III

107TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 386

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MAY 1, 2002

Received and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Supporting a National Charter Schools Week, and for other

purposes.

Whereas charter schools are public schools authorized by a

designated public body and operating on the principles of

accountability, parental involvement, choice, and autonomy;

Whereas in exchange for the flexibility and autonomy given

to charter schools, they are held accountable by their
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sponsors for improving student achievement and for their

financial and other operations;

Whereas 37 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico have passed laws authorizing

charter schools;

Whereas 37 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico will have received substantial

assistance from the Federal Government by the end of

the current fiscal year for planning, startup, and implementation of charter schools since their authorization in

1994 under the Elementary and Secondary Education

Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.);

Whereas 34 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are serving over 580,000 students in more than 2,431 charter schools during the

2001–2002 school year;

Whereas charter schools can be vehicles for improving student achievement for students who attend them, for stimulating change and improvement in all public schools,

and for benefiting all public school students;

Whereas charter schools must meet the same Federal student

achievement accountability requirements as all public

schools, and often set higher and additional goals, to ensure that they are of high quality and truly accountable

to the public;

Whereas charter schools assess and evaluate students annually and often even more frequently, and charter school

student achievement is directly linked to charter school

existence;

Whereas charter schools give parents new freedom to choose

their public school, charter schools routinely measure pa-
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rental approval, and charter schools must prove their ongoing and increasing success to parents, policymakers,

and their communities;

Whereas two-thirds of charter schools report having a waiting

list, the average size of such a waiting list is nearly onehalf of the school’s enrollment, and the total number of

students on all such waiting lists is enough to fill another

1,000 average-sized charter schools;

Whereas students in charter schools nationwide have similar

demographic characteristics as students in all public

schools;

Whereas charter schools in many States serve significant

numbers of students from families with lower income, minority students, and students with disabilities, and in a

majority of charter schools, almost half the students are

considered at risk or are former dropouts;

Whereas charter schools have enjoyed broad bipartisan support from the Administration, the Congress, State Governors and legislatures, educators, and parents across the

Nation; and

Whereas charter schools are laboratories of reform and serve

as models of how to educate children as effectively as

possible: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That—

3 (1) the Congress honors the 10th anniversary

4 of the opening of the Nation’s first charter school;

5 (2) the Congress acknowledges and commends

6 the charter school movement and charter schools,
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1 teachers, parents, and students across the Nation

2 for their ongoing contributions to education and im3 proving and strengthening the Nation’s public school

4 system;

5 (3) the Congress supports the goals of National

6 Charter Schools Week, an event sponsored by char7 ter schools and charter school organizations across

8 the Nation and established to recognize the signifi9 cant impacts, achievements, and innovations of the

10 Nation’s charter schools; and

11 (4) it is the sense of the Congress that the

12 President should issue a proclamation calling on the

13 people of the United States to conduct appropriate

14 programs, ceremonies, and activities to demonstrate

15 support for charter schools in communities through16 out the Nation.

Passed the House of Representatives April 30, 2002.

Attest: JEFF TRANDAHL,

Clerk.