[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 42 (Thursday, March 13, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H2374]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              EMPOWERING FAMILIES TO CHOOSE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

  (Mr. POLIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, just as the storied competition between the 
New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox works to improve both teams, so 
does school choice and empowering families to choose the public school 
that best fits their kids to improve all of our public schools.
  Our Education and the Workforce Committee this week had an excellent 
hearing on charter schools, which I encourage my colleagues to look at 
the record of. We heard testimony from across the country about the 
tremendous role that charter schools are playing as part of our public 
education system in ensuring that all students have access to a quality 
education.
  In addition to charter schools, making sure that States have policies 
like Colorado does for open enrollment within a district and between 
districts, parents should be empowered to choose their neighborhood 
school, a magnet school, a charter school, another public school, with 
an educational model that fits the unique learning needs of their kid.
  In this way, we can ensure that the next generation of American 
children are prepared to succeed in the 21st century.

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