National University “Unique Challenges Facing Military-Connected Students”

1. National University “Unique Challenges Facing Military-Connected Students” Please do the following: 1. Be sure your speakers are on 2. Say hello in the chat window below and tell us a little about yourself. Ideas: Location, student age group, military-connected background, reason for interest in this topic. We will start shortly

2. Participating in Today’s Session Type your questions in the chat window below Download the documents in the file share window below

3. National University NU-PTDC The Professional Teaching Development Center serves educators in all 50 states and internationally. The center is proud to have been selected by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards(NBPTS) to serve in this capacity and to inspire teachers through a range of options, resources, and events

4. White House Initiative “Operation Educate the Educators” Dr. Jill Biden urges teacher-preparation universities to prepare educators to serve military-connected students. The emphasis of the program is to inform and train military-connected teachers on how to best support over 1.3 million military-students who are found across America in every school district. The vast majority of students are public school students, not in DoDEA schools

5. National University’s fit? • Partner with PK-12 schools • Develop networks • Offer Support-training and tools

6. Today’s Agenda • Army Commissioned Study Summer of 2012 • Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children (Considerations and Policies) • Common Core Standards and the military child • Age Appropriate School-Site Support ideas • National Board Certification and the military child • National University Cohort Connections

7. Military Life is often a positive experience allowing for personal growth for children and spouses.

8. Top 10 Reasons I Admire Military Kids http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-950598

9. The top 10 reasonsI appreciate military children: 10. Their sense of humor. Military kids do all they can to keep their spirits up. 9. They selflessly serve their community. 8. They stand by their military parent through thick and thin.   7. Their sense of patriotism. 6. They support each other. 5. Their adaptability. Military children change school systems six to nine times on average. 4. Their compassion. A number of kids have military parents who return home wounded… 3. Their global knowledge. Many military kids have traveled across the nation and around the world. 2. Their strength. They’ve dealt with a decade of war and multiple deployments… 1. They serve too.

11. Student concerns I see daily • Calendars: Start/end dates and Holidays • Schedules: Traditional vs Block schedules or Semester vs. Trimester • Interpretation of Grades (weighted grades) • Repeated or Missed Content: • Extra-Curricular Activities:

12. Student concerns I see daily • Waiting for housing • Rank and Public life: • Identity/culture of military life: • Death of military

13. Sequestration • Secretary Duncan forecasts potentially tens of thousands of teachers and other school employees laid-off; cuts to special education by hundreds of millions of dollars. • Overall cuts will amount to about five percent of the annual Education budget for next year.

14. MILITARY-CONNECTED STUDENTS Difficulty adjusting to curriculum and instructional methods or school climate/culture that may differ from school to school. Active duty families move every two to three years. Children often experience six to nine moves during their PK-12 school career

15. Suddenly Military-Children • GUARD & RESERVE CALLED TO DUTY Since 2001, over 205,000 students who never before considered themselves to be military-connected had a parent suddenly deploy in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

16. Military Child Education Coalition Army Commissioned Study Summer of 2012 marks the completion of a 3 year study of military-connected children and the impact school policies, priorities, processes, programs and systems have on our children’s education Education of the Military Child in the 21st Century http://www.militarychild.org/blog/emc21

17. Education of the Military Child in the 21st Century • Deployments • Homeschooling • Secondary Education Transition Study • Education of National Guard and Reserve Children

18. Deployments DO Impact “business” of running a school. • Parents who shared a high support from the school reported back a positive or neutral deployment impact on education; • Parents who shared that a school was not helpful or ambivalent during a deployment created a negative educational impact due to deployments. Teachers

19. “One of my kids had a hard time in school, did not have a lot of teacher support during the deployment of my husband. He’s an average student and needed a little bit more attention.” Parent “[Deployments have] demanded for me to be more compassionate, and identifying the difference between an excuse and reason. We talk a lot about that in my class… excellence, consistency, not over reacting without knowing what’s going on.” Teacher

20. Move To Homeschooling: • A desire to provide religious or moral instruction 32% • A concern about the school environment 20% • A dissatisfaction with the academic instruction in the public school 32% • Provide a non-traditional approach to education 8% • Other reasons (travel, family time, distance to school, financial) 20% • Child has special needs the parents feel the school cannot meet 24% • Child has physical or mental health need 4% • Continuity in education during transition 28%

21. Homeschool back to public school • Study is still asking questions in this area. Of particular interest: • What types of challenges or successes have homeschooled students experienced when transitioning from a home school to a public school? What specific strategies have parents found helpful to navigate this transition? My question: What strategies have teachers found helpful in the transition process?

22. Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children(Amended and Effective – November 16, 2012)

23. Compact Purpose: • The Compact seeks to make transition easier for the children of military families so that they are afforded the same opportunities for educational success as other children and are not penalized or delayed in achieving their educational goals

24. Article IV - Enrollment:Educational Records What’s included: Parents can receive a copy of unofficial records Receiving school must accept the unofficial records to enroll and place the student pending reception of official records Sending school must send officialrecords within 10 business days of receiving a request from the receiving school. What’s not covered: Giving parents the right to request a copy of every paper in the student file Receiving unofficial records free of charge

25. Article IV - Enrollment:Kindergarten and First Grade Entrance Age What’s included: A student can continue in the same grade in the receiving state regardless of entrance age requirements if he or she has already enrolled in kindergarten or 1st grade in an accredited public school in the sending state and as long the student meets age requirements in the sending state and their academic credits are acceptable to the receiving school board A student may go to the next grade regardless of age requirements, if he or she has successfully completed kindergarten or 1st grade in the sending state What’s not covered: A student who has not been enrolled in kindergarten even though they are of eligible age to have started

26. Article V - Placement and Attendance:Course and Educational Program Placement What’s included: Receiving state will initially honor placement in courses or programs based on the student’s enrollment in the sending state Receiving state may subsequently perform an evaluation to ensure the appropriate placement and continued enrollment What’s not covered: Guarantee of continued enrollment if not qualified Although the receiving school must demonstrate reasonable accommodation, there is no requirement to create a course or additional space

27. Article V - Placement and Attendance:Absence Related to Deployment Activities What’s included: Flexibility for additional excused absences to visit the parent or legal guardian due to deployment Note: Deployment window is defined as one month before the member’s departure from her/his home station through six months after return to her/his home station What’s not covered: Requiring more than “reasonable accommodation” Note: this provision provides discretion and flexibility to the LEA and school superintendent during state testing periods or if the student has already missed so much school that additional absences will be detrimental

28. Article VI – Eligibility:Eligibility for Extracurricular Participation What’s included: State and local agencies shall facilitate the opportunity for inclusion in extracurricular activities regardless of deadlines as long as the child is otherwise qualified What’s not covered: State student athletic associations, some of which are not affiliated with state or LEAs Although the receiving school must demonstrate reasonable accommodation, there is no requirement to hold open or create additional spaces

29. Article VII – Graduation What’s included: Waiving courses required for graduation if similar course work has been completed in another LEA Flexibility in accepting sending state exit or end of course exams, national achievement tests, or alternative testing in lieu of testing requirements for graduation in the receiving state Allowing a student to receive a diploma from the sending school as an alternative to accommodations for exit exams and graduation requirements that the student doesn’t have time to meet Should a waiver not be granted to a student who would qualify to graduate from the sending school, the LEA shall provide an alternative means for acquiring course work so graduation may occur on time. What’s not covered: Mandatory waivers….although LEA must show good cause for a denial of waiver Mandatory waiver of the exam or acceptance of alternative results The right of parents to request a change of graduation requirements in the receiving LEA

30. Effective Date Adopted by 10 states in July 2008. Today, 44 states have adopted the Compact and Arkansas and District of Columbia joined March 5 & 8 2013 The Commission in concert with the Department of Defense, is working diligently to get the Compact adopted in all 50 states and 5 U.S. territories

31. Common Core State Standards How does it affect military-connected students?

32. “Common Core” or “Common Core State Standards • For our military-connected children, CCSS are a dramatic shift from an education experience.

