Newsletter

REL Pacific at McREL International
Regional Educational Laboratory of the Pacific
Newsletter
Message From the Director.............1
April 2016, vol. 12
Message From the Director
REL Pacific Updates
REL Pacific Governing Board Meets
in Honolulu....................................2-3
Supports for Micronesian Migrants
in the Pacific Continue to Grow...4-5
Resources and Events
Multicultural Validity and Evaluation
Theory Webinar...............................6
Now Available!.................................6
Meet Our Staff...................................7
Dear Colleagues,
As we pick up steam on this fifth year of the REL Pacific contract, we’d like to
take a moment to thank you for the work we’ve done together over the last
four years. We’re excited about the work planned for this year, which you’ll
read about in our article about our recent REL Pacific board meeting. We’ll
also share information about new resources and events, and you’ll meet our
two new staff members, Ben and Barry.
As always, we’d love to hear from you. To make a technical assistance
request, inquire about our work, or share a story you’d like to see featured
in an upcoming newsletter, contact us at relpacific@mcrel.org or at
808-664-8175.
Here’s to another great year of working together, from all of our staff here at
REL Pacific.
Phillip Herman
Director, REL Pacific at McREL International
McREL’s Pacific Center for
Changing the Odds
1003 Bishop Street, Suite 2200
Honolulu, HI 96813
www.mcrel.org • http://relpacific.mcrel.org
808.664.8175 • 877.768.9222 (toll free
from AS, RMI, and US)

2
REL Pacific Updates
REL Pacific Governing Board Meets in Honolulu by Kirsten Miller
On February 10-11, the REL Pacific Governing Board
met in Honolulu to discuss and provide feedback
on the 2016 REL Pacific plan of work, and to share
and discuss research findings, education priorities,
improvement strategies, and successes and challenges
across the Pacific.
Board members and delegates in attendance included
Hawai‘i State Senator Kalani English, Guam Deputy
Superintendent Erika Cruz (representing Guam
Superintendent
Jon Fernandez),
Yap Department
of Education
Director Teresa M.
Filepin, Pohnpei
Chief of Curriculum
and Instruction
Reynold Albert,
Chuuk Chamber of
Commerce President
Cindy Mori, Pohnpei
MRC–Micronesia
Coordinator
Emeliana Musrasrik,
Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana
Islands Commissioner
of Education Dr. Rita
Sablan, Republic of
Left to right: Senator Kalani English, Pohnpei MRC-Micronesia
Coordinator Emeliana Musrasrik, and REL Pacific Director
Phillip Herman
Palau Minister of Education Sinton Soalablai, Kosrae
Department of Education Director Dr. Tulensru Waguk,
and Chuuk Department of Education Deputy Director
Alvios William. Guests in attendance included Kumu
Hula Mālia Helelā; Cheryl Ka‘uhane Lupenui, founder
and principal of the Leader Project; Kau‘ilani Sang,
director of the Office of Hawaiian Education at the
Hawaii State Department of Education; and Jessica
Worchel, education specialist for Nā Hopena A‘o (HĀ
Outcomes).
The meeting was called to order by Board Chairman
and Palau Minister of Education Sinton Soalablai,
and board members approved the agenda as well as
the October 2015 board minutes. Next, REL Pacific
Director Phillip Herman invited the board members to
share their educational priorities, strategies, successes,
and challenges, prompting an in-depth discussion
around shared areas for development, bright spots,
and how they might learn from one another and work
together, particularly in topic areas of shared interest.
REL Pacific Researcher Dr. Daisy Carreon also shared
study information and
preliminary results on
three connected research
studies and technical
assistance projects in
the Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana
Islands, prompting rich
conversations on how the
study findings relate to
each of the REL Pacific
jurisdictions.
Special guests Kaui‘ilani
Sang, Jessica Worchel, and
Cheryl Ka‘uhane Lupenui
then presented to the board
about existing culturebased
programs in charter
schools and immersion
programs in Hawai‘i,
along with an overview of the HĀ Outcomes school
reform effort, intended to support a holistic learning
process that is firmly rooted in Hawai‘i. With the help
of Hawaiian organizations, school leaders, and the
community, they were able to put a Hawaiian lens on
existing learner outcome statements, drafting general
learner outcomes specifically for the project including:
Belonging, Responsibility, Excellence, Aloha, Total
Well-Being, and Hawai‘i. When they realized that they
had unintentionally created the acronym “BREATH,” in
their outcome statements, which is what HĀ means in
Hawaiian, they knew this was meant to be!

