[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 158 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 158

 Congratulating the students, parents, teachers, and administrators of 
 charter schools across the United States for ongoing contributions to 
   education, and supporting the ideals and goals of the 12th annual 
                     National Charter Schools Week.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 2, 2011

  Ms. Landrieu (for herself, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Burr, Mr. Carper, Mr. 
   Durbin, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Kirk, Mr. Lieberman, and Mr. Vitter) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
               on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Congratulating the students, parents, teachers, and administrators of 
 charter schools across the United States for ongoing contributions to 
   education, and supporting the ideals and goals of the 12th annual 
                     National Charter Schools Week.

Whereas charter schools deliver high-quality public education and challenge all 
        students to reach their potential;
Whereas charter schools promote innovation and excellence in public education;
Whereas charter schools provide thousands of families with diverse and 
        innovative educational options for their children;
Whereas charter schools are public schools authorized by a designated public 
        entity that--

    (1) respond to the needs of communities, families, and students in the 
United States; and

    (2) promote the principles of quality, accountability, choice, and 
innovation;

Whereas in exchange for flexibility and autonomy, charter schools are held 
        accountable by their sponsors for improving student achievement and for 
        the financial and other operations of the charter schools;
Whereas 40 States, the District of Columbia, and Guam have passed laws 
        authorizing charter schools;
Whereas in 2011, close to 5,000 charter schools are serving more than 1,600,000 
        children;
Whereas in the past 17 fiscal years, Congress has provided a total of more than 
        $2,600,000,000 in financial assistance to the charter school movement 
        through grants for planning, program design, initial implementation, 
        replication, expansion, dissemination, evaluation, and facilities;
Whereas numerous charter schools improve the achievements of students and 
        stimulate improvement in traditional public schools;
Whereas 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 charter schools often set higher and additional individual goals than 
        the requirements of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 
        (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) to ensure that charter schools are of high 
        quality and truly accountable to the public;
Whereas charter schools--

    (1) give parents the freedom to choose public schools;

    (2) routinely measure parental satisfaction levels; and

    (3) must prove their ongoing success to parents, policymakers, and the 
communities served by the charter schools;

Whereas more than 50 percent of charter schools report having a waiting list, 
        and the total number of students on all such waiting lists is enough to 
        fill more than 1,100 average-sized charter schools;
Whereas the President has called for doubling the Federal support for charter 
        schools, including replicating and expanding the highest performing 
        charter models to meet the dramatic demand created by the more than 
        420,000 children on charter school waiting lists; and
Whereas the 12th annual National Charter Schools Week is scheduled to be held 
        May 1, through May 7, 2011: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) congratulates the students, parents, teachers, and 
        administrators of charter schools across the United States 
        for--
                    (A) ongoing contributions to education;
                    (B) the impressive strides made in closing the 
                persistent academic achievement gap in the United 
                States; and
                    (C) improving and strengthening the public school 
                system in the United States;
            (2) supports the ideals and goals of the 12th annual 
        National Charter Schools Week, a week-long celebration to be 
        held May 1 through May 7, 2011, 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 
        charter schools.
                                 <all>