Hawai'i is the first in the United States to have designated a native language, Hawaiian, as one of its two official state languages. In 1978, in light of the Hawai'i State Constitution mandate to promote the study of Hawaiian culture, language and history, the Department of Education worked to establish a Hawaiian Studies Program, and the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program, Ka Papahana Kaiapuni.

​In February 2015, the Office of Hawaiian Education (OHE) was established under the Office of the Superintendent, a result of a policy audit of Hawaiʻi State Board of Education (BOE) policies pertaining to Hawaiian Education and Hawaiian Language Immersion programs​. Additionally, OHE is charged with the task of ensuring the implementation of Nā Hopena Aʻo (HĀ). Together, this work helps the Department meet its obligations to both BOE policies and the Hawaiʻi State Constitution (Article X, Section 4 and Article XV, Section 4​).

The Office of Hawaiian Education (OHE) recently completed its third delivery plan which projects the work of the office to SY 2026-2027. Using a facilitated process, members of OHE established vision elements, identified critical success factors and barriers, and outlined three strategic directions for the work of the office. Each quarter, OHE reviews, reaffirms and/or identifies quarterly milestones that will help us to achieve our annual targets and ultimately, the practical vision for the office. The OHE delivery plan is a tool that helps us to gauge our new work and keep tabs on the progress of existing work throughout the year. 

 Moving forward, OHE continues to focus on a vision that leads to "grounding the public education system in Hawaiian ways of knowing so that all of Hawaiʻi may thrive." We expect to increase the visibility of and value for Hawaiian education approaches and to take deeper dives into developing communities of learners and communities of practice.  For more information on the direction, please visit the links below or feel freet to contact any of the members of our OHE team.

• Press Release: Department advances Hawaiian Education