Toolkits

Transitioning from school to school is not an easy process. However, there are a few strategies to help parents and students have an easier time. This is a handout for military-connected parents and students.

When military-connected students transition to a new school, it is helpful for them to have all of their educational records in one place and readily available. The checklist can be used to create a binder to organize hard copies of all educational records and information.

Military OneSource offers a variety of interpretation services at no cost for families transitioning from and to overseas countries.

There are many resources to help high school students prepare for universities, trade schools, and other post-secondary options. These resources may aid students as they prepare for, identify, or apply to postsecondary education.

Military-connected students often have a unique high school experience. These strategies and tips may help them prepare for and apply to postsecondary education.

Students of Service member parents can receive the G.I. Bill education benefit. View this resource to learn more about what the benefit includes and how to transfer the benefit from a Service member to a dependent.

Department of Defense Instruction (DoDI) is an issuance from the DoD that implements a policy, or prescribes the specific plan or action to carry out a policy, operate a program or activity, or assign responsibility. The proposed DoDI on the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children can be found in this resource.

To support military-connected school personnel in their ability to advocate for military children, a printable school personnel brochure is available. To print the brochure, change the printer layout settings to print double sided and bind or flip on the short edge.

The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children is an agreement between all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Department of Defense schools to provide consistency for children of Active Duty Service members, National Guard and Reserve Service members on active duty orders, and Service members or Veterans who are medically discharged or retired for up to one year post separation, as they transition between schools, states, and countries.

​The DoDEA Graduation Requirements page outlines the credit and course distribution needed for students to earn a standard or honors diploma, varying by the year they enter 9th grade. It emphasizes consulting school counselors for guidance and notes the inclusion of the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children in DoDEA policy.

This fact sheet compares Active Duty Service to Reserve and National Guard Service.

This fact sheet provides all the essential information you need to know about the Air Force.

This fact sheet provides all the essential information you need to know about the Army.

This fact sheet provides all the essential information you need to know about the Coast Guard.

This fact sheet provides all the essential information you need to know about the Marine Corps.

This fact sheet provides all the essential information you need to know about the Navy.

You may not always know which operation the parents of your students are, or have been, deployed on. If you are discussing parental absence and deployment with students, it will help to understand some background of recent major military operations. This guide provides a brief overview of the major military operations.

This guide provides the enlisted ranks and insignias of the different branches of the United States Armed Forces.

This guide provides officer ranks and insignia of the different branches of the United States Armed Forces.

The Congressional Research Service developed a guide that provides answers to frequently asked questions about the seven individual Reserve components of the Military Services, or the Reserve Component.

Although there is little research to inform best practices for supporting students with military Service member siblings, school personnel should be aware of these students as well as any other students with Service members in their family. Keep all types of military connections in mind when welcoming new students to the school or classroom.

The Department of Defense Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms provides a comprehensive list of the essential military terms and acronyms you need to know.

Are you looking for books including characters with which your military-connected students can relate? Are you planning a military-connected lesson and want a book to tie together the main concepts? These books all include military culture in some way, with topics ranging from PTSD to geographic transitions and everything in between.

Military-connected students often face additional stressors at school due to military-specific or family events, which may bring up difficult emotions for your child, especially if he or she has a Service member who is deployed, absent for training, or classified as missing or deceased. This guide outlines the important events you should consider discussing with your child’s school in order to provide your child with appropriate support.

Schools each have their own unique practices and traditions for special events. It can be difficult for new students to anticipate the emotional responses that these events may elicit. This guide outlines important events that might carry particular emotional weight for military-connected children who have a Service member parent who is deployed, absent for training, or classified as missing or deceased.

The U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) provides support and funding for the education of authorized command-sponsored dependents of military members and Department of Defense (DoD) civilian employees assigned to overseas areas where no DoDEA school is available within the commuting area.

The Department of Defense School Liaison Program connects military families with local educational resources, assisting with school transitions, enrollment, and academic planning. School Liaisons serve as the main contact for PK–12 education-related matters, helping families navigate school systems and addressing challenges unique to military life. They also support programs like Youth Sponsorship to ease student transitions.

When a parent is absent, there are strategies parents can use to make the parent feel more present, despite a geographical separation.

When single parent Service members or both Service members in dual-military marriages are deployed, their children must be cared for by another family member, friend, or neighbor. Family Care Plans detail who obtains custody of the children during deployment.

When single parent Service members or both Service members in dual-military marriages are deployed, their children must be cared for by another family member, friend, or neighbor. Family Care Plans detail who obtains custody of the children during deployment.

When single parent Service members or both Service members in dual-military marriages are deployed, their children must be cared for by another family member, friend, or neighbor. Family Care Plans detail who obtains custody of the children during deployment.

When single parent Service members or both Service members in dual-military marriages are deployed, their children must be cared for by another family member, friend, or neighbor. Family Care Plans detail who obtains custody of the children during deployment.

In the military, a casualty is a person who is unable to serve in the line of duty due to death, injury, illness, capture, or desertion.

This resource describes the different kinds of casualty statuses, types, and categories, which may be helpful for you to know when communicating with students and families about military injury and death.

Discussing injuries with students may be difficult. Younger children may struggle to understand the injury, while older students may be unwilling to open up about the injury. The conversation starters are grouped to help facilitate age-appropriate conversations with students.

The death of a parent can be one of the most difficult challenges of a child’s life. Children vary by age in how well they understand and accept death, and how families talk about death can vary greatly from culture to culture. Although difficult, discussing recent parental loss with a student is very important. The conversation starters are grouped to help facilitate age-appropriate conversations with students.

