HJ0002 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0002 LRB100 05830 MLM 15853 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Illinois has 122 4-year colleges and universities offering bachelor's degrees; and

WHEREAS, Illinois is currently the 5th most populous state in the United States with, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 12,800,000 residents; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Census Bureau has surmised that Illinois is comprised of a diverse demographic population comprised of the following ethnicities: 62% non-Latino White; 17% Latino; 15% Black; and, 6% Asian; and

WHEREAS, The diversity of Illinois' population promotes the opportunity for students to meet and learn about and from people of all backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 88% of Illinoisans 25 years of age and older have obtained at least a high school diploma or its equivalent and 32% of that same demographic have obtained bachelor's degrees or higher; and

WHEREAS, The Board of Higher Education (hereinafter "BHE") found in its 2015 Report to the Governor and General Assembly on Underrepresented Groups in Illinois Higher Education (hereinafter the "Report") that "the main findings specific to enrollment among underrepresented groups from 2010 through 2014 center on the drastic decrease in African American undergraduate enrollment (15.8% total decrease) and a corollary increase in Hispanic undergraduate enrollment (16.9% total increase)"; and

WHEREAS, In its Report, the BHE further noted that "unfortunately, far too many high school graduates are not prepared for college in essential areas like math, reading and science. According to the 2014-2015 Illinois State Board of Education's Illinois Report Card, just a quarter of high school graduates are college-ready in all four core subjects per ACT benchmarks"; and

WHEREAS, The BHE is responsible for the development and implementation of the strategic courses of action for sustaining and improving higher education; and

WHEREAS, The BHE made specific recommendations in its Report to address the issues with the drastic decrease of certain underrepresented groups in Illinois academia and the unreadiness of such students to meaningfully compete in the halls of Illinois institutions of higher learning; and

WHEREAS, Two of the BHE recommendations in its Report address and are specifically tailored to: (1) increasing the enrollment of underrepresented groups in Illinois institutions of higher learning and (2) improving the preparation and readiness of high school students for their matriculation into institutions of higher learning; and

WHEREAS, According to the BHE in its Report, to promote enrollment increases in the underrepresented groups, a task force is necessary to conduct an in-depth analysis and study in order to triangulate results from surveys, focus groups, and key stakeholder communities and to develop a plan of remediation addressing the associated decline of such student groups; and

WHEREAS, According to the BHE, to improve college readiness, it is essential that Illinois effectively address and accelerate its work in the re-design of the high school-to-college transition; to do so, BHE opines in its Report that the State should incorporate alternative strategies of "speeding up" learning for more advanced high school students and, alternatively, strategies of "catching up" high school students who are less advanced, as necessary; and

WHEREAS, The Oxford English Dictionary defines a "laboratory school" as "an institution affiliated to a college or university, combining both a teacher-training college and a school in which innovative or experimental teaching methods are researched and applied"; and

WHEREAS, In that same vein, Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines a "laboratory school" as "a school operated by a college or university and used especially for student teaching and the demonstration of classroom practices"; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois has 9 public universities on 12 campuses throughout the State; of those 9 public universities, there exists a dearth of laboratory schools to foster the necessary policies and strategies identified by the BHE in its Report; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that there is created a Underrepresented Groups in Academia Task Force within the Board of Higher Education; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall be composed of the following members, to serve without compensation:

(1) a member appointed by the Speaker of the House;

(2) a member appointed by the Minority Leader of the House;

(3) a member appointed by the President of the Senate;

(4) a member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate;

(5) a member appointed by the Governor;

(6) a member appointed by the Chairperson of the State Board of Education;

(7) a member appointed by a group representing principals in the State;

(8) a member appointed by a group representing African-American attorneys in the State;

(9) a member appointed by a group representing Latino attorneys in the State;

(10) a member appointed by a group representing attorneys concerned with the protection of American civil liberties;

(11) a member appointed by a group representing a federation of labor organizations; and

(12) 9 members, each appointed by a different board of trustees of a State institution of higher education; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a vacancy in the membership of the Task Force shall be filled in the manner in which the original member was appointed; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force is charged with the following tasks:

(1) perform an in-depth study and analysis to create strategies to sustain and grow Illinois's underrepresented group populations in institutions of higher learning;

(2) develop transparent and common placement criteria so that students, teachers, and parents understand what is required in high school to ensure enrollment in credit-bearing college courses;

(3) determine the feasibility of an increase in laboratory schools to support the high school-to-college transition for students;

(4) ascertain the viability of the creation and construction of State-owned and operated trade schools in Chicago, Rockford, Springfield, and the Metro-East area for non-college bound high school students, with an emphasis on the enrollment in those trade schools of students from underrepresented groups;

(5) ascertain the cause and effect of the drastic decrease of Black students enrolling in institutions of higher learning; and

(6) ascertain the cause and effect of the drastic increase of Latino students enrolling in institutions of higher learning; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Board of Higher Education shall provide any necessary administrative support; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall elect a chairperson from its membership and shall have the authority to determine its own meeting schedule, hearing schedule, and agendas; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall submit a report concerning its assigned tasks to the Governor and General Assembly no later than December 31, 2018.