HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	38
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

RECOMMENDING THAT FINE ARTS BE A high school GRADUATION REQUIREMENT.

     WHEREAS, the Board of Education has identified dance, drama, music, and the visual arts as being the curriculum for fine arts; and

     WHEREAS, according to the Hawaii State Student Conference, the fine arts have a measurable impact on youth at risk by discouraging delinquent behavior and truancy problems; and

     WHEREAS, according to the Hawaii State Student Conference, there is an increase in overall academic performance among those youth engaged in after school and summer arts programs targeted toward delinquency prevention; and

     WHEREAS, in a 2005 New Harris Poll, ninety-three per cent of Americans are of the opinion that training in the arts is vital to providing a well-rounded education; and

     WHEREAS, in that same 2005 New Harris Poll, fifty-four per cent of Americans rated the importance of the arts as being ten out of ten for providing a well rounded education; and

     WHEREAS, according to the Hawaii State Student Conference, training in fine arts helps students develop a sense of craftsmanship, quality task performance, and goal setting, which skills are needed in the classroom and beyond; and

     WHEREAS, according to the Hawaii State Student Conference, as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act, the funds allocated for the teaching of the fine arts have been reduced throughout the nation in favor of core academics; and

     WHEREAS, according to the Hawaii State Student Conference, as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act, there has been a reduction in the prevalence of the arts being taught in all schools; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, that it is recommended that the fine arts curriculum be included as a graduation requirement by the Department of Education; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Education, all Hawaii secondary school principals, and to the Director of the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title: 

Keiki Caucus; Hawaii Conference; Fine Arts Curriculum