THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	19
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO PROVIDE A REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE regarding PUBLIC-SCHOOL CLASS SIZES.

WHEREAS, a well-rounded education requires manageable class sizes that allow teachers to deliver personalized and individualized instruction to their students; and

WHEREAS, the Institute of Education Sciences, the research arm of the United States Department of Education, has concluded that class-size reduction is one of only four evidence-based reforms that have been proven to increase student achievement; and

WHEREAS, research by the National Education Association has found that reducing class sizes in lower-income school districts helps to increase student achievement and students' test scores, alleviate strain on teachers, and raise college acceptance rates; and

WHEREAS, additional research published by the Center for Educational Equity discovered that smaller class sizes may attract high-quality teachers, leading to the adoption of policies in California and Florida to reduce class sizes; and

WHEREAS, experiments in Tennessee, Wisconsin, and other states have demonstrated that students in smaller classes score better on standardized tests, receive better grades, and exhibit improved attendance; and

WHEREAS, research also shows that the students who benefit the most from smaller class sizes come from poor and minority backgrounds, who experience twice the achievement gains of the average student; and

WHEREAS, a study commissioned by the United States Department of Education analyzed the achievement of students in 2,561 schools across the nation by their performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress and found that, after controlling for student background, the only objective factor that correlated with higher test scores was class size; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2024, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Education is requested to provide a report to the Legislature regarding public-school class sizes; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the report is requested to contain information on the number of classes at each school that exceed the optimum class size ratios contained in Board of Education Policy 106-2, including the subject matter and grade level for these classes; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education and Superintendent of Education.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

Department of Education; Public-school Class Sizes; Report to Legislature