Brief Description: Creating a joint select committee on equitable opportunity for all.

Sponsors: Representatives McCoy and Santos.

Hearing Date: 1/30/06

Staff: Barbara McLain (786-7383).

Background:

In 2000, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, through its community outreach office, coordinated the Multi-Ethnic Think Tank (Think Tank). The Think Tank represents an alliance of African American, American Indian/Alaska Natives, Asian Pacific Islander American, Hispanic, and low socio-economic communities. The work of the Think Tank produced a set of recommended action steps aimed at raising the academic achievement of students in these populations.

Summary of Bill:

The Joint Select Committee on Equitable Opportunity For All is established. The committee consists of two members of each caucus of the House of Representatives and the Senate representing the education and juvenile justice/corrections committees. The committee must determine what efforts currently exist to implement the following action steps:

• add a fifth Washington learning goal to ensure culturally competent education;
• infuse multicultural education goals into the existing four Washington state learning goals;
• integrate multicultural and technological learning objectives in the Washington state essential academic learning requirements;
• standardize the data collection, categorization, and reporting of all ethnic groups, including the disaggregation of data sets into discrete ethnic populations that provide the most accurate information about student achievement;
• recruit and retain racial and ethnic minority staff and administration; and
• require that professional development is culturally and linguistically responsive for all staff, administration, and others.

The committee will consult with stakeholders representing communities of color, special education, and others.

The committee will report its findings to the Legislature by September 1, 2006, including a determination of the actions and resources necessary to complete the action steps and whether existing basic education money can be used or additional funding is needed. The recommendations must be prioritized based on existing efforts and the resources necessary for full implementation.

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Not requested.