Military Child Education Coalition

TO ENSURE INCLUSIVE, QUALITY EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL MILITARY-CONNECTED CHILDREN AFFECTED BY MOBILITY, TRANSITION, DEPLOYMENTS AND FAMILY SEPARATION.

MILITARY STUDENT TRANSITION CONSULTANT (MSTC) PROGRAM - THE MSTC IS A FULL TIME MCEC EMPLOYEE EMBEDDED WITHIN SCHOOL DISTRICTS, ABLE TO WORK WITH STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND STAFF DAILY, SERVING AS AN EXPERT NAVIGATOR. THEIR SUPPORT HELPED DECREASE THE TURBULENCE IN FAMILY LIFE WHILE BUILDING RESILIENCY IN STUDENTS SO THEY COULD MORE SUCCESSFULLY COPE WITH AND OVERCOME THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES THEY FACE WHILE MEETING THEIR ACADEMIC GOALS. THE MSTC AFFILIATES ARE EMPLOYEES OF THE LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCY, SUPPORTED BY MCEC, AND DESIGNATED BY THE SCHOOL DISTRICTS THEY SERVE, WHO ASSUME ADDITIONAL WORK RESPONSIBILITIES IN SUPPORT OF MILITARY-CONNECTED STUDENTS. TOGETHER, THESE PROGRAM PARTNERS CONDUCTED 80 PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC TRAININGS AND 90 DEDICATED MILITARY-STUDENT EVENTS - A 181% INCREASE FROM 2020. MILITARY STUDENT CONSULTANT SERVICE CENTER (MSC) - MCEC MILITARY STUDENT CONSULTANTS (MSCS) ARE HIGHLY SPECIALIZED EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS WHO PROVIDE PERSONALIZED CONCIERGE SUPPORT DIRECTLY TO STUDENTS, PARENTS, AND PROFESSIONALS WHO SERVE MILITARY-CONNECTED (ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY, VETERAN, NATIONAL GUARD, RESERVE, ROTC CADRE AND RECRUITER) FAMILIES, NO MATTER WHERE THEY ARE IN THE WORLD. MSCS ADVOCATE FOR AND PROVIDE SUPPORT TO STUDENTS AND PARENTS WHO EXPERIENCE ACADEMIC OR SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL CHALLENGES, AND/OR NEED DIRECT PROBLEM-SOLVING SUPPORT OR RESOURCES. MSCS SUPPORTED 268 HELP REQUESTS FROM CONTACTS IN 32 STATES AND 8 COUNTRIES - A 108% INCREASE FROM 2020, AND MADE 1,815 REFERRALS TO MCEC AND OTHER PARTNERS' SPECIALIZED RESOURCES.PURPLE STAR SCHOOLS - MCEC IS THE NATIONAL ADVOCATE FOR THE PURPLE STAR SCHOOLS PROGRAM. THE PURPLE STAR SCHOOLS DESIGNATION IS TYPICALLY APPROVED AT THE STATE LEVEL AND REFLECTS THE SCHOOLS AND DISTRICTS THAT HAVE DEMONSTRATED PRIORITIZATION TO SUPPORT THE SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL AND ACADEMIC CHALLENGES OF MILITARY-CONNECTED STUDENTS. WHILE MCEC DOES NOT DESIGNATE PURPLE STAR SCHOOLS, IT ADVOCATES FOR AND ASSISTS WITH EDUCATION AND READINESS FOR SCHOOLS SEEKING THE DESIGNATION THROUGH THEIR STATE. MCEC HELPED GROW STATEWIDE PROGRAMS FROM NINE AT THE BEGINNING OF 2021 TO 28 BY THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR. SEVEN ADDITIONAL STATES AT YEAR-END HAD PURPLE STAR SCHOOLS LEGISLATION WORKING ITS WAY THROUGH COMMITTEES. MCEC TRAINED 134 EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS TO HELP THEIR DISTRICTS AND CAMPUSES BECOME PURPLE STAR READY.SCHOOLQUEST - SCHOOLQUEST LAUNCHED IN APRIL 2021. IT IS A FREE INTERACTIVE TOOL DESIGNED TO SUPPORT HIGHLY MOBILE MILITARY-CONNECTED PARENTS AND STUDENTS WITH MAKING THE BEST CHOICES BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER A TRANSITION TO IMPROVE ACADEMIC SUCCESS AND SOCIAL WELL-BEING. SCHOOLQUEST IS A COMPREHENSIVE RESOURCE INCLUDING ACADEMIC TRACKERS TO MONITOR AND PLAN A STUDENT'S ACADEMIC CAREER PROGRESS. ADDITIONALLY, STUDENT PROFILES CAN BE CUSTOMIZED TO EACH STUDENT TO TRACK DEADLINES, COURSES, AND TOPICS OF INTEREST. THERE ARE A VARIETY OF RESOURCES ON ACADEMIC TOPICS AS WELL AS SCHOLARSHIPS THAT ARE AVAILABLE. 2,065 REGISTRANTS UTILIZED THE TOOL, ACCESSING 329 EDUCATIONAL AND TRANSITION RESOURCES - 12 OF WHICH ARE TRANSLATED INTO SPANISH.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT - MCEC'S PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM DELIVERS ONE-DAY FACE-TO-FACE TRAINING, ASYNCHRONOUS ONLINE LEARNING, AS WELL AS LIVE VIRTUAL COURSES DESIGNED TO ENHANCE THE CURRENT CAPABILITIES, COMPETENCY, AND AWARENESS OF PROFESSIONALS WHO SERVE AND SUPPORT MILITARY-CONNECTED CHILDREN AND YOUTH. NEW THIS YEAR AND IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19-INDUCED LIMITATIONS ON GATHERING, MCEC INTRODUCED LIVE VIRTUAL TRAINING, DESIGNED TO ENGAGE PROFESSIONALS IN A MEANINGFUL WAY WITH QUALITY CURRICULUM IN THE IDEAL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT - THEIR OWN HOME OR WHEREVER HELPS MAXIMIZE THEIR TIME. MCEC HOSTED 60 VIRTUAL AND HYBRID TRAINING EVENTS - A 15% INCREASE FROM 2020, TRAINING NEARLY 2,000 YOUTH-SERVING PROFESSIONALS.

PARENT INITIATIVES - THE MCEC PARENT SUPPORT PROGRAM IS FOCUSED ON EMPOWERING PARENTS TO BE THEIR CHILD'S STRONGEST ADVOCATE ON EDUCATIONAL, SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL AND TRANSITION ISSUES. WORKSHOPS ARE OFFERED THROUGH COMMUNITY-BASED TEAMS, ONE-DAY EDUCATION SEMINARS, AND VIA ONLINE WEBINARS AND PODCASTS. WHILE PARENT PROGRAM EVENTS WERE UP SLIGHTLY IN 2021, THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS DECLINED DUE TO SHIFTS AWAY FROM IN-PERSON DELIVERY AND PRESUMED SCREEN FATIGUE FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS WORKING FROM HOME. MCEC HOSTED APPROXIMATELY 1,200 VIRTUAL AND HYBRID EVENTS - A 7% INCREASE FROM 2020.