Mohala i ka wai

Abstract

The framework of cultural advantage calls researchers and leaders to reexamine the structures, paradigms, and practices of effective education. We argue that the moral imperative in this challenge is to critically scrutinize and counter the way education systems perpetuate systematic inequities in opportunities and outcomes afforded to certain groups in society, in effect curtailing cultural and linguistic diversity and innovation. Our findings from research conducted in Hawai‘i indicate that learners thrive with culture-based education (CBE), especially Indigenous students who experience positive socioemotional and other outcomes when teachers are high CBE users and when learning in high-CBE school environments. Educational progress will come from forward-oriented research and leadership that embraces the cultural advantages of students with diverse experiences of racism, poverty, cultural trauma, and oppression. By cultivating culturally vibrant and affirming learning environments in lieu of “one-size-fits-all” approaches, educators honor assets found in Indigenous knowledge, values, and stories as models of vitality and empowerment for all.

Developing culturally-responsive health promotion: insights from cultural experts

“…Cultural relevancy, particularly for Indigenous populations, is widely understood as essential in developing meaningful and relevant initiatives ( Kanaiapuni et al ., 2017 ; Kaholokula et al ., 2018 ; Walters et al ., 2020 ; Matenga-Ikihele et al ., 2021 ). Respondents highlighted ways they facilitated the cultural connections through experiential teaching, utilization of Hawaiian values, and highlighting local histories and knowledge.…”

Scientists' Warning to Humanity on Threats to Indigenous and Local Knowledge Systems

“…In contrast, education programs initiated and managed by Indigenous Peoples and local communities promote the maintenance of ILK systems (McCarter et al 2014). Recognition can take the form of incorporating novel approaches to teaching drawn from Indigenous ways of sharing knowledge (e.g., Archibald et al 2019; Atalay 2020) and creating non-conventional teaching methods that go beyond academic silos and more fluidly reflect ILK and ways of knowing (e.g., Kana'iaupuni et al 2017; McCarter et al 2014). State and national education standards should embrace multilingualism and include place-based knowledge and practices, as well as learning opportunities from elders.…”

The role of achievement, gender, SES, location and policy in explaining the Indigenous gap in high‐school completion

“…Other possibilities are that forms of social and cultural capital available to high-SES non-Indigenous youth are not readily available to Indigenous youth, or that Indigenous-specific forms of capital are poorly valued by Western society, essentially flattening the SES gradient in relation to educational outcomes. Where Indigenous cultural capital is valued, for example in culture-based education in Hawaii, culture may be advantageous to positively influencing the educational outcomes of Indigenous students (Kana'iaupuni et al, 2017). Modood (2004) highlights the practical concern of how ethnic minority groups can have a genuine sense of belonging without having to disavow their 'ethnic' identities.…”