Educators

The Common Ground Speaker Series is one way in which the partnership provides supplemental resources to schools to advance opportunities for student success. The Speaker Series request website allows West Virginia schools and school districts to communicate with guest speakers who serve as content experts and deliver a positive message in regard to a variety of topics important to the life-long success of our children. These topics include, but are not limited to, career exploration, the importance of staying in school, promoting literacy, avoiding drug use, preventing bullying, the American Flag, and historic/patriotic events.

A guidance document school staff may use to run a report in WVEIS 2.0 may be accessed by clicking here.

A guidance document school systems may use to run reports requested by military organizations for the purpose of recruitment as required by the federal government may be accessed by clicking here.

As elementary school staff in West Virginia learn that students are experiencing deployments or transitions due to active-duty military orders of any U.S. military branch, they may use their @k12.wv.us account to request care packages from the WVNG Office of Family Programs via this Microsoft Form.

Contents of these care packages are designed to offer strategies, resources and contacts who can help school staff assist these students and their families. Package availability is on a first-come first-serve basis and contingent upon the availability of funds.

Note: If a school staff member has issues with their @k12.wv.us account username or password, they may visit https://wvde.state.wv.us/wvde/ and contact their principal, county technology integration specialist or system administrator. The principal or another school administrator may request a care package on behalf of the school using their own @k12.wv.us account.

All educators may access free professional development sessions within the military family point of contact training section of the Purple Star Award website.

For complete details about how educators may participate in these events, contact CPT Ryan C. Miller at ryan.c.miller76.mil@mail.mil or 304-736-0386.

Columbus Recruiting Battalion annually offers opportunities for a small number of qualifying high-school and college-level educators to participate in the Army Education Tours. These events provide selected educators who have never served in the military opportunities to experience the United States Army (expenses paid, per Columbus Recruiting Battalion). Educators may encounter unique experiences as part of these events, such as interactions with Basic Training soldiers, M16 weapon simulations, convoy simulations, observing culinary arts trainings, and watching enlistment ceremonies.

For complete details about how educators may participate in these events, contact CPT Ryan C. Miller at ryan.c.miller76.mil@mail.mil or 304-736-0386.

The ASVAB Career Exploration Program is designed to empower students nationwide to discover their strengths and interests then maps out plans for post-secondary education. The website and program include aptitude testing, an interest self-assessment and other career exploration tools.

The ASVAB is a multiple-aptitude battery that measures developed abilities and helps predict future academic and occupational success in the military. While the exam is primarily known for its use as a multi-aptitude test in determining eligibility for military enlistment and specific military occupational specialties, the exam also measures proficiency in the areas of English, science, and mathematics. Scored results provide an analysis of how each student’s performance compares with their peers. The test covers areas of knowledge which are not included on the ACT or SAT exams, such as electronics, automobile technology, shop practices, mechanical comprehension, and the assembly of objects. It is administered annually to more than one million military applicants, high school, and post-secondary students.

At www.careersinthemilitary.com students may participate in guided career exploration of the many jobs they can pursue in the military. Those participating in the ASVAB and ASVAB CEP may create an account to have their scores used to identify within each branch of service the specific occupational specialties they might be able to qualify for in the military. The website also features profiles of soldiers, information about pay and benefits.

Review eligibility criteria for joining each branch of military service

• Air Force
• Air Force Reserve
• Army
• Army Reserve
• Coast Guard
• Coast Guard Reserve
• Marine Corps
• Marine Corps Reserve
• Navy
• Navy Reserve
• Space Force
• West Virginia National Guard
  • West Virginia Air Force National Guard
  • West Virginia Army National Guard

This program is described by the West Virginia National Guard as a four-year leadership-based high school curriculum instilling leadership, promoting citizenship, military science, and teaching life skills. FLP uses a hybrid academic/career technical education (CTE) delivery format.  FLP is a completer program and students receive one credit for this elective per school year.  Lesson plans fall under one of four broad categories: leadership, citizenship, life skills, and military science. The curriculum allows schools to offer the FLP as a one year or multi-year program and is advertised as a low-cost alternative to JROTC and the National Defense Corps of Cadets programs.

To learn more about the Future Leaders Program, visit the WVNG website  Future Leaders Program (ng.mil), or the WV Future Leaders Program | Charleston WV | Facebook,  or contact State Director of the Future Leaders Program, Ms. Deborah Patterson, at dmpatte1@gmail.com or 304-732-6262, ext. 2014.

March2Success is a free, online and self-paced academic readiness program, designed to provide high school and college students easy access to test preparation training. Specifically, the interactive program offers instruction in math, science and English, with trainings for the SAT, ACT and the ASVAB. Students are provided coursework that is designed to prepare them for college entrance exams, including seven full-length timed practice tests for the SAT and ACT. Educators may access a free curriculum and resources that can supplement lesson plans. The program provides an option which may allow educators to track student progress and performance online. More than 1.7 million people have used the program since its inception in 2003 and potentially many others can benefit from using this online resource in the future.

