[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 83 (Wednesday, April 30, 2003)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 23021-23022]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-10783]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 83 / Wednesday, April 30, 2003 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 23021]]

                Proclamation 7666 of April 25, 2003

                
National Charter Schools Week, 2003

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Charter schools provide many children with a first-
                class education, and they have gained national 
                recognition for their accountability standards, 
                innovative programs, and success with young people. The 
                high expectations they set and the opportunities for 
                development they create help students attending charter 
                schools realize their potential and achieve their 
                dreams.

                Charter schools are held to the same standards, 
                including curriculum standards, as traditional schools, 
                and are also accountable to students, parents, and 
                community leaders for producing results and improving 
                achievement. By defining expected goals and offering 
                options for children trapped in low-performing schools, 
                charter schools help improve the overall quality of 
                education in America.

                The success of charter schools is evident in the 
                achievements of the children who attend those schools 
                and in the positive response from the communities they 
                serve. In little more than a decade, 2,700 charter 
                schools have opened in 36 States and the District of 
                Columbia, and nearly two-thirds of these schools have 
                waiting lists. Forty States and the District of 
                Columbia have enacted charter school laws, and this 
                year four additional States began considering charter 
                school laws. To help State and local districts provide 
                parents with more quality education alternatives, I 
                have proposed increased funding for charter schools so 
                that more of our children can receive the gift of a 
                good education.

                The accomplishments of charter schools prove that we 
                can improve our public education system by replacing 
                low expectations with a culture of achievement that 
                rewards success and does not tolerate failure. Over the 
                last 2 years, my Administration has taken steps to 
                realize this vision by supporting accountability for 
                results, expanded parental choice, increased local 
                flexibility, and a focus on what works. With the No 
                Child Left Behind Act of 2001, we continue to build a 
                stronger educational foundation for America's children. 
                States are now responsible for improving student 
                achievement in public schools by maintaining tough 
                academic standards and setting annual progress goals. 
                The law further requires regular testing to ensure all 
                students are proficient in reading and math and to help 
                identify learning problems.

                My Administration is working to provide the resources 
                schools need to fund education reform and achieve these 
                high standards. We have increased funding for 
                elementary and secondary education by 36 percent in the 
                last 2 years, and the Federal Government will spend 
                nearly $24 billion on these programs this year. Through 
                the new Reading First program, over $500 million has 
                been distributed to 29 States to assist with reading 
                programs that help ensure that our children will know 
                how to read by the third grade. Expansions of our 
                charter schools, and reforms in traditional public 
                schools, are helping build the mind and character of 
                our future leaders.

                During National Charter Schools Week, we renew our 
                commitment to our children and their education. I urge 
                every American to visit a charter school and learn 
                about its efforts to help children in their community. 
                Charter

[[Page 23022]]

                schools are just one of many successful alternatives 
                that ensure that no child is left behind. By raising 
                expectations and fostering hope, we can help build a 
                future of promise for our next generation of Americans.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United 
                States, do hereby proclaim April 27 through May 3, 
                2003, as National Charter Schools Week. I commend the 
                States with charter schools, and I call on parents of 
                charter school children to share their success stories 
                with others so that all Americans may understand more 
                about the important work of charter schools.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                twenty-fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand three, and of the Independence of the United 
                States of America the two hundred and twenty-seventh.

                    (Presidential Sig.)B

[FR Doc. 03-10783
Filed 4-29-03; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P