Molokai
Working with teachers on Molokai to bring AI and computer science curriculum into local classrooms — designed around place-based pedagogy and the island's own context.
Molokai is the least developed of Hawaiʻi’s main islands. It is also the one with the deepest commitment to keeping its way of life intact. Schools on the island do extraordinary work with very limited access to the kinds of computer science and AI curriculum that mainland schools take for granted.
Our partnership starts at Kaunakakai Elementary, where teacher Kawika Gonzales has been integrating AI literacy into project-based learning. The Foundation has supported curriculum delivery, including a recent unit where students built an anti-bullying AI assistant rooted in their own community values.
What this looks like in practice
- On-site teaching residencies at Kaunakakai Elementary
- Curriculum co-development with local teachers, designed around Hawaiian place-based pedagogy
- Long-term relationships with educators rather than parachute programming
Why it matters
The students on Molokai are not less capable than students at any well-resourced school in California. They have less access. The Foundation’s job is to narrow that gap on the community’s terms, not ours.