Letter 1
Background 5
DOD Updated Its Special Education Services Directory in January
2025 but DODEA’s Staff Allocation Methods Do Not Always
Align with Student Needs 11
DODEA Staff and Families Identified Staffing Shortages,
Insufficient Training, and Unclear Guidance Among Key
Obstacles to Providing Special Education Services 19
Conclusions 35
Recommendations for Executive Action 35
Agency Comments and Our Evaluation 36
Appendix I Comments from the Department of Defense 39
Appendix II GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgements 47
Table
Table 1: Sample Information Provided in DOD’s July 2021
Directory of Special Education Services Overseas 12
Figures
Figure 1: Student Enrollment and Number of Schools Across
DODEA, School Year 2023–2024 5
Figure 2: Example of Special Education Service Levels in
Overseas DODEA Schools for Services Related to Vision
Impairments 8
Figure 3: Days Taken to Resolve Special Education Related
Services Delays for DODEA Students During 2022–2023
School Year 13
Figure 4: DODEA Staffing Formulas for Special Education 16
Figure 5: Turnover Rates Among Paraeducators and Special
Education Teachers Across DODEA Locations, School
Year 2022–2023 21
Figure 6: Average Time to Hire DODEA Special Education
Teachers and Paraeducators, School Years 2019–2020
to 2022–2023 23
Figure 7: Voices from the Field: Concerns Around Instructional
Materials to Adapt the General Education Curriculum 28
Figure 8: Voices from the Field: Concerns Around Guidance for
Special Education 34