The Air Force STEMtoSky Program offers educators the opportunity to schedule a live two-way 30-45min interaction between your classroom and an assigned Air Force Airmen, scientist, engineer or researcher. In-person engagements may be available depending on location and availability of local personnel.

The Air & Space Forces K-12 STEM website offers a wide variety of career exploration and inspiring STEM webinars grounded in real life experiences of Air Force and Space Force Careers. You can even look through a list of representatives and request learning sessions for your students.

Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) strives to enhance STEM literacy by providing information about programs for students. Strategies include STEM-based competitions, symposiums, and summer enrichment programs.

A web-based STEM competition administered by the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) and sponsored by the U.S. Army Educational Outreach Program is available to students in grades 6-9. The activities are described as conducted virtually with the goals of promoting teamwork and self-discovery through the real-life applications of math, science, engineering, and technology. Mini-Grants are being made available to qualifying teams and school districts. For complete details, please visit www.ecybermission.com.

The Office of Naval Research offers this handout with information about STEM-based activities such as internships at Navy labs, contests and scholarships. Commander Christopher McCurry, Commanding Officer of Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Pittsburgh, is looking to partner with high school educators in Barbour, Brooke, Calhoun, Doddridge, Gilmer, Hancock, Harrison, Lewis, Marion, Marshall, Monongalia, Ohio, Preston, Ritchie, Taylor, Tucker, Tyler, Upshur, and Wetzel Counties.

NTAG Pittsburgh offers free SeaPerch STEM kits on a limited basis. If you are interested in collaborating with Commander Christopher McCurry, please contact his SeaPerch coordinator, Chief Bryan Esarey, 1-412-266-4266 or e-mail bryan.a.esarey.mil@us.navy.mil.

This residential program for qualifying students falls under the National Guard’s youth challenge program. The mission of the Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy is described on their website as training and mentoring selected at-risk youth to become contributing members of society using the 8 Core Components in a quasi-military environment during a 22-week residential and one-year Post-Residential follow-up program. High School Diplomas are made available through the program for those who qualify under the Option 1 Pathway. 

For information on how to participate, please contact one of the program’s facilities in Kingwood, WV or Montgomery, WV by clicking here or contact the State Director of the Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy, Mr. Phillip Cantrell at phillip.r.cantrell.nfg@army.mil.

The WVARNG’s Recruiting and Retention office has five recruiting sectors covering the entire state and each sector has a STEM Kit that they can brief educators on at the beginning of the school year. To learn more about this opportunity and request an educator brief, schools may review a handout and then contact MSG Derek Tilley at derek.l.tilley.mil@army.mil or 1-304-561-6389.

The VFW offers youth essay contests and scholarship opportunities for students (including the Voice of Democracy and Patriot’s Pen programs) and provides awards for elementary, middle, and high school teachers as part of the Smart/Maher VFW National Citizenship Education Teacher program. To learn how you can apply for these opportunities or nominate a teacher for a VFW award, visit https://www.vfw.org/.

The Military Families Learning Network organization’s website provides a wealth of information to assist those who work with military families. Within this resource, a webinar series called, “Kids Serve Too!” includes information about Sesame Street for Military Families. This website focuses on strategies for helping children focus on self-care, building resilience and optimism, dealing with relocation transitions, meeting special needs, coping with anxiety, grief, and/or loss.

Educators may browse the military family resources section of our website for information about a wide variety of programs that support military children and their families.

The Military Kids Connect website provides information to all who care for military youth including sections for educators, parents, and providers. The site includes strategies which help school staff identify needs of military-connected students and create a supportive environment for them. Parents can access age specific guidance documents (ages 6-12 or ages 13-17) for before, during, and after deployments. These guides help caregivers identify concerning behavior changes and provide ideas for addressing the needs of military children. Military Kids Connect is an initiative of the Connected Health branch of the Defense Health Agency (DHA).

Prevent Suicide WV is a collaborative program resulting from the consolidation of the West Virginia Council for the Prevention of Suicide (WVCPS) program component and the Adolescent Suicide Prevention and Early Intervention (ASPEN) project and the statewide suicide prevention program for West Virginia, working to ensure that we don’t lose our fellow West Virginians to suicide.

April is designated as the Month of the Military Child, underscoring the important role military children play in the armed forces community. Wearing purple is a visible way for everyone to show support and thank military youth for their strength and sacrifices. The color purple symbolizes a combination of Army Green, Air Force Blue, Coast Guard Blue, Marine Red and Navy Blue. On average, military children attend between six to nine different schools during their K-12 experience and most military children experience stressful times while a parent is deployed. To learn about ways schools can celebrate this special event, please access the WVDE Purple Up Month Toolkit, Purple Up month ideas from the MIC3.net website and visit the Department of Defense Education Activity website.

The StopBullying.gov website provides information, training and resources about how to prevent, react and respond to bullying. There is a section specific to providing for the needs of educators and parents of military-connected youth. It addresses deployments, creating a military-friendly school, and lists additional online resources.