BRAC Update: DDEES Schools Published Jan. 30, 2009 By Cindy Gibson DDEES Public Affairs PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. -- As Air Force families leave Pope Air Force Base and Army families move into those quarters, the Fort Bragg schools will welcome the children that move in - regardless of branch of service or rank of sponsor. "Our educational program will not change," said Dr. Emily Marsh, Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools Fort Bragg assistant superintendent, in the North Carolina District. "Regardless of the number of families that move here as a result of BRAC (Base, Realignment and Closure), we will provide a stable environment and a world-class education to all students, pre-K through ninth grade, who live on the installation." While the BRAC process with regard to Pope isn't scheduled to be complete until 2011, DDESS is already taking the ensuing changes in stride. With an estimated 13,000 military, civilians and contractors expected to expand Fort Bragg, the number of military dependent school-age children will increase as well. As dependents of active-duty military service members, they compose one of the most mobile student populations of any school district in the world. They move to new schools, new friends and new homes on the average of once every three years. It's important to note that in order to go to the state-side DDESS schools, students must live in permanent housing on the installation. So the DDESS enrollment will only grow as the number of housing units available to service members increase. The Fort Bragg school district is currently composed of eight elementary schools all which house grades pre-Kindergarten through fourth grade. They are Bowley, Butner, Devers, Holbrook, McNair, Murray and Pope elementary schools. The eighth and newest school, Gordon Elementary, opened its doors to students Jan. 5, 2009, and serves pre-Kindergarten through fifth grade that live in the Linden Oaks housing area. Irwin Intermediate School houses grades five and six, and Albritton Junior High School, grades seven through nine. Ninth grade students have an option of attending Albritton or Cumberland County schools. Students in grades 10 through 12 attend Cumberland or Harnett county schools, based on which county they reside. Current enrollment for the Fort Bragg Schools' district is approximately 4,400 students. Children in grades six through nine residing in Linden Oaks can attend either the Fort Bragg schools or the Harnett County schools and grades 10 through 12 living there can attend the Harnett County schools. Pope Elementary School has always been a part of the Fort Bragg school system. Although mostly Air Force dependents have attended Pope for the last 12 years, before Devers opened on Fort Bragg, "Army" students from Fort Bragg attended Pope Elementary. History and experience have shown that schools are the most important quality of life factor in military communities. Our levels of success and dedication impact directly on the readiness of our military to do their jobs. The mission of our schools reaches far beyond academics. "Change can be difficult and moving to a new community can be particularly stressful for military families," Dr. Marsh said. "DDESS takes extraordinary steps to make sure that our students' academic performance and potential are not limited by their mobility. We employ an array of talented and caring individuals to oversee a student's smooth transition from school to school and community to community." "Our school administrators and teachers work closely with commanders in any way possible to support our students, parents, employees and military communities with new and ongoing deployments," said Dr. Tom Hager, North Carolina District Superintendent. "Our most important contributions come when we remain focused on the educational mission and provide a stable environment for the children in our schools. "The role of our principals is to know about and be able to access all the available resources to meet the needs of each student. They make connections with Family Assistance/Support centers," Dr. Hager said. "A team of psychologists is ready to deploy to needed sites. Our school counselors and psychologists form the core of expertise in the schools. They provide formal and informal training for the classroom teachers. They organize support groups and provide individual and group counseling." Classroom teachers deal with the day-to-day burden and anxiety children may experience. It is natural to see changes in behavior in some children. Teachers are trained to familiarize themselves with students who may be directly affected by deployments and to watch for falling grades, unusual behavior and signs of worry or fatigue. They proactively support and understand students who are directly affected. They must also be flexible and work with families who take family leave for reintegration or rest and relaxation. They use current events to teach students about geography, history and world politics. They use technology to link students and deployed parents via email and the web. Despite the increase in the frequency and intensity of deployments since Sept. 11, 2001, the trend of high academic performance of students enrolled in DDESS schools persists and the achievement gap continues to grow narrower than the national average. Furthermore, the achievement gaps between White and minority students remain much smaller than the national averages. "We invite you to visit our schools," Dr. Marsh said, "either in person or via our web pages." Log in to the DDESS home page at www.am.dodea.edu. From there you can virtually visit our districts and our schools by clicking on District Profiles in the left-hand column and then click on North Carolina.