Purple Star Schools
Overview
The Nevada Purple Star Schools Award program is designed to help schools respond to the educational and social-emotional challenges military-connected children face during their transition to a new school and keep them on track to be college, workforce, and life-ready. The Purple Star School designation helps military-connected families identify which schools in their community have taken extra steps to fully support military connected families.
Military families have a unique view of education in America. The average military family moves every 1-3 years and will experience 6-9 different schools through their K-12 education experience, depending on the needs of the military. Some of those moves are state to state while others are overseas to foreign countries. With each move, many military service members bring their spouses and children to resettle into new communities and attend new schools.
With more than 1.1 million military-connected students attending public schools, issues surrounding school transition have become a top priority for families and some schools. Mobile military students face issues such as gaps and overlaps in curriculum, different graduation requirements, course placement disruption, and many other hurdles when changing schools. Besides the academic issues, these students also face social and emotional challenges of relocation, such as leaving supportive social networks and activities, to start new again.
Nevada Purple Star Schools receive a special Purple Star recognition banner to display in their buildings, are recognized on the NV Department of Education webpage and social media and are highlighted by the various military installations across the state.
Each school Point of Contact is required to complete a professional development training focused on military families. The Nevada Military Children in Our Schools professional development course can be found in Canvas and Google Sites. Please email KellyLynn Charles for assistance with accessing either site.