Advancing Excellencene in Education Worldwide ( AdvancED)

AdvancED is a dynamic accreditation and evaluation organization that protects the public trust and is proactive in promoting a system of education that:

• Enhances student learning and love for learning.
• Fosters healthy, creative and innovative human beings.
• Prepares students to live and learn in an ever changing and diverse world.
• Provides standards and evaluation services for schools that ensure successful school transitions for its students.

AdvancED is a non-profit organization, accrediting over 23,000 schools divided into 7 categories: Elementary, Middle, Secondary, College Preparatory, Vocational/Adult, Optional/Special Function, and Unit (K-12). Those 23,000 schools are spread out over 30 states, 65 countries and include the Department of Defense Dependents' Schools overseas. At its heart, AdvancED is an accreditation and evaluation organization. To become a member of AdvancED, a school must meet AdvancED standards, conduct a self-study, and adopt a model of continuous school improvement that focuses on improving student performance.

AdvancED strongly believes that AdvancED standards and their application will enhance learning, but there are other benefits to membership. AdvancED membership:

• Helps schools to focus on improving student performance
• Increases the effectiveness of the school improvement process
• Provides school recognition that is useful in the college admissions process
• Promotes staff development
• Involves schools as partners in the formation of regional standards
• Provides a framework for accountability
• Assists the school by promoting essential school conditions such as programs,
  services, staffing, finances, and instructional resources.

Finally, AdvancED membership protects the public's trust. Schools that are AdvancED members have been examined by an outside team made up of their peers, and have had their school improvement plan reviewed by experts.

Site visits are scheduled during the school year. Following the visits, a report will be prepared by the team and sent to the school, the district superintendent, the local commander, the European director, and DoDEA headquarters. The following is a schedule of visits for our district:

SY 2007-2008
- Gaeta Elementary/Middle School, Gaeta, Italy
- Naples Elementary and High Schools, Naples, Italy
- Lajes American School, Azores, Portugal

SY 2008-2009
- George C. Marshall School, Ankara, Turkey
- Incirlik American School, Adana, Turkey

SY 2009-2010
- Vicenza Elementary and High Schools, Vicenza, Italy

SY 2010-2011
- Aviano Elementary, Middle and High Schools, Aviano, Italy
- David Farragurt Elementary and High Schools, Rota, Spain
- Seville School, Moron, Spain

SY 2011-2012
- Stephen Decatur Elementary School, Sigonella, Italy
- Stephen Decatur Secondary School, Sigonella, Italy
- Livorno Unit School, Tirennia , Italy