Home – Filipino American Education

Celebrating 100th Anniversary of the First Filipino Teacher in Hawaiʻi

We must unite to uplift and move forward the educational achievement of our Filipino American students.

PD Course

Inquiry Design Model (IDM) in Teaching Filipino History, Culture, and Identity Professional Development Series

Learn more about this professional development course.

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Sistan

Sistan Castro Alhambra

The first Filipino school teacher to be hired at a Hawaii public school was Sistan Castro (now Mrs. Rufo Alhambra) who was a graduate from the Territorial Normal School. She was born in the Philippines but was adopted by Dr. & Mrs. Christianson, who travelled with the army medical corps before settling in Hawaii. She taught for three months in 1923 but quite because she was only receiving $15 a month. She decided to use her hard-earned credentials to form her own school, the first private kindergarten in Hawaii. Fairyland Kindergarten had as many as 800 students and operated for 52 years, after which Mrs. Alhambra retired. (75th Anniversary of Filipinos in Hawaii “Education: The Filipino Dream”, 1981, p. 86-87)

02 Institute

Institute Structure

The Institute will be organized around three phases: curriculum-making, curriculum- exchanging, and curriculum-applying. During curriculum-making, professional learning communities composed of representatives from each of the partners will collaborate to develop curriculum for the Institute. Teachers enrolled in the Institute will then have the opportunity to experience the curriculum and begin exchanging ideas on how to implement it in their classroom. Finally, teachers will apply the curriculum in their classroom with guided assistance and reflection.

03 Summary

Summary

The Filipino American Education Institute is a partnership between the University of Hawai‘i, Manoa’s College of Education, College of Arts & Sciences, Leeward Community College Theatre and teachers from the Farrington Complex to develop and implement a three-week summer professional development/graduate course for twenty-five teachers focused on meeting the academic, social and cultural needs of Filipino American students.

module 2

Module 02:

ILIG SANG LAHI
Language, Literature & Culture

The focus of this module is to understand students who are English Language Learners (ELL) from the Philippines and Filipino ELLs born in Hawaii. Students who come from the Philippines come from an educational system that differs from the educational system here in Hawaii. This module gives participants the opportunity to analyze academic difficulties these students face and address strategies through lesson planning, activities and the implementation of Filipino literature.

module 3

Module 03:

KNOW HISTORY, KNOW SELF
History, Memory, Perspective

This module provides tools to examine critical connections between memory, perspective and colonization and how it influences the interpreting and silencing of Philippine history. By recognizing the diversity and dignity of Filipino experiences, students free themselves from the chains of local and globalized stereotypes – often harmful internalized images that subconsciously damage students’ perceptions of self and deter meaningful interactions with others. Whether you teach humanities, math or science, a critical history education builds empowered and engaged learners.

module 4

Module 04:

CHALOOK ENSAI
Immigration, Local Culture & Identity

This module focuses on identity and politics of location by engaging participants in a Socratic session and critical reading. We will discuss the following questions: (1) How do we identify the diminished ethnic identity/awareness amongst our students? (2) How do we build student identity and awareness? (3) How do we accomplish these goals to foster student achievement? Participants will also develop their use of the Structure Academic Controversy debate model in order to unpack deeper topics.

module 5

Module 05:

WORD. IS BORN
Pop Culture, Contemporary Issues & Social Action

This module demonstrates a tangible way for teacher participants to apply what they learned during the Institute. Teachers will learn how to integrate critical and hip hop pedagogy into their teaching. This will provide them with a social action template/process and examples on how to explore issues in the community and implement their knowledge and awareness into Hawai‘i classrooms statewide. This final module on critical praxis empowers teachers and students to confront challenges and ultimately uplift their school and wider community.

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Mission

The Filipino American Education Institute is named after Sistan C. Alhambra, the first Filipina teacher hired at a Hawai‘i public school in 1924 who later developed a successful private Kindergarten school in Hawaiʻi. In memory of her trailblazing spirit, the mission of the Institute is to connect the knowledge and resources of the nation’s leading scholars in Philippine and Filipino American studies, languages, literature, curriculum, and pedagogy with the expertise of K-12 teachers to ultimately benefit all students in Hawaiʻi.

In The News

HAWAII BUSINESS NEWS
Filipinos Crucial and Changing Roles in Hawaiʻi

KAUAI GARDEN ISLAND
County passes resolution in support of Filipino social studies course

HAWAII-FILIPINO CHRONICLE
Multicultural Teachers Develop Program to Benefit Fil-Am Students - By Fiedes DOCTOR

One Day: Teach for America Alumni Magazine, Fall 2010 (Edition X)
"Not Just Black or White" (PDF)

Advisory Board

The Institute strongly believes in partnering with community members.

Amefil Agbayani
Maggie Domingo
Bennette Misalucha

Institute

College of Education
Breanna Agas, MEd, Curriculum Studies
Shannon Cristobal, PhD, Educational Foundations
Patricia Halagao, PhD, Curriculum Studies and Co-Director, Center for Philippine Studies

College of Languages, Literature and Letters
Vec Alporha, History
Pia Arboleda, PhD, Indopacfic Languages and Literature
Nadezna Ortega, Indopacfic Languages and Literature
Vina Lanzona, PhD History
Jayson Parba, PhD, Indopacfic Languages and Literature
Lorenzo Perillo, PhD, Theatre and Dance and Co-Director, Center for Philippine Studies
Louward Zubiri, PhD, Linguistics

College of Social Sciences
Ellen Cachola, PhD, Information Studies
Kimberly Compoc, PhD, Social Sciences
Rod Labrador, PhD, Ethnic Studies
Dean Saranillio, PhD, Political Science

Community Colleges
Jeanne Batallones, PhD, Hawaiʻi Community College
Desiree Quintero, PhD, Leeward Community College
Wayland Quintero, PhD, Leeward Community College

Community Organizations
Clem Bautista, Filipino American Historical Society of Hawaiʻi
Gina Vergara-Bautista, Filipino American National Historical Society
Valerie Mendoza, PhD, Duty to Country

Department of Education
Michelle Aquino, Farrington High School
Amy Boehning, Mililani High School
Jaxon Doi, Waipahu High School
Phillippe Fernandez-Brennan, Halau Ku Mana
Jennifer Grant, Farrington High School
Laurie Luczak, Stevenson Middle School
Norman Sales, Educational Specialist, Hawaiʻi Department of Education
Algerico Uganiza, Waipahu High School
Francis Vilar, McKinley High School Aura-rae Wong, Leilehua High School