Congratulating the students, parents, teachers, and leaders of charter schools across the United States for making ongoing contributions to education, and supporting the ideals and goals of the 24th annual National Charter Schools Week, to be held May 7 through May 13, 2023.

Congratulating the students, parents, teachers, and leaders of charter schools across the United States for making ongoing contributions to education, and supporting the ideals and goals of the 24th annual National Charter Schools Week, to be held May 7 through May 13, 2023. Whereas charter schools are public schools that do not charge tuition and enroll any student who wants to attend, often through a random lottery when the demand for enrollment is outmatched by the supply of available charter school seats; Whereas high-performing public charter schools deliver a high-quality public education and challenge all students to reach their potential for academic success; Whereas high-quality public charter schools promote innovation and excellence in public education; Whereas public charter schools throughout the United States can provide millions of families with diverse and innovative educational options for the children of those families; Whereas high-performing public charter schools and charter management organizations are increasing student achievement and attendance rates at institutions of higher education; Whereas public charter schools are authorized by a designated entity and (1) respond to the needs of communities, families, and students in the United States; and (2) promote the principles of quality, accountability, choice, high-performance, and innovation; Whereas, in exchange for flexibility and autonomy, public charter schools are held accountable by the authorizers of the charter schools for improving student achievement and for sound and transparent financial and operational management; Whereas public charter schools are required to meet the student achievement accountability requirements under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq. Whereas public charter schools often set high expectations for students to ensure that the charter schools are of high quality and truly accountable to the public; Whereas 44 States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico have public charter schools; Whereas, as of the 20202021 school year, more than 7,800 public charter schools served approximately 3,700,000 children; Whereas enrollment in public charter schools grew from 400,000 students in 2001 to 3,700,000 students in 2020, a more than eightfold increase in 20 years; Whereas in the United States (1) in 261 school districts, more than 10 percent of public school students are enrolled in public charter schools; and (2) in at least 22 school districts, at least 30 percent of public school students are enrolled in public charter schools; Whereas high-quality public charter schools improve the achievement of students enrolled in the charter schools and collaborate with traditional public schools to improve public education for all students; Whereas public charter schools (1) give parents the freedom to choose public schools; (2) routinely measure parental satisfaction levels; and (3) must prove the ongoing success of the charter schools to parents, policymakers, and the communities served by the charter schools or risk closure; Whereas a 2015 report from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University found significant improvements for students at urban charter schools, and, when compared to peers in traditional public schools, each year those students completed the equivalent of 28 more days of learning in reading and 40 more days of learning in math; Whereas parental demand for charter schools is high, and there was nearly 5 percent growth in charter school enrollment between the 20172018 and 20182019 school years; and Whereas the 24th annual National Charter Schools Week is scheduled to be celebrated the week of May 7 through May 13, 2023: Now, therefore, be it That the Senate (1) congratulates the students, families, teachers, leaders, and staff of public charter schools across the United States for (A) making ongoing contributions to public education; (B) making important strides in closing the academic achievement gap in schools in the United States, particularly in schools with some of the most disadvantaged students in both rural and urban communities; and (C) strengthening the public school system throughout the United States; (2) supports the ideals and goals of the 24th annual National Charter Schools Week, a week-long celebration to be held May 7 through May 13, 2023, in communities throughout the United States; and (3) encourages the people of the United States to hold appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities during National Charter Schools Week to demonstrate support for high-quality public charter schools.

Summary: This resolution congratulates the students, families, teachers, administrators, and staff of public charter schools across the United States for (1)&nbsp;making ongoing contributions to public education, (2) making important strides in closing the academic achievement gap in U.S. schools, and (3) strengthening the public school system. The resolution supports the ideals and goals of the 24th annual National Charter Schools Week.