The Post-9/11 GI Bill is enabling hundreds of thousands of recent Veterans to obtain the education they need for success during and after their military service. Unfortunately, it is challenging to determine program completion rates or degree conferral. We know how many Veterans receive funds and how much money has been spent, but not the explicit results achieved by this investment. Today Student Veterans of America (SVA) and VA announced a major step in changing that.
SVA, working with VA and the National Student Clearinghouse, will lead an effort to research the completion rates of Veterans and their dependents using the Post-9/11 GI Bill. This is an unprecedented effort, and rarely has a government program been studied for efficacy during its execution. We firmly believe it is essential to know just how successful our student Veterans have been as they take on their next mission in the classroom.
The original GI Bill of Rights, officially known as the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, enabled World War II Veterans to obtain higher education at an unprecedented rate and ultimately changed the economic landscape of our nation. It is said that every dollar spent was returned to the nation sevenfold in increased tax revenue as the middle class, full of returned GIs, grew exponentially. Less commonly known is that the GI Bill’s statistical outcomes were not measured until many years later, when researchers began to study the return on this remarkable investment.
Under today’s GI Bill, the challenge of rapidly collecting and reporting accurate statistics on Veterans’ achievement remains. One journalist recently reported that up to 88 percent of Veterans will drop out in their first year, although he has not provided any proof to justify this claim, and SVA has called the statistic patently false. Negative and misleading statistics about how well Veterans are doing in their educational programs discourage Veterans from trying to achieve their dreams—and could make educational institutions less likely to invest in the critical support infrastructure Veterans need to succeed.
Earning a degree or completing vocational training offers Veterans an opportunity to combine their military leadership experience with a civilian credential, paving the way to lead in their next endeavor. It is essential that we know how well they are doing, where the difficulties lie, and how we can effectively allocate both government and nonprofit resources to support them. And as the federal budget continues tightening, we must be able to accurately tell the story of how our investment in the men and women who have defended this nation is helping them realize their aspirations and strengthening our economy.
SVA stands ready to help all Veterans as they work toward their educational and training goals, enter the workforce, and continue to lead this great nation. We are very excited to begin this research and will report back with results as we discover them.
Michael Dakduk is the executive director of Student Veterans of America. He is a U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, with service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Topics in this story
More Stories
Army Veteran Malika Montgomery says one of the things that helped her live her best life with multiple sclerosis was surrounding herself with positive people.
Acknowledging the issues that Veterans face and working toward solutions is crucial for ensuring they have the support they need to thrive in civilian life.
Last year, Move United hosted 26 adaptive sports competitions in 22 states for 1,537 individual athletes. This year, that number is increasing to 35 events in 24 states for even more Veteran athletes.
JOHAN GOMEZ JUST ONE VETERAN MORE.
This is real problem but VA is more is responsible because they don’t inform the veteran of nothing. I been on every single office here in NJ to see and look for information that can help me with my problems, first or they moved the office or no one Know where can I go to get if get to a offices they don’t know what kind of help I need and much more. I think this is a business that VA has with the schools I really don’t know. In 2012 the congress ask the VA top HEADS what are they doing and not one of them give a answer. VA knows which school are doing they job and which are not but they don’t say nothing.
I, not knowing the difference in technical institutes and universities, spent one and a half years at a technical institute not knowing the credits would not transfer. Of course this was a for-profit school. I am in a university now which treats veterans with dignity and respect. The VA needs to crack down on the for-profit schools, audit them and the worst case scenario red flag the institution. I have 18 months left to get my bachelor degree in the field I am studying, no thanks to the technical institute that just wanted the money. Millions of dollars are being paid and the veterans are being used as puppets.
I think one of the problems may be, as it was with me, is that schools aren’t equipped to handle veterans with severe PTSD on top of any additional problems that they may have.
Like myself, I have severe PTSD but I also have ADHD and combined makes for a very difficult learning atmosphere. I had some teachers that were willing to work with me and the rest refused to. So naturally my GPA suffered and now I’m having a difficult time getting into graduate school.
Listen:
The greatest fear is fear itself. Keep your mind busy, and exercise. Thats what they teach the best of the best.
It is helping me big time. My job skills have drastically changed.