Hawaii P‑20 tells Senate committee it is expanding literacy, FAFSA and CTE supports

Steven Shotts, executive director of Hawaii P‑20 Partnerships for Education, told the Senate Committee on Education on Jan. 30 that P‑20’s core purpose is “to strengthen the educational pipeline,” focusing on transitions from early education through workforce entry. Shotts said the organization combines a convening role—working with the University of Hawaii, the K‑12 public school system and the Executive Office of Early Learning—with direct services such as the federal GEAR UP grant and pathway supports.

Shotts listed four strategic areas: early care and education; postsecondary readiness and success; career pathways (including career and technical education); and education‑workforce data. He said P‑20 helped develop a statewide literacy plan that laid groundwork for multimillion‑dollar federal grants and piloted a summer‑start kindergarten transition…