Department of Defense Dependents Schools
Encyclopedia
The Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) are a network of schools, both primary and secondary, that serve dependents of United States military - and other non-US - personnel outside the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The schools themselves are operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity
Department of Defense Education Activity
The Department of Defense Education Activity is a civilian agency of the United States Department of Defense that manages all schools for military children and teenagers, as well as foreign service children and teenagers, in the United States and also overseas at American military bases worldwide...

(DoDEA). This school system, wholly located outside the country, is the tenth largest American school system.

History

DoDDS started operating schools October 14, 1946 for the children of military overseas. The intent was to ensure an American educational experience for the American student. Therefore the children, teachers, and educational program were and are American. It then cost $10 to enroll a child ($ in dollars). The schools would get operational funds from profits made by Class VI stores (alcohol)
Classes of supply
The U.S. Armed Forces divides supplies into ten Classes of Supply. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation uses only the first five.-U.S...

. It now can cost as much as $20,000 for enrollment for non-Command Sponsored military families, or Command Sponsored Contractors, and increases approximately $800 annually.

There were 38 elementary schools and 5 high schools in 1946. In 2011 there were 120 schools. There are two high schools out of the original five still in operation, Heidelberg High School
Heidelberg High School
Heidelberg High School is a school operated by the Department of Defense Dependents Schools located on the premises of Mark Twain Village, a housing area for American military members and their families in Heidelberg, Germany. It is one of DoDDS's original five high schools opened in 1946...

 in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 and Kubasaki High School
Kubasaki High School
Kubasaki High School is a United States Department of Defense Dependents School located on Okinawa. Kubasaki is the oldest existing high school in the Department of Defense Dependents Schools system....

 on Okinawa, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

.

The tenth largest American school system is outside of the United States. In 1946, the Department of Defense Dependent Schools was created for dependents of military members of the armed forces in overseas areas. After World War II, the increased demand for American education overseas was a result of the government's decision to allow soldiers to bring their families when deployed.

Operations

All schools in the DoDDS system operate outside of the States of the United States and the District of Columbia. There are also some schools that operate on military installations within the United States, but those are grouped in a separate organization within DoDEA, the Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS). DoDDS has superintendents for two districts: Europe and Pacific. The DoDDS Pacific schools are, for the most part, in the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...

 on installations in South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

 and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. Schools on military bases in Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...

 are under DDESS jurisdiction, but are administered by DoDDS Pacific (presumably for administrative convenience). Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

 DoDDS schools are served by the European branch. Schools on the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...

 in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...

 fall under the jurisdiction of DoDDS, but are administered by DDESS. Schools on bases in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

 are under DDESS.

Although the schools are primarily dependents of military personnel, U.S. government employees are allowed to enroll their children in the schools on a space-available basis. As all of these schools are situated overseas, a concerted effort is made to immerse the children in the local color. Language and culture courses are offered as early as elementary school, while advanced language courses and opportunities to intimately view the culture of the student's host nation are offered throughout high school.

DoDDS schools operate with two structures in terms of grade levels:
  • The old American standard, in which elementary schools run from kindergarten
    Kindergarten
    A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...

     to sixth grade while high school serves seventh through twelfth graders.
  • A newer standard, adopted by some DoDDS facilities in the 1970s, in which kindergarten to 3rd-5th grade students attend elementary school
    Elementary school
    An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...

    , post-elementary students up to 8th grade attend middle school
    Middle school
    Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...

    , and 9th through 12th graders attend high school
    High school
    High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....

    .


As a result of IDEA 2004
IDEA 2004
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 is a United States law which aims to help ensure equity, accountability and excellence in education for children with disabilities. There are approximately 6.7 million children and youth with disabilities in public schools across...

, students with special education disabilities attend schools within DoDDS. These students are in pre-K (preschool or early childhood) through high school. The infants-toddlers special education program exists overseas on USA military bases, though not coordinated through DoDDS. School psychologists are directly employed by DoDDS and civilian employed clinical child psychologists are employed by the USA military to provide direct and indirect services to students with special needs. Not all levels of special education services are available at all schools and base locations.

DoDDS range from Kindergarten to 12th grade, and some Universities are accredited by the Department of Defense.

Environmental changes

While there are typical environmental changes that may affect any child's educational performance such as divorce, and relocation, there are some that are systemic with military children. Relocation is frequent and parents may be deployed from home.

A study was done focusing on parental absences during the time of the military deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan within the 2002 to 2005 time period. The study reports the adverse effects of deployment especially with long deployments or deployments that occur during the month of academic testing. Effects can continue and can be detrimental for children's academic achievements.

Districts

For the European branch of DoDDS, there are 5 districts:
  • Bavaria District — 17 schools
  • Kaiserslautern District — 20 schools
  • Heidelberg District — 12 schools
  • Isles District — Headquartered at Lakenheath - 15 schools in the United Kingdom
    United Kingdom
    The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

    , Belgium
    Belgium
    Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

    , Germany
    Germany
    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

    , and the Netherlands
    Netherlands
    The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

  • Mediterranean District — Headquartered at Vicenza - 17 schools in Bahrain
    Bahrain
    ' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...

    , Italy
    Italy
    Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

    , Portugal
    Portugal
    Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

     (specifically the Azores
    Azores
    The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...

    ), Spain
    Spain
    Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

    , and Turkey
    Turkey
    Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...



The Pacific branch, officially DoDDS-Pacific/DDESS-Guam, has three DoDDS districts and one DDESS district:
  • Korea District — Headquartered in Seoul - 11 schools
  • Japan District — Headquartered at Yokota Air Base
    Yokota Air Base
    , is a United States Air Force base in the city of Fussa, one of 26 cities in the Tama Area, or Western Tokyo.The base houses 14,000 personnel. The base occupies a total area of and has a runway...

     - 21 schools
  • Okinawa District — Headquartered at Kadena Air Base
    Kadena Air Base
    , is a United States Air Force base in the towns of Kadena and Chatan and the city of Okinawa, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. Kadena Air Base is the hub of U.S. airpower in the Pacific, and home to the USAF's 18th Wing and a variety of associate units.-Units:The 18th Wing is the host unit at Kadena...

     - 13 schools
  • DDESS: Guam District — Headquartered at Andersen Air Force Base
    Andersen Air Force Base
    Andersen Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately northeast of Yigo in the United States territory of Guam....

     - 4 schools

Miscellaneous

The Kaiserslautern District has the most DoDDS schools worldwide, and serves over 5,000 students.
Starting the 2007/2008 school year, Kaiserslautern High School was be combined with the neighboring elementary school. Students from Landstuhl Middle School and other students living in select areas were redistricted to Kaiserslautern starting with school year 2008-2009. Current elementary students will attend Vogelweh Elementary. Therefore, KHS's student population will increase from 650 students to about 900.
For every sports season, the schools compete in the DoDDS Championship, held at various locations.

See also

  • Military brat (U.S. subculture)


External links

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