Military students endure the strain of restarting relationships with friends and teachers, keeping up with work in each new school, and dealing with parental deployment. Certainly, some schools have created welcoming environments and academic supports for this group of students—but not enough. The Department of Defense Educational Activity, or DODEA, partnership program is providing leadership and resources to create these supportive public school environments.

Most Americans are not aware that over 2 million students have had parents deployed since the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As their parents fulfill their missions overseas, there are too many examples here at home of military students losing credit for courses already taken in another state after a family’s transfer or receiving unexcused absences for spending a day saying goodbye to a mom or dad leaving on deployment.

Many students from military families fall behind in school following multiple moves because there is no funding for tutoring services, or they struggle emotionally because of the roller-coaster of deployments. New research from the Rand Corp. finds that long deployments—19 months or more—take an academic and emotional toll on military children. Army children whose parents were deployed have long scored lower on standardized tests than those whose parents had shorter tours of duty. Teachers and counselors also reported increased social and emotional challenges for children with a deployed parent, according to the study.
With the heavy use of the military reserves and National Guard in these conflicts, many schools don’t even know if they are enrolling children from military families, let alone providing adequate supportive services.
We are at a juncture where some of these problems can be rectified with bipartisan support. For the first time in this country, the needs of military children in schools are being highlighted from the very top.

“Most Americans are not aware that over 2 million students have had parents deployed since the beginning of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
President Barack Obama’s recently released directive “Strengthening Our Military Families” includes detailed plans for focusing on and improving educational outcomes for military students. First lady Michelle Obama and Jill Biden, a college educator and the wife of the vice president, are also making strong attempts to draw national awareness to these students’ unique and challenging circumstances by visiting schools that create military-friendly environments. They expanded their efforts in April when they announced an organized campaign focused on supporting military families.

But there is far more that policymakers and education leaders should be doing. Teachers and other school personnel should be educated about the learning challenges faced by the more than 1.3 million military children currently in our nation’s public schools.

Our universities’ schools of education need to provide preservice training for prospective teachers on the issues children in military families bring to the classroom. Teachers and administrators need to recognize how frequent mobility can affect a child’s academic growth and social-emotional development. They should be aware of the upheaval a soldier’s deployment can cause in a household. And they should be equipped with effective strategies for both welcoming new families and integrating respect for the military lifestyle into their teaching practices.
Currently, only two universities are providing master’s-level degree training that focuses specifically on the needs of military students in schools and on creating a school climate that is welcoming and sensitive to the concerns of military families. This means organizations such as the Military Child Educational Coalition, which advocates for the needs of military children and provides resources to families, provide most of the training only after teachers receive their university degrees.

The pending reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act offers an ideal opportunity for extending best practices found at some military-connected schools—and in DODEA schools—to all students of military families.

Schools should be aware of how many military students they are serving. Transition services, such as assessment and communication between sending and receiving schools, should automatically be in place for both incoming and outgoing students. There should be a system of electronic transfer of records to minimize any delay in appropriate or needed services. Administrative leaders should consider the impact of deployment and frequent mobility when considering school policies. The ESEA reauthorization also provides an opportunity to fully fund the federal impact-aid program so schools have the resources they need to provide these services.
California has just taken the lead by creating a military-connected school-survey module open to all 10,000 schools in the state—a strong step toward better understanding the experiences of military students and parents in public schools. Other states should follow California’s lead.

The voluntary Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children aims to address some of the common education barriers for military students. Through heroic efforts, the military community is addressing the timely transfer of records and working to guarantee that students receive credit for courses taken in other states, and ensuring eligibility for sports and other extracurricular programs. But only 36 states have adopted the compact, and there are no enforcement provisions.

Let’s show military families that our schools will not continue business as usual during the longest war in our history. Let’s invest a down payment of gratitude by supporting military-connected schools in their mission to provide the very best education our nation can offer.

