HCR170

WHEREAS, Hawai‘i has the fourth highest percentage of immigrants in the country and forty-eight per cent of these foreign-born residents are from the Philippines; and

WHEREAS, nearly one out of every four Hawai‘i residents is of Filipino ancestry (part-Filipino and Filipino), consisting of over a quarter of a million people; and

WHEREAS, more than forty per cent of Filipinos living in Hawai‘i are under the age of twenty-five; and

WHEREAS, Filipino students (twenty-one per cent) represent the second largest ethnic group in K-12 public schools and are the largest group in some schools (e.g. Farrington High School—sixty per cent, Waipahu High School—sixty-three per cent, Lanai High and Elementary—fifty-five per cent, Campbell High School—forty-four per cent, Waialua Elementary and High and Intermediate—thirty-five per cent, and Kauai High School—thirty-two per cent); and

WHEREAS, only fifteen per cent of the Filipino population twenty-five years of age and over has earned a bachelor's degree or higher, Filipino students are underrepresented in higher education in comparison to their numbers in the general population and the public schools, placing Filipinos below all other major ethnic groups in Hawai‘i in terms of higher education; and

WHEREAS, Filipino students are underrepresented among the student population at Windward Community College (six per cent), University of Hawai‘i at Hilo (five per cent), and University of Hawai‘i at Manoa (eight per cent); and

WHEREAS, Filipino student representation is more substantial on the following campuses: Hawai‘i Community College (thirteen per cent), Honolulu Community College (twenty-one per cent), Kapiolani Community College (fourteen per cent), Kauai Community College (twenty-three per cent), Leeward Community College (twenty-six per cent), Maui Community College (eighteen per cent), and the University of Hawai‘i at West Oahu (fourteen per cent); and

WHEREAS, twenty-seven per cent of Hawai‘i residents reported speaking a language other than English at home and thirteen per cent report they do not speak English at all or well; and

WHEREAS, eight per cent of public school children are enrolled in English as a Second Language, and of this group the largest percentage speak a Philippine language as their native language; and

WHEREAS, the three major Philippine languages are Cebuano, Ilokano (spoken by a majority of Filipino immigrants to Hawai‘i, and Filipino (the national language of the Philippines); and

WHEREAS, a significant issue for Filipino students and the Filipino community is the lack of curriculum offerings in Philippine languages, as well as course offerings on Filipino-American ethnic and Philippine studies; and

WHEREAS, it is necessary to increase the number of professionals trained in Philippine languages and cultures who can work effectively in the areas of education, health, legal services, and commerce; and

WHEREAS, offering courses in the Philippine languages and cultures in high schools and University of Hawai‘i campuses will increase academic engagement and student success; and

WHEREAS, students who are most likely to experience academic success are those whose home language and culture are respected and used in the schools; and

WHEREAS, successful language education programs are those that acknowledge and honor home language use; and

WHEREAS, providing these educational opportunities at the various high schools and University of Hawai‘i campuses is consistent with the Department of Education and the University of Hawai‘i's goals and are also responsive to the needs of the State; and

WHEREAS, no public schools in Hawai'i, except for Farrington High School with the assistance of the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa Gear Up program, has offered Ilokano and Samoan language credit courses; and

WHEREAS, only a couple of the community colleges offer Philippine language classes, the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa has the largest number of students on any United States college campus taking Ilokano (eighty-five students) and Filipino language (two hundred twenty students) courses and is the only institution in the nation that offers a bachelor of arts in the languages and literature of the Philippines; and

WHEREAS, Filipino community leaders and students have expressed a strong interest in having Ilokano and Filipino language courses taught on site and complemented by on-line courses in the high schools and various University of Hawai‘i campuses; and

WHEREAS, expertise is available at University of Hawai‘i at Manoa (Philippine Language and Literature program, Student Equity, Excellence, and Diversity Office (SEED), College of Education, and other units) to work collaboratively with other University of Hawai‘i campuses and public schools to develop and offer Philippine language courses, Philippine studies courses, Filipino-American ethnic studies and service learning opportunities; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawai‘i, Regular Session of 2008, the Senate concurring, that the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa Philippine Language and Literature program and Manoa SEED office work with other University of Hawai‘i campuses and the Department of Education to develop a plan to offer Philippine language courses, related courses, and teacher training workshops, including recommendations to implement these courses in specific schools and University of Hawai‘i campuses; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa prepare a report on a plan to develop, offer, or expand Philippine language and related courses at the University of Hawai‘i campuses and public schools to the Legislature at least twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2009; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to Chairperson of the Board of Regents of the University of Hawai‘i, the President of the University of Hawai‘i System, the Chancellor of each University of Hawai‘i campus, the Provost of each community college, the Chairperson of the Board of Education, and the Superintendent of Education.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

UH; DOE; Philippine Language Courses

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	170
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII