Hawaiʻi Technology Academy Opens Enrollment For Maui Campus on Feb. 8

Hawaiʻi Technology Academy is opening new student enrollment for its Maui campus on Monday, Feb. 8 until June 30, 2021. HTA’s Maui campus will operate as a K-12 school – previously 2-12 school – for the new school year as it plans to move to a new location with additional space.

The sudden shift to virtual instruction in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic left schools across the world scrambling to effectively deliver instruction to students of all ages and needs. Students, teachers, and parents had to adjust to distance learning. 

Administrators say that while this change was unprecedented, it presented Hawaiʻi Technology Academy with a unique opportunity to showcase its experience with virtual instruction.

The academy is a tuition-free, WASC accredited, DOE public charter school serving more than 1,300 students statewide.

HTA has operated as a blended learning school (face-to-face, virtual, and independent instruction) for more than twelve years. Because of this innovative academic approach, the use of technology and online learning are intrinsic characteristics of the curriculum, according to administrators. Consequently, when the pandemic struck, the academy was equipped with a “distinctive preparedness to take on distance learning.”

Traditionally, HTA has offered a five-day-a-week educational model. Students come to campus to learn on face-to-face days, teachers conduct online lessons during virtual class days, students study on their own during independent instruction days, and Learning Coaches (HTA’s term for parents and guardians) are involved in their student’s academic journey. To help support parents and guardians succeed in their roles, HTA provides Learning Coaches with training sessions throughout the school year that cover their responsibilities, offer technical support and help navigate HTA’s online curriculum platforms.

“Parents and teachers enjoy a collaborative relationship to meet the needs of students, and students and teachers develop strong interpersonal relationships due to a highly personalized teaching experience. In fact, educators at HTA don’t just teach the curriculum, they become mentors who offer guidance and unwavering support,” according to the academy.

The experiential learning used, takes students beyond the walls of the classroom — whether through the use of technology or by physically walking outside of the school doors. “This way, students gain deeper content knowledge, critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills.”

At the high school level, HTA’s successful Work-Based Learning Program allows students to work with various community partners, experts, organizations, and companies to learn and apply their technical and academic skills in real-life situations. This program exposes students to various career pathways. 

Recently, HTA’s Governing Board voted to introduce more face-to-face opportunities on the campuses/islands that can effectively maintain social distancing requirements. Students have already engaged in various outdoor activities, and, depending on their campus/island, have come to class for small group instruction. 

HTA’s Maui Campus is currently negotiating the move to a new location for the next school year. The new campus offers an increase in space, which will allow HTA to implement future programs and expand on existing ones, such as their Work-Based Learning Program and various project-based learning initiatives. 

Until now, due to lack of space, the Maui Campus has operated as a grades 2-12 school for the past two years. This will now change, as the additional space the new site offers will allow the Maui Campus to reinstate grades K-1. 

New Student Enrollment for HTA’s Maui Campus opens on Feb. 8, 2021. Parents can currently sign up for an Information Session. Attendance to an Information Session is mandatory to begin the enrollment process. 

Enrollment will remain open until June 30, 2021 or until spaces are filled.