Looking back at the highlights of 2003—the new projects, new faculty and staff, new vision and reaffirmed mission, and new focus areas for our work—a unifying theme is evident, commitment to quality. Research excellence drives our spending priorities, our hiring, and our success in attracting contracts and grants to support our work. It is the platform from which we make the bold commitment to become a learner-centered community of educators, recognized locally, nationally, and globally for quality research, design, and curricula that inspire dynamic teaching and learning.
It is fitting that we focus this first annual Year in Review on research excellence and the resources that allowed us to achieve it. Throughout this report you will read stories about the people that make up CRDG, their commitment to quality, and the research and funding partners with whom they have established relationships. You will also read about the results of our work— faculty publications, textbooks and media products, as well as awards and recognitions. And you will see how the Laboratory School students play a key role in our research and development work.
Faculty recognitions in 2003 included two prestigious awards for publications: the Ka Palapala Po‘okela award for Excellence in Literature from the Hawai‘i Book Publishers Association, and the Franklin Buchanan Prize from the Association for Asian Studies. The Laboratory School continues to be ranked among the top public schools in the state based on Hawai‘i Content and Performance Standards assessments. Needless to say, we are proud of our faculty and our students.
And yet, 2003 was a year of transition. Our founder and longtime director, Dr. Arthur King retired as did Laboratory School principal Dr. Loretta Krause. It is a tribute to their vision, persistence, creativity, and commitment to excellence that the organization not only weathered the transition, but thrives due to the solid foundation they forged. We are fortunate to have both Dr. King and Dr. Krause continue to serve as consultants, advisors, and mentors for our administration, faculty, and staff, especially for new Principal Jane Burke and me.
In the words of Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.” At CRDG we continue to be committed to excellence and quality.