84   
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES             H.C.R. NO.            H.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                     HOUSE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION


REQUESTING THE BOARD OF REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AND
   THE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO CREATE A MECHANISM TO PROMOTE THE
   ESTABLISHMENT OF A COORDINATED EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM FOR
   HAWAII.



 1       WHEREAS, in recent years, a number of states have been
 2   concerned that their public elementary and secondary schools
 3   and their higher education institutions operate as two separate
 4   and distinct systems, and not as a single, coordinated
 5   educational system; and
 6   
 7       WHEREAS, various states have engaged in a number of
 8   initiatives, often referred to as creating a K-16 or K-20
 9   educational system, which focuses on creating a seamless
10   educational system in which students can more easily move from
11   one level to the next without encountering barriers that often
12   make the transition from high school to college difficult; and
13   
14       WHEREAS, for example, some states have moved to create more
15   congruence between requirements for high school graduation and
16   college admission; and
17   
18       WHEREAS, moreover, since students who require remedial
19   education at the college level are far less likely to be
20   successful in college, colleges can work with schools to ensure
21   that the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in
22   college are included in the elementary and secondary
23   curriculum; and
24   
25       WHEREAS, increased coordination between lower and higher
26   education is essential since teacher education has moved from a
27   high priority issue to an urgent issue, as states are faced
28   with teacher shortages in key fields such as special education,
29   math, and science, and the ongoing professional development of
30   teachers is a particular concern, as are programs to better
31   support new teachers in the critical first few years of their
32   teaching careers; and

 
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 1       WHEREAS, furthermore, the research and public service
 2   resources of universities can and should be used to help
 3   improve the public schools; and
 4   
 5       WHEREAS, greater coordination between Hawaii's public
 6   schools and Hawaii's system of higher education would improve
 7   overall education for the residents of the State and, in this
 8   regard, Hawaii is fortunate because, unlike other states, it
 9   has a single public school system and a single system of higher
10   education; and
11   
12       WHEREAS, any approach to creating a coordinated educational
13   system in Hawaii must involve the University of Hawaii and the
14   Department of Education; now, therefore,
15   
16       BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the
17   Twentieth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session
18   of 1999, the Senate concurring, that the Board of Regents of
19   the University of Hawaii and the Board of Education are
20   requested to create a mechanism to promote the establishment of
21   a coordinated educational system for Hawaii; and
22   
23       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the President of the University
24   of Hawaii and the Superintendent of Education submit a joint
25   report of the mechanism to the Legislature no later than twenty
26   days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2000; and
27   
28       BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this
29   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chair of the Board
30   of Regents, the Chairperson of the Board of Education, the
31   President of the University of Hawaii, and the Superintendent
32   of Education.