First, policymakers at the state level must continue to strengthen the rigor, specificity and comparability of content standards. As a nation, we need to continue to challenge our children, especially in core subjects, to ensure they are college and career ready.
This is important if we are going to have a workforce (and a military) that allows us to remain competitive as a country. We must resist backsliding on standards to make the test numbers look better. Our children can do the work. We need to give them the tools. This means investing in professional development for teachers and giving parents and students access to high-quality curricular resources.
Next, education leaders in the states must fully implement the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. For those who haven’t heard of it, the Compact is designed to resolve education transition issues that we all have faced, such as transfer of records, course placement and graduation requirements.
While all 50 states have adopted the Compact, the implementation has been scatter shot. The report found some states, such as Virginia, have been aggressive in implementing it while others, including Colorado and Missouri, seem only to give it lip service. For the Compact to be a truly effective tool, we need more states to follow Virginia’s example.
In addition, states and districts must take advantage of the new military student identifier that was created as part of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015. Under this law, states will keep track of the performance of military-connected students in the same manner that they keep track of other student groups. This will allow states and school districts to analyze student performance and address student needs with plans of action. This is a great opportunity. We need to embrace it.
Finally, it is not only state and federal policymakers who must act. The report calls on the Pentagon to focus on families’ education considerations when making decisions about transfers. This means, where possible, issuing transfer orders during the summer when children are on break. Obviously, this is not always possible, but it can be improved. The Army has taken the lead in doing this; the other branches should follow.
The report’s authors have shed light on some of the excellent work being done in the field to make the lives of military-connected children easier. Policymakers who claim to have the best interests of our military in mind would be well served to follow their recommendations. Our military-connected students are counting on it.
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