Lifelong Learning:

The US Army has created one of the most innovative programs of higher education in the world. The Army Continuing Education System (ACES) provides access to quality education, helping enlisted soldiers further their professional and personal career goals while providing the Army with top preparation for its forces.

ACES brings together a unique collaboration of colleges and universities offering a broad range of educational opportunities Through its many programs, ACES promotes lifelong learning and sharpens the competitive edge of Army 2010 and beyond. ACES is committed to excellence in service, innovation, and deployability. There are 111 Army Education Centers and 128 Learning Centers available to serve you worldwide.

The mission of the ACES program is to improve combat readiness by planning, resourcing and implementing educational programs to support the development of quality soldiers. ACES' Vision: "Revolutionize and lead Department of Defense education and spearhead a lifelong learning culture to strengthen a mission-ready force."

On-line accessibility makes ACES available to all enlisted Army personnel anywhere in the world. GoArmyEd is the virtual gateway for Soldiers on active duty to request Tuition Assistance (TA) online, anytime for classroom, distance learning, and online courses.

GoArmyEd is used by:

• Soldiers to pursue their postsecondary educational goals
• Army Education Counselors to provide educational guidance
• Colleges to deliver degree and course offerings and to report Soldier progress

Today, the portal services students at about 145 schools and is accessible to all Army students including the 96,000 that in the last year alone, registered for over 200,000 courses. Students in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait number over 13,000 and have registered for over 35,000 classes. Not only does GoArmyEd allow for personal and professional advancement, it allows for deployed soldiers to continue their studies and feel a sense of normalcy while away on a mission

Troops to Teachers

Under the Troops to Teachers program, the Departments of Education and Defense team up to help qualified service members transition to civilian teaching careers. The goal is to recruit quality teachers for schools serving low-income families and to relieve teacher shortages. Public school teachers must be licensed, which typically requires a bachelor's degree and completion of an approved teacher education program. Many States offer alternative licensing programs to attract people into teaching, especially for hard-to-fill positions. The average salary for traditional public school teachers increased 4.5 percent in 2006-07 to $51,009. For more information on becoming a teacher go to: Proud to Serve Again