00                   HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 6                                                                    
01 Relating to civics education and a citizens' advisory task force.                                                       
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS Alaskans place a high value on meaningful civic learning in our schools;                                
04 and                                                                                                                   
05       WHEREAS it is the responsibility of each generation of Americans to teach the next                              
06 generation how democracy works; and                                                                                     
07       WHEREAS research shows that, although Alaska has some examples of excellence in                                 
08 civics education, there has been a steady decline in the attention paid to advancing civic                              
09 learning opportunities, locally, statewide, and nationally; and                                                         
10       WHEREAS curricula or programs that integrate national, state, and local civics                                  
11 content into reading and math instruction can successfully engage students in civic learning                            
12 without diminishing attention to tested subjects; and                                                                   
13       WHEREAS the final report of the Alaska Civic Learning Assessment Project, dated                                 
14 November 2006, recommended 10 ways in which civics education could be advanced in                                       
15 Alaska; and                                                                                                             
16       WHEREAS one recommendation of the volunteer group was the creation of a                                         

01 statewide entity to review Alaska's civics standards for propriety and accuracy, assist in                              
02 teacher professional development, and develop incentive and reward programs for exemplary                               
03 schools and teachers;                                                                                                   
04       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature endorses the importance of                                     
05 improving civics education in our public schools and supports the creation of a citizens'                               
06 advisory task force to review Alaska's content standards for civics education, recommend                                
07 well-articulated civics curricula, and propose effective professional development strategies for                        
08 teachers in a comprehensive fashion; and be it                                                                          
09       FURTHER RESOLVED that the President of the Senate and Speaker of the House                                      
10 of Representatives each appoint two members and the Governor appoint one member to a                                    
11 citizens' advisory task force on civics education policy; and be it                                                     
12       FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force report back to the legislature and the                                     
13 Alaska Board of Education and Early Development on or before January 1, 2008, on ways to                                
14 implement the recommendations of the Alaska Civic Learning Assessment Project; and be it                                
15       FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of the citizens' advisory task force may                                      
16 receive compensation for per diem or reimbursement for travel or other expenses incurred by                             
17 serving on the task force.