Just a day or so ago, EAG News shared Truth in American Education’s story that a whopping 17% of parents actually like CCSS. So, that leaves a tremendous amount of us who DON’T like it! So, IF this is a true representation of America, WHY are so many in charge of educational products STILL stacking the deck FOR CCSS? This is our “Riddle Me This” post for today.
First up, The 17% story:
In case you missed it, here’s the link to the story. See: http://eagnews.org/just-17-of-americans-support-common-core/ Written by Shane Vander Hart, this article states that while 17 % don’t mind CCSS at all, 40 % don’t like CCSS and 42 % of parents are undecided. Now, there’s a lot more information given in Mr. Hart’s article and I’ll leave you to digesting it on your own.
However, it is my strong belief we may have the answer to our riddle almost immediately! How’s that, you ask? Well, IF I were in the market to sell you on the merits of CCSS, wouldn’t I stop at nothing to entice you? I would do all I could to sell you, after all, there’s lots of money in it for me if I do.
Think about it from a more simple approach. One of my favorite card games. It involves a lot of ‘selling’ my opponents as to why my line of thinking is better than anyone else’s in order to win something.
Those who are stacking the educational deck are doing almost the same thing. They are trotting out any line of logic possible..whether it’s fact based or trumped up. Any pro CCSS group known to be conducting some study at any point in time (at least recently) is now THE absolute ‘gospel truth’ in education. Let me give you a recent example.
“Education Week”:
When I first subscribed to this online newsletter, I had no idea it was funded by so many of the same big name foundations supportive of CCSS. Thus, making almost everything reported vented toward CCSS. When I did discover this fact, I was able to discern the lies from the truth much more easily. However, not everyone is into the amount of research I am.
So, IF I were one of those 42% on the fence about CCSS, I’d take a look at the website. I’d notice all the awards given, all the community benevolence going on, etc. I’d not think to look at WHO is funding the on-line news. Well, now you can! Here’s the link: http://www.edweek.org/info/about/philanthropy.html?intc=thed What a difference it makes knowing that the SAME foundations helping to bring us the Core are now bringing us so much news about it!
EW’s recent story shared that U. S. students, once again, are coming up short when compared to their global peers. (see: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/02/18/us-millennials-come-up-short-in-global.html?cmp=ENL-CM-NEWS2). How’s this a ‘stacked deck toward CCSS’? Simple, the entire article bases ‘facts’ on a study conducted by ETS (Educational Testing Service). Here’s how EW described ETS, “a new study by the Education Testing Service Center for Research on Human Capital and Education in Lawrenceville, N.J.”
(see Education Week’s article in its entirety: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/02/18/us-millennials-come-up-short-in-global.html?cmp=ENL-CM-NEWS2)
ETS (Educational Testing Service)
In 2014, I wrote about the obsession CCSS has with assessing and I focused on ETS. You will really enjoy the research presented in the article as it ties ETS to the SBAC/PARCC and so much more. (see: https://www.commoncorediva.com/tag/ets/)
(*NOTE: In my original article, you’ll see how dependent many pro CCSS groups are acknowledging the ‘importance’ of NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress); you’ll see what other testing/assessments are considered the ‘top’ ones in the realm of all things CCSS related. NAEP has been used repeatedly to distort the need for national standards.)
ETS’s newest report, just out a few days ago, indeed paints a bleak picture for our American students. You can access ETS’s website: www.ets.org. As far as their research topics, see the below screen shot.
The ETS Study EW mentions can be found in its entirety: http://www.ets.org/s/research/30079/asc-millennials-and-the-future.pdf
PIAAC (Programme of the International Assessment of Adult Competencies):
Ed Week’s article from above also gives PIAAC some visibility in the article. PIAAC is a part of OCED (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) (*NOTE: The spelling is correct for international English, not American English)
Here’s how PIAAC’s stacking the ‘skills’ deck:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvCLXPDvPCM&w=560&h=315]
Related links you may find helpful:
NAEP: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/ (since this is from the U.S. Dept. of Ed, you’ll know it’s stacked evidence)
PIAAC/OECD: http://www.oecd.org/site/piaac/ (To see how PIAAC is using each country in an educational competition with the others: http://www.oecd.org/site/piaac/country-specific-material.htm)
Private school assessments by ETS: https://www.commoncorediva.com/2014/11/15/sic-em-saturday-when-your-faith-based-school-uses-ccss-assessments/
OECD and PISA (Programme for International Assessment): http://preventcommoncore.com/?p=1263 This is the latest article I wrote for Prevent Common Core and address the stacked deck for CCSS from the educational leadership viewpoint. You may not believe some of the deck dealers involved.
To access the rest of ETS’s research topics: http://www.ets.org/research Here you can get an up close look at how our students are termed ‘human capital’, assessed internationally, and which policies in Washington are being impacted.
Closing:
So, our answer to our riddle has taken us all over the globe and we still can easily see WHY so many are stacking the deck in education to CCSS…to make it’s global rhetoric a reality. So, while the pro CCSS dealers are dealing a stacked deck to the 42% currently reported as undecided how they feel about CCSS, that means we, the opposed have just as much opportunity to win those 42% of parents support with the TRUTH about CCSS. What a great way to start off a new week in the battle for our students!
This video and just like all the other rhetoric talks like the US is country of idiots that cannot think, reason, work with a team, etc etc. We have created the greatest minds in history and you do it through encouraging the individual not the collective. You do it by giving children the basics and letting them run with it. This is why home school students are more successful. Trying to force feed humans with what YOU think they need will not work and will only do exactly what the real intent of all this reform is………create obedient workers that know how to DO what they are told. Trained to DO what they are told. But of course they cannot say their real intent because they know people would run for the door. So we will start with the very young and indoctrinate them so that when they are in 8th grade they are ready to be TOLD what their career path will be and like it or not that is what it will be. Think it is not coming? It is already here and many states are already “encouraging” 8th graders to select a 3 year career path. What they want is human capital for the global economy and if we don’t put a stop to it now that is exactly what future generations will be. It will also be the end of the middle class. 20% will go on to college (and I don’t have to tell you whose children will be in the 20%) and 80% will feed the economy with menial low paying jobs thus returning America and the world to a 2 class system. Us the poor and them the rich. Better open your eyes and understand that EVERYTHING they tell you is a lie. It is the snake oil salesman selling his poison as if it were mom’s apple pie. Well you will soon discover that apple pie was made with rotten apples. Even a little poison kills.