[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 136 (Wednesday, September 14, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1620]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         EMPOWERING PARENTS THROUGH QUALITY CHARTER SCHOOLS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 13, 2011

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2218) to 
     amend the charter school program under the Elementary and 
     Secondary Education Act of 1965.

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of the Empowering 
Parents through Quality Charter Schools Act, H.R. 2218, which is a 
bipartisan bill to reform and strengthen the charter school program.
  I recently gave the graduation speech at the Princeton Charter 
School, a high quality charter that opened its doors more than a decade 
ago and was recognized as a blue ribbon school by the U.S. Department 
of Education in 2004. And I was pleased to see the success there. But I 
urged them to make sure they are well-integrated in the public school 
system in their community.
  We need to reinvigorate America's education system and give each and 
every child the opportunity to learn and thrive. I am an advocate of 
alternative forms of education including charter schools. I think these 
institutions can be viable and beneficial in promoting academic 
achievement and diversity.
  It is important to remember that charter schools are part of the 
public school system, and we must hold them to the same standards of 
broad educational access and same standards of accountability--which 
means we have to be willing to shut down charter schools that fail to 
meet expectations. Otherwise, charter schools are not true to their 
reason for being: to inject innovation and experimentation into the 
public school system. I am pleased that this bill increases 
accountability for charter schools and ensures states use a schools 
performance as a primary factor for charter renewal.
  I have long believed that charter school innovations and best 
practices must be shared with other school districts--urban, rural, and 
suburban school districts alike. This requires work on both sides: 
outreach by the charter schools and acceptance by the traditional 
public school system to learn what there is to be learned. I worked 
with Rep. Polis to include such language in his ALL-STAR Act.
  That is why I am pleased that the bipartisan legislation before us 
today includes provisions to require charter schools to disseminate 
best practices with other public schools.
  This legislation also ensures that States work with charter school 
authorizers to put in place the quality controls necessary for holding 
charter schools accountable, including annual performance data and 
financial audits. These provisions will lead to more replication of 
high-quality charter schools nationwide.
  I share the concerns of some that more can be done to improve the 
accountability, equity and transparency of charter school, and as we 
continue to move this bill through the process, I hope additional 
improvements can be made. But we should all recognize that this bill 
makes a great deal of progress from the existing program and deserves 
our support today.

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