[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 699 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 699

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 25th Annual 
 National Charter Schools Week, to be held May 12 through May 18, 2024.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 16, 2024

Mr. Scott of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Cassidy, Mr. 
 Johnson, Mr. Risch, Mr. Crapo, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. 
   Hagerty, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Tuberville, Mr. Carper, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. 
Cramer, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Rubio, Ms. Hassan, Mr. McConnell, Mrs. Britt, Mr. 
    Booker, Mr. Braun, and Mrs. Blackburn) submitted the following 
             resolution; which was 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 25th Annual 
 National Charter Schools Week, to be held May 12 through May 18, 2024.

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 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 public 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 high expectations for students to 
        ensure that the public charter schools are of high quality and truly 
        accountable to the public;
Whereas 45 States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico have public 
        charter schools;
Whereas, as of the 2021 to 2022 school year, approximately 8,000 public charter 
        schools served approximately 3,700,000 children in the United States;
Whereas enrollment in public charter schools grew from 660,000 students in 2002, 
        to 3,700,000 students in 2021, a more than five-fold increase in 20 
        years;
Whereas in the United States--

    (1) in 270 school districts, more than 10 percent of public school 
students are enrolled in public charter schools; and

    (2) in at least 26 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 2023 report from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at 
        Stanford University found significant improvements for students from 
        low-income backgrounds in public charter schools, and when compared to 
        peers in traditional public schools, each year, those students completed 
        the equivalent of 16 more days of learning in reading and 6 more days of 
        learning in math; and
Whereas the 25th Annual National Charter Schools Week is scheduled to be 
        celebrated the week of May 12 through May 18, 2024: 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, 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 25th Annual 
        National Charter Schools Week, a week-long celebration to be 
        held May 12 through May 18, 2024, 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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