THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

79

TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2012

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the board of education and department of education to collaborate with parent organizations to establish, implement, and monitor statewide policies for family engagement in hawaii's public schools.

 

 


     WHEREAS, the Legislature finds that family engagement is an important indicator of student success and is important in a child's cognitive, social, and emotional development; and

 

     WHEREAS, children benefit from family engagement in their schools, including at the early childhood, elementary, middle or intermediate, and high school levels; and

 

     WHEREAS, family engagement helps close educational gaps between children of different socioeconomic backgrounds; and

 

     WHEREAS, family engagement in public education can help to create policies, strategies, and practices that support learning and improve student achievement; and

 

     WHEREAS, in response to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 145, Regular Session of 2011, the Department of Education has identified the following actions to update and implement statewide policies for family engagement:

 

     (1)  Update and align Board of Education Parent/Family Involvement Policy No. 2403 and Comprehensive Student Support Policy No. 2203 to reflect advancements in research and practice in regards to student support and family engagement;

 

     (2)  Align and integrate school-family partnership policies and practices across the system with the Department of Education Strategic Plan, Board of Education policies, and state and federal statutory requirements;

 

     (3)  Develop and maintain a robust system of two-way communication between families and the Department of Education at all levels, from schools to upper administration;

 

     (4)  Develop a common set of general practices across the Department of Education to ensure that families and schools have consistent expectations by which to interact and communicate effectively;

 

     (5)  Build system capacity by providing and coordinating resources and training for families and schools to support effective family-school partnerships;

 

     (6)  Establish a system of accountability, including the development of measureable indicators, by which families and schools can assess progress toward improving family-school engagement;

 

     (7)  Identify schools and complex areas that are effectively using family-school partnerships to support student achievement and disseminate effective practices system wide; and

 

     (8)  Continue to monitor the progress of implementing family-school partnerships and submitting a report to the Legislature; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2012, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Board of Education and Department of Education are requested to collaborate with parent organizations to establish, implement, and monitor the statewide policy recommendations for family engagement for public schools listed above and included in their report to the Legislature pursuant to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 145, Regular Session of 2011; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Education and Department of Education are requested to report their findings and make recommendations, including proposed legislation, if any, to facilitate family engagement to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2013; 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:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Education; Family Engagement