ʻĀina-Based Education can be defined in many ways. Putting the bright minds of many practicing ʻāina-based educators together, we developed this definition:

ʻĀina-based education is teaching and learning through ʻāina – all that feeds and sustains us on land, in water, and all around us. It emphasizes the value of native ecosystems and cultural identity, promoting a holistic educational approach. Rooted in Hawaiian culture, it fosters reciprocal relationships that connect us physically and spiritually, empowering learners to integrate ancestral wisdom in the way forward so that people and nature thrive. ʻĀina-based education embodies the wisdom of the ʻōlelo noʻeau: O ka hā o ka ʻāina, ke ola o ka poʻe -- the health of the land is the health of the people.

In essence, it has been practiced by kānaka maoli (Native Hawaiians) for centuries and is gaining traction in our schools. Educators who are skilled in it see their students thrive in multiple subject areas while developing skills in social and emotional learning. Educators themselves flourish through expanded relationships with their peers and community partners.

ʻĀina-Based Education can ignite passion for green careers and build a long-term ethic of aloha ʻāina that is needed now perhaps more than ever before.