Despite teachers’ unions’ opposition to public charter schools and their coziness to President Obama, the president proclaimed May 1 through May 7 as National Charter Schools Week.

“During National Charter Schools Week, we celebrate the role of high-quality public charter schools in helping to ensure students are prepared and able to seize their piece of the American dream, and we honor the dedicated professionals across America who make this calling their life’s work by serving in charter schools,” Obama said in a presidential proclamation. “With the flexibility to develop new methods for educating our youth, and to develop remedies that could help underperforming schools, these innovative and autonomous public schools often offer lessons that can be applied in other institutions of learning across our country, including in traditional public schools.”