Message Center

States are employing a host of new education strategies and initiatives to handle the significant growth in the mission of many military bases across the country, according to a new Issue Brief from the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center).

The Issue Brief, State Education Activities to Support Mission Growth , highlights a number of strategies states can take to respond effectively to the educational challenges of a growing defense community, including establish collaborative approaches that coordinate education responses and represent diverse stakeholders; adjust educational programs to allow for flexibility; focus on teacher recruitment, retraining and retention strategies; and establish educational programs that support military dependent students and prepare future workforce.

“On average, mission growth could account for a population increase of 35 percent in and around affected military bases, a rate not witnessed since World War II,” said John Thomasian, director of the NGA Center. “This series of Issue Briefs explores effective ways military base communities can adapt in order to efficiently and effectively manage this population change.”

While states are making considerable progress to meet the challenge of accommodating the significant growth around a number of the nation’s military bases, these efforts need to be complemented with federal action. In the Issue Brief, the NGA Center’s Mission Growth Working Group offers recommendations the federal government can take to help affected states, including but not limited to:

• Provide clear and timely military dependent student information;
• Direct federal agencies to afford priority consideration to mission growth communities;
• Create specific “mission growth” federal program assistance to ensure that adequate resources are available for planning, integrating, and implementing successful projects and strategies;
• Adjust current growth programs to be more flexible;
• Factor “block leave” into No Child Left Behind framework;
• Offer interest free bond or loan options for school construction.

The U.S. Department of Defense is in the midst of a major transformation whereby dozens of bases across the country are enhancing their missions, increasing training activities and defense operations and expanding the number of military and civilian personnel. The growth in military personnel and federal civilian employees will result in student increases in the surrounding community that may be challenging with respect to scale, timing and scope.

To learn more about states’ efforts to adapt to mission growth, please visit www.nga.org/center/eenr.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS