SB1784 SD1

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that there is a critical shortage of teachers, especially excellent teachers, in Hawaiian communities. In her January 14, 2006, address to the Hawaii State Teachers Association Legislative Conference, the governor pinpointed two pressing educational dilemmas facing the State: a teacher shortage and low teacher morale. Both, she said, were having "an extreme negative effect on student achievement."

The legislature also finds that on August 16, 2006, the United States Department of Education report on comprehensive state plans for ensuring that all public elementary and secondary school students (especially those attending low-performing, disadvantaged schools) are taught by highly qualified teachers listed the State of Hawaii as one of four states not in compliance as required by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. As a result, the United States Department of Education requires the State to submit revised plans that include specific steps to ensure that there is not a disproportionately high representation of less-qualified teachers in schools populated by poor and minority children. On January 6, 2006, the representative from house district 51--Lanikai, Waimanalo--expressed this concern in a letter to the editor of the Honolulu Advertiser when he noted that Leeward coast public schools have a "perennial problem retaining teachers and are often assigned young teachers with little experience or local familiarity."

The legislature also finds that although Native Hawaiians make up approximately twenty per cent of the State’s general population, they are significantly underrepresented in the teaching force in Hawaii’s public schools, especially in schools in Hawaiian communities. As a result, Native Hawaiian children have relatively little opportunity to learn from teachers who can serve as role models for success in education. This helps explain why many Native Hawaiian children in the Hawaii public school system do not consider post-secondary study an option.

The legislature also finds that the Native Hawaiian language and culture are absent from the curricula of Hawaii public schools despite of the plethora of research indicating that children learn best when they are able to relate new learning to familiar experiences. This absence prevents Native Hawaiian children from gaining the personal and cultural identity necessary for success in life. It should not be surprising then that so many Native Hawaiian children find little purpose and meaning in school.

Finally, the legislature finds that in terms of student achievement, Native Hawaiian children as a group score in the bottom quartile on standardized tests of reading and mathematics, are overrepresented in special education, and have the highest school drop out rate. All but one of the Hawaii department of education schools on the Leeward coast, an area densely populated by Native Hawaiians, are in "restructuring" status under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

The urgency to improve teacher and curricula quality for schools in the Nanakuli and Waianae communities has led to the awarding of several multi-year federal Native Hawaiian Education Program grants that have provided resources to design and field test a model of in-service and pre-service teacher education and curriculum development at Nanaikapono elementary school in the Nanakuli-Pearl City-Waipahu complex. The University of Hawaii Manoa college of education Ho‘okulaiwi: ‘Aha Ho‘ona‘auao ‘Oiwi initiative is a multifaceted, community-based partnership dedicated to the achievement of a significantly greater number of fully licensed teachers, particularly Native Hawaiian teachers. Ho‘okulaiwi has evolved over an eleven-year period of intensive research and development. It embraces the central belief that the first step towards the enhancement of education for Native Hawaiian children is the recruitment, retention, and professional development of high quality teachers. The second step towards enhancement is the development of a pedagogy of hope that emerges from and affirms the cultural experiences of the Hawaiian people.

The strength of Ho‘okulaiwi, with regard to the preparation of outstanding teachers for Hawaii schools, is drawn from its exceptionally strong partnerships with Hawaiian programs at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the Nanakuli and Waianae communities, the department of education public schools, and an international network of indigenous researchers in education. It is through these partnerships that teachers learn about Hawaiian language and culture, literacy, mathematics, visual arts, science, theatre, health, law, politics, research methods, and much, much more. The graduation of teachers who are well grounded in both Hawaiian and Western knowledge and practices is the goal of this teacher preparation initiative. With this in mind, Ho‘okulaiwi prepares teachers for:

(1) The department of education Hawaiian language immersion program;

(2) Title I schools with large numbers of Hawaiian children; and

(3) Hawaiian charter schools,

and Native Hawaiian educational leaders in areas such as curriculum research, school administration, and teacher education through study at the master’s and doctoral levels.

The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to establish and resource Ho‘okulaiwi: ‘Aha Ho‘ona‘auao ‘Oiwi (center for Native Hawaiian and indigenous education) within the University of Hawaii at Manoa. These permanent funds would complement the existing federal grant funds and be used to expand the current capability of this Nanakuli and Waianae community-based teacher preparation and curriculum development initiative to prepare qualified teachers and strong school curricula by establishing more permanent faculty positions and a permanent operating infrastructure housed on the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus.

SECTION 2. Section 304A-1203, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"[[]§304A-1203[]] Hawaii institute for educational partnerships. (a) Reforms to the public school system cannot succeed without concomitant reforms to the manner in which teachers are educated. The purpose of this section is to create a link between the public schools, local communities, and university teacher education programs to ensure that teacher education is focused on the needs of the diverse student populations found within the public school system.

(b) There is established a Hawaii institute for educational partnerships. The institute, in collaboration with the department of education[,] and local communities, shall:

(1) Continually review the system of educating teachers for the purpose of redesigning the teacher education program of the college of education so that it is responsive to the needs of the public school system in Hawaii;

(2) Develop innovative strategies to effectuate the changes in the teacher education program at the school level; and

(3) Where appropriate, establish university-school-community partnerships as the mechanisms by which to implement the innovative strategies developed by the center.

The institute shall submit, prior to the convening of each regular session of the legislature, a report to the board of regents, the board of education, local communities, and the legislature outlining its progress in redesigning the teacher education program and the initiation of any university-school partnerships."

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $750,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009, to fund permanent faculty positions and operating expenses to establish and resource Ho‘okulaiwi: ‘Aha Ho‘ona‘auao ‘Oiwi (the center for Native Hawaiian and indigenous education) within the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the University of Hawaii for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2007.

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	1784
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII