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THE SENATE |
S.R. NO. |
103 |
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TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2006 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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URGING THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, UNITED STATES CONGRESS, AND UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO SUPPORT THE GOALS OF THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT (NCLB) BY INCREASING FUNDS FOR FEDERAL EDUCATION INITIATIVES AND AFFORDING MORE FLEXIBILITY TO STATES IN RELATION TO NCLB.
WHEREAS, all children, regardless of race, income, ethnicity, or disability, deserve a quality public education; and
WHEREAS, the nation's states are charged with the constitutional responsibility of providing public schools that help all children achieve their full potential; and
WHEREAS, states have a strong history of innovation, leading education reforms, and responding to the unique needs of their schools and communities; and
WHEREAS, states have long supported the worthy goals of the federal No Child Left Behind Act to improve academic achievement, provide quality teachers, and increase accountability at all levels; and
WHEREAS, while a stated goal of NCLB is to provide flexibility for states to improve academic achievement and close achievement gaps, the Task Force on NCLB found that little flexibility has been granted to states to implement NCLB; and
WHEREAS, the best way for the federal government to make education a national priority is to support states in their continuing efforts to raise student achievement by investing in the core building blocks of educational improvement, including:
(1) A quality classroom environment that provides students with quality teachers, smaller classes, up-to-date books and materials, and tools for technology;
(2) Opportunities for increased parent and community involvement that recognize the crucial role that parents and the community play in student success;
(3) Standards that support, not undermine, state and local education reform efforts that set high expectations, demonstrate clear results, and establish comprehensive and rigorous curricula;
(4) Accurate measures of student achievement that provide schools with a better gauge of student performance by relying on a broader range of measures, including graduation, attendance and dropout rates, classroom grades, and student progress, in addition to test scores; and
(5) Improved measures of accountability that focus on results rather than the process, provide support and incentives rather than mandates and punishments, and direct sufficient resources to the students and schools most in need;
now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, that the President of the United States and the United States Congress are urged to fulfill their commitment to improving the quality of the nation's public schools by substantially increasing funding for NCLB, the Higher Education Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and other education-related programs; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State of Hawaii respectfully requests that the President of the United States, United States Congress, and United States Department of Education provide waivers, exemptions, or other flexibility to help the states with the requirements of NCLB for any year that federal funding for public elementary and secondary education is reduced; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State of Hawaii encourages other states to pass similar resolutions; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, President of the United States Senate, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Secretary of the United States Department of Education, and members of Hawaii's Congressional delegation.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Report Title:
No Child Left Behind Act