Military Deployment and Elementary Student Achievement

This study investigated the impact that military deployment has upon academic achievement of elementary school students. TerraNova test scores of 137 fourth and fifth grade students in two elementary schools with a high proportion of military dependent children were examined for two consecutive years. Although the academic test performance fell significantly for those students whose parent was deployed compared to those students whose parent was not deployed during that same period, their performance remained well within the average range and on grade level. Additionally, the deployment affected females differently than males, and fourth graders differently than fifth graders. The implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.