RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, in 1986, the Legislature removed a ban on the use of the Hawaiian language in public schools that had been in effect since the territory of Hawaii due to federal requirements; and

WHEREAS, in 1987, the Legislature called on the Department of Education to implement the Hawaiian language medium education program, which resulted in public schools using Hawaiian as a medium of public education after a ban of ninety years; and

WHEREAS, also in 1987, the Legislature called upon the Congress of the United States to recognize Hawaiian as a Native American language, which led to the passage of the federal 1990 Native American Languages Act recognizing the right of all Native Americans to be educated in their native language; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii has since become the national leader in educating Native Americans in their native language and is recognized in numerous national and international publications; and

WHEREAS, in 1997, the Legislature passed Act 315, establishing a Hawaiian language college at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and providing specialized support for the State's Hawaiian language medium teacher training program, which included a laboratory school program; and

WHEREAS, the academic success of public school students in the laboratory program has seen a one hundred per cent graduation rate, with over eighty per cent of its graduates enrolling in college, and its former students enrolled at Stanford University, Oxford University, as well as the University of Hawaii system; and

WHEREAS, the academic success of Hawaii public school students has drawn to the laboratory school program a national research team that includes participation from the University of California at Berkeley, Arizona State University, Western Washington University, Education Testing Services of Princeton, Rand Corporation, Northwest Educational Laboratory, and other entities; and

WHEREAS, the lack of similar specialized administrative support has hampered the achievement of similar success in other public school sites that teach through the Hawaiian language medium program, in spite of gains made in Hawaiian language medium education for at-risk children; and

WHEREAS, the federal No Child Left Behind Act has created internal pressures within the present structure of joint administration of English and Hawaiian language medium education that threaten the continued integrity of the State's Hawaiian language medium education program; and

WHEREAS, provisions of the federal 1990 native American Languages Act indicate that separate administration of the State's Hawaiian language medium education program would be appropriate; and

WHEREAS, section 302H-3 and section 302H-7, Hawaii Revised Statutes, authorize separate administration of Hawaiian language medium education and collaboration with the Hawaiian language college, respectively; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Legislature urges the Board of Education to:

Report Title:

Hawaiian Language Medium Education; Act 133/SLH 2005; BOE; DOE