119-sres238

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 238 Agreed to Senate

    (ATS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
S. RES. 238

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 26th Annual 
 National Charter Schools Week, to be held May 11 through May 17, 2025.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 May 20, 2025

Mr. Scott of South Carolina (for himself, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Cassidy, Ms. 
Hassan, Mr. Tuberville, Mr. Booker, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. 
 Risch, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Hagerty, Mr. Scott of 
 Florida, Mrs. Blackburn, Mrs. Britt, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Cramer, Mr. 
Wicker, Mr. Young, Mr. Cornyn, and Mr. Husted) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

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 26th Annual 
 National Charter Schools Week, to be held May 11 through May 17, 2025.

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 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 public charter schools for 
 improving student achievement and for sound 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.) in the same manner as traditional 
 public schools;
Whereas public charter schools often set high expectations for students to 
 ensure that the public charter schools are of high quality and truly 
 accountable to the public;
Whereas 45 States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico have public 
 charter schools;
Whereas, as of the 2021 to 2022 school year, approximately 8,000 public charter 
 schools served approximately 3,700,000 children in the United States;
Whereas enrollment in public charter schools grew from 660,000 students in 2002, 
 to 3,700,000 students in 2021, a more than five-fold increase in 20 
 years;
Whereas, in the United States--

    (1) in 270 school districts, more than 10 percent of public school 
students are enrolled in public charter schools; and

    (2) in at least 26 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 2023 report from the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at 
 Stanford University found significant improvements for students from 
 low-income backgrounds in public charter schools, and when compared to 
 peers in traditional public schools, each year those students completed 
 the equivalent of 16 more days of learning in reading and 6 more days of 
 learning in math; and
Whereas the 26th Annual National Charter Schools Week is scheduled to be 
 celebrated the week of May 11 through May 17, 2025: Now, therefore, be 
 it
 Resolved, 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 impressive 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) improving and strengthening the public school 
 system throughout the United States;

    (2) supports the ideals and goals of the 26th Annual 
 National Charter Schools Week, a week-long celebration to be 
 held May 11 through May 17, 2025, 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.
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