SCR72 SD1

WHEREAS, the United States is not keeping pace with the rest of the industrialized world, in that the United States, in 2006, ranked behind the top five countries in the percentage of twenty to twenty-four-year-olds with a high school credential; slipped to fifth among the countries in the percentage of eighteen to twenty-four-year-olds enrolled in college; and ranked in the bottom half of the countries, sixteenth out of twenty-seven, on the proportion of students who completed college certificates or degree programs; and

WHEREAS, in 2006, Hawaii ranked forty-fifth out of fifty states in high school and college completion percentages because thirty-five per cent of students in Hawaii did not complete high school; thirty-one per cent of the high school graduates did not immediately enroll in college after graduation; twenty-one per cent of college students did not graduate within six years of entering college; and only thirteen per cent of college students graduated within six years of a four-year program and three years of a two-year program; and

WHEREAS, the State wants to see its keiki succeed; therefore, every effort needs to be made to assure that our keiki are prepared to graduate from high school and college; and

WHEREAS, one major way to accomplish this goal is to increase the amount of time the students are in school; and

WHEREAS, in Hawaii, students participate in one hundred and eighty days of instruction on average per year, which is near the nationwide average of one hundred and eighty-three to one hundred and eighty-four days of instruction per year; and

WHEREAS, in countries such as Japan and Germany, the students participate in up to two hundred and forty days of instruction per year; and

WHEREAS, the cost associated with increasing the number of days of instruction per year in Hawaii would be offset by an increase in the number of qualified workers, a decrease in the number of people needing public support, an increase in the number of people able to directly enter the workforce after high school and college, and an increase in the number of people eligible to attend graduate school; thus, the standard of living would increase for all of Hawaii's residents; and

WHEREAS, some of the professional educators and support staff already work twelve months per year; therefore, the major impact would be on the direct teaching force necessitating consideration of additional educators or increased or additional salary; and

WHEREAS, where previous discussions focused on the concept of "intelligence" and the relative importance of nature versus nurture, the current debate focuses on "cognitive development" and the respective influences of genes and the environment; and

WHEREAS, "intelligence" was perceived as static and immutable, while "cognitive development" is viewed as a dynamic and continuous process affected by the environment, and, in particular, by a high-quality education; and

WHEREAS, although teaching all students at the level of the average student was previously acceptable, the educational system now aims to provide a learning environment in which all children meet and even exceed curriculum standards and reach their full potential as productive citizens; and

WHEREAS, more time spent in a quality learning environment increases a student's opportunity for improved learning; and

WHEREAS, learning is enhanced by a cross-disciplinary environment where art, music, games, and physical activity are all part of the curriculum; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Education is requested to conduct a feasibility study:

(1) To determine whether an extension of the school day, designed to provide increased academic and sociocultural opportunities for students in kindergarten through grade twelve, is an affordable and sound investment for the State; and

(2) To examine the benefits and detriments involved in increasing the number of days of instruction in the current school year by ten days, twenty days, and any other number of days as deemed appropriate; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to include in the report:

(1) Information regarding the average number of classroom hours and instruction days for a student in Hawaii, in the nation as a whole, and in industrialized nations whose academic performance exceeds that of the United States;

(2) An examination of the financial cost to districts and states that have an extended school day;

(3) Information about the content offerings of extended school day programs;

(4) Information on what could be learned by the students during the additional days of instruction;

(5) Potential schedules for extending the days of instruction in the school year;

(6) A breakdown of the number of hours of learning involved in an increased schedule; and

(7) The fiscal and non-fiscal impacts on the State, the Department of Education, the teachers and support staff, and the students and their families; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department is requested to submit a report of findings and recommendations, including proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than 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 the Superintendent of Education and the Chairperson of the Board of Education.

Report Title:

DOE; Feasibility Study of Extended School Day/School Year

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	72
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII