Vanderbilt University Register: Closing the achievement gap in public education

Closing the achievement gap in public education

Military-operated schools may hold answers

Smrekar

Schools operated by the Department of Defense to educate the children of service men and women may hold the key to closing the achievement gap between white and minority students in the nation's public schools, according to a new study conducted by a research team at Vanderbilt.

The study, "March Toward Excellence," was commissioned by the National Education Goals Panel and cites 1998 data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), widely known as the nation's report card. The NAEP results showed that African American and Hispanic students enrolled in U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) schools in the United States and abroad ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation on reading and writing tests.

"The scores tell us that DOD is doing something right despite the challenge of educating students who are transient because of the nature of military life. We have pinpointed several key elements to the schools' successes and believe these methods can be applied to improve civilian public education," said Claire Smrekar, lead researcher and associate professor of educational leadership at Vanderbilt.

What the researchers found is that DOD schools are a productive blend of both "top down" and "bottom up" management. From the "top"-- DOD school headquarters -- flows a clear mission, sufficient financing and regular performance measurement. From the "bottom," local districts and schools are empowered to manage their operations.

In addition to posting high scores in minority achievement, DOD schools perform well overall. In NAEP's two highest-student-performance categories for reading and writing, only one state, Connecticut, ranks ahead of DOD's domestic schools student achievement. Only two states, Connecticut and Maine, rank ahead of DOD overseas schools student achievement.

Gaps between white and minority students' NAEP reading and writing scores are far smaller in DOD schools than nationwide comparative results, according to the report.

Following are the best practices from the DOD education system the researchers say can serve as lessons for state and local public education decisionmakers:

Clear mission -- DOD leadership sets forth a clear mission and vision for high-performing schools. Efforts are made to recruit and empower teachers and administrators. Schools and districts are able to determine day-to-day operations such as instructional practices and personnel decisions.

Sufficient resources -- In 1999, DOD schools spent about $8,900 per student. This is $1,600 (22 percent) higher than the national average. However, DOD per-student spending is less than what is spent in some large U.S. school systems with comparable or higher proportions of minority students. DOD teachers are compensated well. Beginning teacher salaries are slightly higher than their U.S. public school counterparts. DOD teachers reported no shortage of instructional supplies and materials. School facilities are more than sufficient and almost always well maintained.

Systematic measurement -- DOD education headquarters monitors student progress regularly through standardized tests, which are used to craft individual school improvement strategies and system-wide reform. Professional training and development programs for staff support individual school and system-wide improvement efforts.

Empowered professionals -- Teachers can use their discretion to shape school and classroom activities to achieve goals and performance targets. DOD teachers and administrators understand and embrace the system goals and feel empowered to accomplish them.

Rich and varied teaching methods -- Teachers creatively use their talents to construct a positive learning environment. Teachers hold high standards for all students and vary curriculum based on student needs. Extensive and high-quality professional development is provided to staff. Most schools include special education and lower achieving students in the regular classroom.

Small schools -- Most middle and high schools in the DOD system have small enrollments compared to most other state systems -- a stark contrast to many U.S. urban school districts where most minority students attend. Small school size contributes to greater familiarity of students, their learning needs and strengths, and their unique family situations.

A strong sense of community -- Military families join in a cohesive network of discipline, routine, accountability and commitment. There is a sense of shared responsibility for children's safety and their well-being.

Commitment to Education and Accountability -- One of the most significant factors to the academic success of DOD school students is the value placed on education and training that permeates the military. Behavioral incidents are addressed quickly to maintain student safety. A school official may contact the parent's military commanding officer regarding their child's behavior.

DOD operates 227 elementary and secondary schools (157 are overseas and 70 are in the United States). The schools enroll about 112,000 students.

If the DOD school system were a state, its enrollment would be similar to the K-12 state public education systems in Wyoming, North Dakota or Vermont. Minority school enrollment in DOD totals 40 percent -- about the same percentage as in the K-12 school system of New York state.

For the study, Smrekar, James Guthrie, professor of public policy and education, and graduate students Debra Owens and Pearl Sims conducted a "top down" review of 15 DOD middle schools located in 10 different school districts across the United States, Germany and Japan. Schools selected for the study reflect at least the average minority student enrollment for the overseas and domestic school systems.

The research team conducted in-depth interviews with a variety of DOD schools staff and officials. Principals and language arts teachers were questioned about teaching and learning supports, instructional rigor and educational philosophy, expectations and educational values of parents and patterns of parental involvement, and out-of-school influences on achievement. Parent leaders, assistant principals, school counselors and teacher union representatives were also interviewed at several of the schools.

Military commanders and liaisons, curriculum specialists, assistant superintendents, and the district superintendent were interviewed on issues of financial supports, resource allocation, personnel recruitment, teacher quality, accountability, leadership, program diversity and academic policy priorities. The director of DOD schools and other senior staff at the system's Washington, D.C., office were interviewed regarding system-wide program priorities and planning, accountability mechanisms, financing and curriculum standards.

The researchers also gathered information on housing, health care, educational backgrounds of parents, safety concerns, social services and military operation demands such as deployment and training.