Hager, who is assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services, will spend the morning touring the campus and meeting with the school's staff, students and their parents.

"We are honored to have him visit," said Julie Fabrocini, director of CHIME Charter Elementary and a part-time education faculty member at Northridge. "It sends such a clear message about the success of charter schools and the celebration of CHIME in particular that Assistant Secretary Hager takes the time to come and get a first-hand look at what a successful program targeting students of all abilities looks like."

Hager is expected to arrive at the school, located at 19722 Collier St. in Woodland Hills, at 8:30 a.m.

Hager's visit is one of 12 that senior U.S. Department of Education officials will be making to charter schools around the country that week to celebrate National Charter Schools Week, which takes place from May 1 to May 7.

"We know that real reform cannot take hold without innovation and leadership, and it is in this respect that charter schools benefit the entire public education system by serving as laboratories of educational improvement," said U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.

CHIME Charter Elementary and its sister campus, CHIME Charter Middle School, are independent schools that provide free public education through affiliation with the Los Angeles Unified School District. The schools serve as demonstration and teacher-training sites for Cal State Northridge's nationally acclaimed Michael D. Eisner College of Education.

Both schools are part of the CHIME Institute, located at Northridge, which is a national leader in developing and implementing model educational programs and dynamic research and training environments to disseminate best practices in inclusive education.

CHIME was recognized last year by the U.S. Department of Education as a national model for full inclusion of students with disabilities and for providing a blueprint for local schools across the country.

Earlier this year, CHIME Charter Elementary School was named "Charter School of the Year" by the California Charter Schools Association. In making the award, the association's CEO, Caprice Young, said the four-year-old school "is proving that students from any background can succeed as long as they have a committed teaching staff that is empowered to make a difference for the students they serve."

This year marks the 13th anniversary of the opening of the nation's first charter school. In the years since, approximately 3,600 charter schools have opened across the United States, and more than 1 million students are enrolled in these schools.

President George Bush has proposed $256 million to support charter schools in the coming year, including $37 million for charter school facilities.

Hager, a former lieutenant governor of Virginia and a longtime supporter of education, was appointed by President Bush to the position of assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services last year. Prior to that, he served as a consultant to former U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige.