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DFER APPLAUDS CONGRESS FOR BIPARTISAN PASSAGE OF H.R. 2218 - THE "EMPOWERING PARENTS THROUGH QUALITY CHARTER SCHOOLS ACT"

OVERWHELMING REJECTION OF KING AMENDMENT SENDS STRONG SIGNAL ON QUALITY AND GAP-CLOSING ACCOUNTABILITY

September 13, 2011

Democrats for Education Reform applauds the U.S. House of Representatives for its success today in advancing the "Empowering Parents Through Quality Charter Schools Act" (H.R. 2218). 

The overwhelmingly bipartisan vote in favor of the bill - 365 to 54 - signifies a growing consensus that high-quality public charter schools can play a powerful role in helping ensure all students have the opportunities they need to achieve to the highest levels.

We hope Congress' work today is a harbinger of future Congressional efforts to enact other urgently needed education reforms as part of its long overdue re-write of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

In H.R. 2218, Congress has delicately balanced the role of the federal government as charter school investor, cheer-leader, and standard-setter. The bill enables public charter schools to serve more students; it encourages states to develop, replicate, and expand high-quality public charter schools; and it provides strong incentives to states to improve accountability and oversight.

We also would like to congratulate Congress for decisively defeating, by a vote of 374-43, Representative Steven King's (R-IA) amendment which would have removed a key provision within the legislation that defines a high-quality charter school as one that demonstrates achievement gains with historically disadvantaged groups of students, including low-income and minority students, English Language Learners, and students with disabilities. With this vote, Congress has sent a strong message that achievement-gap closing is a top federal education policy priority.

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DFER STATEMENT ON H.R. 2218 - THE "EMPOWERING PARENTS THROUGH QUALITY CHARTER SCHOOLS ACT"

H.R. 2218 - "EMPOWERING PARENTS THROUGH QUALITY CHARTER SCHOOLS" - IS A GOOD START

BUT CLOCK IS TICKING ON OTHER ESSENTIAL - AND OVERDUE - EDUCATION REFORMS

Democrats for Education Reform strongly supports the bipartisan Empowering Parents through Quality Charter Schools Act (H.R. 2218) that will be marked up today in the House Education and Workforce Committee. H.R. 2218 includes important provisions that allow high-quality public charter schools to serve more students and that incentivize states to expand and replicate high-performers. The bill also rightly compels states to ensure that public charter schools meet their obligations to English Language Learners and students with disabilities, and makes important improvements with regard to reporting, oversight, and accountability.

"Right now in Atlanta, thousands of public charter school parents, teachers, and administrators from across the country are sharing what they have learned and charting their course for the future," said Charles Barone, DFER Director of Federal Policy about the National Charter Schools Conference where President Clinton, who signed the first federal charter school bill into law in 1994, spoke yesterday and was given a hero's welcome. 

"The charter school movement is made-up of the most can-do, have done, group of parents, teachers, and school reformers you're ever likely to meet. Only the wrong-headed or hard-hearted would do anything other than give them as much help and support as humanly possible." 

We are disappointed that the bill lowers the authorized funding levels for federal charter schools programs from the $450 million level in current law. We do, however, appreciate that the $300 million authorization in H.R. 2218 is at least higher than the current $256 million in actual funding. While it would take a much higher increase to serve all children across the country who are on charter school waiting lists, we appreciate this small step forward and hope to work with Congress throughout the legislative process to ensure that we do as much as possible to reach our shared goal of giving all parents the first public school of their choice.

We do have some additional concerns that we believe should be addressed as the bill makes its way through the legislative process.

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