WHEREAS, the federal Even Start Family Literacy Program (Literacy Program) (Title I, Part B, subpart 3 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965) was first authorized in 1988 with an appropriation of $14,800,000; and

WHEREAS, the Literacy Program became state-administered in 1992 at which time the appropriation exceeded $50,000,000; and

WHEREAS, the Literacy Program was most recently reauthorized by the Learning Involves Families Together (LIFT) Act of 2000 and the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001; and

WHEREAS, the Literacy Program offers hope for breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty and poor literacy rates that afflict the nation by embracing the whole family as pupils and incorporating four core components as follows:

• Early childhood education;

• Adult literacy;

• Parenting education; and

• Interactive literacy activities between parents and their children;

WHEREAS, the Literacy Program is designed to help parents from low-income families improve their own education skills and vocational opportunities, making them more effective parents and improving the academic achievement of their young children, by:

• Building on existing community resources of high quality;

• Promoting the academic achievement of children and adults;

• Incorporating research-based practices into the instructional programs for adults and children;

• Promoting healthy relationships and interaction between children and adults; and

• Helping children and adults meet the state's challenging content standards;

WHEREAS, the Literacy Program at Blanche Pope Elementary School in Waimanalo and at other sites in Hawaii has successfully helped Literacy Program partners integrate their efforts into a more unified, effective, and accountable system than the previously fragmented adult and family-focused services; and

WHEREAS, the Literacy Program, such as the one at Blanche Pope Elementary School in Waimanalo, is a state-administered discretionary program; and

WHEREAS, the goals of raising quality and accountability in family education under the LIFT Act of 2000 and the NCLB Act of 2001 are being achieved in Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, the President of the United States, in his public comments and proposed budget to Congress, has expressed a loss of confidence in, or concern for, the Literacy Program; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature urges the President of the United States, the United States Congress, and the United States Department of Education to continue funding the Even Start Family Literacy Program; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, President of the United States Senate, Secretary of the United States Department of Education, and members of Hawaii's congressional delegation.

Report Title:

Even Start Family Literary Program; Federal Funding