The U.S. House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing today on expanding access to high-quality charter schools, a top priority for the panel’s Republicans as Congress begins exploring potential reforms to federal K-12 education laws. The hearing examined legislation designed to replicate effective charter schools, giving more students access to the choices charter schools offer.
“Charter schools protect and expand two key principles American families are looking for in our nation’s education system – choice and flexibility,” said Rep. John Kline (R-MN), the committee’s senior Republican member. “There is no question that we strengthen America’s competitiveness and ensure a brighter future for our children when we empower parents and educators with new opportunities to escape struggling schools and the education bureaucracy that surrounds them. This is why Republicans have been unwavering in our support for expanding the establishment of charter schools.”
“Charter schools are the epitome of performance-based education: In exchange for flexibility and autonomy, they are held accountable for producing results. If they fail to meet accountability standards or attract enough students, their charters can be revoked,” said Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-LA). (Read Cassidy’s full statement here.)
Demand for charter schools remains high. Nationwide 365,000 students were on charter school wait lists in 2009 alone – a group large enough to fill the equivalent of 1,100 new charter schools. Even though more than half of all current charter schools report having a wait list, many states still support caps on the number of charter schools allowed.
“The popularity of charter schools is a testament to the fact that American families believe they are best served by an education system that puts a premium on innovation. Parents deserve changes and opportunities they have not been able to find in traditional public schools,” said Kline. “As we listen to what families want from education reform, lawmakers are finding that support for charter schools is born from the same urge American’s have to seek choice and flexibility in other areas of our education system.”
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