HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

297

TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING REPORTS on the economic value of expanded workforce development capacity AND STEM initiatives.

 

 


     WHEREAS, in 2007, the National Governors Association made improving the nation's economic competitiveness through innovation its primary focus, and in a report titled, "A Benchmarking of the Hawaii Educational System", Monitor Group and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices profiled how Hawaii's educational system was performing relative to national averages; and

 

     WHEREAS, although Hawaii's high school graduation rate is close to the national average, its postsecondary completion rate is below the national average, and significantly below the highest-performing states; and

 

     WHEREAS, the 2007 Legislature strongly endorsed initiatives related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, and creative media education as the most practical, hands-on means of increasing students' interest in pursuing math and science and technology careers; and

 

     WHEREAS, emphasizing the need to build upon solid performance outcomes, the Legislature enacted Act 111, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, which expanded existing STEM programs like robotics (including FIRST Lego League, Junior FIRST Lego League, botball, underwater ROV, VEX, Micro-Robot, and robotics camps) and Research Experiences for Teachers – Middle School, and Act 271, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, which expanded Project EAST, the Environmental and Spatial Technology program; and

 

     WHEREAS, the initial legislative targets for 2007-2008 were to double the existing forty-eight STEM, Research Experiences for Teachers – Middle School, Project Environmental and Spatial Technology, and robotics programs within public schools to achieve a level of eighty-four school initiatives, and these goals were far exceeded during 2008-2010; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, the Senate concurring, that a report on the economic value of expanded workforce development capacity be provided by the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, which is responsible for tracking growth of emerging industries in defense and dual-use, astronomy, engineering, aquaculture, biotech, digital media, and related industries; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that an update on STEM initiatives, including Research Experiences for Teachers – Middle School, Project Environmental and Spatial Technology, Hi-EST, and FIRST academies, and other robotics within Hawaii schools, is requested from the following:

 

     (1)  University of Hawaii College of Engineering;

 

     (2)  Department of Education;

 

     (3)  Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism;

 

     (4)  Robotics Organizing Committee; and

 

     (5)  Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii Inc., and the Hawaii 3Ts School Technology Laboratories Fund, under section 302A-1314, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that these entities provide their respective written reports to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the Regular Session of 2011, on:

 

     (1)  The economic value of expanded workforce development capacity of emerging industries in defense and dual-use, astronomy, engineering, aquaculture, biotech, digital media, and related industries; and

         

     (2)  The status of each entity's STEM initiatives, activities, and recommendations for long-term expansion and funding requirements; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Dean of the University of Hawaii College of Engineering; Superintendent of Education; Director of the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Executive Director of the Robotics Organizing Committee; and Chair of the Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii Inc.

Report Title: 

Status Report: STEM; Robotics