Bill Text: HI SB2938 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating To The University Of Hawaii At Hilo.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-1)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-24 - Referred to HRE/HWN, WAM. [SB2938 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2024-SB2938-Introduced.html
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
2938 |
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THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2024 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating to the University of hawaii at hilo.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that Act 315, Session Laws of Hawaii 1997, mandated the establishment of a Hawaiian language college at the university of Hawaii at Hilo. The language college subsequently played a major role in developing the Imiloa astronomy center to provide bilingual Hawaiian‑English science education to the community. The Imiloa center provides outreach and science education from perspectives emanating from Hawaii's distinctive local and indigenous culture and history. Since its establishment, the Imiloa center has worked with the college of Hawaiian language to produce a fully integrated education program, including preschool, kindergarten to grade twelve, a baccalaureate degree, a teacher certification program, a master's degree, and a doctoral program. The Imiloa center's education programs also include direct outreach to the general public using both technology and in-person learning. It is the only fully integrated bilingual education program of its kind in Hawaii.
The legislature further finds that the bilingual work of the college of Hawaiian language and Imiloa center is especially important to the State, because the State has two official languages. The State's schools offer both an English language medium education pathway and a Hawaiian language medium education pathway from infant and toddler program to doctoral degrees. Act 46, Session Laws of Hawaii 2020, appropriated moneys to the Imiloa center and college of Hawaiian language to help establish a pathway for the development of Hawaiian language medium early education. The college of Hawaiian language developed an early education certificate taught entirely in the Hawaiian language and based on Hawaiian‑grounded, scientifically-researched concepts of childhood development and cognitive development. Imiloa center has also provided educational outreach to the State's students using innovative approaches and unique delivery methods that help advance Hawaii's goal of expanding Hawaiian language medium early education within the State.
The legislature recognizes that the Imiloa center identifies Hawaiian language proficiency development as a bottleneck in the development of Hawaiian language medium early education teachers. The United States Foreign Service estimates that Hawaiian language proficiency requires approximately one thousand one hundred hours of study. This is much more than the standard number of hours currently allocated to Hawaiian language in most degree programs outside of the degree programs at the university of Hawaii at Hilo college of Hawaiian language. Standard models for learning a second language and the limited scheduling of Hawaiian language courses in the State's high schools and universities both present challenges to the development of Hawaiian language medium early education teachers who are proficient in Hawaiian.
The legislature believes that implementing an institute model for Hawaiian education at the university of Hawaii at Hilo would allow the Imiloa center's year-round scheduling flexibility to extend to the college of Hawaiian language and would give the center and college greater opportunities to develop Hawaiian language proficiency and Hawaiian language medium early education sites and programs.
The legislature also recognizes that the university of Hawaii at Hilo leads the federally-designated National Native American Language Resource Center. This role gives the Imiloa center and college of Hawaiian language unique access to offer coursework, training, consultations, materials, and other services to federal agencies, other states, tribal nations, and mainland communities. Therefore, the development of an institute for indigenous education at the university of Hawaii at Hilo is a matter of both national and statewide concern.
The legislature believes that implementing an institute model for Hawaiian language education at the university of Hawaii at Hilo is crucial to the development of a Hawaiian language medium early education pathway and would help reduce the State's large shortage of Hawaiian language medium education teachers. It would also expand the reach of the college of Hawaiian language and Imiloa center to help address the State's and individual communities' Hawaiian language needs. The institute would also serve as a model for language education for other indigenous and marginalized groups, demonstrating how to offer high-quality education from a distinctive language base.
Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to establish an institute of indigenous education, science, and outreach within the university of Hawaii at Hilo through a collaboration between the university of Hawaii at Hilo Imiloa center and university of Hawaii at Hilo college of Hawaiian language. The institute shall operate as a distinct unit within the university of Hawaii with flexibility as it relates to scheduling, outreach, and functionality.
SECTION 2. Chapter 304A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new subpart to part IV to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:
" INSTITUTE OF INDIGENOUS EDUCATION, SCIENCE, AND OUTREACH
§304A- Institute of indigenous education, science and outreach; established. There is established the institute of indigenous education, science, and outreach. The institute shall be placed within the university of Hawaii at Hilo through a collaboration between the university of Hawaii at Hilo Imiloa astronomy center and university of Hawaii at Hilo college of Hawaiian language; provided that the institute shall have flexibility as it relates to scheduling, outreach, and functionality; provided further that the institute may establish appropriate fees for its services and products.
§304- Functions. The institute of indigenous education, science, and outreach shall:
(1) Develop and strengthen the Hawaiian language education pathway, from infant and toddler education programs through doctoral degree programs, in cooperation with partners like Aha Punana Leo, Inc.;
(2) Provide language education services to other indigenous language and autochthonous language groups, including Native American tribal nations;
(3) Provide outreach to Hawaiians, and other former residents with distinctive ties to the State, who now live outside of Hawaii; and
(4) Provide outreach to scientific institutions, museums, educational organizations, governmental entities, and others regarding indigenous community engagement and the importance of representation for indigenous peoples, languages, and cultures.
§304A- Patents, copyrights, inventions, discoveries, and other rights. Any patents, copyrights, inventions, discoveries, or other rights arising from activities of the institute of indigenous education, science, and outreach shall belong to the institute and shall be subject to policies or rules adopted by the board of regents."
SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
_____________________________ |
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Report Title:
UH;
College of Hawaiian Language; Institute of Indigenous Education, Science, and
Outreach
Description:
Establishes
the Institute of Indigenous Education, Science, and Outreach within the University
of Hawaii at Hilo.
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