REL Pacific Updates
3
REL Pacific Governing Board Meets in Honolulu (continued)
In June 2015, implementation of the HĀ Outcomes
effort began, supported by Board of Education Policy
E-3. A pilot program is being developed to expand the
program across the system. The Hawaii Department
of Education is targeting best practices and outcomes
and is beginning to identify what HĀ looks like in the
community, in schools, and within the individual. With
the help of REL Pacific, they have also begun to finetune
their scope and mission.
For the remainder of the day, REL Pacific staff
discussed the projects taking place in the jurisdictions
of RMI, Palau, FSM, Guam, and American Samoa. REL
Pacific Research Specialist Nitara Dandapani presented
on culturally responsive evaluation and research in the
RMI; REL Pacific Consultant Ben Cronkright discussed
meaningful family and community engagement in
Guam; REL Pacific Deputy Director Robin Jarvis,
and Managing Consultant Barry Harris, talked about
partnership objectives and working sessions in Palau
around teacher effectiveness; REL Pacific Research
Specialist Spencer Scanlan presented on data-driven
teacher effectiveness in the Federated States of
Micronesia; and REL Pacific Researcher Daisy Carreon
went into further detail about the college and career
readiness work in American Samoa and how it relates
to American Samoa’s comprehensive school-based
improvement plan. Following these presentations, the
board adjourned for the day.
The next morning, Chairman Soalablai again called the
meeting to order, and board members shared additional
reflections from the prior day’s work. REL Pacific staff
and Governing Board members then participated in a
Skype session with REL Pacific’s Institute of Education
Contracting Office Representative Christopher
Boccanfuso, providing opportunities to ask general
questions about current projects and the next five-year
REL cycle.
REL Pacific Communications Manager Kirsten
Miller then provided an overview of the REL Pacific
dissemination plan for 2016, and presented a tour of
the REL Pacific website and its products. Governing
Board members also had the opportunity to view
and react to a new REL Pacific video on Optimizing
Education Data Systems. Next, REL Pacific Program
Manager Susan Lopez discussed upcoming
convenings on college and career readiness and data
management. Following the presentations, board
members were divided into small groups, by entity,
to discuss the 2016 projects and research with REL
Pacific staff. The meeting closed with feedback from
the board for REL Pacific, and a discussion of possible
dates and locations for the next board meeting.
REL Pacific Governing Board Members with McREL CEO Bryan Goodwin, REL Pacific Director Phillip Herman,
and REL Pacific Deputy Director Robin Jarvis

