Abstract

Native Hawaiian (NH) youth continue to face physical, social, emotional, and academic inequities due to years of historical and generational cultural trauma in Hawai'i. NH youth have had to leave their home culture and attend predominantly Western-cultured schools that may not acknowledge any NH practices, thus leading to marginalization. The I Paʻa Ka Huewai Pawehe (IP project) is a whole-school program that seeks to improve all students’ physical, cognitive, and social–emotional well-being, specifically NH students. A critical component of the IP project is professional development, highlighting NH culture-based pedagogy. The purpose of this study is to provide insight into the need for culturally responsive programming among schools that have a high population of NH youth and to discuss the impact that a single five-hour professional development (PD) had on Hawaiian cultural knowledge and practices. One hundred and sixty teachers took part in a full-day PD. Using a convergent mixed methods design, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected as part of the study. After completing the PD, teachers reported an increase in their knowledge and comfortability with NH cultural trauma and the HĀ framework, as well as increased levels of teacher efficacy, cultural awareness and action, and ability to educate all students. Implementing culturally relevant and appropriate strategies into PD is essential in helping teachers make changes in their classrooms. Results suggest that the use of culturally appropriate and relevant pedagogy, such as HĀ, can positively impact the achievement and overall health and well-being of NH youth.