MILITARY-CONNECTED STUDENTS HANDBOOK
Best practices for helping military-connected students succeed.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
HISTORY | |||||
Military-connected Children………………3
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HISTORY
Military Connected Children
Four million children in the United States are considered military-connected (Lester & Flake, 2013 as cited in Hanna, 2020). Eighty percent of these children attend civilian public schools, or public schools outside of a military base.
Despite this large number, most public schools do little to recognize or support the needs of military-connected children, making them one of the most invisible minorities in public education. They look the same as civilian youth, which makes it hard to identify military-connected children based on appearances, keeping them in the shadows (Hanna, 2020).
Military-connected children face unique challenges every day that may adversely affect their mental health and education.
INTRODUCTION
The Purpose of this Handbook
Schools can play a key role in supporting and promoting inclusion and diversity. Often, military-connected children remain invisible in public schools. To better support this marginalized group, educators must learn more about them and their needs (Hanna, 2020). Children tend to thrive emotionally, socially, and academically when they perceive support from a caring adult (Easterbrooks et al., 2013; Ginsburg & Jablow, 2006 as cited in Hanna, 2020) and military-connected children are no different in this aspect. Educators are happier and more valuable when they know they are meeting the needs of all their students. In this handbook, educators are provided with a better understanding of military-connected students’ unique challenges and equipped with tools to better support them. It is expected that educators will incorporate this information into their teaching, striving to better meet the needs of their military-connected students.
What You Can Expect
The information in this handbook provides understanding, resources, and tools for educators to meet the unique challenges of four million military-connected students across the U.S. This handbook is designed to support and ensure success for military-connected students.
Definitions Used in the Handbook
“Not Military-Connected” refers to a student who is not military-connected (Military Child Education Coalition | MCEC, n.d.).
“Military-Connected” refers to a student who is a dependent of a member of the Active Duty Forces (full-time) Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard (Military Child Education Coalition | MCEC, n.d.).
“PCS” is an acronym for Permanent Change of Station, referring to a long-term assignment or transfer of an active-duty service member to a permanent duty station location that usually lasts between two and four years, from one state to another within the U.S. or even to another country (Duty Stations & Deployment — Today’s Military, n.d.).
“Duty-station” refers to bases or other installations where service members both live and perform their work (Duty Stations & Deployment — Today’s Military, n.d.).
“Base” or “Post” refer to a facility directly owned and operated by the military that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations (Wikipedia Contributors, 2020).
“Deployment” is the movement of military units or individual service members to locations outside of the continental U.S. for the purposes of accomplishing specific missions. Not all deployments are combat in nature. Deployments can last from anywhere between 90 days and 15 months, and there are no limits to the number of times that active-duty service members can be deployed (Duty Stations & Deployment — Today’s Military, n.d.).
“ESSA” is an acronym for Every Student Succeeds Act, a law enacted in 2015 which refers to the equal opportunity of all students (U.S. Department of Education, 2017a). With the adoption of ESSA, military-connected students are now recognized as a distinct subgroup (Military Child Education Coalition | MCEC, n.d.).
“MSI” is an acronym for Military Student Identifier code which indicates a student with a parent who is a member of the Armed Forces on active duty (Military Child Education Coalition | MCEC, n.d.).
UNIQUE CHALLENGES
Military-connected children face unique challenges every day that may affect their education. These students experience:
· Parental deployments
· Frequent school transfers
· Frequent moves
· Feelings of estrangement
· Stress about parent’s safety
· Academic gaps
Deployments
The effects of a parental military deployment on students can be significant and very much affect their behavior, social emotional well-being, and academics. Military deployment follows a cycle that brings its own potential stressors depending on the phase the family is in. Educators should receive education regarding the deployment cycle and understand where their students may be within it (St. John & Fenning, 2019).
The Deployment Cycle
The deployment cycle has been described by researchers in different ways, but despite the variations, they all follow a common series of events. These include pre deployment, deployment, rest and relaxation, reunion, and reintegration (Pisano, 2014 as cited in St. John & Fenning, 2019). These stages greatly affect a child’s behavior. For example, a school-aged child during the pre-deployment phase may be sad, angry, or moody. Although research shows that the deployment cycle can affect children differently at varying stages, it is important for educators to understand the consequences of each stage of deployment (Creech et. al, 2014 as cited in St. John & Fenning, 2019).
The Impact of Deployment on Mental Health and Behavioral Functioning
School professionals should be watchful for the potential that a parent deployment may have on the social-emotional well-being and behavioral health of military-connected students. For example, one study found that children with a deployed parent have a greater number of mental health diagnoses compared with children whose parents did not deploy (Mansfield et. al 2011 as cited in St. John & Fenning, 2019). Another similar study found that children with deployed parents had an 18-19% increase in behavioral and stress disorders and an 11% increase in emotional and behavioral related healthcare visits (Gorman et. al, 2010 as cited in St. John & Fenning, 2019).
