WHEREAS, education of the highest quality is critical to individual, social, and cultural survival and well-being; and

WHEREAS, some reports have indicated that public education in Hawaii has been consistently ranked low in certain areas according to various indicators; and

WHEREAS, Hawaiian students rank among the lowest of all major ethnic groups in the State’s public school system by nearly every measure of educational engagement and success; and

WHEREAS, there are over 57,000 Hawaiian public school students, comprising thirty-two percent of Hawaii’s public school students, making them the single largest ethnic group in the Department of Education; and

WHEREAS, there has been a forty-four percent increase in the last twenty years in public school students who have one or more ancestors who inhabited the Hawaiian Islands prior to western contact in 1778; and

WHEREAS, compared to other major ethnic groups, these Hawaiian children have the lowest test scores, consistently lagging behind total Department of Education averages by at least nine percentiles; and

WHEREAS, Hawaiians have disproportionately high numbers of special education referrals and are over-represented in special education, with eighteen percent of Hawaiian students classified as requiring special education, compared to eleven percent of non-Hawaiian students; and

WHEREAS, Hawaiians have the highest dropout and lowest graduation rates in the Department of Education, and disproportionately higher rates of retention as one in five Hawaiian students are retained between grades 9-12; and

WHEREAS, Hawaiians have much higher rates of absenteeism than non-Hawaiian students, with nearly ten percent of Hawaiian students missing more than twenty days in a semester, compared to just six percent of non-Hawaiians; and

WHEREAS, the gap between Hawaiian student scores and total Department of Education averages increases as students move through the system; and

WHEREAS, college enrollment and graduation rates of Hawaiians have been far below average, for many decades, while Hawaiians have lead the State in the percentage of welfare recipients, those who are un- or under-employed, incarcerated men, women, and youth, and homeless families; and

WHEREAS, Hawaiians have the highest drug, alcohol, and physical abuse rates and the worst health statistics in the State; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii’s native people are currently the only indigenous peoples in the United States that do not have some form of self-determination in education; and

WHEREAS, as an indigenous people, Hawaiians have a right to all levels and forms of education, including access to education in their own language, and the right to establish their educational systems and institutions according to their customs and traditions; and

WHEREAS, according to Article 1.7.1 of the Coolangatta Statement, ratified by thousands of indigenous educators at the 1999 World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education in Hilo, "meaningful, empowering and culturally sustainable education for indigenous people will be possible only when indigenous people have the control (a fundamental right) and the resources (an inarguable responsibility of states/governments) to develop educational theories, curriculum, and practices that are indigenous and determine the environment within which this education can best occur"; and

WHEREAS, Article X, Section 4 of the State Constitution states that the State shall promote the study of Hawaiian culture, history, and language and provide for a Hawaiian education program consisting of 1anguage, culture, and history in public schools, and that use of community expertise shall be encouraged as a suitable and essential means in the furtherance of the Hawaiian education program; and

WHEREAS, in a pro-active effort to address the poor outcomes of Hawaiian public school students, twelve native communities on three islands formed Na Lei Na’auao – Native Hawaiian Charter School Alliance - in 2000 to utilize Hawaii’s charter school law to design and pilot innovative models of education that balance ancient and modern educational paradigms; and

WHEREAS, these Hawaiian-focused charter schools, which are located in some of Hawaii’s most destitute areas, comprise fifty-two percent of Hawaii’s existing twenty-three start-up charter schools; and

WHEREAS, although these public charter schools welcome students of all ethnic backgrounds, between fifty to one hundred percent of their student populations are of Hawaiian ancestry; and

WHEREAS, while each Hawaiian-focused charter school is unique, all are based on a pedagogy of aloha and incorporate Hawaiian culture, language, and community expertise at a very high level; and

WHEREAS, a December 2004, KS PASE CHARTER SCHOOL ANALYSIS found that Hawaiians in charter schools perform significantly better on SAT reading and math tests, as well as HCPS math tests; and

WHEREAS, the analysis further notes that Hawaiians in charter schools are about seventy-three percent less likely to be chronically absent than students in traditional Department of Education schools; and

WHEREAS, preliminary data gathered by Hawaiian-focused charter schools suggest that when Hawaiian language, culture, and values are incorporated into the pedagogical process at all levels, education suddenly has relevance and meaning for Hawaiian children, and a result, Hawaiian students are able to 1earn, grow, and excel, both in academic settings, and in life; and

WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that based on existing data, there is a need for a comprehensive study of the effectiveness of Hawaiian-focused public charter schools, which assesses to what extent culturally-driven education improves the educational achievement of Hawaiians; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, that the Charter School Administrative Office is requested to conduct a comprehensive review of Hawaiian-focused charter schools, and, if applicable, other existing public schools tailored specifically to increase the educational performance of Hawaiians students; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Charter School Administrative Office in conducting the study is encouraged to consult with appropriate government and private entities such as the Kamehameha Schools, the Department of Education, representatives of the business community, and the Native Hawaiian community; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all state departments, including the Department of Education, are requested to collaborate fully in this research effort by releasing all relevant data to the Charter School Administrative Office on a timely basis, while maintaining the confidentiality of individual students enrolled in public schools and any other information or data that is confidential; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study consider the feasibility and need of a Hawaiian education task force, along with recommended membership, to further pursue the issue of equity in education for Hawaiians; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Charter School Administrative Office is requested to report its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2006; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Executive Director of the Charter School Administrative Office, Superintendent of Education, and the Chairperson of the Board of Education.