating in Hoʻākea, leaders gain shared context around preparation, safety, and partnership, strengthening alignment between schools, communities, and systems. Leadership learning supports thoughtful decision-making and helps sustain culturally responsive, student-centered learning across Hawaiʻi.
Experience firsthand
Leaders take part in ʻāina- and waʻa-based learning directly.
Build shared context
Around preparation, safety, and partnership.
Strengthen alignment
Between schools, communities, and systems.