SUMMARY: ALOHA AINA ACADEMY: AGRICULTURAL LITERACY THROUGH SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS EDUCATION (ALOHA AINA ACADEMY)THE ALOHA AINA ACADEMY PROJECT AIMS TO PROVIDE HIGH QUALITY, INNOVATIVE AND PRACTICAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS THAT ENABLE THEM TO DELIVER NEW COURSES, CONTENT AND PROGRAMMING THAT FOSTERS THE DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS AND ENGAGED CITIZENS WHO ARE BOTH LITERATE IN THE FAHN SCIENCES AND INSPIRED TO BECOME THE NEXT GENERATION OF SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEM LEADERS IN HAWAII, OCEANIA AND BEYOND. UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII WEST OAHU IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CENTER FOR GETTING THINGS STARTED WILL LEAD THISPROJECT THATSERVES TO TRAIN AND EMPOWER MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS WITH THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, CONFIDENCE, ATTITUDE, CURRICULAR RESOURCES TO PROVIDE INSTRUCTION IN THE FOOD, AGRICULTURAL, NATURAL RESOURCE, AND HUMAN (FANH) SCIENCES USING A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY APPROACH.THE PROJECT WILL CREATE A DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION (HIDOE) APPROVED AGRICULTURAL-SCIENCE COURSE - EMPHASIZING THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES OF NATURAL RESOURCE SUSTAINABILITY - THAT MAY BE TAKEN BY STUDENTS FOR HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE CREDITS THROUGHOUT HAWAII. THE PROJECT WILL INCREASE NUMBERS OF HDOE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND SECONDARY TEACHERS WHO HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED KNOWLEDGE OF AGROECOLOGY AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES ALONG WITH MULTIDISCIPLINARY UNDERSTANDING OF FOOD SYSTEMS. IN ADDITION, THE PROJECT WILL FACILITATE AGRICULTURE AND SCIENCE TEACHERS PARTICIPATE IN A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE AND COLLABORATE MORE IN TEACHING IN A MULTI- AND INTERDISCIPLINARY MANNER. TEACHERS PARTICIPATING IN THE ALOHA AINA ACADEMY WILL HAVE THE CONFIDENCE AND KNOWLEDGE TO TEACH PLACE-BASED, HANDS-ON, AND INQUIRY DRIVEN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AND FOOD SYSTEMS COURSES. BOTH TEACHERS AND THEIR STUDENTS BECOME AWARE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE OF PRESSING ISSUES IN THE AGRI-FOOD SYSTEM AND OF THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES, OPPORTUNITIES AND OBSTACLES FOR DEVELOPING MORE SUSTAINABLE, EQUITABLE AND RESILIENT AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS FOR HAWAII AND BEYOND. TEACHERS WILL BE ENGAGED IN A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE THAT FACILITATES DEEPER SOCIAL LEARNING OF FAHN SCIENCE CONTENT AND ITS APPLICATION TO SOLVING COMPLEX SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHALLENGES. AS A RESULT OF THE PROJECT, MORE STUDENTS ENTER THE FAHN SCIENCES HIGHER EDUCATIONAL PATHWAYS AND WORKFORCE.