[Major Issues Confronting the Nation's Private Education Community]

Overview & Synopsis

Major issues confronting private schools for exceptional children are identified by Charles J. O'Malley, a U.S. Department of Education official. These issues include: identifying the private education community, federal and state cutbacks in education funding, the federal role in education and the continued existence of the Department of Education, parental choice or parental rights, identifying exemplary secondary school programs in both public and private schools, the coexistence between private and public education, strengthening teacher education programs, review of teacher credentialing procedures, minimum competency programs for students, review of compulsory attendance laws, and review of curriculum requirements. Activities that were designed to promote coexistence between private and public education include: a Department of Education sponsored conference at which 120 public and private school representatives discussed block grants, governance, and Public Law 94-142; regional conferences for public and private school administrators; an effort by the Department of Education to better understand private education issues of concern to Fundamentalist and Evangelical groups; and the Department of Education's series of informal get-togethers (Koffee Klatches), which have involved representatives of public and private agencies. (SEW)