The children of members of the military have a much different experience than other youngsters, and that is especially true when it comes to schooling. In an effort to address those challenges, the White House recently announced a new initiative to help prepare the country's teachers for the unique needs of military children.
The announcement was made by second lady Jill Biden and Army chief of staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, and is highlighted by a partnership between the White House and 100 colleges and universities across the country. The schools pledged to implement training for their future teachers that educates them about the challenges military children face, one of the most common of which is having to transfer from school to school.
"Through each transition, they are faced with leaving their friends and adjusting to new schools and new surroundings, all of which can affect a student's opportunity to achieve academic success," Biden said at George Mason University. "As a teacher, this issue is particularly close to my heart."
The program, known as Operation Educate the Educators, is sponsored by American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education and the Military Child Education Coalition, but is being led by the Joining Forces initiative, which was started by Biden and first lady Michelle Obama.