WASHINGTON, D.C.--Fort Polk Progress has been honored with the 2015 Community Excellence Award from the Association of Defense Communities (ADC) for its successful collaboration with local, state and federal partners in support of the educational community at Fort Polk.

Michael Reese, chairman of Fort Polk Progress, accepted the award June 24 at a special Congressional Breakfast on Capitol Hill during the 2015 Defense Communities National Summit hosted by ADC. The ceremony was attended by members of Congress and leaders from the Pentagon.

Reese recognizes that military families are just as concerned as civilian families with the quality of their children's education.  

"Since it was formed in 2006, Fort Polk Progress has been dedicated to bringing together partners from throughout Louisiana to focus on making Fort Polk a 'Station of Choice' for soldiers and families. We recognize that the quality of education provided by the schools that surround Ft. Polk is vitally important to soldiers, families and Army leadership," said Reese. "Our Education Initiative represents a tremendous amount of collaboration between base families, base leadership, state Department of Education, local school districts, higher education institutions, the business community and education experts, all focused on a plan for constant improvement, assessment and communication."

ADC (www.defensecommunities.org) is the nation's leading association representing U.S. communities and states with a significant military presence and their partner organizations. It unites the diverse interests of communities, states, the private sector and the military on issues such as protecting defense infrastructure, community-military partnerships, defense real estate, mission growth, base redevelopment, and support for military families and veterans.

When moving to a new locale, military families often ask about the state of the schools in their new communities. They're not alone. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno called for an evaluation of all schools near Army installations in October 2013 and warned governors and legislators publicly that school performance will factor into decisions regarding the Army's "future force structure." How one defense community is addressing this issue is most noteworthy.

Fort Polk Progress, a regional community organization that supports Fort Polk's continued presence in Vernon Parish, Louisiana, took up the gauntlet Odierno had thrown down by forming, leading and integrating a broad and ambitious Education Initiative. Fort Polk Progress used its experience in collaborating with local, state and federal partners to acquire funding for the initiative and to bring its many partners into the fold. This partnership is composed of the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, the Vernon Parish School District, Fort Polk Progress and a variety of state agencies, educational institutions and businesses. Its goals are to improve school performance and inform parents about the state's core educational standards and about how parents can support their children's academic achievement. The partners also decided to benchmark their progress by comparing Vernon Parish schools' academic performance with that of the national average and of schools that support other Army installations.

The Education Initiative began this process by bringing local residents and education experts together to identify the school system's strengths and challenges. The partners then held an education symposium at Fort Polk's Bayou Theater to discuss the challenges and identify goals and the steps to help achieve those goals. The symposium attracted about 700 educators, soldiers and family members, as well as the director of Family and Morale, Welfare & Recreation for the Army's Installation Management Command (IMCOM), representing the chief of staff.

Education Initiative partners provided funding for near-term projects and to meet priorities parents had proposed during the symposium. These included holding summer enrichment camps, improving communication between schools and parents, hosting a Back to School Resource Fair and establishing committees of parents, teachers, higher education partners and local business representatives to finalize the initiative's strategic plan, which was presented to the Vernon Parish School Board in May. Fort Polk Progress planned for long-term follow-through by establishing a governance board to monitor the plan's implementation and assess its effectiveness.

The initiative already has yielded some notable results. Odierno himself visited Fort Polk last April and praised the installation for the progress it had made in its stated goal of moving FORT POLK AREA  schools "from good to great."