About DoWEA
Students are at the heart of all we do
Shortly after the end of World War II, the United States military established schools for the children of its service men and women stationed in Europe and the Pacific. Schools for children of military members stationed at various bases in the United States were already well-established. First administered by the military branches they served, the growing number of schools was soon transferred to civilian managers, then organized into two separate but parallel systems: the Department of Defense Dependents Schools (Pacific and Europe) overseas, and the Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools (Americas) in the United States. In 1994 the two systems were brought together under an umbrella agency, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoWEA).
DoWEA, as one of only two Federally-operated school systems, is responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th grade educational programs on behalf of the Department of Defense (DoW). DoWEA is globally positioned, operating 161 accredited schools in 9 districts located in 11 foreign countries, 7 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
DoWEA employs more than 14,000 employees who serve more than 67,000 children of active duty military and DoW civilian families. DoWEA is committed to ensuring that all school-aged children of military families are provided a world-class education that prepares them for postsecondary education and/or career success and to be leading contributors in their communities as well as in our 21st century globalized society.
DoWEA operates as a field activity of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness). It is headed by a director who oversees all agency functions from DoWEA headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. DoWEA's schools are divided into 3 geographic areas: Europe, the Pacific, and the Americas.
- Students are at the heart of all we do.
- We nurture curiosity and inspire lifelong learning.
- We relentlessly pursue continuous improvement.
- Together, we create the conditions for military-connected students to excel.
The DoWEA instructional program provides a comprehensive Prekindergarten (PK) through 12th grade College and Career Ready Curriculum that is dedicated to attaining high student achievement. DoWEA measures student progress with multiple criterion referenced assessments aligned to the curriculum. Our students consistently achieve high scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which provides comparisons of student success in literacy and math, and above the national average on standardized assessments.
All DoWEA school districts are accredited by Cognia (formerly AdvancED), which provides each district with an independent evaluation. Districts submit annual reports of data and every five years, they host an on-site validation visit led by education experts from the United States. Following the on-site visit, Cognia sends a report that includes observations and recommendations. DoWEA also conducts internal monitoring of educational programs to ensure high-quality implementation of new programs and overall effectiveness of existing programs. Monitoring activities may include, but are not limited to the following activities: surveys, interviews, focus groups, classroom observations and the analysis of achievement and training data. Currently, 100% of DoWEA districts are accredited and in good standing.
