[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 204 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                 In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

                                                        April 29, 2003.
Whereas charter schools across the United States deliver high-quality education 
        and challenge students to reach their potential;
Whereas charter schools are public schools authorized by a designated public 
        entity to respond to the needs of communities, families, and students 
        and to promote the principles of quality, choice, and innovation;
Whereas, in exchange for the flexibility and autonomy given to charter schools, 
        they are held accountable by their sponsors for improving student 
        achievement and for their financial and other administrative operations;
Whereas 39 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico 
        have passed laws authorizing charter schools;
Whereas almost 2,700 charter schools are now operating in 36 States, the 
        District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and serving 
        nearly 700,000 students;
Whereas the Congress has appropriated nearly $1,000,000,000 for the costs of 
        planning, startup, implementation, and information dissemination 
        associated with charter schools since the initial authorization in 1994 
        of the Federal charter school grant program under the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965;
Whereas an additional $50,000,000 in Federal appropriations has now been 
        approved to help address the facilities' financing needs of charter 
        schools;
Whereas charter schools can be vehicles for improving student achievement for 
        students who attend them, for stimulating change and improvement in all 
        public schools, and for benefiting all public school students;
Whereas charter schools must meet the student achievement accountability 
        requirements included by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 in the 
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 in the same manner as 
        other public schools, and often set higher and additional individual 
        goals, to ensure that they are of high quality and truly accountable to 
        the public;
Whereas charter schools give parents new freedom to choose their public school, 
        charter schools routinely measure parental satisfaction levels, and 
        charter schools must prove their ongoing and increasing success to 
        parents, policymakers, and their communities;
Whereas nearly 70 percent of charter schools report having a waiting list, and 
        the total number of students on all such waiting lists is enough to fill 
        another 1,000 average-sized charter schools;
Whereas students in charter schools nationwide have demographic characteristics 
        similar to students in all public schools;
Whereas charter schools in many States serve significant numbers of students 
        from families with lower incomes, minority students, and students with 
        disabilities, and, in a majority of charter schools, almost one-half of 
        the students are considered at-risk or are former dropouts;
Whereas the fourth annual National Charter Schools Week is being celebrated from 
        April 28, 2003, to May 2, 2003, and is an event sponsored by charter 
        schools and grassroots charter school organizations across the United 
        States to recognize the significant impacts, achievements, and 
        innovations of the Nation's charter schools; and
Whereas charter schools have enjoyed broad bipartisan support from the 
        Administration, the Congress, State Governors, State legislatures, 
        educators, and parents across the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) the House of Representatives acknowledges and commends the 
        charter school movement, charter schools across the United States, and 
        the students, parents, teachers, and administrators of such schools, for 
        their ongoing contributions to education and to improving and 
        strengthening the public school system of the United States;
            (2) the House of Representatives supports the fourth annual National 
        Charter Schools Week; and
            (3) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the 
        President should issue a proclamation calling on the people of the 
        United States to conduct appropriate programs, ceremonies, and 
        activities to demonstrate support for charter schools during this week-
        long celebration in communities throughout the United States.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.