American Education Week

American Education Week

November 16 – 20, 2015

Schools have changed a lot over the years. Gone are the rows of single desks, chalk boards are now often replaced with electronic white boards, laptop computers and tablets are replacing text books, and there are a host of new skills for students to learn for the world of tomorrow. The National Education Association’s American Education Week (AEW) spotlights the importance of providing every child in America with a quality public education from kindergarten through college, and the need for everyone to do his or her part in making public schools great. A great education will allow students to grow, prosper, and achieve in the 21st century. All of this is especially relevant and important for our DoDEA students.

This week is a great opportunity for parents to discuss the importance of education with their children and to look for ways to reinforce learning. Research shows that education is a great predictor of personal and professional success later in life. American Education Week is also a perfect chance for parents to reconnect with their students’ schools and to look for opportunities to volunteer and support the schools and the curriculum.

Even as things change, one thing has remained constant: the quality of our DoDEA schools. In recent years, DoDEA schools have continued to outperform their stateside counterparts on such indicators as the NAEP tests, the TerraNova, the SAT, and HS graduation rates. DoDDS schools set high expectations for students and been studied by other school systems and universities for our consistently high test scores and small minority achievement gap.

Our teachers are keenly aware of the unique needs of DoDEA students. (Insert local quote(s) from teachers or counselors, etc. here…)

One important aspect of working in a DoDDS school is the constant movement of students in and out of our schools. Teachers and staff know the importance of making students feel welcome as they arrive and helping to get them settled and integrated into the class and the school.

Another important unique quality of our schools is how many parents are absent due to deployment or other temporary duties. Our schools have support groups for children of deployed parents where counselors and teachers work with students, discuss their concerns, and lend a supportive ear. Classroom teachers are keenly alert to changes in a student’s behavior or work habits as parents are deployed or return. Teachers work closely with the counselors to insure that students have the support that they need. When parents are back from deployments it is a great idea, whether during American Education Week or any other time, to reconnect with schools and teachers.

In 2015, the 94th annual American Education Week will take place November 16–20. DoDEA schools will be celebrating in a variety of ways. Check with your school to see if events are planned. (You can also insert specific events here…)