Parents with children in K-12 private schools are much more satisfied with their schools than are parents with children in public schools, according to a new report from the federal government. Specifically, 79 percent of students in private schools have parents who report being "very satisfied" with their schools, compared to 52 percent of students in assigned public schools and 62 percent of students in chosen public schools. High levels of satisfaction among private school parents also extend to opinions about their children's teachers, academic standards of the school, order and discipline at the school, and interactions with school personnel.

Students in private high schools take more rigorous courses in math and science than their public school counterparts, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

Although the private school community is still sorting through all the ramifications of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that President Obama signed March 23, one immediate benefit is that certain schools are eligible for a tax credit against health insurance premiums they pay for their employees. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently posted guidance on the new Small Business Health Care Tax Credit, outlining how the program works and who is eligible.

The U.S. House of Representatives could vote soon on legislation governing elements of a schools disciplinary policy and practice.

Reacting to the beating death of Chicago high school student Derrion Albert, Education Secretary Arne Duncan last month called for a national dialogue to address youth violence.

Kevin Chavous, co-founder and chair of Democrats for Education Reform, would like President Obama to recall his roots, because Chavous believes community organizer Obama would have stood with children and families in support of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program.

Do exemplary private schools exist that could serve as models for education reform cross the country? Of course they do. That's why CAPE is protesting the exclusion of religious and independent schools from two discretionary grant programs designed to promote school reform.

The latest national test results in math show that the progress fourth-graders have been making since 1990 has stalled, while eighth-graders continue to post modest gains. Predictably, the results have prompted debate about whether the assessment and accountability provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) are having their intended effect on student achievement.

This week (October 28) the CDC (and OSHA) released these key documents:

The federal government today released updated guidance and a new toolkit to help school officials prepare for, and respond to, the H1N1 flu in the 2009-10 school year.