RD35 - 2015 Executive Summary of the Interim Activity and Work of the Virginia Council on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children

  • Published: 2016
  • Author: Virginia Council on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children
  • Enabling Authority: Code of Virginia - § 22.1-361

Executive Summary:
The Virginia Council on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children (Virginia Council) was created in 2009 to consider any and all matters related to the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. The Compact seeks to remove barriers to educational success imposed on children of military families because of frequent moves and deployment of their parents. The Compact addresses such issues as timely enrollment and placement, on-time graduation, and sharing of information between states to ensure a smooth educational transition for dependents of military families as they move from and to other states.

Virginia is home to some of the nation's largest and most important military installations, so it is not surprising that the Commonwealth's schools educate more military children than most states. As of September 2015, the Defense Manpower Data Center estimated that there are 71,655 school age military-associated children of active duty members in Virginia.

The average military student faces transition challenges more than twice during high school, and most military children will attend six to nine different school systems from kindergarten to twelfth grade. The Compact seeks to make transitions easier for the children of military families so that they are afforded the same opportunities for educational success as other children and are not penalized or delayed in achieving their educational goals.

A continued focus for the Virginia Council in 2015 was encouraging school divisions to identify military-connected children in our schools so that they can receive the unique services they need, and schools have reliable data to apply for funding available from the federal government and military organizations. The Council also continued to advocate for training for educators and military families on the components of the Compact and resources available to assist military-connected students.