The New Jersey School Boards Association, along with the other major education groups in the state, is encouraging schools to hold a “Military Opportunities Day” in schools this fall to educate students and families about the opportunities that the United States military provides for post-secondary education and career training.
“Many families do not realize that the U.S. military offers benefits such as scholarships and more than 200 training opportunities that result in certifications and microcredentials in many fields, including STEAM,” said Lawrence S. Feinsod, NJSBA executive director.
A letter has been sent to all board members, superintendents and school business administrators with suggested activities for a Military Opportunities Day, including presentations on the different service branches, career exploration workshops, information on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Test, and sessions geared for parents on education and career opportunities available to their children in the military.
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, which we believe is the only state school boards association in the country to have such a STEAM consultant to work with local school districts.
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. In October, 91 teams will compete in the student invention competition at Workshop, drawn from the 560 that originally entered the competition this year.
Education groups joining the effort include 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. 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 are working with the state’s education groups in supporting this effort.