4
REL Pacific Updates
Supports for Micronesian Migrants in the Pacific C ontinue to Grow
by Joanne O.S. Kelly
With a number of Micronesian citizens making their
way to U.S. territories and states under the Compact
of Free Association, providing supports for migrants is
an issue of vital importance. Migration can have shortand
long-term effects on myriad parties involved: young
children, families, individuals, and systems—including
education. This article takes a look at three centers
currently focused on supporting Micronesian migrants
in the region.
Starting at Home
For Micronesian migrants preparing to leave their home
country—for work, family, or school, for example—the
Micronesian Resource Center (MRC) seeks to prevent
potential integration issues through a variety of services.
The center offers pre-departure cultural awareness
trainings, as well as workshops on human trafficking
and referrals to relevant service providers, with a focus
on Guam and Hawai‘i. In addition to services provided
to Micronesian migrants, the center also provides
support for migrants stranded in the FSM. These
stranded migrants, from countries as far afield as El
Salvador or China, are often provided with basic living
needs and return trips to their home countries.
The first of its kind in the Pacific, the MRC first opened
its doors in the Federated States of Micronesia
(FSM) on the island of Pohnpei in 2013 and is a part
of a network of centers funded by the International
Organization for Migration (IOM). The MRC’s
coordinator is REL Pacific Governing Board constituent
member Emeliana Musrasrik (see image on page 2).
The center also offers a satellite location at the Pohnpei
International Airport called the Migrant Information
Service Center (MISC) and recently partnered with the
newly established MRCOSS in Guam to ensure an even
more seamless transition between the two jurisdictions.
Centers in Guam and Hawai‘i
Life for a recently-arrived immigrant in a new country
is often beset with an array of unique challenges. In
an effort to curb these challenges, and to offer free
resources for a smoother transition, Big Brothers Big
Sisters of Guam opened the Micronesian Resource
Center One-Stop Shop (MRCOSS) in January 2016.
The new organization is funded by the Department
of the Interior Office of Insular Affairs and will work
along with local government agencies and non-profit
organizations to raise awareness around this important
topic. Multilingual staff will attend to the needs of the
Micronesians in Guam through orientation services,
workforce development training and employment
services, and family support initiatives addressing
cultural and social challenges; the center also provides
referrals to programs and services of special interest to
Guam’s Micronesian community.
The MRCOSS is conveniently located at the Peter Mark
Cruz Youth Center building on Route 4 in Yona, as well
as through the Mobile Access to Information (MAI),
a van that makes its rounds on Saipan regularly. To
request the MAI van, stakeholders need only email or
call the center to set up a meeting point.
The first orientation workshop held by MRCOSS was
held February 9th at the University of Guam, where
a 45-page welcome handbook was distributed to
attendees. The book covers education norms and
expectations, health and medical information, American
culture and social skills, laws in Guam, and more;
a PDF of the guide is available for download on the
center’s website. Organizers at the Guam center

REL Pacific Updates
Supports for Micronesian Migrants in the Pacific
C ontinue to Grow (continued)
5
are also planning to welcome volunteers and gather
feedback and ideas from the greater community
through Stakeholders’ Forums in future.
A sister center also funded by the Department of the
Interior Office of Insular Affairs opened in Hawai‘i in
August 2015 and is run by We Are Oceania (WAO),
a group for Pacific Islanders from Micronesia living
and working in the island state. The Halau Ola One-
Stop Center (HOOSC) is located in central Honolulu
at the St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church in Kalihi. Like
the MRCOSS, the one-stop shop center in Hawai‘i
provides capacity-building (such as training to increase
parent involvement in education) and referrals to
service centers, as well as advocacy, the development
of culturally-responsive professional development
for teachers, and a partnership with the University of
Hawai‘i Business Center on issues relating to economic
development.
REL Pacific salutes the good work of these center
staff and looks forward to contributing to the equitable
delivery of education for Micronesian students, and all
students, in the Pacific.
MRC, Pohnpei
Phone: (691) 320-8898
24-Hour Hotline: (691) 922-7511
http://mrcmicronesia.org
MRCOSS, Guam
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday
Phone: (671) 686-2227
https://www.onestopmicronesia.org
HOOSC, Honolulu
10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays
Phone: (808) 754-7303
http://www.weareoceania.org/
programs-services
Stay up to date on REL Pacific announcements, including events,
publications, projects, and more!
Connect with us on Twitter: @RELPacific

