Report Title:

Gifted and Talented Demonstration Project; Pearl City

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

49

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001

  

STATE OF HAWAII

  
   

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

requesting the superintendent of education to convene a task force to develop a demonstration project for gifted and talented students in the Pearl City high school complex.

 

 

WHEREAS, Hawaii's gifted and talented children represent "the best and the brightest" of the State's future; and

WHEREAS, gifted and talented students are found in all cultural groups in Hawaii, and across all economic strata; and

WHEREAS, there is a need to help gifted and talented students in elementary and secondary schools to develop their abilities and reach their highest levels of achievement; and

WHEREAS, the establishment of a separate school, or one or more programs within an existing school for gifted and talented students, should initially be located in the Pearl City area of Oahu for several reasons; and

WHEREAS, as an older, established community, Pearl City's schools have been affected by a declining enrollment, until recently, as a new wave of residents has begun to move into the area; and

WHEREAS, there been a "brain drain" of top students out of the area, as many residents have chosen to send their talented children to private schools; and

WHEREAS, moreover, many gifted students attending Pearl City high school are not sufficiently challenged by the existing school curricula; and

WHEREAS, declining school enrollment, combined with the existing need to challenge and retain gifted students in the Pearl City area, offer an excellent opportunity to experiment with the creation of a demonstration project; and

WHEREAS, a demonstration project for Hawaii's gifted and talented students of diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds in Pearl City should:

(1) Incorporate high-level content and performance standards;

(2) Utilize innovative teaching strategies;

(3) Provide comprehensive ongoing professional development opportunities for staff;

(4) Incorporate training for parents in ways to support their children's educational progress; and

(5) Include a comprehensive project evaluation;

and

WHEREAS, the failure to address the needs of this special population will result in the unfulfilled or unmet potential of these students, as well as missed opportunities for Hawaii's communities to reap the benefits of gifted and talented education; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2001, that the Superintendent of Education is requested to convene a task force to develop a demonstration project for gifted and talented students in the Pearl City high school complex; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to include the following members to be selected by the Superintendent:

(1) One or more public school principals;

(2) Appropriate Department of Education and school district representatives;

(3) One or more public school teachers;

(4) One or more parents of public school students; and

(5) Residents of Pearl City who are active in educational issues and are concerned about declining enrollment and interested in developing a school for gifted and talented students;

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in carrying out its duties, the task force may request staff assistance from the Department of Education. The members of the task force shall serve without compensation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to develop a plan for the implementation of a school or programs for gifted and talented students in the Pearl City high school complex, including a review of the following issues:

(1) Student eligibility, including a review of chapter 8-51, Hawaii Administrative Rules (Department of Education), with respect to the identification, selection, placement, programming, and reevaluation of gifted and talented students;

(2) Whether the Department should change the geographic attendance area or grade-level configuration, or both, of schools in the Pearl City complex to implement the school for gifted and talented students in an efficient and effective manner;

(3) Whether the Department should create a school-within-a-school for gifted and talented students if the operation of a separate school for gifted and talented students would be inefficient or ineffective, or both;

(4) The applicability of sections 302A-1142 and 302A-1143, Hawaii Revised Statutes, relating to school districts and district exceptions;

(5) Whether other schools in the Pearl City high school complex will be required to close as a result of the implementation of a school for gifted and talented students;

(6) If school closures are required, a review of applicable collective bargaining laws and agreements, and discussions with public employee unions to ensure the orderly transfer of personnel who may be displaced;

(7) Proposed curricula, including the development of accelerated and challenging enrichment programs, beginning with an elementary school or separate elementary school programs for gifted and talented students, and advancing through intermediate and high school programs;

(8) Ways to ensure community support and parental involvement; the use of volunteers, including parents, to assist in the implementation of these programs; and the advertisement, hiring, and transfer of appropriate teachers who are committed to and skilled in teaching gifted and talented children; and

(9) An analysis of other selected gifted and talented schools or programs around the nation that are noted for their uniqueness and creativity in challenging gifted and talented students, in order to create a school or programs that are grounded in local custom and tradition, yet oriented towards the fast-paced changes of high technology to prepare students for the challenges of the twenty-first century;

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force, with the assistance of the Department of Education, is requested to report:

(1) Its initial findings and recommendations, including a development plan and proposed implementing legislation for a demonstration project for gifted and talented students in the Pearl City high school complex, to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2003;

(2) Its interim findings and recommendations, including a progress report on the implementation of the demonstration project, to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2004; and

(3) Its final findings and recommendations for statewide implementation, as appropriate, to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2005. The task force shall cease to exist on June 30, 2005;

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent and to the Chairperson of the Board of Education.

 

 
 

OFFERED BY:

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