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Issue Explainer

Department of Defense Schools

The Federal Education Association, an NEA affiliate, advocates for employee rights and quality learning environments in Department of Defense schools serving military-connected students with unique challenges such as parental deployments and frequent moves.
Family with parents in the military
Published: February 19, 2025

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) oversees 160 schools serving more than 66,000 students in 11 foreign countries, 7 states, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

Military-connected students are top performers despite the challenges of parental deployments and frequent moves.

On the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, the nation’s report card, fourth and eighth graders in DoDEA schools were either at the top of the charts or in second place.

Letters & Testimony

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Bills in Congress

Learn NEA's position on pending legislation related to public education, and take action to protect our schools

  • Support

    S 3070 Shutdown Student Loans for Feds Act www.congress.gov

    Introduced on October 29, 2025

    This bill would require the Department of Education to pause student loan payments for federal workers – including federal contractors and military personnel – in the event of a federal government shutdown lasting longer than two weeks. If passed, this legislation would take immediate effect for DoDEA educators and other federal workers during the current federal government shutdown.

  • Support

    HR 5527 Stop Censoring Military Families Act www.congress.gov

    Introduced on September 19, 2025

    On September 19, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) & Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) introduced The Stop Censoring Military Families Act (H.R.5527), which would restore all books removed from Department of Defense Education Activity (DODEA) schools by the Trump Administration and protect school curricula from political changes #bts2025_1.

  • Support

    S 2837 Protect America’s Workforce Act www.congress.gov

    Introduced on September 17, 2025

    This bill aims to restore collective bargaining rights for unionized federal employees, including those in Department of Defense Education Activity Schools (DoDEA), reversing Trump’s Executive Order entitled “Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs.”

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The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3 million members work at every level of education—from pre-school to university graduate programs. NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States.