Effects on Young Children
Although children of all ages have higher rates of anxiety and depressive symptoms during a parental deployment, studies show there are some differences in younger children vs. adolescents. Young children in military families have shown an increased risk for social emotional adjustment issues, less secure attachment patterns, peer problems, and decreased prosocial behaviors. Some preschool aged children with deployed parents have been found twice as likely to have failure rates on the measures as compared to children with non-deployed parents (St. John & Fenning, 2019).
Effects on Adolescents
Among older adolescents (8th through 12th grade), one study (2011) found both boys and girls with a deployed parent were found to have higher odds of reporting suicidal thoughts compared to non-deployed parent adolescents. Another similar study (2011) adolescents with a deployed parent had an increased odds of reporting a low quality of life (Reed et. al, as cited in St. John & Fenning, 2019).
Research clearly shows that children and adolescents faced with the challenge of a deployed parent may have increased behavioral and social emotional adjustment needs relative to children with non-deployed parents or civilian children (St. John & Fenning, 2019).
Parental mental health and stress during deployment
The behavioral, academic, and social-emotional health of military-connected students may also be impacted by the adjustment of the non-deployed parent. Stress at home for military families during deployment is increased by separation, which may be associated with less parental emotional availability and inconsistent home care routines. Studies have shown that parental stress was the most significant predictor of a child’s functioning during deployment and related to the child’s externalizing behaviors. In short, military children are not only influenced by their own experiences, but by the stressful experiences their parents are facing as well during deployment.
Frequent Moves
Military families move to a new duty station usually every two to four years. This rate is 2.4 times more often than civilians (Clever and Segal, 2013: Wertsch, 1991, as cited in Hanna, 2020). Military-connected children transfer schools nine times, on average, before graduating from high school.
Academic Gaps
With the frequent transfers of schools, military-connected students often experience academic gaps. These gaps occur because concepts are usually taught sequentially students tend to miss concepts when they transfer schools because concepts were taught before they arrived or in a different way.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
Adolescents’ Experiences
One (2020) qualitative study of military-connected adolescents found that nearly every teen participant spoke about how unaware the rest of the world is about the sacrifices that military families make (Hanna, 2020). Military-connected teens often feel underappreciated. It is often said in the military that while the servicemen and women enlist, their families are drafted (Hanna, 2020).
Military-connected adolescents voice their frustration about class registration when they transition to a new middle or high school. Military-connected students usually don’t even know which school they will be transitioning into yet when schools allow students to choose their classes and register in the spring. By the time military families arrive at their new school just before the new school year begins, many classes are full and military-connected adolescents aren’t left with many classes choices to choose from.
In addition to this frustration, adolescents’ express disappointment when special programs or teams require spring registration, application or tryouts and require students to be there in person for.
Military-connected high schoolers that have had to move once, twice, or even three times in high school voice frustration discouragement in trying to fulfill graduation requirements because these requirements change from state to state. When their credits don’t transfer, adolescents often face not graduating on time, taking additional online classes, or taking summer classes to graduate with their peers. This adds stress to an adolescent who likely already feels stress from other military factors and just normal adolescent high school factors such as grades, friends, dating, hormones, etc.
SUPPORTING MILITARY-CONNECTED STUDENTS
Supporting military-connected students within education is the professional responsibility of the administration, teachers, and school counselors. All three can work together serve the unique needs of military-connected students.
Administration
It is imperative that administration provide teacher and staff professional training on how to identify and respond to the complex needs of military-connected children.
· Militarychild.org provides information about the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) which provides professional development to train professionals to address the challenges facing military-connected children. MCEC offers face-to-face and virtual learning opportunities. Courses offered include: Military Student Foundations, Reducing the Impact of Transition, Pathway to a Sparc, School Transition, The Military Child, Mixed Emotions of Reintegration, The New Normal, We Serve Too, and Supporting Exceptional Military Kids.
· The MCEC has also created a series of eight TedEd lessons available for education professionals which focus on the unique aspects of military-connected children and their quest to be college and career ready by the time they graduate from high school. These free lessons can be accessed here:
(Virtual Learning Opportunities - Military Child Education Coalition, n.d.).
· Administration should provide teacher and staff training about the deployment cycle, the effects of deployment, and the importance of providing stability in the school regarding routine, care, and expectations of military-connected children.
