Bill Text: CA ACR134 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Dropout Recovery Week.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 49-22)
Status: (Passed) 2012-06-07 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Res. Chapter 46, Statutes of 2012. [ACR134 Detail]
Download: California-2011-ACR134-Chaptered.html
BILL NUMBER: ACR 134 CHAPTERED BILL TEXT RESOLUTION CHAPTER 46 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE JUNE 7, 2012 ADOPTED IN SENATE JUNE 4, 2012 ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 26, 2012 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 26, 2012 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Hueso (Coauthors: Assembly Members Ammiano, Carter, Dickinson, V. Manuel Pérez, Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Atkins, Beall, Bill Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford, Brownley, Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Davis, Donnelly, Eng, Feuer, Fong, Fuentes, Beth Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick, Gatto, Gordon, Gorell, Grove, Hagman, Halderman, Hall, Roger Hernández, Hill, Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Lara, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mansoor, Mendoza, Miller, Mitchell, Monning, Morrell, Nestande, Nielsen, Olsen, Pan, Perea, John A. Pérez, Portantino, Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Valadao, Wagner, Wieckowski, Williams, and Yamada) (Coauthor: Senator Lowenthal) MARCH 20, 2012 Relative to Dropout Recovery Week. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 134, Hueso. Dropout Recovery Week. This measure would declare the week of June 4 to June 10, 2012, inclusive, to be Dropout Recovery Week, and would state the Legislature's intent to encourage the support of dropout recovery high schools with creative teaching strategies, alternative assessments, and adequate resources. WHEREAS, Research suggests that fewer than 70 percent of 9th grade pupils in California, and in some school districts, fewer than 50 percent, graduate from high school; and WHEREAS, A 2011 survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found that strong majorities of public school parents and adults across political parties, regions, and demographic groups view the dropout rate as a big problem; and WHEREAS, Research by the Alliance for Excellent Education demonstrates that if only one-half of the dropouts were recovered in California, the economic benefits to California would be staggering: those recovered dropouts would invest an additional $394 million a year, increase home sales by $4.5 billion during their careers, support an additional 8,700 jobs to the midpoint of their careers, and increase state and local tax revenues by $167 million every year; and WHEREAS, Research further demonstrates that reengaged learners demonstrate higher civic engagement, contribute to the cultural strengths of their communities, and are significantly less likely to be unemployed, on public assistance, or arrested for a violent crime; and WHEREAS, There exist dropout recovery high schools in California that provide significant social, economic, and academic benefits to their pupils and to California's population as a whole; and WHEREAS, Dropout recovery high schools face significant challenges in reengaging pupils into academic endeavors, including: (1) dropouts who reenter high school often perform significantly below grade level; (2) pupils who drop out display a gradual process of disengagement from school that encompasses years of academic and behavioral difficulties, absenteeism, and stressful life circumstances; (3) reengagement into a high school setting can be difficult and take a significant amount of time; and (4) pupils who have dropped out once are significantly more likely to drop out again; and WHEREAS, Research by WestEd found that one-half of the dropouts who return to school stay for one year or less, one-third of returning dropouts fail to complete even one course after they reenroll, and only 18 percent of returning dropouts graduate; and WHEREAS, Successful dropout recovery high schools attract and retain high-quality staff committed to meeting the instructional needs of the whole pupil; and WHEREAS, Successful dropout recovery high schools utilize multiple strategies to overcome these challenges, including state-of-the-art technology, career technical education to reach a variety of learning modalities, accelerated learning pedagogies, competency-based, rather than seat time-based, instruction, and open entry and open exit enrollment; and WHEREAS, Reengaged learners are no longer at risk of failure but at promise of success; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature hereby declares the week of June 4 to June 10, inclusive, 2012, to be Dropout Recovery Week, in honor of the schools and staff who work to reengage pupils who have previously dropped out of school, and in honor of the pupils who have overcome significant personal challenges to reengage in high school and become transformed learners who will continue to pursue education to prepare for college and career in their futures; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature intends to encourage the support of dropout recovery high schools with creative teaching strategies, alternative assessments, and adequate resources; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.