MCEC Press Archives
August 12, 2003
Military Teachers, Counselors, Administrators, and Top Brass Meet in Mystic -- For the Kids
by Suzanne M. White
The Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) held its 5th annual conference July 23-25, 2003 in Mystic, Ct., and big names showed up to add their voices to those speaking for the military child. Participating this year were U.S. Coast Guard Academy Superintendent Rear Admiral Robert C. Olsen, Jr., Under Secretary of Education Eugene W. Hickok, Commander in Chief of CENTCOM Tommy R. Franks, author Frank Schaeffer (Keeping Faith -- A Father-Son Story about Love and the United States Marine Corps), and Commander of the Pacific Fleet Admiral Walter F. Doran. The closing session included a spirited talk by ABC's Cokie Roberts, and the sessions were led by dedicated men and women who care passionately about the often-overlooked obstacles faced every day by children of military parents.
MCEC, a nonprofit association, is devoted to educational issues unique to military children attending public and DoD-run schools both overseas and in the U.S. The coalition seeks to build and maintain a network to provide educational consistency so that military children have the same opportunities afforded civilian kids, who often remain in the same school district from kindergarten through high school.
The breakout session on this year's MCEC initiatives was led by MCEC's Chairman of the Board, LTG (Retired) Pete Taylor, Executive Director Dr. Mary Keller, and Researcher and Writer Stephanie Surles. Highlighted were some innovative (as well as high-tech) additions to MCEC's resources for military parents and students.
Perhaps most exciting is the Interactive Counseling Center -- an online videoconferencing system that links the student and his or her sending school with the receiving school. Counselors at both ends can talk in real-time and transfer records back and forth using this exciting new program. What used to take weeks can literally now take seconds to achieve -- and there is no danger of lost records, a problem that plagues many military students in their academic careers.
Another resource new this year for middle school and high school students is called "Chart Your Course: Planning a Successful Journey through High School and Beyond." This is a packet containing a CD, a booklet called an "Academic Passport" (shown above), and a wall poster. These materials were designed to help steer students through their pre-college years with a focus on the future. Many military dependents do not realize that the unique experiences they have are looked upon as assets by many colleges; this system helps them to highlight these.
Also new is "Preparing for the Journey" (a working title), which came about because of requests from parents. This publication, which is still in the works, will be aimed at helping very young military students catch up to their civilian peers. Because of the "No Child Left Behind" program, students MUST be on grade level by the end of 3rd grade, when they are assessed. This CD has advice for parents of children from birth to 2nd grade, the last place they can catch up.
Held in the beautiful Mystic Marriott in Connecticut, the conference included a hall of exhibitors offering everything from military rings to children's books. militarylifestyle.com was proud to have a table there this year -- Marketing Director Robin Donohoe handed out countless bumper stickers and mousepads to the attendees, and helped to spread the word about our website to the uninitiated.
There were a total of 32 breakout sessions at the conference. For comprehensive write-ups on all of them, please see MCEC's home page over the coming weeks.
SUZANNE M. WHITE is web producer and managing editor of militarylifestyle.com.
