Applications for the Heʻeia NERR ʻĀina Education Teacher Professional Learning Program are officially open!

This year-long (SY 2026-27) series of workshops and personalized support is open to public and charter school teachers from Waimānalo to Sunset Beach. We also welcome other school staff such as librarians, counselors, janitors–anyone can be part of ʻāina education. Participants will engage in workshops hosted at 4 ‘āina-based organizations within the He‘eia NERR (National Estuarine Research Reserve), providing hands-on learning experiences. Teachers then engage in projects/inquiry of their choosing with any ʻāina-based community partners relevant to their schools.

Key program components include:

Financial support (contingent on available funding) to project development and implementation.
Workshops at ‘āina-based organizations in the He‘eia National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Individualized support in developing and implementing ‘āina-based projects in your classroom.
Access to a supportive network of fellow ‘āina educators for collaboration and resource-sharing.
Opportunities to share updates and experiences with your cohort throughout the program.

Apply by filling out this form by June 7th: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJfGGwm0uAAJhEztIGOaOX4zGAYBPeKu8NYdi5xKie9RDtfQ/viewform?usp=dialog

View these quick facts about the program: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1CLC6LL7OVrqw7nw2E95OJhhonafjji0KxBBdfyuA27M/edit?slide=id.p#slide=id.p

Visit https://heeianerr.org/education/ for more information or email Pumehana (mc808@hawaii.edu) and Fred (freppun@hawaii.edu).

Organizations Involved