WHEREAS, a representative democracy depends on the civic literacy of its people to ensure that they are informed, prepared, willing, and able to take an active role in self-government; and

WHEREAS, civic literacy is crucial to the long-term social, environmental, and political health and sustainability of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, participation in representative democracy is a learned behavior, and public education was established on that premise; and

WHEREAS, schools have a public purpose and mission "to advance the endowment of human nature so that each succeeding generation finds itself farther along the road towards peace, social justice, and environmental stability in a society guided by creativity, compassion, and curiosity." (Act 51, Session Laws of Hawaii 2004); and

WHEREAS, the Department of Education (DOE) deserves support for its efforts to promote academic achievement, civic responsibility, and holistic development within it students; and

WHEREAS, youth desire to be included in and connected with their community and the world around them, but academic disciplines often fall short of relevancy to social issues; and

WHEREAS, it is crucial to the sustainability of our democracy that all young people be knowledgeable, engaged in their communities and in politics, and committed to the public good; and

WHEREAS, although the traditional curriculum continues to serve as an important part of a student's education, effective and sustainable civic literacy surpasses what is contained in textbooks and requires that current social issues are discussed and that deliberate discussion occurs; and

WHEREAS, civic-learning activities should be integrated into school curricula and total-school programs developed and targeted toward specific population groups, including classroom, grade, and school levels; and

WHEREAS, innovative programs and creative pedagogical approaches in civic learning are needed to build connections and relevancy for students as well as develop their skills, disposition, and willingness to participate proactively in addressing social issues; and

WHEREAS, a school-by-school inventory of activities that teach civic responsibility is needed to better evaluate civic-learning efforts and prepare the students of Hawaii to become productive citizens of a representative democracy; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED, by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, that DOE is requested to form a working group that would include students, parents, teachers, administrators, and members of the community to generate a working definition of civic responsibility, with indicators of civic-learning activities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DOE conduct a school-by-school inventory of civic-education activities and provide this inventory to the working group; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that DOE submit a report of its inventory results to the respective education committees of the Senate and House of Representatives at least 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2006; and

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

Report Title:

Civic learning; Department of Education.