Limited Educational Opportunities and Financial Help for Military Spouses Stationed Overseas


Book Description

The purpose of this applied study was to solve the problem of limited educational opportunities and financial help for military spouses stationed overseas and design measures to address the issue. This multimethod study used a qualitative approach to understand better the problems spouses encounter in overseas posts while taking into consideration their personal experiences. A group of six spouses was interviewed individually to understand their needs, goals, and opinions. Also, data from two quantitative methods were collected and analyzed. A survey that addresses the importance of post-secondary education was available to one group of 30 spouses. Archival data were used to determine the impact of the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA) has on spouse’s employment and post-secondary education. Additionally, factors that prevent enlisted spouses from attaining educational goals were analyzed. Therefore, this study sought to improve military spouses’ educational preparation and career portability when using MyCAA benefits during an overseas tour.




Working Around the Military


Book Description

This research confirms that, while many spouses of military service members work and seek education similar to their "look-alike" civilian counterparts, they often lag these equals in terms of finding jobs and receiving comparable pay. Based on the input of more than 1,100 military spouses concerning their employment and educational pursuits as well as other data analysis, the RAND researchers offer recommendations for the Department of Defense to improve quality-of-life issues for its members and spouses, which in the long run will help the department retain the qualified personnel it needs.




Balancing Life and Education While Being a Part of a Military Family


Book Description

Military spouse education is an often overlooked topic. With the proliferation of service member programs and benefits, and the spotlight on them, it is not uncommon for spouses to neglect looking into their own educational opportunities and benefits. The hectic life of a military family also often complicates the process of attending an institution of higher education, for spouses. There are numerous programs and benefits that a spouse may have access to, but they are difficult to find and navigate properly. Balancing Life and Education While Being a Part of a Military Family: A Guide to Navigating Higher Education for the MilitarySpouse attempts to highlight these possibilities and inform and assure this population that attaining an education is possible regardless of location or current circumstances. Numerous programs and benefits are described, as well as the best way to go about using them. Detailed instructions are illustrated to make the process of obtaining an education easier and to give spouses more confidence in pursing their own education. In addition, the specific considerations of military family life are addressed along with these instructions. Education is really important, and a lot of times military spouses aren’t aware of the opportunities and resources available to them to pursue it. The authors of From theNavy to College: Transitioning from the Service to Higher Education and From the Army to College: Transitioning from the Service to Higher Education have put together a clear guidebook will make the process easy, accessible, and understandable. They offer clear advice and information about resources available to spouses of service members, creating a go-to guide for pursuing higher education.




A Family's Guide to the Military For Dummies


Book Description

Expert advice on all aspects of military life A Family's Guide to the Military For Dummies is for the millions of military dependents, family members, and friends who are looking for straightforward guidance to take advantage of the benefits and overcome the challenges unique to life in the military. This comprehensive guide covers such key topics as introducing military life to readers new to the armed forces, financial planning, relocation, deployment, raising kids alone while a partner is away, and taking advantage of the available benefits. It offers tips and advice for dealing with emotions that surround events like deployments, deciphering the acronyms used in daily military life, forming support groups, keeping track of a loved one's whereabouts, and surviving on a military base in a foreign country.




An Early Evaluation of the My Career Advancement Account Scholarship for Military Spouses


Book Description

Past research has shown that compared to spouses of U.S. civilians, spouses of U.S. military personnel tend to earn less and are more likely to be unemployed or underemployed, even when they have more years of education or more work experience. To mitigate the impact of the demands of military life, in 2007 the Department of Defense established a portfolio of initiatives that provide career development and employment assistance for military spouses. One such initiative is the My Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) Scholarship, which targets spouses whose service member is early in his or her career. The scholarship provides up to $4,000 in financial assistance for spouses pursuing associate's degrees, occupational certificates, or licenses in portable career fields. This report examines characteristics associated with MyCAA Scholarship application and use, scholarship plan completion, spouse employment and earnings, and service continuation of personnel married to MyCAA-eligible spouses. RAND examined the 2007-2013 employment and earnings data of spouses who were eligible for MyCAA when the current version of the scholarship began (between October 2010 and December 2011). The results show that MyCAA Scholarships are reaching the intended population; that MyCAA is associated with employment and higher earnings (although the relationship is not necessarily causal); and that service members of MyCAA Scholarship users are more likely than similar married service members to be on active duty three years after the spouse is awarded the scholarship.




