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Cumberland
County Public Schools and Fort Bragg |
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(Cumberland
County, North Carolina) The
Cumberland County Public Schools and the US Army’s Fort Bragg were
recognized today for their unique and beneficial partnership when they
received the LTG Pete Taylor Partnership of Excellence Award during a
special ceremony in Atlanta, Georgia.
The award, which is designed to encourage and promote outstanding
partnerships between military installations and school districts, was
established in 2004 by the Military Child Education Coalition’s Board
of Directors in recognition of the contributions of LTG H.G. ‘Pete’
Taylor, USA (Retired). Serving
more than 17,000 military-connected students, Cumberland County Public
Schools recognize the importance of teamwork with the Fort Bragg
community. This community was one of nine areas selected to participate
in the U.S. Army’s Secondary Education Transition Study (SETS).
Originating the concept, Cumberland County Schools was one the first
signatories of the Memorandum of Agreement that resulted from the SETS
research. Cumberland County Public Schools and Fort Bragg have been the
leaders in formalizing and sustaining their Local Action Plan, now
including all area school districts. Their “Army Family Team Building
for Educators” provides new educators with an understanding of
military terms, practices, and issues.
Fort Bragg has adopted a policy that reinforces the importance of
parent-teacher conferences and urges soldiers to attend and participate
in the education of their children. The
attitude and actions of Cumberland County Public Schools is one that
should be emulated across the country.
In their words: Military
children are “our” children. Military
spouses are “our” teachers. Deployed
parents are “our” heroes. The
award was presented during the 7th Annual Conference of the
Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC).
The conference is focused on the impact of deployments and family
mobility on military children. The issue has taken on renewed
significance in light of the recently announced recommendations of the
Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC), Army Transformation
Initiatives, and the planned rebasing of forces from overseas. The recommendations involve the movement of thousands of
armed forces and military-connected civilian personnel and their
families. These transitions
will create challenges and opportunities for school districts and the
military as they work together to make these movements as efficient and
easy as possible. MCEC
is a national, non-profit organization that works to address the
unique academic and social needs of America’s military children. The
conference provides a unique opportunity for educators, military
leaders, parents, and elected officials to meet and develop strategies
to ease the challenges facing the children of America’s military.
For
more information on the conference or on MCEC, visit the MCEC web site
at
militarychild.org. ### |
