Best public schools? The DOD

As the U.S. continues to lag behind other developed nations in the measurable quality of its public education system — currently at 16th according to U.S. News & World Report’s Best Countries Rankings, one exception quietly stands out.

Schools for children of military members are achieving uncommon results compared with the rest of American public education, especially in today’s tumultuous environment. While other schools struggle to juggle conflicting concerns among politicians, parents, boards, and those unfortunate kids at the center of it all, the Department of Defense is consistently seeing better objective performance.

In 2022, the DoD’s school system outperformed all 50 states in reading and math scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a federal exam considered the gold standard measure. While the Defense Department has done well for years, its scores rose in comparison to state systems, which have struggled more since 2020. Typically located on military bases, these schools educate roughly 66,000 children of service members and the department’s civilian employees.

As reported in the New York Times, while student achievement overall has stagnated over the last decade, the military’s national test scores have improved since 2013, even at the lowest achievement category. As the nation’s public school students in the bottom 25th percentile slipped further behind in that period, the DoD’s lowest-performing students improved in both fourth-grade math and eighth-grade reading, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

“If the Department of Defense schools were a state, we would all be traveling there to figure out what’s going on,” Martin West, a Harvard professor who serves on the national exam’s governing board, told the New York Times.

Looking behind the numbers, what are they doing right or doing differently? Academically, they’re following the wisdom of decades of research about effective schooling. Practically, they don't have the same hurdles as other schools.

Consistent with military culture, they set high (but achievable) standards and create a disciplined classroom culture. They use Common Core, a national academic standards program many other districts abandoned after political criticism from both sides. Since 2015, the military has executed Common Core with its typical precision.

While Defense Department schools have a racial achievement gap, it’s a much narrower gap than other districts and states on average. DoD schools are racially and — a big difference — economically integrated. Military pay is based on rank. The children of privates, generals, and all colors and backgrounds reflected in the military attend together. That's not to say racism does not exist, but achievement gaps are smaller according to the NCES data. Access to resources is equal, varying little if any from school to school.

Their schools are also better funded than public schools in many states. Some teachers report nearly doubling their salary by switching from traditional public schools to a DoD school. Their teachers do not have to buy classroom supplies (unlike public school teachers). Books, equipment and supply closets remain well stocked.

Perhaps the biggest difference is management. Obviously, as a military institution, Defense Department schools have a centralized structure, with education experts on staff. That means they aren’t subject to shifting opinions of school board members or constituent groups, making programs easier to implement and consistency easier to achieve. Policies are applied fully and generally practiced more efficiently, which is a lot easier to accomplish in the rigid, top-down structure of a military organization with full resources.

That also insulates them from the common problems of other public schools. Changes in elected public school board members, who may or may not have enough experience in public education to understand its needs and challenges, mean shifting policies and priorities that add complexities and make it tough to implement ideas. State funding varies with each legislative session, so long-term budgeting and planning is difficult.

During the pandemic, closures were largely unnecessary as most students, or at least their military parents, were vaccinated and living in closed environments which minimized risks. All their parents are employed, have full coverage health insurance and access to resources, so most students come from stable home environments more conducive to learning.

No system is without problems. DoD schools have also been criticized for mishandling student misconduct at times, including reports of sexual assault. Frequent moves by military families can also be hard on children, although they do have the advantage of knowing the next DoD school will be much like the previous one in terms of academics and expectations.

More information about the DoD schools is at www.dodea.edu. See the Best Countries Rankings at www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/rankings/well-developed-public-education-system.

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Sholeh Patrick is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Email sholeh@cdapress.com.