NEWS RELEASE August 31, 2009

Contact: Leslie Yogi (808) 956-5443

Hawai‘i P-20 Launches Step Up Campaign

HONOLULU - Did you know that out of 100 ninth graders in Hawai‘i, 68 graduate from high school on time, 40 enter college, 24 return for the second year, and only 12 earn a college degree on time.
(Center for Higher Education Management Systems, 2008)

Hawai‘i’s students need to prepare now for success after high school.  

Step Up is a community-wide campaign of Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education.  It promotes career and college readiness for Hawai‘i’s high school students. To succeed in today’s economy and to prepare for a dynamic and ever-changing future, Hawai‘i’s public high school students are encouraged to earn the Hawai‘i State Board of Education’s Step Up Diploma (starting with the class of 2013 and beyond).  This diploma is different from the regular high school diploma.  It includes more challenging classes in math, science and writing, and it also includes the completion of a senior project. Upon graduation, students who earn the BOE Step Up Diploma are rewarded with incentives for “stepping up” to this challenge.  And they are better prepared to succeed after high school, whether they choose to attend college or get a living wage job.

What can you do to help students succeed?

The Step Up campaign invites businesses, community and professional organizations, parents and students to join the movement.  There are a number of ways you can get involved.  Visit our website at www.stepuphawaii.org to learn what you can do and sign a pledge to get involved.  Here are some examples:

If you’re a Businesses, Community or Professional Organization:

• Spread the word in your organization and even to your customers about the Step Up campaign and the benefits of taking challenging courses in high school through your employee newsletter, existing advertising campaign or other communication efforts.
• Offer incentives to students who graduate with the Board of Education’s Step Up Diploma (like scholarships, internships, or discount coupons to place of business).
• Get involved with students and schools – host a career day at your place of business, join the Step Up speaker’s bureau or volunteer to assist a high school senior in their senior project.

If you’re a parent:

• Speak with your child, encourage them to prepare for career and college readiness and to earn the BOE Step Up Diploma.
• If your child is not yet in 9th grade, talk to them about the importance of taking challenging classes – starting early is smart.
• If your child will graduate in 2013 or later, help them commit to earning the BOE Step Up Diploma by signing, together with them, a pledge form for Project Step Up.  For more information on Project Step Up please contact Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education at (808) 956-3879, Toll Free at 1-866-808-4327 or at stepup@hawaii.edu.

For more information on the Step Up campaign visit: www.stepuphawaii.org

ABOUT HAWAI‘I P-20 PARTNERSHIPS FOR EDUCATION

Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for education is a statewide partnership led by the Good Beginnings Alliance, the Hawai‘i State Department of Education and the University of Hawai‘i System that is working to strengthen the education pipeline from early childhood through higher education so that all students achieve college and career success.  Hawai‘i P-20’s partners share a sense of urgency about the need to improve Hawai‘i’s educational outcomes in an increasingly global economy, and have established a goal of 55% of Hawai‘i’s working age adults having a 2- or 4-year college degree by 2025.  For more information, visit our website at www.p20hawaii.org.