STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3146

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  S.R. No. 69
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Education and Technology and Labor and
Environment, to which was referred S.R. No. 69 entitled:

     "SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF
     EDUCATION CONSIDER ESTABLISHING EITHER A WORK EXPERIENCE OR
     A COMMUNITY SERVICE COMPONENT AS A REQUIREMENT FOR
     GRADUATION FROM HIGH SCHOOL,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to consider establishing a
work experience component or a community service component as a
requirement for high school graduation.

     In addition, this measure requests the Superintendent of
Education to report to the Legislature on the following:

     (1)  Numbers of students participating in the School-to-Work
          program since its inception;

     (2)  The number of students participating in any form of
          community service through their schools;

     (3)  Evaluations of the benefits of programs in paragraphs
          (1) and (2); and

     (4)  Recommendations on how to incorporate a work experience
          or community service component into the curriculum and
          the fiscal impact of such a requirement.


 
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     Testimony in support of the measure was received from Hawaii
School-to-Work and two individuals.  The Department of Education
supports the intent of this measure but believes it is not
necessary.

     Your Committees find that public schools increasingly
recognize the value of community service and service-learning
activities for students in developing character and compassion
for others, fostering civic responsibility, promoting academic
achievement and career awareness, and meeting real community and
school needs.  Through such programs students have the
opportunity to link career education with real world experiences.
Consequently, students can realize the value and necessity of
higher education, while also making school courses more relevant
and interesting to them.

     Although, several public high schools already require
community service as course requirements and schools can
establish individual school requirements for graduation through
the School/Community-Based Management waiver process, your
Committees agree that adding such a requirement would benefit all
public school students, as well as the community.

     Your Committees amended this measure by:

     (1)  Requiring the DOE to consider service learning programs
          as a component of graduation requirements and adding
          the service learning component to the title of this
          measure;

     (2)  Adding a WHEREAS paragraph about high schools currently
          offering community service as an option for graduation
          credit;

     (3)  Requesting the DOE to consider having the work
          experience, community service, or service learning as
          an elective eligible for credit;

     (4)  Requesting the DOE to recommend various models
          incorporating the concept in paragraph (2); and

     (5)  Expanding the report requirements to three reports, one
          each for School-to-Work, community service, and service
          learning and adding the following requirements for the
          reports, respectively:

          (A)  Categories or types of project-based learning,
               community service, or service learning;


 
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          (B)  Options currently available for each program;

          (C)  Alternatives for implementing, expanding, and/or
               continuing the programs;

          (D)  An evaluation of the benefits for each of the
               programs studied; and

          (E)  Any other pertinent information and research.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Education and Technology and Labor and Environment
that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the
intent and purpose of S.R. No. 69, as amended herein, and
recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means,
in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 69, S.D. 1.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committees on Education and
                                   Technology and Labor and
                                   Environment,



____________________________       ______________________________
BOB NAKATA, Chair                  DAVID Y. IGE, Chair

 
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