SCR52.DOC

WHEREAS, in 2006, the United States ranked behind the top five countries in the percentage of eighteen to 24-year-olds with a high school credential, and ranked in the bottom half of the countries--16th out of 27--on the proportion of students who completed college certificates or degree programs; and

WHEREAS, in 2006, Hawaii ranked 45th out of the 50 states in high school and college completion percentages because 35 percent of students in Hawaii did not complete high school; 31 percent of the high school graduates did not immediately enroll in college after graduation; and 21 percent of college students did not graduate within six years of entering college; and

WHEREAS, in the "2008 Diplomas Count" report that was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, it is projected that of the students who were 9th graders in Hawaii in the 2004-2005 school year, 31 students are lost each day from the high school graduation pipeline; and

WHEREAS, some educational systems around the nation continue to use traditional school calendars and instructional schedules to define learning opportunities for students even as the lives of children and how they learn are changing dramatically; and

WHEREAS, in Hawaii, the weekly schedule for elementary schools is about 2,100 minutes per week, divided into 1,415 minutes for instruction, 200 minutes for teacher preparation, 150 minutes for duty-free lunch, and 335 minutes for all other non-instructional activities, equating to only 23.5 instructional hours per week; and

WHEREAS, to ensure that Hawaii’s children are prepared for success in the global society of the 21st century, the State must make the most of instructional time, providing students with learning opportunities that are anchored to high standards and linked to resources throughout the community; and

WHEREAS, across the nation and the globe, schools and school districts are developing models for expanded learning time that offer students between 15 to 60 percent more learning time than conventional school schedules, representing six to 20 more hours of learning per week; and

WHEREAS, in 2008, the Legislature expressed concern with the preparedness of students for a global society and passed S.C.R. No. 72 to request that the Department of Education conduct a feasibility study to examine various impacts of a longer school day and increasing the number of days in the school year for kindergarten through grade twelve students; and

WHEREAS, the Hookakoo Corporation (Corporation) was established in 2002 with the mission to help conversion charter schools reinvent themselves for the purpose of improving the academic achievement and personal growth of their students, through partnerships with public school communities that are committed to improving student outcomes and fostering new and innovative action research strategies; and

WHEREAS, the Corporation believes success can be achieved with:

(1) The principal as the leader of the school;

(2) Highly capable teachers who work together and have high expectations of students;

(3) Instruction that is aligned, articulated, and integrated from preschool to 12th grade;

(4) Increased time on task for instruction and co-curricular activities;

(5) A sense of ownership among parents and the greater school community that they are a part of the change process;

(6) Instruction that helps students understand the host culture in which they live so that regardless of where they settle in the world, they can be successful; and

(7) Early screening and regular formative assessment of all students that can inform the instructional system;

and

WHEREAS, the Corporation and its three partner conversion charter schools, Kualapuu Elementary, Kamaile Academy, and Waimea Middle School, are developing a new system of learning using a comprehensive approach to education that takes into consideration the distinct and valuable learning experiences provided to students by families, schools, and communities; and

WHEREAS, in 2008, the Corporation, in collaboration with its National Advisory Board and national organizations such as the National Center on Time and Learning, and Massachusetts 2020, conducted research on models for expanded learning time and its impact on student achievement, and found information about:

(1) Existing school and non-school hour programs and instructional schedules for the Corporation’s partner conversion charter schools; and

(2) National models for expanded learning time and their impact on student outcomes, program offerings, instructional schedule, finances, leadership, and professional development;

and

WHEREAS, in 2008, the Corporation also established partnerships with the National Center on Time and Learning, Massachusetts 2020, and nationally-recognized traditional public schools and charter schools that are implementing innovative expanded learning time models and demonstrating improvements in student test scores, graduation rates, and matriculation rates to post-secondary education; and

WHEREAS, the Corporation has adopted an Extended Day/Expanded Learning Time Policy that:

(1) Aligns with one of the Corporation’s necessary conditions for success: increasing the time spent on instruction and co-curricular activities;

(2) Promotes the development of essential 21st century knowledge and skills;

(3) Defines “expanded learning” as the lengthening of the school day, school week, or school year for all students in a given school by at least 30 percent, or the equivalent of 360 hours per year; and

(4) Recognizes that effective expanded learning time models completely redesign a school in ways that combine academics with enrichment programs to create a robust and well-rounded educational experience for students while also supporting teachers with quality time for planning, training, and professional development;

and

WHEREAS, the Corporation’s Extended Day/Expanded Learning Time Policy sets forth core design principles for expanded learning time as follows:

(1) Schools are the focus of expanded learning time models;

(2) Effective expanded learning time models integrate additional learning time throughout the day and year and do not simply “tack on” additional time;

(3) The expansion of learning time must be significant in terms of added hours and days;

(4) Expanded learning time is for all students in a school;

(5) Effective expanded learning time models promote student achievement;

(6) Time for planning and training is necessary for the design and implementation of quality expanded learning time models;

(7) Leadership and effective resource management are necessary for the design and implementation of quality expanded learning time models; and

(8) Effective expanded learning time models focus on integrating core academics with relevant enrichment activities, including student-initiated exploration and hands-on experience and discovery;

and

WHEREAS, the Corporation with its partner conversion charter schools, Kualapu`u Elementary, Kamaile Academy, and Waimea Middle School, have adopted plans to develop, pilot, track, and review outcomes of expanded learning time models that improve educational outcomes in the following areas:

(1) Student engagement in learning, including student attendance and participation;

(2) Academic achievement, as measured by student test scores, retention, graduation, and matriculation to post-secondary education;

(3) Social, emotional, and behavioral development, including positive student behaviors, civic responsibility, and leadership; and

(4) Family and community involvement, including family and community support and resources for student learning and success;

now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Corporation is requested to submit reports of its expanded learning time initiative that includes a description of the expanded learning time models that are or will be piloted by the Corporation's partner conversion charter schools, including:

(1) A dashboard to document the progress, impact, and implications for sustainability of the expanded learning time models piloted by its partner conversion charter schools;

(2) Program and course offerings;

(3) Instructional days and hours;

(4) Weekly schedule;

(5) Annual calendar;

(6) Proposed budget and costs;

(7) Progress on implementation;

(8) Financial and budget impact and implications for sustainability;

(9) Preliminary impact data, including student, teacher, parent, and community surveys, and intended and unintended outcomes of expanded learning time models; and

(10) Adjustments and improvements, if any, made to the original models and reasons for adjustments;

and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Corporation and Department of Education are requested to collaborate on the development of plans to pilot expanded learning time models that promote the achievement and success of Hawaii's public school students, including the design of alternative models for expanded learning time and a framework for providing technical assistance to schools; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Corporation is requested to submit a progress report to the 2010 Legislature and a second report to the 2011 Legislature, including any proposed legislation, no later than 20 days prior to the convening of each regular session; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education, Superintendent of Education, Charter School Review Panel, principals of Kamaile Academy, Kualapuu School, and Waimea Middle School, Executive Director of the Hookakoo Corporation, and Chairperson of the Hookakoo Corporation Board of Directors.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Expanded Learning Time Models; Hookakoo Corporation

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	52
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009
STATE OF HAWAII