This fact sheet outlines common signs and symptoms of concussion or mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), including physical, cognitive, emotional, and sleep-related effects. It highlights the importance of monitoring symptoms and seeking care if they persist or worsen.

The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress has synthesized some of the best practices that will help treat patients and educate the public. This guide summarizes evidence-based recommendations to manage posttraumatic stress disorder.

Do you want more details about traumatic brain injuries so you can help your injured family member or friend? The Brain Injury Association of New York State created a detailed brochure that will provide you with all the information you need to know.

Intentional acts of violence that hurt innocent people are frightening and upsetting. Families and school personnel can help children cope by establishing a sense of safety and security. As information becomes available, adults can continue to help children work through their emotions and, perhaps, even use the process as a learning experience.

Young children have an especially challenging time conceptualizing invisible injuries. See pages 12-17 of Sesame Workshop’s “Talk, Listen, Connect” magazine, which specifically address strategies that can help your child adjust to and cope with a parent’s invisible injuries.

Military-connected children grieving with a traumatic event carry their emotions everywhere they go—including school. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network guide provides educators with information on how to help military-connected students struggling with traumatic grief.

Health care providers and counselors often benefit from understanding how traumatic brain injuries impacts military families and children. The Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress provides information that can facilitate the process of helping families and children coping with invisible injuries.

The VA’s “Traumatic Brain Injury: A Guide for Patients” offers an overview of TBI causes, symptoms, severity levels, and diagnosis challenges. It highlights that TBIs can result from incidents like falls, vehicle accidents, and combat-related blasts, leading to physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral impairments. The guide emphasizes that even mild TBIs can have significant effects, and diagnosis may be difficult as imaging tests often appear normal. It also discusses the importance of monitoring symptoms and seeking appropriate care.​

It is often difficult for Service members to reintegrate into civilian life after serving in a war zone. It is especially challenging for those who have faced a traumatic event. This resources is a guide from the National Center for PTSD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that discusses common reactions, experiences, signs and symptoms, and strategies to cope with trauma at home.

​The VA’s Traumatic Brain Injury: A Guide for Caregivers of Service Members and Veterans is a comprehensive resource designed to support caregivers of individuals with TBIs. It offers insights into understanding TBI, managing its effects, and navigating the recovery process. The guide emphasizes the importance of caregiver well-being and provides practical tools to assist in daily caregiving tasks

Families often have a difficult time understanding and coping with Service members’ invisible injuries such as brain injuries, depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder. View this resource for more information from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences about the impact of invisible injuries on families and strategies to manage these challenges.

Posttraumatic stress disorder is often difficult for Service members and families to understand and cope with. This booklet from the National Center for PTSD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides information about signs, symptoms, and getting help.

Reunions can be a happy, but stressful, time for military-connected families. When a Service member returns home after facing a traumatic event, these reunions can be even more stressful. This is a guide from the National Center for PTSD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that helps families understand the common reactions to trauma, warning signs, and strategies for coping and treatment.

Reintegration can be a joyful time for families, but it can also be quite stressful adjusting to a “new normal.” Students may have a challenging time with the return of their Service member parent. This resource provides a list of some informal communication and stress management strategies that you can use with students and parents to support them during this time.

Find the definition of selected words used in the Geographic Transitions module in the glossary.

Find the definition of selected words used in the Interstate Compact module in the glossary.

Find the definition of selected words used in the Military and Schools module in the glossary.

Find the definition of selected words used in the Parental Absence module in the glossary.

Use the checklist to rate your self-care activities.

Find the definition of selected words used in the Self-Care and Mindfulness for School Personnel module in the glossary.

Students sometimes have a difficult time expressing emotions, especially potentially overwhelming ones like fear, anxiety, or grief. This handout has strategies to aid children in expressing their emotions developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning.

Students sometimes have a difficult time expressing emotions, especially potentially overwhelming ones like fear, anxiety, or grief. This handout has strategies to aid children in expressing their emotions developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning.

There are many evidence-based practices that school professionals can use to provide effective support to military-connected students coping with situations such as a parental absence or a geographic transition. However, these strategies may be challenging to implement if identifying students who need support is difficult or if students do not feel comfortable asking for support. Although few studies address ways for school personnel to either identify students who need help or encourage help-seeking behavior in their students, there are some best practices, detailed in this guide.

The Department of Defense has officially incorporated the rulings and practices of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This resource includes further information about the provisions of the act.

This resource highlights some of the major legislative acts that influenced special education over the course of history.

The Military Child Education Coalition’s (MCEC) Military Student Identifier (MSI) FAQ explains how schools identify and support military-connected students under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). It defines military-connected students as those with parents serving on active duty or in the National Guard or Reserves. The FAQ outlines schools’ responsibilities in collecting MSI data during enrollment and emphasizes using this information to tailor academic and social-emotional support for these students. It also clarifies that MSI data collection is separate from Impact Aid eligibility and provides guidance on respectful data collection practices.

When military-connected students transition to a new school, it may be helpful to use a military-specific student survey, like the example document, to get to know them.

There are many military installations around the world. Check out this list of installations to find out which ones are close to your school or where the installations are located from which your students are transferring.

An individual student’s response to transitions may be due to risk and protective factors. Recognizing and being aware of these factors may help you to better support mobile students.

Students often need additional support from adults in their lives when they experience a transition such as going from preschool to elementary school, elementary school to middle school, and middle school to high school. This resource includes strategies you can use to help support students transitioning from preschool to elementary school, elementary school to middle school, or middle school to high school.

This resource outlines developmentally appropriate ways to talk to children about a parent’s injury.