The Military Spouse Education and Career Opportunities Program


Book Description

This report outlines a strategy for the U.S. Department of Defense Military Community and Family Policy office to track progress on initiatives that aim to provide career development and employment assistance for military spouses.




Strengthening the Military Family Readiness System for a Changing American Society


Book Description

The U.S. military has been continuously engaged in foreign conflicts for over two decades. The strains that these deployments, the associated increases in operational tempo, and the general challenges of military life affect not only service members but also the people who depend on them and who support them as they support the nation â€" their families. Family members provide support to service members while they serve or when they have difficulties; family problems can interfere with the ability of service members to deploy or remain in theater; and family members are central influences on whether members continue to serve. In addition, rising family diversity and complexity will likely increase the difficulty of creating military policies, programs and practices that adequately support families in the performance of military duties. Strengthening the Military Family Readiness System for a Changing American Society examines the challenges and opportunities facing military families and what is known about effective strategies for supporting and protecting military children and families, as well as lessons to be learned from these experiences. This report offers recommendations regarding what is needed to strengthen the support system for military families.




Working Around the Military. Challenges to Military Spouse Employment and Education


Book Description

Successful recruiting and retention of the active duty force relies in large part on the extent to which service members and their spouses experience both job satisfaction and contentment with life in the military. In his February 12, 2001, speech at Fort Stewart, Georgia, President Bush acknowledged the importance of caring not just for service members but their entire families, pledging, "We owe you and your families a decent quality of life. ... Service members deserve a military that treats them and their families with respect. A major challenge to ensuring familywide quality of life is overcoming the hurdles to military spouse employment. Data indicate that the majority of military spouses are in the workforce; however, research indicates that they have difficulty finding jobs and that limited career opportunities for military spouses may be a factor in military personnel leaving the service. Given its impact on service member contentment and retention, spouse employment and education is thus an area of significant concern to the military. This study seeks to (1) provide a richer and more detailed depiction of military spouse employment and earnings, (2) explore the degree to which employment is problematic for military spouses, and (3) identify policies to reconcile spouse employment issues with the military's need to retain qualified personnel.




Serving Those Who Served


Book Description

Practical advice on how best to serve veterans, service members, and their families in your community, including effective ways to develop new outreach partnerships and collaborations. Whether you work in a public library, an academic library, a school library, or any other type of library, you are likely to encounter members of the veteran and military communities. This book is a starting point to help librarians, library administrators, and all library employees understand how veterans, service members, and their families can be different from other patrons, recognize important elements of military and veteran culture, and identify strategies for effectively serving the veteran and military communities. In this book, you find tips to help you determine the size and the needs of the veteran and military communities in your local area. You'll learn about some common information requests and information-seeking behavior of veterans and service members. You'll discover how to take the needs and also the unique strengths of the veteran and military communities into account when developing library outreach efforts, programs, services, and collections. And you'll gain insights to help you harness the knowledge, strengths, and experiences of the veteran and military communities in order to help them fulfill their potential as an asset to the library and to the community.




Advancing the Careers of Military Spouses


Book Description

Since the move to an all-volunteer force, the U.S. military has increasingly provided an array of programs, services, and facilities to support military families, including programs to assist spouses in pursuing their educational and employment goals. These programs are particularly important, given that military spouses face challenges related to military life that can make it difficult for them to maintain and develop careers. One program designed to help spouses of junior military personnel meet their educational and employment objectives is the My Career Advancement Account (MyCAA) scholarship. This report analyzes data collected from November 2012 to March 2013 on the 2012 Active Duty Spouse Survey to examine MyCAA scholarship use in the previous year and educational and employment goals and barriers faced by recent MyCAA users and nonusers. The survey showed that nearly one in five eligible spouses used MyCAA in the previous year, and more than half of nonusers were unaware of the scholarship. Key reasons for not using the scholarship among those who were aware of it include perceived program ineligibility and lack of time for education. Reported barriers to achieving educational and employment goals were remarkably similar for recent MyCAA users and nonusers. Cost was the key reason spouses reported for not pursuing higher education. Barriers to both education and employment among interested spouses included competing family responsibilities and difficulties with child care. The authors conclude with recommendations for improving and complementing the existing MyCAA scholarship to help military spouses achieve their educational and career objectives