MacDill strives for improved education opportunities for military children

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Michael Ellis
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Good schools and a good place for families to live, have been among the top priorities since Col. Scott DeThomas took command of 6th Air Mobility Wing last summer.

DeThomas met with representatives from the Florida Department of Education, the Hillsborough County School District, MacDill group commanders, members from the Airman & Family Readiness Center and some key spouses, Monday, to formulate strategies to improve the working relationship between the base and the school district.

The base has a great relationship with the county; and while numerous improvements have been noted, the goal is to make processes easier for new families transitioning to the base and ensure children are comfortable and enjoy going to school, said DeThomas.

The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children (originally enacted in 2008) has been the mode by which military members can address educational issues encountered when transitioning to a new area.

"By the time military children finish high school, they will have moved an average of six to nine times and twice during high school," said Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, during a military children education speech last June; adding, "Each move, as we all know, means a transition to new friends, to a new school system, and potentially inconsistent academic opportunities and standards."

Inconsistencies in academic opportunities and standards were among the top concerns mentioned during the roundtable.

Two out of the more than 140 students from the base who attend Robinson High School are in the International Baccalaureate Program (the program that gives students college credit for advanced courses and enhances admission opportunities to prestigious colleges). The major stipulation, which excludes 99 percent of MacDill high school students due to frequent moves, is that students are required to be enrolled in the Pre-IB Program at the start of their freshman year. The freshman-year requirement is atypical from most schools, as the IB Program is generally considered a two-year program that commences during the junior year.
Another topic discussed was the school district's weighted grade system evaluation for advanced placement and honors courses. Tori Molinuex, key spouse and wife of the 6th Operations Group commander, explained her distress transferring her daughter into a Florida school.

She always did well in school and maintained a high GPA, but when coming to Florida she was required to be enrolled in a remedial reading course because she had never taken the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, said Molineux.

Currently, no bylaw excludes children transferring from out-of-state districts to forgo remedial classes that prepare for FCAT testing. During the discussion, ideas were offered to assess students' current academic standing, which would reduce time from attending redundant classes and ultimately save the county money. Ideas as such, would also alleviate some of the stressors military members and their families face with children being inadequately challenged following a move.

It's important for parents and educators to voice their concerns, as changes can affect children's "GPA, college opportunities and their future," said Mary Tappen, Florida Department of Education.

Considering the compact is a national-level policy, member states meet annually to review its language, said Tappen, adding that the best way to enact change is getting involved and proposing solutions.

For more information on benefits of the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children or suggestions for improvement contact the MacDill School Liaison Nelly Richards at 828-0146 or Hillsborough County Public Schools at 272-4000.