HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	10
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2021
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

 

urging the board of education and department of education to support and implement community schools as a strategy for increasing access to a high-quality education.

 

 

 

        WHEREAS, article X, section 1, of the Hawaii State Constitution provides for the establishment of a statewide system of public schools; and

 

        WHEREAS, every child should be given the opportunity to obtain a high-quality education; and

 

        WHEREAS, according to the Department of Education, during the 2019-2020 school year, forty-seven percent of public-school students were considered economically challenged and 84,993 students qualified for the Department's free and reduced-price lunch program; and

 

        WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic will likely increase the number of students considered economically challenged and has contributed to significant learning loss due to limited in-person instruction; and

 

        WHEREAS, community schools provide comprehensive programs and services to meet the unique needs of students and families, such as a lack of stable housing, inadequate medical and dental care, persistent hunger, trauma, and exposure to violence; and

 

        WHEREAS, according to a report from the Learning Policy Institute, the four key pillars of a community-schools approach to education are integrated student supports, expanded and enriched learning time and opportunities, active family engagement, and collaborative leadership; and

 

        WHEREAS, according to the national Coalition for Community Schools, best practice shows that having a dedicated, full-time Community School Coordinator who facilitates the alignment of school, family, and community resources is a core element of a successful community school; and

 

        WHEREAS, the community school strategy aligns with the Department of Education's Na Hopena Ao Framework, strengthening the sense of belonging, responsibility, excellence, aloha, total well-being; and

 

        WHEREAS, practices embodied in community schools promote conditions found in high-quality schools nationwide, especially with regard to overcoming out-of-school barriers to learning; and

 

        WHEREAS, research shows that community-school interventions can result in improvements to a variety of student outcomes, including attendance, academic achievement, and graduation rates; and

 

        WHEREAS, federal funding sources such as Title I, Part A, Full Service Community Schools, and the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers can be used to implement community schools through the Every Student Succeeds Act, under which the community-schools model of school support qualifies as an evidence-based strategy for assisting schools identified for comprehensive and targeted support and intervention; and

 

        WHEREAS, the Hawaii Consolidated State Plan under the Every Student Succeeds Act includes community schools as a research   based strategy for school improvement that emphasizes high-quality teaching, culturally relevant curricula, wraparound student supports, positive disciplinary practices and restorative justice, parent and community engagement, and inclusive school leadership; now, therefore,

 

        BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Thirty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2021, that the Board of Education and Department of Education are urged to support and implement community schools as an equity strategy for increasing access to a high-quality education and addressing COVID-19 learning loss; and

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

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:  

Community Schools; Board of Education; Department of Education