The New Jersey School Boards Association, along with the other major education groups in the state, including the N.J. Association of School Administrators; the N.J. Education Association, the N.J. Principals and Supervisors Association; the N.J. Association of School Business Officials; and the N.J. PTA, recently sent a letter to superintendents and board presidents urging public schools to institute an annual “Military Opportunities Day” between September and November.
The New Jersey Department of Education, the U.S. Army, America’s Navy, the United States Marine Corps, the U.S. Air Force, and the Army National Guard join the groups in supporting this effort.
“Too many students don’t realize the incredible benefits offered by the military, including scholarship offerings and training and certification programs in more than 200 areas,” said Dr. Lawrence S. Feinsod, NJSBA executive director.
The letter from the state’s major education groups noted that, “Often the lack of awareness results from widespread misconceptions about military service and limited information available through schools…We encourage you to give your students and their parents information about the post-secondary opportunities available through the armed services.”
The letter includes a list of military recruiting agencies that can help schools develop a Military Opportunities Day. The list can be found here.
NJSBA has had a unique partnership with the U.S. Army in recent years that has resulted in having a STEAM education specialist embedded at the Association, at no cost to NJSBA. One of the programs that was developed with the assistance of the specialist is the popular STEAM Tank competition, held at the annual Workshop conference. This year, 90 teams will compete in the student invention competition. The STEAM Tank is expected to draw approximately 2,000 people to Workshop.