A new report linking the quality of education offered at local schools and the economic value provided to communities from U.S. Army bases could spell trouble for some states. The Stimson Report analyzed the connection between K-12 education standards and a military base’s economic contributions in advance of an official report from the Army that conducted a comprehensive review of how well communities meet the Army’s education standards. This review was promised to military families by Gen. Ray Odierno, and it could, as the Stimson Report notes, “ripple across the U.S. economy.”
To understand why the Army’s review could be so significant, it is important to look at the military from a family perspective. During the more than 30 years I spent on active duty in the Army, my family moved a number of times, and my three daughters each attended three different high schools, in addition to a number of different elementary and middle schools. While each move represented an advancement for my career, it also represented an upheaval for my family, and each time, my wife and I wondered how our girls would compare academically with their new peers. This is a common anxiety among military families, and the Stimson Report does a great job of laying out the moves and family milestones in the life of a soldier.
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