The School Administrator's Guide for Supporting Students from Military Families

While it is true that children from military families live unique and interesting lives, it is also true that they face many challenges and special circumstances that civilian children and families don't experience. These can include gaps in school attendance and learning due to frequent moves, being separated from a parent who has been deployed, and a sense of isolation in the midst of a civilian community. This evidence-informed guide introduces school administrators to this population and offers tools to help them implement school-wide programs that will support military students' learning.

Written in an engaging style by experts in the field, this practical guide includes:

• Profiles of principals who have created welcoming school environments for military children and parents
• Lessons learning from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools
• A chapter on using data to improve school culture for military students
• A chapter on education policies that can improve circumstances for military children
• Research highlighting how frequent school transitions and parental deployments affect the education of military children

All royalties from the sale of these books are being donated to military children's educational causes.

Prepublication Reviews:

“Military-connected students often pay a high price in their schooling experiences due to the realities of military life. Thus, these guides are invaluable tools for parents, schools, and educator-preparation programs that want to provide rich academic, social, and emotional support to this vulnerable population of children. Preparation programs should consider these guides as key components of their curriculum to prepare incoming teachers, counselors, principals, and others to work effectively with military-connected students.”
—American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

“I am grateful to the USC Building Capacity team headed by Ron Avi Astor for developing this exceptional resource and attuning it specifically to the needs of both K–12 and higher education professionals who support our nation’s military-connected children.The content and accompanying strategies provide practical, experience-based insights that are well-supported by good science. Educators and administrators can be confident in this reliable source.”
—Mary M.Keller, Ed.D., President and CEO, Military Child Education Coalition

“As an adult who spent most of my youth in military-connected schools in Virginia, I know too well what happens when adults in schools did not understand the unique experiences of being from a military family. Thus, as a scholar, educator, and military child, I am thrilled to be able to endorse these guides because they will educate adults about ways to be helpful through evidence-based prevention and intervention.”
—Dorothy L. Espelage, Ph.D., Professor & University Scholar, Department of Educational Psychology, Child Development Division, University of Illinois

“This book offers the most up-to-date, research-based suggestions on how to improve the educational outcomes for children with parents in the military. Astor and his colleagues have created a first-of-its-kind narrative that exemplifies the best in translational educational research.”

—William G. Tierney, Wilbur Kieffer Professor of Higher Education, University Professor & Director, Pullias Center for Higher Education, University of Southern California