Many administrators and teachers are not convinced that change is needed and said they wanted schools to stay as they were 10 years ago. In focus groups, new teachers were more likely than veteran teachers to accept the need for benchmarks and accountability. SIPs have been in place in many other school districts for the past 10 years. Local staff in several focus groups pointed to the growing numbers of names in the headquarters telephone directory. They were unclear about the role of these staff members and questioned their familiarity with DoDEA schools.
Local schools face challenges that many feel are unfamiliar to headquarters staff.
These included variations in the quality and size of buildings, transportation issues, and differences in military functions from base to base. Although some school facilities are well designed and of adequate size for the student population, others are overcrowded and ill-designed to support some instructional programs. The great range of geographic conditions also affects education. This is especially evident on islands, where limited roadways and increasing numbers of vehicles contribute to extremely difficult traffic conditions. These affect parental involvement and student participation in after-school activities.