[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 571 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 571
Congratulating the students, parents, teachers, and leaders of charter
schools across the United States for making ongoing contributions to
education and supporting the ideals and goals of the 21st annual
National Charter Schools Week, to be held May 10 through May 16, 2020.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 12, 2020
Mr. Bennet (for himself, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Braun, Mr. Cornyn, Mr.
Perdue, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Burr, Mrs. Hyde-
Smith, Mr. Toomey, Mr. Young, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Coons, Mr.
Carper, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Wicker, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mrs.
Blackburn, Mr. Cassidy, Mrs. Loeffler, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Gardner, Mr.
Tillis, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Booker, and Mr. McConnell) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
May 20, 2020
Committee discharged; considered and agreed to
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Congratulating the students, parents, teachers, and leaders of charter
schools across the United States for making ongoing contributions to
education and supporting the ideals and goals of the 21st annual
National Charter Schools Week, to be held May 10 through May 16, 2020.
Whereas charter schools are public schools that do not charge tuition and enroll
any student who wants to attend, often through a random lottery when the
demand for enrollment is outmatched by the supply of available charter
school seats;
Whereas high-performing public charter schools deliver a high-quality public
education and challenge all students to reach their potential for
academic success;
Whereas public charter schools promote innovation and excellence in public
education;
Whereas public charter schools throughout the United States provide millions of
families with diverse and innovative educational options for the
children of those families;
Whereas high-performing public charter schools and charter management
organizations are increasing student achievement and attendance rates at
institutions of higher education;
Whereas public charter schools are authorized by a designated entity and--
(1) respond to the needs of communities, families, and students in the
United States; and
(2) promote the principles of quality, accountability, choice, high
performance, and innovation;
Whereas, in exchange for flexibility and autonomy, public charter schools are
held accountable by the authorizers of the charter schools for improving
student achievement and for sound financial and operational management;
Whereas public charter schools are required to meet the student achievement
accountability requirements under the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) in the same manner as traditional
public schools;
Whereas public charter schools often set higher expectations for students,
beyond the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.), to ensure that the charter schools are of
high quality and truly accountable to the public;
Whereas 45 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have enacted laws
authorizing public charter schools;
Whereas, as of the 2018-2019 school year, more than 7,400 public charter schools
served approximately 3,200,000 children;
Whereas enrollment in public charter schools grew from 400,000 students in 2001
to 3,200,000 students in 2019, an eightfold increase in 18 years;
Whereas, in the United States--
(1) in 214 school districts, more than 10 percent of public school
students are enrolled in public charter schools; and
(2) in 21 school districts, more than 30 percent of public school
students are enrolled in public charter schools;
Whereas public charter schools improve the achievement of students enrolled in
those charter schools and collaborate with traditional public schools to
improve public education for all students;
Whereas public charter schools--
(1) give parents the freedom to choose public schools;
(2) routinely measure parental satisfaction levels; and
(3) must prove the ongoing success of the charter schools to parents,
policymakers, and the communities served by the charter schools or risk
closure;
Whereas a 2015 report from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at
Stanford University found--
(1) significant improvements for students at urban charter schools; and
(2) that, each year, students at urban charter schools completed the
equivalent of 28 more days of learning in reading and 40 more days of
learning in math than the peers of those students in traditional public
schools;
Whereas parental demand for charter schools is high, and there was an estimated
7 percent growth in charter school enrollment between the 2016-2017 and
2018-2019 school years; and
Whereas the 21st annual National Charter Schools Week is scheduled to be
celebrated the week of May 10 through May 16, 2020: Now, therefore, be
it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) congratulates the students, families, teachers,
leaders, and staff of public charter schools across the United
States for--
(A) making ongoing contributions to public
education;
(B) making impressive strides in closing the
academic achievement gap in schools in the United
States and particularly in schools with some of the
most disadvantaged students in both rural and urban
communities; and
(C) improving and strengthening the public school
system throughout the United States;
(2) supports the ideals and goals of the 21st annual
National Charter Schools Week, a week-long celebration to be
held May 10 through May 16, 2020, in communities throughout the
United States; and
(3) encourages the people of the United States to hold
appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities during
National Charter Schools Week to demonstrate support for public
charter schools.
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