KHA In the Community
Kupu Hou Academy is dedicated to sharing ideas, strengthening connections, and advancing Deeper Learning. Whether we’re presenting at conferences, publishing insights, or working alongside educators, we believe community drives meaningful change in education.

Upcoming Workshops
PBL Design Camp
Bring Your Ideas to Life with PBL Design Camp
Join us for an immersive, hands-on workshop designed for educators ready to create engaging, real-world learning experiences. Over three days, you’ll dive into the art and science of project-based learning (PBL) with guidance from experienced facilitators who have worked with schools across Hawaii and beyond.
Cost: $1,400 – includes breakfast & lunch
HIDOE PD Credit and group discounts available – please inquire at kupuhou@midpac.edu.
Why Attend?
- Design with Purpose: Use proven frameworks to plan a powerful PBL unit from concept to launch.
- Collaborate & Connect: Work alongside fellow educators, share ideas, and build lasting professional relationships.
- Get Real Feedback: Engage in peer critique protocols that help refine and strengthen your project design.
- Leave Ready to Teach: Walk away with a complete, ready-to-implement PBL plan tailored to your students and context.
What Makes This Camp Special?
- Focused on Deeper Learning—helping students master content, think critically, and solve real problems.
- Designed for immediate classroom impact—you’ll leave with resources, strategies, and confidence.
- Rooted in Hawaii’s rich context and culture, with connections to local community partners.
Whether you’re new to PBL or ready to level up your practice, PBL Design Camp will equip you with the tools, mindsets, and network to transform your teaching—and your students’ learning.
O‘ahu
June 1 – 3
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Mid-Pacific Campus
Hawai‘i Island
Jun 1 – 3
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Parker School
Maui
July 21 – 23
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Island School
Conferences
Upcoming Conferences
Past Conferences
- Deeper Learning 2025 – San Diego, CA
Session: “Creating Lasting Change: Aligning Adult and Student Learning” - NAIS: Thrive 2025 – Nashville, TN
Session: “Future Proofing Students – Creating an AI-Enhanced Classroom” - AMLE 2024 National Conference – Nashville, TN
Session: “Cultivating Student-Centered Learning through AI and Deeper Learning Practices” - HAIS: Schools of the Future 2024 – Honolulu, HI
Session(s):- “Building a Deeper Learning Community of Practice: Empowering Hawai’i’s Education Leaders for Change”
- “Strengthening Hearts and Minds: Forming Hawai’i’s SEL Working Group”
- Deeper Learning 2024 – San Diego, CA
Session: “Engaging Students in an AI-Enhanced Classroom” - iTeach808 Conference – Honolulu, HI
Session: “Leveraging AI for Teacher Joy: Transforming Mundane Tasks into Moments of Inspiration” - HAIS: Schools of the Future 2023 – Honolulu, HI
Session: “A Joyful Dive into Student-Centered Practices through Examining Deeper Learning Competencies” - Moanalua High School Professional Learning Conference 2023 – Honolulu, HI
Session: “10 PBL Tips and Tricks that Leverage Technology” - Deeper Learning 2023 – San Diego, CA
Session: “The Ultimate Talk Story: Making Our Stories Matter” - Catholic Schools Conference 2023 – Honolulu, HI
Session: “An Overview of Project-Based Learning” - AMLE 2022 National Conference – Orlando, FL
Session: “Deeper Learning Assessment Marketplace” - HAIS: Schools of the Future 2022 – Honolulu, HI
Session(s):- “Brining Voice to All: A Protocol Roundtable”
- “Joyful Professional Learning: Rekindling our Passion for Learning”
- ISTE National Conference 2022 – New Orleans, LA
Session: “Level Up Your Formative Assessment Strategies” - Deeper Learning 2022 – San Diego, CA
Session: “Joyful Deeper Learning Experiences for Teachers, Pehea Kou Piko?” - DLAC 2022 – Atlanta GA
Session: “Designing Deeper Learning Experiences That Help Teachers Thrive, The Power of Deeper Learning in Supporting Emotional Well Being” - iTeach808 – Honolulu, HI
Session: “You said what? Using observational data to strengthen assessment!”
In the Media
More Podcasts and Articles Coming Soon
- Jan Iwase’s Elevating Teacher Voice, with Mark Hines (January 8, 2025)
- Q&A with Dr. Mark Hines, Mid-Pacific Today,
- Weaving Core Values, Curiosity, and Joy with Dr. Mark Hines an interview on Rethinking Learning with Barbara Bray, October 29, 2023
- Artificial Intelligence Is Already Shaping Hawai‘i, Hawai’i Business Magazine, October 11, 2023
- Alumni Profile, UH College of Ed
- Learning at Mid-Pacific Goes Deep, Mid-Pacific Today, Spring 2022
- Creating Joyful Schools: A New Vision for Engaged Learning, What School Could Be, September 2024
- Let’s transform Hawaii’s schools, post-COVID, Star Advertiser June 2021
- Three Global Deeper Learning Superheroes, What School Could Be, October 28, 2019
- The Conversation: School During The COVID-19 Crisis, April 2020
- Mark Hines Blog
- Hawaii Teachers Face ‘Daunting Task’ Addressing AI Use In Classrooms