Administrators can create a school wide student mentor program, such as the Student2Student (S2S) MCEC program. This S2S program is a student-led and faculty-advised program with the mission to take care of new students. With the S2S program, mentor students show new students their new campus, and introduce them to their new community. It helps new students get to know other students, build new peer groups, and encourage new students to perform better in school. The S2S program impacts the entire student body by uniting the campus to build a culture of inclusion. The results from a S2S student mentor program are improved academic performance and positive peer to peer interactions. This mentorship, or something similar, can be used for all three school levels: elementary, middle and high school. An S2S mentorship team should: provide every new student a tour, eat lunch with the new student, provide academic resources and encouragement, provide activities to the new student to help them meet others, offer 100% acceptance and respect, and actively engage in serving the school and community (Professionals Programs and Resources - Military Child Education Coalition, n.d.). More information in S2S can be accessed here: S2S Information Booklet
Administrators should implement the Military Student Identifier Code (MSI) under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). MSI provides educators with critical information to personalize attention to military dependent children and better meet these students’ needs (Frequently Asked Questions and Suggested Use for Military Student Identifier Code, n.d.).
Administration should also implement other school-wide recognition programs such as:
·
Celebrate “Month of the Military Child” (April) by encouraging all students to wear purple one day.
· Celebrate Veteran’s Day and recognize active-duty parents. Invite parents to the school and show recognition in a school program, etc.
Teachers
Teachers should stay up to date on current best practices for best supporting the military-connected student’s social emotional and behavioral needs.
Teachers should provide military-connected students with the support needed to make successful transitions through moves, deployments, and other challenges. Military-connected children have said that moving can be one of the best and the worst thing about their lives. New experiences and life challenges are much easier to deal with when children have caring adults in their corner, and it really only takes one caring adult to facilitate a smooth transition for a child. Research shows that the first two weeks are the most fragile for a student in a new school, but if they feel welcome, academic and social success is easier (A Spectrum of Things to Consider about Military Kids, n.d., 2:02).
Teachers can help students manage their stress. Military-connected students experience much change and lack of control over their lives which causes stress. Teachers can help students manage it by helping them understand that it’s ok to not be in control, because God, who loves them and is working for their good in transition, is in control. Students can understand that while the world is ever-changing, they can be reminded that their hope is secure in the One who is constant: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8 as cited in Gina Brenna Butz, 2020).
Teachers monitor students’ well-being and identify if any additional professional counseling or support is needed.
Teachers communicate with parents to understand where the family is at in the deployment cycle or any other pertinent information.
Teachers take part in school-wide programs such as April being “Month of the Military Child”, Veteran’s Day, or any other recognitions or celebrations. These programs help military-connected students feel appreciated and recognized for their sacrifices that they make for freedom.
Below are additional tips from Edutopia.org for teachers to use in supporting military-connected students in the classroom:
· Make routines obvious and expectations clear: military children have attended many schools which have all been run differently. Even though what may seem intuitive to most, may be confusing to a new military-connected student (Fiechtner, 2020).
· Look for academic gaps and help students find ways to close them: curriculum is designed to be sequential, and when students change schools frequently, they may miss important academic content. Even students who normally excel in a certain area may struggle when they have missed important concepts. On the flip side, some military-connected students may have already learned some of the content in their past school, or learned it in a different way, which creates a great opportunity to let them support their classmates and share their knowledge. Teachers should use pre-assessments when possible, to gain insight into students’ content knowledge (Fiechtner, 2020).
· Focus on relationships: military-connected students typically are friendly, social, and adept at stepping into new settings and teachers can capitalize on this attitude by taking conscious steps to build relationships with them. Give them opportunities to share where they’ve been and what they’ve learned; many military-connected students have had amazing adventures living abroad, completing monumental road trips, and experiencing diverse cultures around the nation and world (Fiechtner, 2020).
School Counselors
School counselors must be knowledgeable in military culture to successfully support military families in overcoming the challenges they face. They should work to build rapport with military-connected students. School counselors can work with military-connected students individually who have difficulty in the classroom, especially during the deployment cycle. School counselors can also partner with parents during deployment, and even offer the non-deployed parent support in terms of community resources that might be helpful (Cole, 2014).
School counselors can meet with military-connected students periodically to assess their health and well-being. School counselors can be a valuable resource for students who may have difficulty making friends. Even though military-connected students get plenty of practice, some would benefit from working with a school counselor to learn what makes a healthy friendship and equip them with the tools they. Need to build stronger bonds and feel more confident in making new friends. Offering this support can help some military-connected students enjoy better friendships for life (Poppy O'neill, 2021).
