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Research team develops framework to help military students succeed
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By Stephanie Koons
ome children of military families can experience more social-emotional risk than the average student due to stressors such as frequent moves and parental absence, according to Cristin Hall, associate professor of education (school psychology) and faculty affiliate for the Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness at Penn State. Hall is principal investigator (PI) for a Penn State-led, fiveyear project to help schools build durable, flexible frameworks to set up military students for success. “We want to have conversations, establish trust and build relationships where we can say, ‘We want to help you build something that’s going to make your life easier, that’s going to make your job easier and that’s going to help these kids,’” Hall said. The Schools Empowering AtRisk Students (SEAS) Project is funded by a $2.65 million grant from the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Military-Connected Academic and Support Programs. The project’s goal is to help military students succeed by facilitating access for student support personnel to online training materials and providing technical assistance, coaching and consultation in ways that are sustainable and manageable given the unique needs of each school and community. DoDEA is responsible for planning, directing, coordinating and managing prekindergarten through 12th-grade educational programs on behalf of the Department of Defense (DoD). The Clearinghouse, housed in the Penn State Social Science Research
8 Penn State Education
Photo: Provided
Cristin Hall, center, is the principal investigator on the Department of Defense Education Activity Military-Connected Academic and Support Programs, and collaborates with co-PI Jeremy Moeller, assistant teaching professor of special education, (left) and Brooke Kanaskie, project manager for Schools Empowering At-Risk Students project.
Institute, is an interdisciplinary team of research faculty and staff, and creative services professionals committed to providing outstanding support to professionals who provide programs and services to military families. Their vision is to ensure United States military families are always supported by practices and programs that are known to be effective based on science and evidence.
The SEAS Project has been supporting student support personnel (school counselors, psychologists and nurses) at schools on military installations since its inception in 2016, but the most recent grant, which was awarded in 2019, enabled the researchers to expand their services to all educators who serve militaryconnected children, including those attending civilian public schools.
