DoDEA Worldwide Special Education Conference spells out initiative. DoDEA directors, superintendents, area Special Education coordinators, counselors, and public affairs officers were provided an extensive overview of the Special Education Initiative at the DoDEA Worldwide Special Education Conference held Dec. 2–5, 2003, at Domestic Dependents Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS) Headquarters in Peachtree, GA. As a result of a Program Objective Memorandum (POM) submitted to DoD, DoDEA will receive $56.5 million over the next six fiscal years, beginning this fiscal year, for much needed support to special education. Among the benefits to students are: 1) increased staffing with particular emphasis on locations with programs for moderate and severely disabled students to establish assessment teams to conduct student evaluations and maximize instructional time special education teachers have with students; 2) additional man hours to increase hours and workdays of special education paraprofessionals to enable them to collaborate with special and regular education teachers; 3) extensive professional development to special education teachers, regular classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, new assessment teams, administrators and parents; and 4) age-appropriate furniture and curriculum materials with an emphasis on assistive technology, reading, and mathematics for students with moderate to severe disabilities.

Dependents Education Council (DEC) meets. Members of the DEC held a meeting on November 14, 2003, at the Department of Defense Education Activity. Representatives from the Pacific included Major General Ronald L. Lowe, USA, Chief of Staff; General William J. Begert, USAF, Commander, Pacific Air Forces; Ms. Maureen Kleintop, SES, Deputy Chief of Staff for Total Fleet Force, Manpower and Personnel; Brigadier General John A. Macdonald, USA, Director, Korea Region, Installation Management Agency; Colonel Michael Dyer, USMC, Inspector, Marine Corps Bases Japan; Lieutenant Colonel David Barnaby, USA, Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff, Personnel; and Brigadier General Timothy R. Larsen, USMC, Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces, Japan. Agenda items included such topics as military construction, summer school, dependent eligibility, family care plans, home schooling, and transformation. Dr. Nancy Bresell was in attendance at the DEC.

Korea District Superintendent to make transition. In a recent news release from the Superintendent, Domestic Dependents Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS), Dr. Elaine B. Hinman announced that Korea District Superintendent, Dr. Bruce Jeter, has been appointed to serve as the Puerto Rico and Cuba District Superintendent. Dr. Jeter will assume his new position in early January 2004. The selection process for a new superintendent for DoDDS Korea took place December 15, 2003, with a panel of nine command, community and DoDEA representatives interviewing the top candidates. The panel gave its recommendations to Dr. Bresell following their interviews with the candidates.

Eight DoDDS Pacific students named Commended students. The National Merit Scholarship Program recognizes students who score in the top 5 percent of students taking the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The Commended students are from Edgren High School, Misawa Air Base, Japan; Yokota High School, Yokota Air Base, Japan; Kadena High School, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan; E. J. King High School, Commander Fleet Activities, Sasebo, Japan; and Seoul High School, Yongsan Army Garrison, Korea.

DoDDS students score well on Nation’s Report Card. Results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that DoDDS students scored higher than almost all of the 53 states and other jurisdictions assessed in 2003. The DoDDS Reading results for grade 4 revealed that only three states scored higher than DoDDS, and at Grade 8, there were no states or jurisdictions that scored significantly higher than DoDDS. Since the NAEP first published state-level scores in the 1990's, DoDDS scores have consistently improved between assessments. The NAEP is a national assessment series administered by the Department of Education and has been tracking student achievement nationwide for about 40 years. The NAEP is especially valuable for accountability purposes because it is the only assessment that allows a direct comparison between DoDDS and other school systems. Results may be viewed at the National Center for Education Statistics website at: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/profile.asp.

Curriculum of increased rigor revealed in class of 2004. The graduating class of 2004 will be the first to graduate under the new course requirements and the increased number of credits from 22 to 24. Spring graduates will have taken 3 credits in math, 3 credits in science, and 2 credits in the same foreign language. This is in response to the belief that standards-based schools and rigorous coursework will provide students with the needed foundation to compete for and succeed in today’s career fields. New, more rigorous mathematics requirements will be in effect for the graduating class of 2008—next year’s freshmen. These students will need to complete Algebra I, Geometry, and a third higher level mathematics course during their high school career in order to graduate.

Schools play host to five Far East Activities during first semester. From October through November DoD Pacific schools hosted athletic and academic Far East events. The Far East event schedule began with Kubasaki High School playing host to over 150 tennis players at Risner Tennis Courts, Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan. Edgren High School, Misawa AB, Misawa, Japan, hosted 130 students who participated in Far East Cheerleading. In Taegu, Korea, Taegu Elementary/Secondary School welcomed 130 students for Girls Volleyball (small schools) and Kadena High School was host to 160 students for Girls Volleyball (large schools). The Journalism Conference took place at the New Sanno Hotel in Tokyo with 80 students in attendance, hosted by Kinnick High School, Yokosuka Naval Facility, Japan. The Far East program parallels state level competitions and offers the unique opportunity for students to compete with each other as well as various international and host nation schools, enhancing their athletic, academic, and cultural experience while living overseas.