[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 53 (Wednesday, April 27, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4434-S4435]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CONGRATULATING CHARTER SCHOOLS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 127, which was submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 127) congratulating charter schools 
     and their students, parents, teachers, and administrators 
     across the United States for their ongoing contributions to 
     education, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, today I am joined by my colleagues Senators 
Lieberman, Frist, Landrieu, Sununu, Alexander, DeMint, Dole, Vitter, 
Burr, in support of this resolution to designate the week of May 1 
through May 7, 2005 as National Charter Schools Week. This year marks 
the 13th anniversary of the opening of the nation's first charter 
school in Minnesota. Since that time, charter schools have experienced 
tremendous growth as more and more parents discover for themselves why 
surveys show such high levels of parental satisfaction with charter 
schools. Today, there are almost 3,300 charter schools serving nearly 
900,000 students in 40 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto 
Rico, up from 3,000 schools serving 750,000 students just 1 year ago. 
Nearly 40 percent of these schools report having waiting lists, and 
there are enough students on these waiting lists to fill another 1,000 
average-sized charter schools.
  Charter schools serve a unique role in public education. They are 
designed to be free from many of the burdensome regulations and 
policies that govern traditional public schools. They are founded and 
run by principals, teachers and parents who share a common vision of 
education, a vision which guides each and every decision made at the 
schools, from hiring personnel to selecting curricula. Furthermore, 
charter schools are held strictly accountable for student performance--
if they fail to educate their students well and meet the goals of their 
charters, they are closed. Most importantly, charter schools are 
raising student achievement. Research has shown that charter school 
students are more likely to be proficient in reading and math than 
students in neighboring traditional schools, and that the greatest 
achievement gains can be seen among African American, Hispanic, and 
low-income students. Research also shows that the longer charter 
schools have been in operation, the more they outdistance traditional 
scores in student performance.
  Since each charter school represents the unique vision of its 
founders, these schools vary greatly, but all strive for excellence. 
There are countless examples of charter schools that are having an 
enormous impact on their students both academically and personally, and 
on the surrounding community.
  For example, the Vaughn Next Century Learning Center in San Fernando, 
CA, serves students in grades K-12, 97 percent of whom qualify for free 
lunch, and 87 percent of whom speak limited English. Fifteen years ago, 
the Vaughn Street School was a haven for drug deals and violence, and 
students' test scores were the lowest in the San Fernando Valley. Since 
it converted to a charter school in 1993, Vaughn rose from the ninth 
percentile in language arts and the eleventh percentile in math to 
become a National Blue Ribbon School. Test scores have gone up 330 
percent in the past 5 years alone. As a result of the autonomy granted 
by converting to charter status, Vaughn has been able to redirect 
considerable resources to programmatic efforts, including an extended 
school year and comprehensive afterschool program. The school has also 
expanded its offerings to the greater community, including a school-
based clinic, family center, business co-op, and library.
  Cincinnati's W.E.B. DuBois Academy, serving children in grades 1 
through 8, recently became the only elementary school in the city and 
one of only 102 schools in Ohio to be recognized as a ``School of 
Promise.'' The recognition follows a period of remarkable improvement 
for the low-income school, which now boasts that 100 percent of its 
students passed State tests in six areas. The school has met the 
State's requirements for Adequate Yearly Progress, and is closing the 
achievement gap--and has generated a lengthy waiting list along the 
way. The W.E.B. DuBois Academy attributes its success to extended 
research-based instructional time, performance-based pay for teachers, 
strict discipline, and a rewards system that reinforces outstanding 
academic performance. Says founder Wilson H. Willard III, ``We've 
implemented a research-based system that addresses the constraints that 
compromise traditional education. In doing so, we've generated 
successful academic results for hundreds of our students. . . . defying 
convention has built success for the school, and most importantly, each 
student in it. In the end, that's what really matters.''
  These are but a few of the promising schools in the charter movement, 
which includes a wide range of schools serving a variety of different 
learning needs and styles, often at a lower cost than traditional 
public schools. I am pleased that four such schools have launched in 
New Hampshire this year, ranging from the State's first school for deaf 
and hard of hearing students to academies focused on the arts, 
technology, and business. Several more schools will soon open their 
doors in the Granite State, offering additional options for parents and 
students, including those most at risk.
  I expect that we will see charter schools continue to expand both in 
New Hampshire and nationally. Three years ago, the President signed 
into law the No Child Left Behind Act, which gives parents in low-
performing schools the option to transfer their children to another 
public school. No Child Left Behind also provides school districts with 
the option of converting low-performing schools into charter schools. I 
believe these provisions will strengthen the charter school movement by 
creating more opportunities for charter school development. And, as 
parents exercise their right to school choice and ``vote with their 
feet'', the demand for charters schools will increase.
  I commend the ever-growing number of people involved in the charter 
school movement, from parents and teachers to community leaders and 
members of the business community. Together, they have led the charge 
in education reform and are helping transform our system of public 
education. Districts with a large number of charter schools have 
reported that they are becoming more customer service-oriented, 
increasing interaction with parents, and creating new education 
programs, many of which are similar to those offered by charter 
schools. These improvements benefit all our students,

[[Page S4435]]

not just those who choose charter schools.
  I encourage my colleagues to visit a charter school during National 
Charter Schools Week to witness firsthand the ways in which these 
innovative schools are making a difference, both in the lives of the 
students they serve as well as in the communities in which they reside.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 127) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 127

       Whereas charter schools deliver high-quality education and 
     challenge our students to reach their potential;
       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 are responding to the needs of 
     our communities, families, and students and promoting 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 operations;
       Whereas 41 States, the District of Columbia, and the 
     Commonwealth of Puerto Rico have passed laws authorizing 
     charter schools;
       Whereas nearly 3,300 charter schools are now operating in 
     40 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of 
     Puerto Rico and serving approximately 900,000 students;
       Whereas over the last 10 years, Congress has provided more 
     than $1,500,000,000 in support to the charter school movement 
     through facilities financing assistance and grants for 
     planning, startup, implementation, and dissemination;
       Whereas charter schools improve their students' achievement 
     and stimulate improvement in traditional public schools;
       Whereas charter schools must meet the student achievement 
     accountability requirements under the Elementary and 
     Secondary Education Act of 1965 in the same manner as 
     traditional 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, routinely measure parental satisfaction 
     levels, and must prove their ongoing success to parents, 
     policymakers, and their communities;
       Whereas nearly 40 percent of charter schools report having 
     a waiting list, and the total number of students on all such 
     waiting lists is enough to fill over 1,000 average-sized 
     charter schools;
       Whereas charter schools nationwide serve a higher 
     percentage of low-income and minority students than the 
     traditional public system;
       Whereas charter schools have enjoyed broad bipartisan 
     support from the Administration, Congress, State Governors 
     and legislatures, educators, and parents across the United 
     States; and
       Whereas the sixth annual National Charter Schools Week, to 
     be held May 1 through 7, 2005, 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 charter schools: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That--
       (1) the Senate acknowledges and commends charter schools 
     and their students, parents, teachers, and administrators 
     across the United States for their ongoing contributions to 
     education and improving and strengthening our public school 
     system;
       (2) the Senate supports the sixth annual National Charter 
     Schools Week; and
       (3) it is the sense of the Senate 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 weeklong celebration in communities throughout the 
     United States.

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