Families, children key issue for chief of staff

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Paul Dean
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
PHILADELPHIA (AFNS) --  Support for families -- especially in the area of child education -- is a pressing issue for the military.

That was the message from Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz and two other service chiefs and other service representatives here in July for a panel discussion focusing on issues related to the unique situations faced by military children and their education.

"The very fabric of our society depends on the work that we do in the area of child education," General Schwartz said. "Considering that children between the ages of 6 and 18 comprise more than 145,000 of our Air Force family members, I see family support in general, and child education in particular, as important issues we must address urgently."

The senior leaders echoed reasons underlying their attention to the issue. It is a people issue; it is a family issue; it is an issue that affects readiness, retention and futures, they stressed.

Children of servicemembers differ from most of their civilian peers because of frequent relocation.

"This requires a holistic view of how to provide consistent, better quality educational opportunities for children of servicemembers," General Schwartz said. "Otherwise, the serious challenges that face our children will put them at a disadvantage as they prepare for secondary and post-secondary education; and ultimately, to be competitive in a national and global workforce that now, more than ever, requires increasingly high levels of knowledge, creativity, motivation and understanding."

Airmen with school-age children are well aware of the many challenges related to a permanent change of station. In addition to normal house-hunting issues, families with children must consider which school district they should live in and the affordability of housing in those districts. Moving regularly can also create concerns about whether earned credits will be accepted and if standards for exceptional performance match up.

Airmen with children participating in extracurricular activities, such as sports or honors societies, or having children with handicaps or special needs, deal with yet another set of issues.

The generals put the consequences of these wrinkles into sharp focus, noting the added stress and anxiety servicemembers endure because of them. In addition to the personal impacts, the Air Force chief of staff also noted a potentially larger issue: retention.

"If our military families do not believe we will do everything we can to provide quality education for our children, then they may stop volunteering," he said.

One effort to better serve the needs of military families has been the use of school liaison officers, senior installation military officers who advocate for the needs of military children and attend local school board meetings.

Building on the success of an Army program implemented at the suggestion of the Military Child Education Coalition, Air Force officials are well on the way to providing each Air Force base with a well-trained and knowledgeable civilian school liaison staff. These information resources will help Airmen make decisions that best fit their unique situation.

On a larger scale, one of the most important goals noted during the panel discussion is a lack of national standardization, allowing students to relocate without prejudice to their academic status. It is something the MCEC and school liaison officers are working toward diligently.

"For example, if I'm living in Colorado and take Colorado history in school, then relocate to Utah, should I have to take the Utah history too, or is one state history class in my graduation requirements the idea?" said Al Holland, the community readiness consultant at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado.

"We start with the school principals and work up from there," Mr. Holland said.

Once a school's principal has been educated and supports the uniqueness of military children, MCEC and school liaisons move to the next step, educating school administrators and district superintendents. The idea is to build a groundswell of supportive district superintendents ahead of discussion in each state's legislative process, where new law must be enacted to ratify acceptance of standardization.

Recognizing the value Soldiers have gained through their Army school liaison officers, General Schwartz told the audience he is committed to adopting this success story for Airmen.

"Therefore, the Air Force is working toward establishing school liaisons on all installations," the general said.

Representatives of the Military Child Education Coalition, a nonprofit organization sponsoring the event, praised the commitment of senior leadership from each of the services, evidenced by the attendance of three members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in a setting outside the Pentagon.

The panel discussion included General Schwartz, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James T. Conway, Chief of the National Guard Bureau Gen. Craig. R. McKinley, and Chief of Naval Personnel Vice. Adm. Mark E. Ferguson III. Army Gen. Walter L. Sharp, commander of U.S. Forces Korea, and Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, moderated the discussion.