DANTES Information Bulletin (9) Sep 2020

DIB

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DANTES INFORMATION BULLETIN

2020

Education Support for Deployed Military Members In this issue: Education Support on Deployment

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Hot News

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Troops to Teachers

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Contact Information

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DANTES Information Bulletin

Down-Range Education Support: CENTCOM/AFRICOM Regions

Mark Phelan, Education Program Manager, DANTES

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oluntary education opportunities are available to service members worldwide.

Military members serving outside of the continental U.S. (OCONUS) have access to a variety of options to begin or continue their education journey.

This fact holds true for those serving in the Central Command (CENTCOM) and Africa Command (AFRICOM) areas of responsibility (AORs). On behalf of the Services, DANTES contracts with Central Texas College (CTC) and University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) to

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provide education services in the CENTCOM/AFRICOM AORs. Below are some of the current locations that these services are performed: • Kuwait (Camps Arifjan, Buehring, and Patriot, Ali Al Salem and Al Jaber Air Bases) • Qatar (Camp As Sayliyah and Al Udeid Air Base) • Bahrain (Manama Naval Support Activity and Isa Air Base) • Djibouti (Camp Lemonnier) • Jordan (Muwaffag Salti Air Base) • Egypt (North and South Camps). http://www.dantes.doded.mil

Education Support on Deployment

In these locations, CTC and UMGC provide direct support to education centers and offer a variety of services to service members to assist in furthering their education, improving their academic skills, increasing their language and culture proficiency and fostering professional development. The following section highlights the education services provided in the CENTCOM/AFRICOM AORs.

Education and Academic Counseling Services In most locations, CTC provides education counselors to serve as a force multiplier for local Service-sponsored education centers. Under the oversight of a government Education Services Officer, contracted education counselors provide academic advisement to service members in various stages of their education journey. Examples of this type of support include: • Assessing interests and helping service members develop education pathways • Helping service members secure an education plan before enrolling in their first class • Informing service members of federal and institutional financial aid for which they qualify and provide assistance in applying for the aid • Ensuring service members have a formal degree plan for a certificate, Associate, Bachelor’s, or Master’s degree after completion of DANTES Information Bulletin

six semester hours of credit • Providing service members with an evaluation of all prior learning • Coordinating communication between local sites and the home campus to facilitate communications between faculty, service members, and program administrators.

Access to National Testing Centers (NTCs)

and mobile Testing Services UMGC facilitates the availability of academic exams by operating National Test Centers (NTCs).

These NTCs offer service members and eligible civilians access to College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and DSST internet based testing (iBT) exams, on-line credentialing examinations, and other DANTES-funded electronic exams.

Contracted test examiners also proctor electronic exams for service members enrolled in distance education courses with non-contracted colleges and universities on a space available basis.

CTC offers mobile testing support to service members deployed at forward operating locations that do not operate a NTC or a military education center. CTC provides a mobile testing platform and internet connectivity that allows for computer-based testing to occur at various remote locations throughout the CENTCOM/ AFRICOM AORs.

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Education Support on Deployment Face-to-Face and Online College Course Instruction Both CTC and UMGC offer opportunities to earn college credit and meet certification requirements through face-to-face and on-line courses. These courses include: • Vocational Technical courses leading to a Certificate or Associates of Science Degree • Lower Level Liberal Arts courses leading to award of Certificates and Associate of Arts Degrees • Upper Level Liberal Arts courses leading to award of Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts Degrees • Graduate courses leading to award of a Graduate Certificate or Master’s Degree The degree programs offered in the CENTCOM/AFRICOM regions are consistent with the degree programs available at CTC and UMGC home campuses. Service member participation in the degree programs are funded through military Tuition Assistance (TA) based on Service policy, the GI Bill, federal financial aid, or funded individually by an eligible student.

Academic Skills Training and Tutoring Service members have access to three types of academic support: Functional Academic Skills Training (FAST), Advanced Skills Education Program (ASEP), and Army Learning Center (ALC) Academic Tutoring.

Functional Academic Skills Training (FAST) provides instruction for academic skills training to improve math, English language, and science proficiency for military personnel. FAST is provided in a traditional face-to-face, hands-on format in a classroom setting, ranging from twenty to eighty hour blocks of instruction.

Advanced Skills Education Program (ASEP) is an Army professional development course that provides instruction to enhance the communication, management, and supervisory skills of personnel. Instruction takes place in a traditional face-to-face classroom format in twenty hour blocks of instruction.

DANTES Information Bulletin

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Education Support on Deployment

results for service members in FY19: • 112 service members completed various deSupport provides academic tutoring services at grees while downrange Army Learning Centers in the CENTCOM/AFRICOM • 8,182 service member enrollments in college regions. Service members are offered academic level courses while in the CENTCOM/AFRICOM tutorial assistance using ALC resources, prerequisite regions study for Service schools and college-level general classes (e.g., Math, English or Science) and prepara- • Education counselors worked over 68,694 hours at the various education centers and Navy Coltion for tests. lege offices to advise service members • 3,503 college level examinations were successLocal Language and Culture Classes fully passed by service members at NTC NationThe U.S. CENTCOM AOR spans more than four al Testing Centers in the CENTCOM/AFRICOM million square miles and is populated by more than AORs 550 million people from 22 ethnic groups, speakArmy Learning Center (ALC) Academic Tutor

ing 18 languages with hundreds of dialects which transect national borders. To help service members acclimate, Foreign Language, Culture, and Customs Instruction is offered. CTC offers non-credit foreign language instruction in Host Nation language or other foreign language requested by the ESO, and culture and customs training.

The goal downrange is to foster the completion of postsecondary and vocational degree requirements through face-to-face, on-line course offerings and academic testing. For locations without NTCs, mobile testing teams increased the capacity to test service members in remote areas. The additional education support in these areas is a win-win Instructors provide instruction up to and including for the Department and for service members. The Department saves money through the provision of Level 2 proficiency on the Inter-agency Language Roundtable (ILR) scale using Defense Language In- shared services through DANTES contract managestitute (DLI) electronic course materials for delivery ment with CTC and UMGC. Service members have of foreign language, culture and customs training. continuity of their education support, regardless of where they serve fostering continued personal/proDownrange Education Support Benefits fessional development and resiliency.

Here are some highlights on downrange education

DANTES Information Bulletin

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CONTINGENCY AREA EDUCATION SUPPORT PROGRAM OVERVIEW: The Department of Defense (DoD) Voluntary Education (VolEd) Program, through the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) ensures Contingency Area Education Support for deployed military members and those stationed overseas in the USEUCOM, USCENTCOM and USAFRICOM AORs (areas of responsibility).

CONTINGENCY AREA STUDENT EDUCATION BENEFITS:

THE DANTES EUROPEAN ADVISOR: Manages institutional partnerships that provide contingency area education support

Access to face-to-face academic counseling services Opportunities to earn college credit and meet certification requirements Expanded test center accessibility for military members Academic skills and foreign language instruction Availability of undergraduate and graduate academic programs

Coordinates mobile testing opportunities at down range locations Conducts training workshops and attends local education fairs Encourages military components to stay updated on DANTES education programs Obtains feedback from education center staff about DANTES material and operations

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY: All active duty, enlisted, officer and warrant officers, National Guard and Reserve components, in all military services, including the U.S. Coast Guard are eligible to use Contingency Area Education Support services.

DANTES Updated: 2/17/2020 Information Bulletin

011-49-611-143-544-1230 usarmy.badenwur.usareur.mbx. dantes-euro@mail.mil www.MyVolEd.com

Helping Service Members Achieve Their Education Goals

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Hot News

Check Out the Next AST Webinar

associated with controlling SAT paper-based test materials at the individual education center is no longer sustainable. However, the SAT will remain available to service members on a reimbursable basis, funded by DANTES, when taken at an off-site installation national or international test center.

