Report Title:

Character building curriculum

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, a complete education consists of many equally important elements, and cannot be limited to traditional academic pursuits alone; and

WHEREAS, in our increasingly complex society, children and adolescents are exposed to many positive and negative influences, and need the guidance of adult role models and teachers to help them make good choices and mature into persons of sound character; and

WHEREAS, just as students are taught to read and write, so too must they be instructed and nurtured if they are to develop morally and ethically; and

WHEREAS, there must be a concerted effort on the part of all stakeholders in the future of our children to ensure that they learn to be responsible members of their schools, families, and communities; and

WHEREAS, academic learning can and should be effectively integrated with character-building elements to ensure that students develop a strong moral compass as well as a sharp intellect; and

WHEREAS, students who are as strong in character as they are in their studies are primed to become the leaders of tomorrow; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2001, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Education (DOE) is requested to systematize and further develop DOE's character-building integrated curriculum; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DOE is requested to submit a report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2002 outlining DOE's plan to systematize and further develop their character-building integrated curriculum; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education.