On January 3, 2023, the HEA will convene a Leadership Summit to bring together Hawaii thought leaders at the Richards Street YWCA in downtown Honolulu to discuss the status of education and educators in our state. The main focus will be the well-being of educators in a post-Covid world.

Early in the 2021-2022 school year, educators around the state were already reporting the challenges in balancing new work formats, concerns over student learning, and their own work-life balance. The HEA decided to focus on resources to support these educators, and the summit will be the first event in a series across the state. The Leadership Summit will feature a report on the national landscape, as well as a panel of accomplished Hawaii educators to share the reality of what teachers and administrators need to be supported here at home. HEA’s own Joan Lewis and Jonathon Medeiros will participate in the panel, representing actively practicing teachers from Oahu and the Neighbor Islands. Attendees will share their own perspectives and brainstorm solutions in their own organizations going forward.

Four face to face workshops for educators will occur in March and April of 2023, focusing on specific resources available to teachers, administrators, and higher education faculty to support their own wellbeing, and in extension, that of the keiki and families they serve.