For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
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 opportuni-ties 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 achieve-ment. 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 schools are just one of many success-ful
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.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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