Education Division Mission
	Rationale  |  Purpose  |  Services & Communication
Rationale The establishment of an Education Division as part of Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) Pacific is essential to the successful implementation of the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Community Strategic Plan. The division is directly responsible for developing educational programs that support the DoDDS Pacific mission. Program development includes improving and enhancing existing programs as well as designing and implementing new programs. In both cases, attention is given to the specification of learning outcomes designed to result in high student achievement. Through professional development and technical assistance activities, the division supports current programs and new initiatives. Additionally, the division is responsible for reviewing all educational programs and instructional practices implemented in DoDDS Pacific schools. By consistently examining these programs, we can determine their suitability for students and their effectiveness in advancing our progress toward the goals contained in the Community Strategic Plan. This allows us to develop and implement improvements where needed while maintaining and strengthening those programs that are meeting with success. Measurable progess is made through the professional practice of performing planned and systematic educational program review. For these reasons, the establishment of an Education Division at DoDDS Pacific is vital to our overall effectiveness as an educational organization.
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Purpose of the Education Division The purpose of the Education Division is to ensure that all educational programs offered in DoDDS Pacific schools support the goals expressed in the Community Strategic Plan and are appropriate to the educational needs and interests of all students. To achieve this purpose, the Education Division will conduct school support and evaluation activities in order to enable the Director, DoDDS Pacific:
•	to ensure that the focus of educational programs is on high student achievement supported by high expectations;
•	to ensure that equity is always considered in determining access to educational opportunities;
•	to ensure that the academic integrity and quality of educational programs are rigorously maintained and that effective instructional practices are utilized to obtain high student achievement as preparation for continuous learning and productive citizenship;
•	to ensure that governing regulations, accreditation, and program standards are upheld;
•	to ensure that school, district, area, and system priorities are appropriately reflected in educational programs and practices;
•	to ensure that parent and community partnerships are functioning and engaged in processes that lead to optimum student achievement;
•	and to ensure that program and curricular standards are implemented.
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Services and Communication The Education Division is accountable to the Director, DoDDS Pacific, in fulfilling its responsibilities. The division performs in a staff function. It has no direct supervisory authority over district or school personnel. Its relationship to districts and schools is supportive in nature and respectful of the manner in which districts and schools are administered. School visitations for technical assistance, professional development, program orientation, and educational program review may be requested by the district superintendent or school administrator. In addition, the Education Division may initiate school visitations in support of its mission. School visitations will be professionally planned and conducted in order to meet the stated purpose of the visit. All school visits and site-based activities require a written after-action reports specific to the visit. Professional development, technical assistance, and program orientation are planned activities that may be delivered at a school site, within a complex, or within district or area level conferences. The purpose for these activities is to provide high quality teacher training in support of school, district, area, or systemic initiatives. Although the method of delivery may vary, these training activities share common attributes. All activities must be well planned, delivered to teachers utilizing best practices from the professional development literature, and provide follow up support. Training activities may be in support of instructional practices or strategies, content knowledge, or implementation of new curriculum standards or materials. Technical assistance is generally focused on specific program content and may be narrower in scope. Technical assistance training targets a predetermined population for highly specific program specific training such as special education procedures, school health room practices, or Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program parameters. Program orientation training is provided in support of teachers new to a teaching area. Program orientation support can be provided in several formats that accomplish the primary objective and ensure those new to a school, content, program, or grade level are provided with the essential information that they need to ensure student success. The consultation role may consist of telephone or written communication or simply the “at a distance” support of promising practices such as action research, study groups, peer coaching, and other innovative activities. Educational program review is also an essential responsibility of the Education Division. This component yields valid information about the manner in which educational programs function in our schools. It is of paramount importance that a thorough review of these programs occurs at the school site. Educational program review will focus upon the degree to which:
•	educational opportunities are implemented equitably;
•	educational programs are focused upon high student achievement and high expectations;
•	the academic quality and integrity of educational programs are supported and maintained.
•	effective instructional practices are utilized to obtain optimal results in student achievement;
•	educational programs, curricular standards and objectives are utilized to plan instruction and evaluate student performance;
•	adopted and supplemental program materials and resources are utilized by teachers to facilitate high student achievement.
One means of communication for the Education Division is the after-action or trip report that is accomplished following an on-site school visit or training activity. The report summarizes the information gathered on site and contains recommendations for consideration by the school principal. As a general rule, all actions performed by members of the Education Division will be summarized in a format appropriate to the nature of the activity. Because on-site trip reports have specific purposes, the format is derived from the purposes for the visit. Similarly, staff development, technical support, etc., will be summarized following the purposes that were formulated by the coordinator when seeking approval for the activity. All of these are important aspects of accountability within the Division and an important means of communicating to schools and districts. They are also useful in establishing a means for evaluating the success of these activities. Members of the Education Division will respect the role of superintendents, school administrators, and teachers when conducting any approved activity in districts and schools. The coordinators are responsible for fulfilling the purposes of approved activities and are held accountable for their conduct and actions in the performance of approved activities.
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// original signed //  Nancy C. Bresell Director   // original signed // Steven R. Bloom Deputy Director