69
THE SENATE                           S.R. NO.              
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CONSIDER
    ESTABLISHING EITHER A WORK EXPERIENCE OR A COMMUNITY
    SERVICE 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 or
12   community service 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 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, as the Department of Education considers the best
36   means to increase the accountability of its educational
37   programs, additional learning methods should be taken into
38   account to improve the quality of the education Hawaii students
39   receive; now, therefore,

 
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                                  S.R. NO.              
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1   
 2        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
 3   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, that the
 4   Department of Education is requested to consider establishing
 5   either a work experience component, such as that provided by
 6   the School-to-Work program, or a community service component,
 7   as a requirement for graduation from high school; and
 8   
 9        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Superintendent of
10   Education is requested to submit a report to the Legislature no
11   later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular
12   session of 2001, which shall include:
13   
14        (1)  The numbers of students participating in the School-
15             to-Work program since its inception;
16   
17        (2)  The numbers of students participating in any form of
18             community service through their schools;
19   
20        (3)  An evaluation of the benefits of such programs;
21   
22        (4)  Recommendations on how to incorporate either a work
23             experience or community service component into the
24             curriculum requirements; and
25   
26        (5)  The fiscal impact of such a requirement;
27   
28   and
29   
30        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
31   Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of
32   Education and the Superintendent of Education.
33 
34 
35 
36                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________