On Capitol Hill this week, Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon, senior member of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, was awarded the “Charter School Champion Award” during the National Charter Schools Week Reception. McKeon released the following statement in recognition of the award and National Charter Schools Week (May 1st – May 7th):
“I am grateful to accept this award and to share in the celebration of all the achievements of the Charter School movement thus far. I am committed to helping improve the lives of millions of children and families through the expansion of educational opportunity.
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“Many students get trapped in failing schools and need a way out; public charter schools serve as a consistently high-quality alternative. Parents are best equipped to make decisions for their children, including the educational setting that will best serve the interests and educational needs of their child.
“In charter schools, innovation thrives: with close to 5,000 charter schools nationwide, this innovation leads students, teachers, and parents to work together to develop an educational program that teaches students to excel in K-12, and sets them up for measurable success in college.
“We have all seen the results of inflicting the many unfunded mandates on our nation’s public schools, and I believe that the charter school movement, led by states such as California, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, New Mexico, Massachusetts and Wisconsin in the early 1990s, is a direct result of the desire for parents to increase their personal involvement and control of their children’s education.
“These laboratories of learning are proliferating from coast-to-coast, and the common denominator between them all is a staunch desire for local hands-on control by parents and teachers.
“Throughout my Congressional tenure I have sought to make sure that public charter schools are given adequate opportunity to prove that they are a viable alternative to traditional public schools.
“I have consistently fought for additional funding of the charter schools program and am proud to have worked closely with my colleagues to ensure that public charter schools are not only protected, but continue to thrive. I look forward to continuing to work to ensure the long-term viability and success of public charter schools to ensure that our children’s future remains bright”