Strengthening HĀ (BREATH) in Hawaiian Education: From Pre Service to System Level Leadership

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 9:45 am

Session Type: Roundtable Session

Abstract

This symposium examines how Nā Hopena Aʻo (HĀ), a Hawaiian Indigenous framework expressed through BREATH—a Sense of Belonging, Responsibility, Excellence, Aloha, Total Well Being, and Hawaiʻi—can guide leadership across the educator pipeline. Organized around four stages of HĀ development, the papers highlight both the promise and the tensions of moving from initial awareness (Ka Hanu) to sustained systemic change (Ua Hāloa). Presentations address principal leadership development, teacher preparation and practice, and district leadership efforts to ground HĀ across the leadership pipeline. Findings reveal both challenges and transformative possibilities of these efforts. Together, the session offers insights for school leaders seeking culturally sustaining and community driven approaches to improvement and leadership in diverse educational contexts.

Sub Unit

• SIG-Leadership for School Improvement

Chair

• Margary Martin, University of Hawai'i at Hilo

Papers

• Strengthening BREATH in Educational Leadership: A Framework for Systemic and Culturally Responsive Change - Kealiʻi Kukahiko, University of Hawaii - Manoa

• Teaching Hawaiian Cultural Values and Social Emotional Learning Through Children’s Books - Michele Ebersole, University of Hawaii - Hilo

• Grounding SEL in Nā Hopena Aʻo (HĀ): Navigating Tensions in Transforming Policy and Practice - Margary Martin, University of Hawai'i at Hilo

Session Organizer

• Margary Martin, University of Hawai'i at Hilo