On May 4, the House approved, 396-0, a resolution (H. Res. 600) congratulating charter schools and their students, parents, teachers, and administrators for their ongoing contributions to education. The same day, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, a resolution (S. Res. 351) designating the week of May 3, 2004, as “National Charter Schools Week.”
Sponsored by Rep. Jon Porter (R-NV) and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH), the resolutions contain a number of findings, including:
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) highlighted the importance of charter schools, noting, “Some traditional schools fail to serve some students, and charter schools have proven to be a great alternative for many of these students. Fifteen different studies show that students frequently enter charter schools significantly below grade level and then progress at or above the gains being made in surrounding districts and demographically comparable schools or with their State averages.”
Referring to the debate over school vouchers in the District of Columbia, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) stated, “My own constituents who came in to see me, who wanted vouchers, many of them said to me that the reason that they were supporting a voucher bill is that there was such a long line of backlog in the charter schools that they did not believe their children could get into the charter schools.” She also noted that the District of Columbia has the largest number of charter schools in the nation.
Sen. Gregg explained that charter schools are popular for a number of reasons. “They are generally free from the burdensome regulations and policies that govern traditional public schools. They are founded and run by principles, teachers, and parents who share a common vision in education, a vision which guides each and every decision made at the schools, from hiring personnel to selecting curricula. Furthermore, charter schools are held accountable for student performance in a very unique way if they fail to educate their students well and meet the goals of their charters, they are shut down.”
Noting that the goal of charter schools is to better educate children by offering more choice and accountability in public schools, Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) stated, “In many cases, charter schools are built from the ground up by educational leaders and thinkers, working with teachers, parents and local leaders, to reinvent public school with fresh ideas and expanded options. To their credit, studies have shown that student achievement gains in public schools are substantial and that charter schools are serving a higher percentage of low-income and minority students than the traditional school system.”