REL Pacific Resources & Events
6
Multicultural Validity and Evaluation
Theory Webinar
On April 14 th , REL Pacific hosted an interactive webinar
with Dr. Karen Kirkhart, esteemed academic, professor
at Syracuse University, and former president of the
American Evaluation Association. Dr. Kirkhart guided
participants through the process of bringing cultural
competence to the forefront of evaluation theory, and
answered key questions, including:
• What is the relationship between culture and
validity in evaluation and how might we distinguish
between terms like culturally competent, culturally
responsive, multicultural, and cross-cultural?
• When mapping significant cultural dimensions
of context in evaluation, what should evaluators
consider?
• What are some key aspects of cultural location
of evaluation theory and cultural dimensions of
context that should be addressed in culturally
sound evaluations?
The presentation was based on several of Dr. Kirkhart’s
publications on the topic of multicultural evaluation
theory and validity. Participants had an opportunity to
discuss, in small groups, strategies, successes, and
challenges around multicultural validity and evaluation
theory. Additional interactive elements included polls
and a question and answer session with Dr. Kirkhart.
A recording of the webinar, including closed captioning,
will be made available on the Institute of Education
Sciences YouTube channel at http://bit.ly/1SNolHB,
and can be accessed through relpacific.mcrel.org.
Now Available!
Benchmarking the State of Yap’s Education
Management Information System
Data specialists in the state of
Yap in the Federated States
of Micronesia assessed their
education management
information system using a
rubric with four benchmark
levels that rated 46 indicators
on five aspects of system
quality. The four benchmark
levels were latent (not in
place), emerging (in the
process of implementation), established (in place and
meeting standards), and mature (an example of best
practice). The overall system was rated as established.
The five aspects of system quality were rated as
follows:
• Prerequisites of quality (the legal and institutional
frameworks that govern the information system
and data reporting, and the supporting resources):
emerging.
• Integrity of education statistics: emerging.
• Accuracy and reliability of education statistics:
mature.
• Serviceability (relevance, timeliness, and
consistency): established.
• Accessibility of education data to stakeholders:
established.
The report also provides the scores for the 46 indicators
that were used to calculate the benchmark level of the
system overall and the five aspects of quality. To access
the full report, link to 1.usa.gov/1RPV2DM.

Meet Our Staff
7
REL Pacific Welcomes Barry Harris and Ben Cronkright
Barry Harris joined REL Pacific as a managing consultant on January 19,
2016. Barry comes to us from the Hawaii State Department of Education,
where he was an education specialist with the Professional Development and
Educational Research Institute. Before moving to Hawai‘i, Barry was a principal
with the Cobb County School District in Marietta, Georgia. He received his
Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Valdosta State University. He
received his Master’s in Counselor Education from Georgia Southern University
and his Ph.D. in Educational Administration from the University of Southern
Mississippi.
Barry is originally from Brunswick, Georgia and has resided in the Honolulu
area for nearly two years. He has a passion for history and enjoys traveling to
various places learning about different cultures. During Barry’s free time, you
can find him reading the latest trends in education and spending time with
family and friends.
Also on January 19, Ben Cronkright joined our Honolulu office as a Consultant.
Ben comes to us from the Hawaii State Charter School Commission, where he
was a Federal Programs Manager/Academic Officer. Before moving to Hawai‘i
in 2014, Ben worked as a Principal with Midland Public Schools in Midland,
Michigan. He received his Bachelor’s degree in History/English and his Master’s
in Educational Leadership from Saginaw Valley State University.
Ben lives in Ka‘a‘awa, Hawai‘i with his wife and two children, Grace and Liam.
He enjoys thin crust pizza, baseball (amongst other team sports) and he loves
the thrill of travelling to new places and experiencing new cultures!
C ontributors:
Joanne Kelly - consultant
Kirsten Miller - communications manager
Judy Counley - new media developer
This project has been funded at least in part with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education under contract number ED-IES-C-12-0010. The content of this
newsletter does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply
endorsements by the U.S. Government.

REL Pacific
Serving American Samoa,
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,
Federated States of Micronesia (Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap),
Hawai‘i, Republic of the Marshall Islands,
& Republic of Palau
(808) 664-8175
RELpacific@mcrel.org
relpacific.mcrel.org