States join effort to ease school transfers of military dependents
Kansas and Kentucky are the first states to approve a compact that will make it easier for children of military families to change schools. The compact seeks to provide flexibility for the 1.5 million children of military families in the U.S. They attend on average six to nine school systems between kindergarten and graduation, and differing educational requirements in different states often add to their burden. The compact, which would become operational with adoption by 10 states, is intended to prevent children of military families from needlessly repeating courses or being denied access to extracurricular activities. It would provide alternative coursework options for districts that do not waive graduation requirements for students. Compact members would work to create uniform standards of practice, including the transfer of records, course placement and graduation requirements. Kansas and Kentucky have nearly 50,000 school-aged children whose parents are in the active duty military. Most of those in Kansas live near Fort Riley, which is home to the 1st Infantry Division. Bills to create the compact have been introduced in 20 states, including Kansas and Kentucky, according to the Council on State Governments (CSG), which developed the proposal. Defense officials say the education of service members' children is a quality of life issue that affects recruitment, retention and readiness.
Source: Associated Press, 4/14/08, By John Milburn
[Editor’s Note: The text of the compact, additional resources, and a short background article are available on CSG’s website at the first links below. The current issue of the American School Board Journal features two articles on related issues: the challenges facing school officials, military personnel, and military families as a result of base re-alignments and troop deployments.]
CSG website on interstate compact on educational opportunity for military children
CSG background article on compact
American School Board Journal, May 2008, By Del Stover
American School Board Journal, May 2008, By Lawrence Hardy