Dear Private Education Leaders:

I am pleased to inform you that Secretary Rod Paige announced the creation of the Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) today. The Office of Innovation and Improvement, under the leadership of a new Deputy Under Secretary, will lead the efforts to provide greater parental options and information in education. OII will combine and coordinate programs relating to charter schools, magnet schools, public school choice, non-public education, and family educational rights. It will also coordinate the public school choice and supplemental services provisions of The No Child Left Behind Act with the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.

President Bush and Secretary Paige value the vital contributions of non-public schools in America. In order to better serve the non-public school community, the Office of Non-Public Education (ONPE) will become part of the Office of Innovation and Improvement. It will continue to assist in the Administration's private school initiatives and serve as the Department's liaison to the private school community.

President Bush believes we must increase educational options for parents and children. This year brought important developments in this endeavor. The No Child Left Behind Act gave parents a greater role in improving educational opportunities for children and the recent Supreme Court decision in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris brought a "new birth of freedom" for parents and children in the United States. The creation of the Office of Innovation and Improvement is another step toward giving parental choice the prominence it deserves.

Sincerely,

Gene Hickok
Under Secretary of Education