69
THE SENATE                           S.R. NO.              S.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
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                    SENATE  RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION CONSIDER
    ESTABLISHING A WORK EXPERIENCE, COMMUNITY SERVICE, OR
    SERVICE LEARNING COMPONENT AS A REQUIREMENT FOR GRADUATION
    FROM HIGH SCHOOL. 


 1        WHEREAS, as Hawaii faces both the opportunities and the
 2   challenges of the new economy, a quality workforce is one of
 3   the factors continually cited as critical to growth and
 4   success; and
 5   
 6        WHEREAS, this workforce is in turn dependent on the
 7   quality of education and the practical skills that Hawaii's
 8   students bring to the job; and
 9   
10        WHEREAS, one effective means of ensuring that students are
11   prepared for work is to incorporate work experience, community
12   service, or service learning into the curriculum; and
13   
14        WHEREAS, Hawaii's School-to-Work program has been
15   instrumental in providing public school students with
16   opportunities for meaningful work experience, and has been one
17   of the nation's leaders in implementation of these programs;
18   and
19   
20        WHEREAS, in order to offer more learning opportunities
21   such as those provided through work experience, many mainland
22   school districts have added community service requirements to
23   their curriculum; and
24   
25        WHEREAS, in addition to the practical work skills gained
26   through both of these options, students learn about their
27   communities, and communities also benefit from the services
28   provided by these students; and
29   
30        WHEREAS, students also experience the satisfaction of
31   making meaningful contributions to their communities, and a
32   better understanding of how to balance personal, work, and
33   community needs and goals; and
34   
35        WHEREAS, service learning provides an opportunity for
36   students to integrate, through a community project, a practical
37   application of what they are learning with their course work;
38   and
39   

 
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                                  S.R. NO.              S.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1        WHEREAS, community service is currently offered by some
 2   public schools as an option to acquire credits applicable
 3   toward high school graduation requirements; and
 4   
 5        WHEREAS, as the Department of Education considers the best
 6   means to increase the accountability of its educational
 7   programs, additional learning methods should be taken into
 8   account to improve the quality of the education Hawaii students
 9   receive; now, therefore,
10   
11        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
12   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, that the
13   Department of Education is requested to consider establishing
14   one or more of the following:
15   
16        (1)  A work experience component, such as that provided by
17             the School-to-Work program;
18   
19        (2)  A community service component; or
20   
21        (3)  A service learning program,
22   
23   as a requirement for graduation from high school; and
24   
25        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education
26   consider making such a requirement an elective that is eligible
27   for credit and recommend various models incorporating this
28   concept; and
29   
30        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education
31   consider and investigate ways of recognizing and/or
32   acknowledging students' voluntary participation, work
33   experience, community service, or service learning on their
34   diplomas, official transcripts, or both; and
35   
36        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Superintendent of
37   Education is requested to submit the following three reports to
38   the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the
39   convening of the regular session of 2001:
40   
41        (1)  A report on the School-to-Work program, which shall
42             include:
43   
44             (A)  The numbers of students participating in the
45                  School-to-Work program since its inception;
46   

 
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                                  S.R. NO.              S.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1             (B)  Recommendations on how to incorporate a work
 2                  experience into the curriculum requirements;
 3   
 4             (C)  The fiscal impact of such a requirement;
 5   
 6             (D)  Categories or types of project-based learning;
 7   
 8             (E)  Options currently available for the School-to-
 9                  Work program; 
10   
11             (F)  Alternatives for expanding and/or continuing the
12                  School-to-Work program; and
13   
14             (G)  An evaluation of the benefits of this program;
15   
16        (2)  A report on community service programs, which shall
17             include:
18   
19             (A)  The numbers of students participating in any
20                  form of community service through their schools;
21   
22             (B)  Recommendations on how to incorporate a
23                  community service component into the curriculum
24                  requirements;
25   
26             (C)  The fiscal impact of such a requirement;
27   
28             (D)  Categories or types of community service
29                  projects;
30   
31             (E)  Options currently available to students for
32                  community service projects;
33   
34             (F)  Alternatives for implementing, expanding, and/or
35                  continuing community service projects for
36                  schools; and
37   
38             (G)  An evaluation of the benefits of community
39                  service projects; and
40   
41        (3)  A report on service learning programs, which shall
42             include:
43   
44             (A)  The numbers of students participating in any
45                  service learning programs;
46   

 
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                                  S.R. NO.              S.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1             (B)  Recommendations on how to incorporate a service
 2                  learning program component into the curriculum
 3                  requirements;
 4   
 5             (C)  The fiscal impact of such a requirement;
 6   
 7             (D)  Categories or types of service learning;
 8   
 9             (E)  Options currently available to students through
10                  service learning programs;
11   
12             (F)  Alternatives for implementing, expanding, and/or
13                  continuing service learning programs for
14                  schools; and
15   
16             (G)  An evaluation of the benefits of service
17                  learning programs;
18   
19   and any other pertinent information and research; and
20   
21        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
22   Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of
23   Education and the Superintendent of Education.