33. Problems before CCSS • Students in the same grades but different states are likely to learn vastly different material • Causing a mismatched patchwork of ability across the nation.

34. Why is the Common Core State Standards Initiative important? • High standards that are consistent across states provide teachers, parents, and students with a set of clear expectations that are aligned to the expectations in college and careers.

35. Common Core To date, 45 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. Virgin Islands, America Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands have voluntarily adopted CCSS. Still missing: Alaska, Texas, Virginia, Nebraska, Minnesota, Puerto Rico

36. Individual level - YOU • Think military-connected student • Think non-traditional military-connected students (friends & family members)

37. What can parents do? • Communicate with the school and teacher often • Research school activities • Ask for parent/teacher conference; parent/school counselor conference; parent/principal conference • Get involved! • Attend PASS (Parent Advocate for Students and Schools) workshops at local base • Talk to your Key Spouses/FRG's/Ombudsmen or military member’s 1st Shirt • Join and Participate in Military Kids Connect https://www.militarykidsconnect.org/ • Work with your School Liaison Officer • http://militaryk12partners.dodea.edu • Ask Aunt Peggie • http://www.militarychild.org/ask-aunt-peggie

38. What can School Counselors do to support our students?http://www.militaryk12partners.dodea.edu/

39. School Counselors • Be military SUPPORTIVE not just military friendly • Partner with local Command and School Liaison Officers • Ensure military-minded information on school website • Create a welcome to school/community pack • Develop and utilize School Climate Surveys • Create a military club for military and non-military students • Weekly/daily announcements specific to support options • Create a friendship garden • Military Recognition Bulletin board/Hero Wall • SKYPE during school day **does you school have a plan in the event of the death or injury of a military member on deployment?

40. School Counselors • April’s Month of the Military Child – PurpleUP! • Be open-minded and creative in scheduling (on-line learning or local college as options?) • Register students in class with neighborhood friends • Encourage after school tutoring programs • Deployment Time capsules • Encourage extra-curricular activities • Host a class or school assembly and give students a BLUE STAR FAMLIES Certificate of Recognition • Celebrate military/veteran events • Adopt military unit - Invite for military members on campus • ADVOCATE FOR YOU MILITARY-CONNECTED STUDENTS!!

42. What can Elementary teachers do to support our students?http://www.militaryk12partners.dodea.edu/

43. What can Elementary Teachers do? • Welcome to CLASS Packet • Buddy system & Encourage class introductions • PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCE!! • Call home with good news and concerns – educational and social • Daily Report cards • Write in a journal even in pictures if student does not yet write • Engage in play activities – playground, centers… • Take part in individual and group counseling when problems arise

44. Elementary schools and deployment • Allow phone calls/Skype during school day • Allow extension/excused classwork/homework • Classroom & school libraries offer military-related books • Daddy, You're My Hero! and Mommy, You're My Hero! • www.sesamestreet.org/parents/topicsandactivities/toolkits/tlcU • Create memory books or calendars • Pen Pals- Write cards/letters to family or ANY deployed member. • Have military member read a book via video to classroom/school • http://www.unitedthroughreading.org/ • Sesame Street / USO Experience for Military Families http://www.uso.org/sesame/

45. What can middle & high school teachers do to support our students?

46. MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL • Welcome Pack to school • Encourage class introductions • PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCE!! • Ask about past duty station locations • Ask about past school culture and routines • Call home with good news & concerns • Daily report card • Military club Adopt military unit • Challenge student at deeper level Encourage involvement in activities – Offer choice in curriculum materials and assignments

47. MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOLDeployment support • Skype during school hours • Allow extension/excused classwork/homework • Keep a journal. Write poetry & stories • Expect changes in behavior! Be aware and report changes • Look for drug/alcohol signs • Pen-Pal - Write cards or letters • Encourage class postcards • Time-zone or Hero wall • Participate in group discussions & support groups

48. My CHALLENGE to YOU!National Board for Professional Teaching Standards

50. What Is National Board Certification? • An advanced teaching credential. It complements, but does not replace, a state’s teacher license. It is valid for 10 years