Summary: Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed Department of Defense (DOD) schools for military dependents and civilian personnel located overseas, focusing on the: (1) quality of the schools' education information; and (2) school system's responsiveness to parental concerns.
GAO found that: (1) DOD students consistently scored above the average on nationally recognized standardized achievement and aptitude tests; (2) DOD needed better assessment of schools' effectiveness; (3) 25 percent of the 1988 DOD high school graduates in Korea and 10 percent of such graduates in the Philippines did not meet DOD minimum graduation requirements, but student files often did not document waivers or alternative actions which would qualify them for graduation; (4) teachers' files often lacked DOD-required documents confirming their qualifications; (5) many DOD school advisory committees lacked influence on school operations due to limited discussions, lack of information, and non-voting influences at committee meetings; (6) DOD had implemented drug and alcohol abuse prevention problems in all its schools; and (7) at 30 inspected schools, DOD had corrected over 70 percent of the facilities problems and did not consider the remaining problems severe enough to detract from the quality of education.