Check out the MilEd Benefits App

Since all SAT booklets have already been returned to the test vendor, there is nothing for counselors to prepare for/or any correspondence to submit. Effective immediately, DANTES Test Sites are considered Pending Disestablishment. All DAIMS accounts are immediately deactivated; the DEPH is retired and all Adobe Connect training activities are no longer offered.

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he next webinar for Academic Skills Training/ OASC will be Thursday, Sep 24 0830 PT/0930 MT/1030 CT/1130 ET Check the website banner for registration information at https://www.dantes.doded.mil/.

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e sure to check out DANTES’ newest education tool, the MilEd Benefits Mobile App. Go to https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=HE02XZzKR5E&feature=youtu.be to see how to download it!

Save 50% On Your Next CLEP Exam

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nyone who has taken an exam this year (or takes one by Nov 30) will be eligible to take a second exam at 50% off. This means DANTES-funded eligible members can get 50% off a retake. They need to purchase their retake by Nov 30, but will have the standard six months to use the ticket they purchase. www.clep.org/GOCLEP

Paper-based SAT Exams Discontinued

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ANTES is discontinuing the administration of the DANTES-Sponsored, paper-based SAT effective Sep 30, 2020. Due to the low number of locations administering the SAT and low test volumes, the administrative burden and risk DANTES Information Bulletin

Eventually TCOs will receive the final DANTES 1561/13, TCO Appointment Confirmation Form, as the process of rescinding each appointment is being worked.

Please continue to direct all inquiries, unencrypted and without PII, to Exams@navy.mil, rather than to any individual email addresses to ensure all Exam staff may access the information. For reference, the SAT Find-Test-Centers link is: https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/ register/find-test-centers.

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Connecticut and New York TTT

Supporting Troops in the Northeast: Connecticut and New York TTT Programs Taheesha Quarells, Director, Troops to Teachers Program Kimberly Audet, Program Manager, CT Troops to Teachers Courtney Inniss, Director, NY Troops to Teachers

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he Troops to Teachers (TTT) program helps service members and veterans become certified and employed as K-12 teachers in eligible and high need schools. This Congressionally authorized program aims to address historically high veteran unemployment rates and national teacher shortages by providing education and certification counseling and employment facilitation to service members and veterans to help them obtain job placement as teachers. TTT has 19 grants with State Departments of Education that provide program coverage in 31 states.

The network of TTT state offices: • Support service members and veterans with one-on-one counseling for teacher certification and employment in the classroom • Deliver outreach activities to increase awareness and program participation • Facilitate early workforce engagements by connecting participants to other school-related jobs while participants pursue certification • Help participants prepare for the job search process and facilitate connections to job opportunities • Build strategic partnerships to advocate on behalf of veterans within their state to remove barriers related to financial stressors, administrative burdens, and acknowledgment of military experience Throughout this year, the DIB has highlighted the state offices that provide these valuable services to service members and veterans across the country. This month, we feature the TTT programs in Connecticut and New York. Next month, look for the North West Regional offices.

DANTES Information Bulletin

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Connecticut TTT State TTT Outreach

The Connecticut (CT) Troops to Teachers Program is operated under the CT State Department of Education. CT is an attractive state for service members and veterans to consider because it: • Has the fifth highest average teacher salary in the nation, at over $72,000, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

• Consistently has among the highest student outcomes in the nation, and continues to build on its national reputation for making great strides each year to further improve these outcomes.

• Is at the forefront of innovation in education, especially when it comes to supporting teachers. CT has a nationally recognized teacher induction program to support early-career teachers and provide support to teachers throughout their career through high-quality, job-embedded mentoring and ongoing professional learning. The state is able to leverage its small size to make change happen quickly and meet the demands of a rapidly changing world.

• Offers veterans the potential to develop their leadership skills and has meaningful impact in Connecticut’s collaborative and supportive education community. Veterans who become teachers have a great reach and influence in CT because teachers are valued, appreciated and encouraged to be change-makers in their classrooms and communities.

