142
THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            S.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CONSIDER
    ESTABLISHING A WORK EXPERIENCE, COMMUNITY SERVICE, OR
    SERVICE LEARNING COMPONENT AS A REQUIREMENT FOR GRADUATION
    FROM HIGH SCHOOL. 


 1        WHEREAS, as Hawaii faces both the opportunities and the
 2   challenges of the new economy, a quality workforce is one of
 3   the factors continually cited as critical to growth and
 4   success; and
 5   
 6        WHEREAS, this workforce is in turn dependent on the
 7   quality of education and the practical skills that Hawaii's
 8   students bring to the job; and
 9   
10        WHEREAS, one effective means of ensuring that students are
11   prepared for work is to incorporate work experience, community
12   service, or service learning into the curriculum; and
13   
14        WHEREAS, Hawaii's School-to-Work program has been
15   instrumental in providing public school students with
16   opportunities for meaningful work experience, and has been one
17   of the nation's leaders in implementation of these programs;
18   and
19   
20        WHEREAS, in order to offer more learning opportunities
21   such as those provided through work experience, many mainland
22   school districts have added community service requirements to
23   their curriculum; and
24   
25        WHEREAS, in addition to the practical work skills gained
26   through both of these options, students learn about their
27   communities, and communities also benefit from the services
28   provided by these students; and
29   
30        WHEREAS, students also experience the satisfaction of
31   making meaningful contributions to their communities, and a
32   better understanding of how to balance personal, work, and
33   community needs and goals; and
34   
35        WHEREAS, service learning provides an opportunity for

 
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 1   students to integrate, through a community project, a practical
 2   application of what they are learning with their course work;
 3   and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, community service is currently offered by some
 6   public schools as an option to acquire credits applicable
 7   toward high school graduation requirements; and
 8   
 9        WHEREAS, as the Department of Education considers the best
10   means to increase the accountability of its educational
11   programs, additional learning methods should be taken into
12   account to improve the quality of the education Hawaii students
13   receive; now, therefore,
14   
15        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
16   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, the House of
17   Representatives concurring, that the Department of Education is
18   requested to consider establishing one or more of the
19   following:
20   
21        (1)  A work experience component, such as that provided by
22             the School-to-Work program;
23   
24        (2)  A community service component; or
25   
26        (3)  A service learning program,
27   
28   as a requirement for graduation from high school; and
29   
30        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education
31   consider making such a requirement an elective that is eligible
32   for credit and recommend various models incorporating this
33   concept; and
34   
35        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education
36   consider and investigate ways of recognizing and/or
37   acknowledging students' voluntary participation, work
38   experience, community service, or service learning on their
39   diplomas, official transcripts, or both; and
40   
41        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Superintendent of
42   Education is requested to submit the following three reports to

 
 
 
 
 
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 1   the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the
 2   convening of the regular session of 2001:
 3   
 4        (1)  A report on the School-to-Work program, which shall
 5             include:
 6   
 7             (A)  The numbers of students participating in the
 8                  School-to-Work program since its inception;
 9   
10             (B)  Recommendations on how to incorporate a work
11                  experience into the curriculum requirements;
12   
13             (C)  The fiscal impact of such a requirement;
14   
15             (D)  Categories or types of project-based learning;
16   
17             (E)  Options currently available for the School-to-
18                  Work program; 
19   
20             (F)  Alternatives for expanding and/or continuing the
21                  School-to-Work program; and
22   
23             (G)  An evaluation of the benefits of this program;
24   
25        (2)  A report on community service programs, which shall
26             include:
27   
28             (A)  The numbers of students participating in any
29                  form of community service through their schools;
30   
31             (B)  Recommendations on how to incorporate a
32                  community service component into the curriculum
33                  requirements;
34   
35             (C)  The fiscal impact of such a requirement;
36   
37             (D)  Categories or types of community service
38                  projects;
39   
40             (E)  Options currently available to students for
41                  community service projects;
42   

 
 
 
 
 
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                                  S.C.R. NO.            S.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1             (F)  Alternatives for implementing, expanding, and/or
 2                  continuing community service projects for
 3                  schools; and
 4   
 5             (G)  An evaluation of the benefits of community
 6                  service projects; and
 7   
 8        (3)  A report on service learning programs, which shall
 9             include:
10   
11             (A)  The numbers of students participating in any
12                  service learning programs;
13   
14             (B)  Recommendations on how to incorporate a service
15                  learning program component into the curriculum
16                  requirements;
17   
18             (C)  The fiscal impact of such a requirement;
19   
20             (D)  Categories or types of service learning;
21   
22             (E)  Options currently available to students through
23                  service learning programs;
24   
25             (F)  Alternatives for implementing, expanding, and/or
26                  continuing service learning programs for
27                  schools; and
28   
29             (G)  An evaluation of the benefits of service
30                  learning programs;
31   
32   and any other pertinent information and research; and
33   
34        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
35   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the
36   Board of Education and the Superintendent of Education.