gmu cehd operationeducate
TRANSCRIPT
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OperationEducate the Educators
at George Mason UniversityA BLUEPRINT FOR SUPPORTING
MILITARYCONNECTE D CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES
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George Mason University College of Education and Human Development
CONTE NTS
1 Executive Summary
2 Background
3 Vision
5 Why Schools Need to Act
9 From At-Risk to Resilient
10 Seven Proposed Solutions
14 Why George Mason University
16 Partnerships and Funding
Executive Summary
Our military children are awesome,
just as their parents are. But they
have extra hurdles to clear,
burdens to bear...we have a sacred
responsibility to take care of them.
Robert M. Gates
former United States Secretary of Defense
eachers and other human services personnel are rarely prepared to address the un
issues that ace military-connected children. As a result, a critical need exists to dev
services, programs, and research that provides support or them within our schools
and communities.
George Mason Universitys College o Education and Human Development ()
has long recognized this need, and was among the first participants in Operation Ed
the Educators, an initiative to better prepare uture teachers and school personnel to
support military-connected children. o build on the momentu
o the nationwide Operation Educate the Educators effort,
has developed a blueprint or promoting best practices and evid
based programs in this domain.
We envision serving as a hub or the Washington, D.C. area,
a region with a large population o military amilies, and as
a resource or universities, schools, researchers, teachers,
communities, and amilies nationwide.
o achieve these ambitious goals, we seek short- and long-term
philanthropic support.
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2 Operation Educate the EducatorsA Blueprint for Supporting Military-Connected Children George Mason UniversityColl ege of Education and Human Development
Background
A MISSION TO E DUCATE
The Nations Future Teachers
In April 2011, the Military Child Education Coalition and the American Association o
Colleges or eacher Education joined orces to develop Operation Educate the Educators.
Tis national initiative was conceived in support o two goals:
1. Provide schools with greater capacity to serve military-connected students and their amilies.
2.Prepare teachers to understand the military communitys unique needs and provide
appropriate support to students.
Achieving these goals requires the participation o universities that educate uture teachers.
oday, more than 100 colleges and universities are signed on to the Operation Educate the
Educators program.
Te work o these institutions, however, tends to be scattered. Tere has been no systematic
effort to build on these individual initiativesuntil now.
Vision
L E ADING THE WAY
In Support of Military-Connected Children
It is our vision to create a service that supports Operation Educate the Educators miss
especially in the Washington, D.C. area and particularly through research, leadership,
education around the needs o military amilies.
Based at George Mason University, this s ervice will develop and sustain efforts to engage
and inorm educators about best practices, while also promoting evidence-based program
meet the needs o military-connected children. With a ocus on schools and communitie
the service will identiy and develop leading-edge practices, policy, and research.
George Mason University, located amid the regions large population o military amilies,
offers an unparalleled opportunity to orge partnerships and deliver outcomes with both
and national impact.
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4 Operation Educate the EducatorsA Blueprint for Supporting Military-Connected Children George Mason University College of Education and Human Development
FOUR MIL L ION STUDE NTS ARE MIL ITARY CONNE C
Military-connected students are present in every level o our education system, rom
pre-school through high school, trade schools, and institutions o higher education.
Currently, there are at least 4,000,000 military-connected students whose parents are a
duty members o the National Guard or Reserves, or veterans o the Unites States mil
Tese children live in communities in every state and attend schools in virtually eve
school system in the country. Most military-connected students attend public schoo
E DUCATORS ARE UNPRE PARE D
Educators are uniquely positioned to identiy at-risk students. And yet, teachers,
counselors, paraproessionals, principals, and others may not be aware o the social,
emotional, and learning challenges specific to military-connected students.
For example, military-connected children ofen eel anxiety around the multiple
transitions they experience, including moving to a new home. I an inormed teach
notices that a student is alling behind or acting distant, he or she can find out i
a military transition is the cause and then proceed with an appropriate response and
an intentional strategy.
eachers and other community personnel rarely receive training to prepare them to
the unique needs o military-connected children. Te development o services, pro
and research is thus critically needed.
Why Schools Need to Act
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STUDE NTS FACE UNIQUE CHAL L E NGE S
n High Mobility Rates
Active-duty amilies typically move every two to three years. Students ofen experience
six to nine moves during their P-12 school years.
n Access to Special Needs
Students ace difficulties qualiying or, receiving, or continuing special needs servicesdue to differences in regulation, testing, and resource availability in school districts.
Between 10-12% o military-connected students are served in special education programs.
n Elevated Stress
Relocation, making new riends, deployment o a parent, and adjusting to new
curriculum or instructional methods can put students at-risk or distress and emotional
challenges, including depression and anxiety.
THE RISKS ARE RE AL
Research confirms that children o military amilies ofen exhibit increased levels o
social-emotional and behavioral problems, including anxiety, regression, irritability,
sleep issues, and high-risk behaviors such as substance abuse.
Some children also have difficulty with academic perormance in school, mostly as
a result o lie-stressors attributable to a parents military service.
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T O K N O W B E T T E R I S T O D O B E T T E R
Educators are uniquely positioned to identiy military-connected children who are
and help them build resiliency.
Studies confirm that responsive school environments and teacher-student relations
positively impact students social, emotional, and academic unctioning. I teachers
and community members are aware o military-connected childrens needs and dev
responsive rameworks, they can serve as an important stabilizing orce or our
military-connected children.
o do so, however, it is necessary or teachers and others to have a deeper understan
o the military community, liestyle, and culture so they are able to provide well-ino
responsive, and systematic support.