Professional school counselors can also assist military-connected children in managing anxiety, the number one mental health problem facing children today. While childhood should be a happy and carefree time, more and more children are exhibiting symptoms of anxiety. School counselors can also help military parents understand how much anxiety is normal and when to seek professional help (Chansky & Stern, 2004).
Because of their position in the school as well as background in counseling, professional school counselors play a valuable role in partnering with military families to help their children cope with the social, academic, and emotional challenges they face. Overall, the professional school counselor serves as a valuable educator, supporter, facilitator, and resource provider to military families in their school (Cole, 2012).
MILITARY FAMILIES
Communication
Communication with military families is important. No one knows a child as well as parents do, and they can be key to keeping an educator informed about a student’s health and well-being. Educators should keep ongoing communication with parents about any upcoming moves, deployments, or other stressors.
Suggestions for parent communication:
· Phone calls
· In-person meetings
· Notes home
· Emails
· Technology such as Skype or FaceTime
Engagement
It is important to engage military families in the classroom. They often feel new to the community and may need encouragement getting involved and finding their place.
Ideas to engage families include:
· Develop a welcome packet for military-connected students.
· Encourage parents to be active in the school.
· Use technology such as Skype or FaceTime to communicate with active-duty service members who may want to attend conferences but can’t attend in person.
· Promote student participation in extracurricular activities.
· Invite a parent in to read a book to the class.
· Invite a parent to share about their job in the military on career day.
· Recognize the active-duty parent at a Veteran’s Day program or celebration.
· Show support for the military by displaying the service member’s branch of service symbol on or near a teacher’s door. It will show support for the military family and also help military-connected students identify others like them.
· Have the class write letters of appreciation to a veteran, including any class parents.
· Create a “Hero Wall” in the school with names of veterans, active-duty service members, police, fire and rescue family members.
· Say “Thank you” to military families to show appreciation. Remember that the entire military family serves, not just the active-duty service member parent.
CONCLUSION
Military-connected students face unique challenges including parental deployments, frequent moves, frequent school transfers, achievement gaps, feelings of estrangement, and stress about parent’s safety. These challenges can be significant and affect military-connected students’ behavior, social emotional well-being, and academics. Educators can help students adapt and ease transitions. Most military-connected students attend off-base public schools. Educators at off base schools must do more to meet the needs of their military-connected students. There are many resources available to help educate these professionals on best practices to support and ensure military-connected students thrive. It is expected that educators will incorporate the information within this handbook into their teaching, striving to better meet the needs of their military-connected students.
REFERENCES
A Spectrum of Things to Consider About Military Kids. (n.d.). TED-Ed. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://ed.ted.com/on/0krz7o9g
Chansky, T. E., & Stern, P. (2004). Freeing your child from anxiety : powerful, practical solutions to overcome your child’s fears, phobias, and worries. Broadway Books.
Cole, R. F. (2012). Professional School Counselors’ Role in Partnering With Military Families During the Stages of Deployment.
Cole, R. F. (2014). Understanding Military Culture: A Guide for Professional School Counselors. The Professional Counselor, 4(5), 497–504. https://doi.org/10.15241/rfc.4.5.497
Duty Stations & Deployment — Today’s Military. (n.d.). Www.todaysmilitary.com. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.todaysmilitary.com/life-in-the-military/relocation-deployment/duty-stations-deployment
Fiechtner, J. (2020, March 6). 3 Ways to Support Military Kids in the Classroom. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/3-ways-support-military-kids-classroom/
Frequently Asked Questions and Suggested Use for Military Student Identifier Code. (n.d.). https://www.militarychild.org/upload/files/resources/FAQs_on_MSI.pdf
Gina Brenna Butz. (2020). Making Peace with Change. Our Daily Bread Publishing.
Hanna, J. L. (2020). Removing the Camouflage: A Deeper Look at Military-Connected Adolescent Perception of Identity in Secondary Schools. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 93(4), 184–194. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2020.1758014
Poppy O'neill. (2021). Help your child make friends : 101 ways to nurture healthy and happy friendships. Vie.
Professionals Programs and Resources - Military Child Education Coalition. (n.d.). Www.militarychild.org. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.militarychild.org/audience/professionals
St. John, L. V., & Fenning, P. (2019). Supporting the behavioral and mental health needs of military children. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 64(2), 99–105. https://doi.org/10.1080/1045988x.2019.1680945
U.S. Department of Education. (2017a). Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). U.S. Department of Education. https://www.ed.gov/essa?src=rn
Virtual Learning Opportunities - Military Child Education Coalition. (n.d.). Www.militarychild.org. Retrieved April 18, 2023, from https://www.militarychild.org/programs/virtual-learning-opportunities
Wikipedia Contributors. (2020, January 4). Military base. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_base
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