The survey produced useable responses from 133 private schools located in 101 school districts.

After identifying themselves, their school and the public school district in which it was located, respondents answered the following two questions:

1. Have you been consulted, by your local school district this year with regard to your school's participation in relevant No Child Left Behind programs?

2. Are any of your students or staff receiving any services under one or more of the programs listed below [a listing of relevant NCLBA programs was provided]:

The results clearly suggest a strong relationship between the provision of consultation and the incidence of participation. Schools receiving consultation were more than four times as likely to participate.

In some instances, conflicting reports regarding the provision of consultation from schools that exist within the boundaries of the same school district were received. When these contradictory records are held aside we found that 39 districts, comprising 41% of the represented districts, have reportedly failed to engage (responding) private schools in consultation.

It is important to bear in mind that this is not a scientific study. Responding schools were not randomly selected and no degree of confidence can be attached to the generalizability of the findings. No specific definition of "consultation" was provided in order to extend the broadest benefit of the doubt to school districts.

No private school is required to participate in programs provided under the No Child Left Behind Act. However, CAPSO believes that the decision of individual schools regarding participation should be informed by the timely provision of appropriate information about the benefits of the law to private school students and personnel. The law, itself, requires school districts to provide such information through consultation with private school officials (NCLB, Section 9501 ff.)

CAPSO expresses its thanks to all participating schools those who responded to the survey, and salutes the many school districts that are working cooperatively with private schools to implement a complex and many-faceted law.

CAPSO will use the information produced by this survey to encourage state and local officials to redouble their efforts to fulfill their consultative obligations.