Something To Keep An Eye On

States across the nation are passing a compact that would change the experience military kids have when they transfer from different schools reports the Associated Press:

The compact seeks to provide flexibility for the 1.5 million children of military families in the U.S. They attend an estimated six to nine school systems between kindergarten and graduation on average, and differing educational requirements in different states often add to their burden.

"Changing schools and making new friends can be hard on children whose parents are in the military," said Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, whose signature Wednesday made Kansas the first state to approve the compact. "This bill will help ease the transition between schools by seamlessly transferring records."

The compact, which would become operational with adoption by 10 states, is intended to prevent children of military families from needlessly repeating courses or being denied access to extracurricular activities. It would provide alternative coursework options for districts that do not waive graduation requirements for students. Compact members would work to create uniform standards of practice, including the transfer of records, course placement and graduation requirements.

One example out of San Diego is the mandatory state history classes that are often required; kids who transfer in before their senior year are sometimes being required to take these classes at the expense of the electives that would be of real help to them.

Here in Washington we didn't sign on to the compact proper, but they did establish a taskforce to study it. One of the prime sponsors of the bill is Senator Mark Schoesler of the 9th Legislative District, which covers parts of Cheney, Medical Lake, and areas south.