Mr. Hashimoto goes to Washington

If you thought Clyde T. Hashimoto, the Kalaheo School teacher who won the $25,000 National Milken Educator Award for Hawai‘i, would travel to Washington, D.C. simply to pick up his check and shake hands with a few senators, think again.

At the Milken National Education Conference, featuring the Milken award winners from across the country, outstanding educators picked up the awards Teacher magazine calls the “Oscars of teaching,” but also participated in an in-depth, multiple-day conference and discussions on the realities of school reform.

The theme of the Milken National Education Conference in Washington, D.C. was “The Challenges of School Reform: Implementation, Impact and Sustainability.”

The event, hosted by members of the Milken Family Foundation, provided an informal forum of exchange between outstanding educators and their legislative counterparts, including U.S. Sen. Dan Akaka and U.S. Sen. Dan Inouye, both Hawai‘i Democrats, and kicked off a week of lively discussions about the nation’s most pressing educational challenges, according to a foundation spokesperson.

Hashimoto was honored, along with other winners, at a black-tie gala in Washington, D.C., at the National Building Museum on Wednesday, April 27.

The largest teacher-recognition program in the United States, the Milken National Educator Awards were established in 1985. Since then, foundation leaders, including members of the Milken family, have given more than $50 million to exceptional educators across the nation, in grades kindergarten through 12.

Teachers, principals and educational specialists from 47 states and the District of Columbia were recognized at this year’s gathering.

Lowell Milken, chairman and co-founder of the Milken Family Foundation, presented Hashimoto his award.

While in Washington, Hashimoto also met with U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Akaka and U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, both Hawai‘i Democrats.