S U P P O R T C H I L D R E N B Y S U P P O R T I N G T E A C H E R S
o address this need, George Mason Universitys College o Education and Human
Development has developed a blueprint or promoting best practices and evidence-
based programs. It starts by inorming aspiring teachers enrolled in teacher prepara
programs. It then extends to proessional development or educators and others in
schools and community support agencies.
From At-Risk to Resilient
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10 Operation Educate the EducatorsA Blueprint for Supporting Military-Connected Children George Mason University College of Education and Human Development
A MUL TI FACE TE D BL UE PRINT
Operation Educate the Educators at George Mason University will initiate a range o
activities to ulfill its role as a resource to educators and other human services
proessionals, including the ollowing:
1. Education Modules. For military-connected children, poor or slipping schoolperormance may be related to a amily members military service. When teachers
are aware o these types o issues, they can better respond. o acilitate this,
George Mason University will develop online education modules to train teachers.
Tese modules will provide contemporary inormation on the needs o military-
connected children and their amilies. Te modules will be offered through
George Mason Universitys academic programs, will be distributed to higher
education institutions throughout the nation, and will be made available online as
continuing education courses or current teachers.
2. Summer Academies. In order to provide intense, multi-day courses on theunique needs o military-connected children and their amilies, George Mason
University will develop a summer academy. Participants will be drawn rom
throughout the country, and the academy courses will be taught by leading
researchers and educators.
3. Scholarly Research. George Mason University will support scholarly researchand program evaluations that are key to better understanding military-connected
children. opics will include: What is the impact o mobility on academic
perormance among military-connected children? And how well do current
Seven Proposed Solutions
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nonprofit programs succeed in addressing the needs o military-connected chi
and spouses? Scholars will identiy evidence-based responses and intervention
best suited to support teachers in their day-to-day interactions with military-
connected amilies.
4. Resource Bank. Currently, the efforts o individual institutions are scatteredwith ew opportunities to learn rom each other. George Mason University wil
provide schools and human services agencies an online bank o resources ocu
on the unique needs o military-connected children and amilies, including vi
models and best practices.
5. Summer Camps for Children. Summer camps provide a sae environmenchildren who have similar amily and lie experiences, thus enhancing their
resiliency when coping with military-related stressors. George Mason Univers
will develop and host camps that provide military-connected children with
a supportive experience while also providing a orum or teachers-in-training
practicing teachers, and other human services proessionals to learn firsthand
about the needs o these students.
6. Community of Practice. George Mason University will provide inormedand critical leadership. Te university will convene educators, human services
proessionals, schools, community organizations, and others to build a network
community o practice and caring in support o military-connected children and
their amilies.
7. Stakeholder Conferences. George Mason University will host regional,national, and web-based conerences to urther disseminate inormation abo
unique needs o military-connected children and their amilies, including
models and best practices or schools and community organizations.
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14 Operation Educate the EducatorsA Blueprint for Supporting Military-Connected Children George Mason University College of Education and Human DevelopmentGeorge Mason University College of Education and Human Development
Why George Mason University
R E S E A R C H A N D P R A C T I C E
In the Nations Capital
George Mason University has a large local ootprint in the Northern Virginia and
Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Each year, the College o Education and Human
Development enrolls more than 4,000 students and works in close partnership with
the regions world-class school systems.
As part o Operation Educate the Educators at George Mason University, the College o
Education and Human Development will draw upon multiple areas o expertise within
the university, including the College o Health and Human Services and the College
o Humanities and Social Sciences. Tis alliance among disciplines promises a visionary,
multi-disciplinary, and multi-dimensional lens through which to view, understand,
and support military-connected children and their amilies.
Operation Educate the Educators at George Mason University is positioned to have a vast
and immediate impact, not just in the region but as a model or other school systems,
universities, and communities nationwide.
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16 Operation Educate the EducatorsA Blueprint for Supporting Military-Connected Children George Mason University College of Education and Human Development
Partnerships and Funding
W O R K I N G T O G E T H E R F O R M I L I T A R Y F A M I L I ES
Te needs o military-connected children and amilies are well documented and
virtually universal. We believe its time to address these needs by educating aspiring and
current teachers as well as human services proessionals.
In order to succeed, Operation Educate the Educators at George Mason University
seeks philanthropic support. Such unding will allow us to implement education,
proessional development, and continuing education or teachers and human
services proessionals, while strengthening the capacity o schools and community
organizations to meet the needs o military-connected children and amilies.
George Mason University requires both short- and long-term philanthropic unding.
Tere are many opportunities or co-branding and or ensuring that this program
has maximum, positive impact. We invite individual, corporate, oundation, state, and
national organizations to partner with us.
Please contact the College o Education and Human Development at George Mason
University at [email protected] or more inormation.
L E ADE RSHIP
Jennifer Drake Patrick, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator
Operation Educate the Educators
703.993.2166
Mark R. Ginsberg, Ph.D.
Dean and Professor
703.993.2004
Robert Johnson
Director of Development
703.993.2005
AL L IE S
Association of the United States Army (AUSA)
Blue Star Families
Child Care Aware of America
Dare Mighty Things, Inc.
George Mason Universitys College of
Health and Human Services and College
of Humanities and Social Sciences
Gordon Sumner Consulting
Military Offi cers Association of America (MOAA)
National Military Family Association
They Serve 2
Virginia Department of Education
Zero To Three
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College of Education
and Human Development
George Mason University
Thompson Hall
4400 University Drive, MS 2F1
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
cehd.gmu.edu P h o t o : D O D
F o r t B e l v o i r