guest post by Suzanne Schumitz, SchoolQuest Social Media Specialist
SchoolQuest.org is a free resource for military-connected students and their families.
How we got started:
Military families move four times more often than non-military families, usually over long distances or even overseas and usually far from the help and support of extended family. Military service members often have unpredictable schedules with irregular hours and may be frequently absent due to training and deployment. As a result, the students in these families face educational transitions on a recurring basis.
It was with these families in mind that the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC)R created SchoolQuest.orgTM. The MCEC’s mission is to ensure quality educational experiences for all military children. 
SchoolQuest is uniquely designed to assist military families so they can confidently face the challenge of transition.
SchoolQuest is:
An online educational resource tool with three primary purposes:
- To help transitioning families search for appropriate schools in their new home areas.
- To assist military-connected high school students and their parents in planning for college.
- To offer research-tested MCEC support to students in transition.
How do we do this? By offering the resources described below . . .
Free Resources Available:
Find a School – Using tested and verified data from Great SchoolsTM along with MCEC-researched information specific to military students, families can search for schools by city & state, zip code, military installation or school district.
SchoolQuest Profiles – A password protected virtual “file drawer” where students and/or families can keep a record of their educational and extracurricular history for easy access when it’s time to register at a new school, apply for scholarships or complete job and/or college applications.
SchoolQuest College Planners –
- Method Test Prep – We know how crucial the ACT and SAT are and that is why SchoolQuest has contracted with MTP to offer military-connected students the best opportunity to prepare.
- Scholarship Finder – Powered by Reference Service Press, students have access to a multitude of undergraduate funding options after answering a brief questionnaire which helps match them with appropriate scholarship opportunities.
- College Options Services – Stocked with a vast amount of information on various college topics.
State Education Resources – A compilation of resources for all fifty states, the Department of Defense Education Association and Washington D.C. Searches can be done by state or by topic across all states.
SchoolQuest Library – “Open” 24/7, this online library is stocked with great resources to answer questions about educational transitions, college and workplace readiness, special needs and many other subjects which are added to and updated on a regular basis.
Blog – A forum where military students and parents can share their thoughts, experiences and advice with others, entries are posted on a regular basis to keep readers informed on the latest in resources and topics related to military-connected students.
Ask Aunt Peggie – If a student or parent has a question they simply can’t find the answer to by using the resources above, they can ask Aunt Peggie. A former military-connected child who attended nine schools by grade 12, Peggie is an expert researcher for the MCEC with 34 years of experience in school administration and the classroom. She and her team have answered thousands of questions over the years!
Links to all of these resources can be found on our SchoolQuest.orgTM home page and are available FREE to military-connected students care of the Military Child Education CoalitionR . . . for the sake of the child!
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