(From left to right) Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan is joined by Dr. Jill Biden, Gen. George Casey, Jr., U.S. Army Chief of Staff, and Congressman Jim Moran, as they greet second grade students at Fort Belvoir Elementary School before a roundtable with parents and faculty at the school June 22, 2010. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer Second Class William Selby.
By Petty Officer Second Class William Selby
It’s not every day that parents and school faculty members have a chance to go straight to the top with questions and concerns regarding school education and the challenges that military families encounter. However, yesterday, that’s exactly what happened.
Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan was joined by Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, Congressman Jim Moran, U.S. Army Chief of Staff, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., his wife Sheila and Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III to participate in a roundtable with parents and faculty at Fort Belvoir elementary school.
The questions asked reflected the same challenges faced in most communities around the nation, encompassing issues like school funding, training for educators and ensuring that high academic standards are set for students. However, when you have an audience of parents who are deployed, or must move their children from school to school every few years there are special concerns. An argument can be made that there ought to be a concentrated effort on overseeing the education system for military children.
But how can that be done?
“We know the challenges, now we just have to figure out how to support those issues and fix the problems,” Duncan said.
In addition to the impact of multiple deployments and frequent school transfers, questions focused on the quality of training for staff both at DoD installations and at public schools where military children are enrolled.
Renae Robinson, a Navy spouse, suggested requiring that deploying parents inform schools of their status, so teachers can be on the lookout for warning signs that a child may need help.
Other parents voiced concerns over finding the right placement for their children due to inconsistent academic standards around the country. Some suggested putting a nationwide testing system in place to remedy this problem.
Dr. Jill Biden listens intently to a second grade student as she reads a book at Fort Belvoir Elementary School June 22, 2010. Dr. Biden attended a roundtable with military parents and faculty from the school after greeting the second graders. DoD photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer Second Class William Selby.
Duncan said this is a definite possibility in the near future.
“We would like to create a testing system for children throughout the U.S. to be able to create common standards for any child,” Duncan said.
Overall, both officials and parents who participated in the roundtable discussion expressed optimism that changes will be made in the near future.
“We have a terrific partnership between the DoD and [Department of] Education,” Lynn said. “We are committed to providing a world class education.”
Read the Defense.gov article: “Military Parents Voice Education Concerns to Leaders”.
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