Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant
The purpose of the Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) grant is to support states in creating comprehensive literacy programs to advance literacy skills, including pre-literacy skills, reading, and writing, for children from birth through grade 12, with an emphasis on disadvantaged children, English language learners and children with disabilities. Language arts proficiency is a key performance indicator under the Board of Education’s 2023-29 Strategic Plan.
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Education awarded the HIDOE a five-year $60 million grant aimed at advancing effective, evidence-based literacy practices in public schools. This follows a nearly $50 million five-year CLSD Grant received in 2019.
AEFLA Adult Education
The Adult Education Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) is the most significant federal investment in adult education and literacy. The AEFLA program is authorized as Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). It is administered by the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) at the U. S. Department of Education.
The Office of Curriculum and Instructional Design is the AEFLA grant recipient for the State of Hawaii.
Hawai‘i receives approximately $2.3 million dollars annually to provide adult education services. The amount each state receives is based on a formula established by Congress.
The eligible service provider of adult education services is McKinley and Waipahu Community School for Adults.
Project SERV (School Emergency Response to Violence)
In March 2024, the U.S. Department of Education has awarded the HIDOE a more than $2 million grant to help address the acute needs of students and educators who were directly impacted by the Maui wildfires.
The HIDOE applied for and was awarded a School Emergency Response to Violence—or Project SERV—grant, which provides short-term education-related services for school districts to help with recovery from a violent or traumatic event in which the learning environment has been disrupted.
The total grant award amount is $2,199,146, and is one of the largest Project SERV grants awarded for a natural disaster.
The funds will be used for services incurred as a direct result of the wildfires that cannot be covered by any other additional sources of funding.
A total of 1,593 students were either living in the burn zone, displaced, or under a water advisory as a direct result of the wildfires. Additionally, data from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) confirms that a staggering 63% of the active student population comes from a home that submitted a claim.
The HIDOE expects to implement the grant over an 18-month timeline, with mental health services planned for between Jan. 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025. Students in impacted schools will be screened and those schools and students with the most severe needs will receive services as needed based on assessment. Additional time will be needed for hiring staff and to address the large number of schools and students impacted by the disaster.