The Fort Hood Area Military Family Member Scholarship Fund is an independent organization developed for the purpose of providing scholarships for deserving, eligible U.S. military family members. A special Selection Committee will nominate applicants based on the spouse’s academic record, job record, volunteer work, participation in community-based activities, letters of recommendation and a brief essay. Financial need is not considered. All properly submitted applications are reviewed and evaluated by the Selection Committee in accordance with the organization’s constitution and by-laws. All materials submitted remain confidential.
2. Eligibility For This Scholarship Program in Fort Hood Area.

a. The applicant must be:
1) the spouse of an active duty U.S. military sponsor assigned to Ft. Hood and residing in Bell, Coryell, Lampasas, or Williamson County, or
2) the spouse residing in Bell, Coryell, Lampasas, or Williamson County of an active duty U.S. military sponsor, or
3) the spouse of a deceased or retired active duty U.S. military sponsor residing in Bell, Coryell, Lampasas, or Williamson County.

b. “Active duty U.S. military sponsor” is defined as active-duty Regular Army or an Army Reservist who is activated at the time of application for scholarship or a National Guardsman who is activated at the time of application for scholarship.

c. The applicant must be a high school graduate or hold a valid high school equivalent.

d. The applicant must be accepted by an accredited institution of higher learning (i.e., college, vocational, or correspondence) or expect to be accepted by such an institution for an undergraduate/graduate degree. Persons pursuing a second undergraduate or graduate degree are NOT ELIGIBLE.

e. The applicant must possess a valid U.S. military identification card.

f. Active Duty service members are not eligible.

g. Those who have previously received a Fort Hood Area Military Family Member Scholarship are ineligible to apply. Those who have previously applied, but DID NOT RECEIVE a scholarship are eligible to re-apply.
3. Procedures.

Applicants must submit the following as a completed packet to be considered by the Selection Committee:

a. Completed Application Form. Use this year’s current Form. Do not send resumes, copies of awards, or diplomas. Provide only the information requested.

b. An essay, in 500 words or less, explained in your own words: Upon completion of this phase of your education, how do you see yourself applying this knowledge in the next 5-10 years ? See Application Form #13 for instructions.

c. Official college or vocational transcripts (if available) with an original signature or seal. No copies will be accepted.

d. Two (2) sealed letters of recommendation should be completed by persons unrelated to you who will attest to your motivation, character, and integrity.

e. Copy (front and back) of applicant’s current picture U.S. military ID card.

f. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that a completed packet, as listed above, is mailed with sufficient postage. Postage-due mail will not be accepted and will be returned to the Post Office. Hand-carried applications will not be accepted. Include applicant’s last 4 numbers of their Social Security Number on all application materials.

g. The completed packet must be postmarked by 26 March 2010 and mailed to:
Fort Hood Area Military Family Member Scholarship Fund

P. O. Box 5299
Fort Hood, Texas 76544

h. Incomplete applications are ineligible for consideration.

i. Questions? Call (254) 286-2334. If dialing from Ft. Hood: 9-286-2334. This is a voice mailbox. Please leave a message, your name and phone number and allow at least 48 hours for a response.

Or write FHAMFMSF, Box 5299, Fort Hood, Texas 76544.

4. Scholarship Awards.

Scholarships awarded must be used during the school year immediately
following the award. Funds available 1 July 2010 must be claimed not later than 26 February 2011. The Scholarship Committee will award funds directly to the institution of higher learning (not to individual recipients) in the recipient’s name upon verification of registration. Scholarship winners who accept a full four year scholarship (to include tuition, room and board) from another source must forfeit this scholarship and notify in writing the Ft. Hood Area Military Family Member Scholarship Fund Committee of their decision by 1 October 2010. Scholarship selections are made at the end of April and scholarship recipients will be notified no later than mid-May 2010.

Miliary Family

We all know that the process of searching for a job can be an overwhelming experience, especially in times when unemployment rates are up. For military spouses, the task of finding employment may be even more challenging and occur on a more frequent basis due to the nature of military life.

Whether having to leave a job and find another due to relocating with their service members to new duty stations, often in unfamiliar territory, or being one of the unfortunate victims of layoffs by employers looking to cut down on expenses, military spouses generally find that they must work longer and harder to find work.

