Military Families and Veterans

Secretary Duncan at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard with enlisted person"The men and women who serve in our Nation's armed forces place a high value on education and the availability of quality educational opportunities for their children," Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. "The U.S. Department of Education is committed to providing children of military families the support and education they need to thrive, as well as expanding educational opportunities for military spouses and veterans."


ED Provides Diverse Employment Opportunities for Veterans

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) provides employment opportunities for men and women who served on behalf of our nation. There are more than 60 occupations (14 Mission Critical Occupations) within ED that can offer veterans diverse, challenging and rewarding careers. As the smallest yet one of the most diverse cabinet level federal employers of veterans, we are committed to recruiting veterans to serve our country as civil servants.

For more information regarding ED’s Veterans Employment Program click here and to gain extensive knowledge on other resources available to veterans, transitioning service members and their spouses please go to the Office of Personnel Managements website: www.fedshirevets.gov.

Joining Forces: Taking Action to Serve America's Families is a national initiative that mobilizes all sectors of society to give our Service Members and their Families all the opportunities and support they have earned.

April is the Month of the Military Child, underscoring the important role our 1.7 million military children play in the armed forces community. Find out more.

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) requests the support of school district leaders in providing a continuum of education for the children of military families impacted by recent events in Japan. [PDF, 52.6K]

On January 24, President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Dr. Jill Biden announced nearly 50 commitments by federal agencies responding to the President's directive to establish a coordinated and comprehensive federal approach to supporting military families. These commitments are detailed in a report, Strengthening Our Military Families [PDF, 4M].

Overview of the Secretary's Commitment to Support Military Families

Information for Military Families and Veterans
Education Benefits
Other ED Programs
Education-related Resources
Touching Base Newsletter

  • The Department of Education (Education) will make supporting military families one of its supplemental priorities for its discretionary grant programs.

  • In order to encourage quality reintegration time, Education and DOD will provide guidance to school districts based on best practices for approving student absences relating to "block leave."

  • Education will continue the Specialized Training of Military Parents (STOMP) project, dedicated to serving military parents of children with special needs.

  • Education has greatly simplified the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

  • DOD, HHS, Education, and Agriculture have committed to increasing the availability of quality child care options thereby reducing the estimated shortfall of 37,000 child care spaces based on available demographic data.

Key Actions

  • Secretary's Priority for Military Families. This priority for discretionary grants can now be applied to favor grant applications to meet the needs of service members, spouses, military-connected children, and veterans. The Department is now seeking means of collecting and reporting data to promote transparency around the performance of military-connected children as part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The Department is also working to improve its Impact Aid funding of school districts serving military children.

  • Secretary's Guidance on Military-Connected Children and Public School Attendance Policies. The Secretary of Education sent a Dear Colleague Letter to all district superintendents and chief state school officers to provide guidance on military-connected children and the need for flexibility related to deployment-related absences. The letter, dated March 1, 2010, provides information for school districts seeking examples of effective practices that address the needs military families while maintaining high standards and upholding established attendance policies. It includes a link to a publication produced by the Military Child Education Coalition entitled Military-Connected Students and Public School Attendance Policies.

  • Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children. The Secretary's Dear Colleague Letter sent to all district superintendents and all chief state school officers indicated support for the work of this Interstate Compact. The Secretary of Education will include the Department's awareness and support for this work in his remarks for the conference call with governors in April 2011.

  • Specialized Training of Military Parents. The Department is committed to the continuation of this project.

  • Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The Office of Postsecondary Education sent a Dear Colleague Letter to remind financial aid administrators of their ability to exercise documented professional judgment when determining eligibility of students for federal student aid. It encourages aid administrators to consider the special circumstances that may arise for members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families, and reminds them about FAFSA reporting and the treatment of combat pay in the calculation of a student's expected family contribution.

  • Quality Child Care. The Department has contributed technical assistance and information about ED resources at meetings of the Sub-committee on Child Care which is part of the Interagency Policy Committee for Military Families. The Department has also provided the DoD Child Care Liaison in each of the 13 states with contact information for the IDEA 619 Coordinator and IDEA Part C Coordinator in their State to expand their awareness of State and local resources and access to existing community networks.

Resources

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