House Resolution 22 PAG LIN 1 1 HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. ___ 1 2 BY FORD 1 3 A Resolution urging the State Board of Education, 1 4 education professionals throughout Iowa, and Iowa's 1 5 community leaders to actively and prominently make 1 6 every effort to close Iowa's achievement gap. 1 7 WHEREAS, a suitable education nourishes the soul, 1 8 builds character, eliminates class barriers, and pays 1 9 rewards beyond an individual's lifetime; and 1 10 WHEREAS, Iowa's exemplary education system, though 1 11 still consistently ranking among the nation's best, is 1 12 not meeting the needs of all of the state's children 1 13 uniformly; and 1 14 WHEREAS, a UNICEF report analyzing the educational 1 15 performance in the world's industrialized nations 1 16 noted that family backgrounds and the home environment 1 17 play crucial roles in children's education; and 1 18 WHEREAS, research in this country has identified a 1 19 number of other factors contributing to the 1 20 achievement gap, including students' racial or 1 21 economic background, access to high=quality preschool 1 22 instruction, peer influences, teachers' expectations, 1 23 and curricular and instructional quality; and 1 24 WHEREAS, research also indicates poor and minority 1 25 children, the very children who need the most support, 1 26 are often served by schools that receive fewer 1 27 resources, have difficulty attracting a quality 1 28 teaching and administrative staff, have a greater 1 29 variety of student needs to fill, and receive less 1 30 parental and community support; and 2 1 WHEREAS, in 2001, the Education Trust reported that 2 2 Iowa districts with the highest child poverty rates 2 3 have $456 less in state and local moneys to spend per 2 4 student compared with the lowest=poverty districts; 2 5 and that Iowa districts with the highest minority 2 6 enrollments have $596 less in state and local moneys 2 7 to spend per student compared with the lowest=minority 2 8 districts; and 2 9 WHEREAS, scientifically based research indicates 2 10 the achievement gap can be closed through the 2 11 utilization of any number of measures, including 2 12 implementing parent education programs; high=quality 2 13 preschool programs; promoting the expectation from 2 14 parents and educational professionals that all 2 15 students can succeed and demanding that they do so; 2 16 using challenging curricula and instructional 2 17 strategies that engage students' interests; recruiting 2 18 and retaining well=qualified, fully supported 2 19 teachers; and maintaining a culture where learning and 2 20 achievement are valued and modeled; and 2 21 WHEREAS, Iowa's population is changing, with more 2 22 challenges and changes to come, making this the best, 2 23 most appropriate time to close the achievement gap, 2 24 thereby energizing and strengthening the state's 2 25 future; NOW THEREFORE, 2 26 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 2 27 That the House of Representatives urges the State 2 28 Board of Education, education professionals throughout 2 29 Iowa, and Iowa's community leaders to actively and 2 30 prominently make every effort to close Iowa's 3 1 achievement gap; and 3 2 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That upon adoption, a copy 3 3 of this resolution be sent to the State Board of 3 4 Education to be distributed electronically to 3 5 education professionals and community leaders 3 6 throughout the state. 3 7 LSB 2499HH 80 3 8 kh/pj/5