Bill Clinton: “Legislation October 10, 1998 I am very pleased that the Congress has approved the ``Charter School Expansion Act of…”

“Legislation October 10, 1998 I am very pleased that the Congress has approved the ``Charter School Expansion Act of 1998.'' This law will ensure that the charter schools movement will give parents and students more choices, better schools, and greater accountability for results. When I was elected President, there was only one charter school in the Nation. With help from the charter school initiative I proposed in 1993 and signed into law in 1994, there are now more than 1,000 charter schools serving more than 200,000 students across the Nation. This new measure is an important step toward reaching my goal of creating 3,000 high-quality public charter schools that will educate more than half a million students. There is more to do to create the renaissance in public education our Nation needs and our students deserve. Congress must put progress ahead of partisanship and strengthen our public schools by enacting legislation that will help communities hire 100,000 well-trained teachers to reduce class size in the early grades, modernize or build 5,000 schools, strengthen early literacy programs, provide quality after-school programs, and put in place high national standards and tests in the basic skills of reading and math.”