The U.S. Department of Defense, through each branch of the service, provides families with a number of supports that are recognized through the official organizational structure. One Army community family involvement project, administered locally by the Family Support Division at Ft. Hood, Texas, is a partnership with the Killeen Independent School District. Together, they have piloted a parent involvement program that makes attending parent-teacher conferences twice every six weeks a soldier's duty. Parents learn about their child's progress, share concerns with their child's teacher, and hear comments about their child during these 20-30 minute conferences.
Preliminary data indicate great gains in achievement since the program was implemented.
One example of this effort began in 1986 when the Omaha, Nebraska Housing Authority and the Omaha Public Schools began a program that provides study halls, computers, mentors, and academic and recreational volunteers for the large number of young people in housing projects at risk for dropping out of school. Other links between the housing projects and the schools have been established. After a child is absent for two days, the school calls the parent and the housing authority staff. Families can be evicted from the project if their children do not attend school. Home visits are arranged to identify the root of the problem.