Here are some useful tips that will not only increase your confidence through preparation, but will also make you “stand out” in a group of applicants:

• Take time to do research so that you can familiarize yourself with a company before making the initial contact. And if you are planning on attending a job fair, find out what companies will be there. Tailor your resume to those firms and their employment needs.
• Begin your search for a job as soon as you can after your service member receives his or her permanent change-of-station orders. Even in a city where the unemployment rate is less than the national average, you may need six to nine months to secure employment.
• Since word of mouth is very effective, be sure to tell every military spouse, veteran and retiree you know that you are looking for a job. Companies are generally very eager to hire people who come to them through referrals from current employees.
• Be open-minded in your search by being willing to look outside the industry you worked in previously. For example, if you’ve been an accountant for a medical practice, why not consider the same position at a local fitness club?
• According to Deborah Kloeppel of the Military Spouse Corporate Career Network, you should update your resume twice a year rather than waiting until you’ve been laid off or have to relocate with your service member. Utilize the services available at a military base’s family employment program by having a professional take a look at your resume. They may be able to offer some helpful suggestions that will make you shine in the eyes of an employer.
• Consider the possibility of taking on part-time jobs or projects to get your feet wet, so to speak. Think of them as auditions that could turn into full-time positions as the economy strengthens and a position comes available.
• Find a friend of family member to role play with before you go for your job interview. And remember, they aren’t therapy sessions so refrain from telling your life story to potential employers. “They don’t need to know about deployments and childcare,” says Kloppel. “That all needs to be worked out ahead anyway.”

By logging onto www.milspouse.org you can check links to job boards that list openings from companies that are seeking to employ military spouses.

Of course the financial and educational rewards are not the only motivating factors, and a career in military service provides many other benefits as well. From the satisfaction of serving one’s country to the pride that comes from a job well done, there are many reasons why a career in the military is such a popular choice.

No matter which branch of the service you choose to make home, it is a good idea to explore the online education opportunities and one of the best options these day is medical transcription training. In fact an online medical transcription course is a perfect fit for the military lifestyle, since the medical transcription online program eliminates many of the burdens standing in the way of a traditional medical transcription course. Since a medical transcription online course can be earned from anywhere in the world, Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen are free to learn wherever they may find themselves.

Choosing to study medical transcription is a great way for those military personnel to enhance their career prospects as well as their job satisfaction. A military background can be a big benefit when it comes time to seek a job in the private sector, and having solid medical training will make those former service members even more sought after.

But the benefits of an online medical transcription course go far beyond the service members themselves. To learn medical transcription is also a great choice for the spouses and family members of those in the military. Earning a medical transcription certificate is a great way for those spouses and family members to enhance both their earning power and their satisfaction. Survey after survey has shown that those with more education earn far more than their less educated peers, and the value of a medical transcription class from an accredited online medical transcription program simply cannot be denied.

Danielle Brunson is a marketing specialist covers medical transcription trends, news and careers for Allied Medical Transcription School. Allied is a distance education school offering online education for military careers.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/careers-articles/medical-transcription-training-for-service-members-814814.html

Well, one can argue the pros and cons of the military lifestyle, but there has been one issue that has been a sore spot for years: students of military personnel not being able to smoothly carry on military education when they end up in a new state. 

In the upcoming year, the Texas legislature will look at Senate Bill 90 – known as the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children — which will require that the state adopt the compact designed by the by the Council of State Governments.

The legislation stipulates that the State of Texas must work with other states in the compact to create uniform standards for students entering a school from another state.

The children of military personnel have a number of social challenges facing them when they enter a new school. And a uniform set of regulations between different states would allow a child to go from Ft. Hood to Ft. Irwin without a bureaucratic nightmare. 

In addition to the formal cooperation between states, military children may also want to take a look at online high schools that offer diploma programs 100% online. When a military student is enrolled in an online high school, they can “go to school” by simply logging onto their computer from home.  And when home is Texas one month and California the next, studies won’t be affected if students are enrolled at an online high school. 

Military students looking at an online school should be sure to make sure that the school has regional accreditation like the one from WASC: the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Believe it or not, regional accreditation has more weight and respect than national accreditation. 

And what exactly does an online high school mean? In an online high school the student logs onto a special “school board” every day. They get messages and assignments from teachers, they can email teachers questions about a lesson, and with some schools, there are forums so students can chat with each other about their lessons. 

It goes without saying that not all teenagers are ready for online schooling, but for some this is a valuable option. Military children, like children everywhere, can face undesirable social pressures and influences at a traditional school. An online school allows parents to have more oversight on their children’s lives while keeping them safe at home. 

The benefits that one associates with home schooling, are similar for children who choice to study for their diploma online. And just as are home-schooled students must be self-disciplined and obedient, these same qualities are important for a child looking to attend an online highschool.