Department of Defense Education Activity

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is a civilian agency of the United States Department of Defense that manages all schools for military children and teenagers in the United States and also overseas at American military bases worldwide. DoDEA also provides support to more than one million military-connected students who attend public schools throughout the United States. It is headed by a director who oversees all agency functions from the Mark Center in Alexandria, Virginia. DoDEA's schools are divided into three areas, each of which is managed by an area director. Within each of these three areas, schools are organized into districts headed by superintendents.

DoDEA's schools serve the children of military service members and Department of Defense civilian employees throughout the world. Children of enlisted military personnel represent 85 percent of the total enrollment in DoDEA schools.

The DoDEA instructional program provides a comprehensive prekindergarten through 12th grade curriculum that is competitive with that of any school system in the United States. DoDEA maintains a high school graduation rate of approximately 97 percent. The 3,102 graduating seniors in DoDEA's Class of 2002 earned more than $35 million in scholarships and grants.

DoDEA monitors student progress through the use of standardized tests. Students take the TerraNova achievement tests, a series of norm-referenced tests for students in grades 3 through 11. Every year, at every grade level tested, and in every subject area, DoDEA students score above the national average. DoDEA 4th and 8th grade students also take the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as "the Nation's Report Card." DoDDS and DDESS student scores consistently rank at or near the top of the scale when compared with the scores of other participating states and jurisdictions. Furthermore, the performance of African American and Hispanic students is among the highest in the nation. Though achievement gaps persist between white and minority students, the academic performance gap is far narrower for DoDEA students than for students throughout the United States.

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