She can 'want' to make Hawaii public schools 'student centered,' but the realty is that the system is, and will remain, DOE administration and teacher's union centered.  Students are just passing through 'the system.'  The teachers and administrators manipulate the system to hide problems (poor learning outcomes, lack of standardized instruction, student on student violence, poor performing teachers, etc.) in order to maintain the status quo. (No standardized testing!)  Thereby, everybody keeps their job, everybody gets raises, everybody gets a promotion (eventually).  In my opinion, the way to improve public education is to emulate the private school model--competition.  But the DOE system doesn't like competition because it identifies the actual winners and losers (poor performing schools).  Winning schools are needed show the losing schools how to make improvements.  Without winners and losers, all you have is participants, and life doesn't give participation trophies.