Leading with Aloha

What Works and What Doesn’t?

One part memoir, one part handbook for creating a positive educational environment, Leading with Aloha: From the Pineapple Fields to the Principal’s Office offers reflections by innovative educator and student advocate Jan Iwase. The many lessons learned over the course of her 45 years in Hawaii’s public schools provide a blueprint for successful schools and classrooms, with happy students, empowered teachers and involved parents.

“As a practitioner who has walked the walk, Jan Iwase provides current and aspiring leaders with invaluable knowledge on what it means to be a change agent. She weaves in both personal and practical experiences to create a compelling narrative that will inspire readers to not only grow but continually reflect on their practice. The lessons gleaned from this book will inspire and push your thinking.”
—Eric Sheninger, best-selling author and Senior Fellow, International Center for Leadership in Education.

Jan Iwase grew up in a pineapple plantation village on the island of Oahu and graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. In 2002, after teaching in the Head Start program and in the State Department of Education (DOE), she was named principal of Hale Kula Elementary School, later renamed the Daniel K. Inouye Elementary School. She was chosen as the DOE’s Central District Elementary Principal of the Year in 2013 and was nominated for the Masayuki Tokioka Excellence in School Leadership award in 2016. She is now retired, after 45 years as an educator.