[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 195 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 195
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 24th annual
National Charter Schools Week, to be held May 7 through May 13, 2023.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 4, 2023
Mr. Scott of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Johnson, Mr.
Lankford, Mr. Carper, Mr. Risch, Mr. Cornyn, Mrs. Britt, Mr. Cassidy,
Mr. Hagerty, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Crapo, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Rubio, Mr.
Scott of Florida, Mr. Cruz, Ms. Hassan, Mr. Tuberville, Mr. Tillis, Mr.
Wicker, Mr. Braun, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Young, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Booker,
Mr. McConnell, and Mr. Boozman) submitted the following resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and
Pensions
May 11, 2023
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 24th annual
National Charter Schools Week, to be held May 7 through May 13, 2023.
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 high-quality public charter schools promote innovation and excellence in
public education;
Whereas public charter schools throughout the United States can 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 and transparent 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 high expectations for students to
ensure that the charter schools are of high quality and truly
accountable to the public;
Whereas 44 States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico have public
charter schools;
Whereas, as of the 2020-2021 school year, more than 7,800 public charter schools
served approximately 3,700,000 children;
Whereas enrollment in public charter schools grew from 400,000 students in 2001
to 3,700,000 students in 2020, a more than eightfold increase in 20
years;
Whereas in the United States--
(1) in 261 school districts, more than 10 percent of public school
students are enrolled in public charter schools; and
(2) in at least 22 school districts, at least 30 percent of public
school students are enrolled in public charter schools;
Whereas high-quality public charter schools improve the achievement of students
enrolled in the 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 significant improvements for students at urban
charter schools, and, when compared to peers in traditional public
schools, each year those students completed the equivalent of 28 more
days of learning in reading and 40 more days of learning in math;
Whereas parental demand for charter schools is high, and there was nearly 5
percent growth in charter school enrollment between the 2017-2018 and
2018-2019 school years; and
Whereas the 24th annual National Charter Schools Week is scheduled to be
celebrated the week of May 7 through May 13, 2023: 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 important strides in closing the
academic achievement gap in schools in the United
States, particularly in schools with some of the most
disadvantaged students in both rural and urban
communities; and
(C) strengthening the public school system
throughout the United States;
(2) supports the ideals and goals of the 24th annual
National Charter Schools Week, a week-long celebration to be
held May 7 through May 13, 2023, 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 high-
quality public charter schools.
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