DANTES Information Bulletin

On a regular basis, CT engages in outreach efforts to increase awareness and to build partnerships that remove barriers to certification and employment for service members and veterans. The CT Education Communities of Practice meets three times throughout the academic year. The sessions are facilitated by district leaders and teachers, who design sessions for veterans to meet one another; get questions answered; have discussions about teaching in CT with teachers from around the state; meet with CT State Department of Education staff who provide guidance on certification pathways; and expand their network of CT educators to support their development as a teacher. The CT TTT program also conducts monthly briefings for service members and veterans that illustrate the step-by-step process to become certified in CT. Contact tttconnecticut@j2tinfo.com for the dates and times of Communities of Practice, monthly briefings, and other CT Troops to Teacher events.

CT Connecticut’s students need veterans.

I am a service member or veteran and interested in learning more.

Submit the Troops to Teachers online application at proudtoserveagain.com or contact Connecticut Troops to Teachers at tttconnecticut@j2tinfo.com.

Connecticut Troops to Teachers is a program for all service members and veterans to receive assistance in transitioning their leadership, core values and acquired skills to a career in teaching.

I am a veteran and a certi�ied teacher.

Connecticut Troops to Teachers provides access to:

I am not a veteran but want to help.

• career counseling for veterans by veterans; • program coordinators and faculty advisors at each of the Connecticut State Universities; • committed veteran mentors from point of enrollment through successful employment; • a support network of aspiring and experienced veteran educators; and • hiring officials in Connecticut partner districts.

Serve as a mentor to program participants.

Contact Connecticut Troops to Teachers at tttconnecticut@j2tinfo.com.

Share information about the program with a veteran in your family or community.

Follow the Connecticut Troops to Teachers program at the Connecticut State Department of Education: @EducateCT @ctdepartmentofeducation Learn more about the national Troops to Teachers program at www.proudtoserveagain.com, and follow them at: @TTT_DANTES @TTT.DANTES

Above and left: Terance Henkle, LCDR USN-Ret. Terance is an earth science/biology teacher at Fitch High School in Groton Public Schools.

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Connecticut TTT

Teaching in CT A key incentive for service members and veterans considering CT as a possible post-military location is the Veterans Tuition Waiver. Veterans may attend Connecticut Public Colleges and Universities tuition free. State statutes allow tuition to be waived for qualified veterans attending the University of Connecticut, Connecticut State Universities and the 12 Community-Technical Colleges. Waivers cover only the cost of tuition for credit-bearing undergraduate and graduate programs. Other charges, such as for books, student activity and course fees, parking, and room and board, are not waived. To qualify for a waiver at the University of Connecticut and Connecticut State Universities, veterans generally must be admitted to a degree program. The Community-Technical Colleges are more flexible. Veterans are encouraged to take a copy of their separation papers with them when applying for admission and registering for courses.

For more information, visit https://portal.ct.gov/DVA/Pages/Tuition-Waivers The below certification information may be helpful for service members and veterans who are considering teaching in CT. • Candidates may qualify to teach an occupational subject with a high school diploma and 3-8 years of trade experience.

• Candidates who are interested in enrolling in a teacher prep program can seek temporary authorizations to teach if they have a bachelor’s degree and at least 12 credits in the content area they want to teach.

• Candidates may qualify for a long term substitute authorization with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree and 12 credits in the content area • For those military spouses who already hold a teaching certification, there is a Military Spouse Teacher Permit that facilitates transferring their licenses to CT. For more information, visit https://portal.ct.gov/SDE/Certification/Bureau-of-Certification/Interstate-Flexibility-and-CT-Reciprocity DANTES Information Bulletin

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Connecticut TTT Meet the Staff The CT TTT program includes the following staff members: Kimberly Audet, Program Manager, kimberly.audet@ct.gov Kimberly has been in education for over 15 years. She is a certified educator and supports schools and districts throughout the state. As a member of the Talent Office at the Connecticut State Department of Education, Kimberly works closely with the Bureau of Certification and CT districts in order to provide the most up-to-date information to CTTT participants related to certification areas, shortage areas and incentives, traditional and alternative pathways, and employment opportunities.

Melissa Michaud-Maltese, Teacher Leader in Residence melissamichaud@bristolk12.org Melissa is participating in the Teacher Leader in Residence 2020-2021 program. She has been a certified Special Education teacher for 3 years and is a Navy Veteran. She will graduate from Central Connecticut State University’s Post-Baccalaureate program and simultaneously obtain her Master’s degree in Special Education. She has worked as a paraprofessional at varying private Special Education schools around CT along with serving as the music teacher, substitute teacher, Para-educator, and Pre-school assistant teacher at St. Paul’s Catholic School. She has been working with the CT Troops to Teachers program as a panel member and community of practice member for the last two years.

CT Contact Information

Teach Connecticut - https://connecticut.teach.org CT State Department of Education Bureau of Certification - https://portal.ct.gov/SDE/Certification/Bureau-of-Certification CT State Department of Education - CT Troops to Teachers Website- https://portal.ct.gov/ SDE/Talent_Office/Connecticut-Troops-to-Teachers-Program Facebook: @ctdepartmentofeducation Twitter: @EducateCT Office Location: 450 Columbus Blvd., Hartford CT 06016 DANTES Information Bulletin

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New York TTT State TTT Outreach The New York Troops to Teachers office offers monthly Information Sessions and Bi-Monthly Personal Development Initiatives (training, seminars, webinars, and round table talks – mentoring events). They also host base visits quarterly. New York Troops to Teachers participants are invited to participate in monthly professional development training provided by the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) Teacher Center.

The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), in conjunction with St. Francis College (SFC), a Yellow Ribbon School, houses the New York Troops to Teachers Program (NYTTT). The NYTTT program expands on the current process of assisting interested veterans in becoming fully state-certified educators, while helping program participants secure full-time teaching positions within the New York City public school system, grades K-12. The New York City public school system has over 160,000 staff members working in 1,866 schools all located within the five boroughs of New York City (Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island) and servicing over 1.1 million students. New York City is home to a diverse student population and the largest school system in the nation.

The New York Troops to Teachers Program is unique because it helps program participants work in the classroom as a substitute teacher or substitute paraprofessional while completing the necessary coursework and testing leading to full New York State teaching certification.

The NYCDOE is committed to safe schools with quality teachers. In the 2019-20 school year, the NYCDOE introduced a new framework for teaching students how to resolve conflict, build relationships, and keep NY school communities safe through a Culturally Responsive-Sustaining (CR-S) education. To celebrate teachers that are making a difference, The Big Apple Awards, a citywide recognition program, celebrates New York City teachers who inspire students, model great teaching and enrich their school communities.

DANTES Information Bulletin

Incentives for Teaching in NY In NY, there are a variety of incentives offered to military members transitioning to employment as a teacher.

New York State: • The Albert Shanker Grant Program makes funding available to support eligible New York State public school teachers seeking their first National Board Certification.

• The Helen Bach Moss Memorial Better Beginnings Award provides a cash stipend of $5,000 to an elementary teacher with an additional $1,000 for the teacher’s school district who demonstrates early childhood education as the most effective investment for long-term educational success.

• The Mentor Teacher Internship Program (MTIP) provides the opportunity for beginning teachers to broaden and enhance their classroom teaching and related skills while participating in a productive, supportive and collegial mentoring experience.

• Teacher and Leader Quality Partnership Program is New York State’s program that aims to improve the academic success of New York’s students by improving the quality of their teachers.

• Teacher Opportunity Corps I enhances the preparation of teachers and prospective teachers in addressing the learning needs of students at risk of truancy, academic failure, or dropping out of school; and to increase the participation rate of historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged individuals in teaching careers. http://www.dantes.doded.mil

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New York TTT City of New York:

The Mayor’s Graduate Scholarship Program provides City government employees with the opportunity to continue their education in graduate study. Participating schools offer full or partial scholarships in areas of business and public administration, policy analysis, law, engineering, nursing, public health, computer science, education, and other profession specific programs to eligible/qualified applicants.

New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE): • NYCDOE is the largest school system in the nation and serves as a direct employer that offers a $500 stipend to participants that transition to full-time employees.

• The Career Training Program (CTP) provides eligible UFT paraprofessionals with the opportunity to earn a Bachelor’s degree. The program pays tuition for three to six credits per semester for undergraduate study at participating colleges and universities.

• The Jose P. Graduate Scholarship Program grants full-tuition for participants pursuing graduate degrees in high needs areas such as Bilingual/Monolingual Speech-Language Pathology, Blind and Visually Impaired, School Psychology and Bilingual Special Education at partnering colleges and universities.

• NYCDOE has established partnerships with colleges and universities throughout the NY Tri-State area.

Pathways to Teaching in NY

There are a variety of pathways offered by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) to earn teacher certification. One key pathway is the Individual Evaluation Pathway: • Some subject area licenses allow for the Individual Evaluation Pathway, where applicants may pursue college study at their own pace to fulfill the requirements for a teaching certificate.

• The applicant may then apply directly to the State Education Department for certification. This pathway is ideal for our target population, Veterans, and transitioning service members because many have their Bachelor’s degree or have taken some college-level courses.

• This certification allows academic credits from various colleges and universities to be combined. It does not require that the applicant has completed a state-approved program in a specific license area.

• By utilizing the Individual Evaluation Pathway, applicants who have already received an undergraduate degree in any major are now permitted to take only the extra courses that they need to earn the teaching license.

DANTES Information Bulletin

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New York TTT Meet the Staff

The NY TTT program includes the following staff members: • Courtney Inniss, Director, NY Troops to Teachers, (718)489-2020, cinniss2@sfc.edu • Dana McGraw, Senior Program Manager, Data Specialist, Office of Scholarships, Incentives, and Speech Programs (SISP), NYC Department of Education, (718)935-3623, dmcgraw2@schools.nyc.gov • Luis Echevarria, Director, Scholarships, Incentives, and Speech Programs (SISP), NYC Department of Education, (718)935-4549, lechevarria@schools.nyc.gov

Contact Information

Email account: tttnewyork@j2tinfo.com https://www.sfc.edu/admissions/military/troopstoteachers Twitter: @NYTroopsToTeach Social media accounts are temporarily deactivated for updates and maintenance. They will be reactivated when we relaunch programming on October 1, 2020.

Office Location: St. Francis College, 180 Remsen St., Brooklyn, NY 11201 Office of Scholarships, Incentives, and Speech Programs HC School Support Division of Human Capital 65 Court Street, Room 508, Brooklyn, NY 11201 Attn: New York Troops to Teachers

DANTES Information Bulletin

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DANTES Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support

DANTES OCONUS European Advisor (Contingency Operation Support)

6490 Saufley Field Road, Pensacola, FL 32509 (850) 452-1901

DANTES_Outreach@navy.mil

011-49-611-143-511-1230

usarmy.badenwur.usareur.mbx.dantes-euro@ mail.mil

www.DANTES.DoDed.mil www.proudtoserveagain.com

DANTES INFORMATION BULLETIN

DANTES Information Bulletin The DANTES Information Bulletin is published monthly to inform education personnel about DANTES programs and to help promote more efficient customer service to service members.

Email all inquiries to DANTES_Outreach@navy.mil.

Reproduction in whole or in part is permitted for any purpose of the United States Government, except that copyrighted materials cannot be reproduced without written permission from the copyright owner. The appearance of external hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by DANTES of the linked websites, or the information, products, or services contained therein.

Jeff Allen, Director Michelle Alexander, Editor DANTES Information Bulletin

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