WYBI: Global Ed for All Through 2030?!

For this “Would You Believe It?” Wednesday, the latest on how Common Core Standards, the CCSS Machine, and Global Education (aka “Education For All”) intersect.

To Begin With:  A 1970s Children’s Book about the United Nations:

Before we get to the 2030 ‘Roadmap”, you might find it helpful to step back to 1970 for a few minutes with me. I had discovered this particular resource when my local library was culling its shelves of old books. I love old books, but the best part was it was a book that was well before the era of CCSS and its aligned (more like, maligned) history. Since reading Berit Kjos’ booklet ” A “Common Core”: for a Global Community”, I knew connecting the dots would be super easy. How easy? Less than one hour. Between flipping the pages and noticing names to looking up each agency’s modern day website.   (If you’ve not read Mrs. Kjos’ booklet, I highly suggest it. It is powerful. She has all the resource information so you can use it for your fight in your state. Access the book: www.lighthousetrails.com, then search by either author name or book title. Mrs. Kjos shares with you the year, occasion and how Bill Gates entered the educational realm..thus laying the Common Core foundation. (*Note: this is a big clue to connecting CCSS Machine to UNESCO)

Some Visual Evidence from the Past:

Below, you’ll see 3 different split screen shots of the  book published back in 1970 by Scholastic (long before they sold out to Common Core). The first two will be highlighting the 13 different arms of the UN (United Nations) and how they tie back to Common Core today. First up, is the page that featured the World Bank. It’s been well documented to being connected to helping fund Common Core. However, look at the others visible.

Then, there’s the picture below with MORE UN agencies and their involvement. Of the most noteworthy, the ‘Physical Education’ Common Core makeover was traced back the World Health Organization. a CCSS aligned Social Studies was discovered to have connections with the International Monetary Fund, but there’s more:

The final split screen shot I’ve provided you from my research is some of the text from the same children’s book. Pay attention to the only purpose the UN had for education THEN.

Some Related Information:
While there is certainly much proof I can share with you about the 13 UN related agencies and their ties to CCSS and more, I want to keep the ‘related resources’ brief, so we can delve into the ‘2030’ portion of the article.

1) Some of the CCSS Aligned Sports: http://preventcommoncore.com/?p=1080
2) Linking the IMF, UNESCO, and more to CCSS: https://whatiscommoncore.wordpress.com/2012/09/14/does-u-n-s-education-mandate-push-common-core-in-usa/  (*Note: IMF also offered published aligned CCSS resources, see:
http://www.imfbookstore.org/ProdDetails.asp?ID=9780807755174&PG=1&Type=RLMc )
3) WHO’s “Global Core Competencies for Health Care” (*Note: be sure to find the outcome based education/the equity for all/the workforce competency is the key to global success type phrases). globalhealthstandards

Onward, to 2030: 

From the just announced “World Education Forum”, the following excerpt: “The Declaration on Education 2030 to be agreed at the Forum will mobilize all countries and partners to implement the new agenda, and propose ways for its coordination, financing and monitoring – globally, regionally and nationally – to ensure equal educational opportunities for all.”  This is followed by,“The Forum brings together more than 130 government ministers, along with high-level government officials, Nobel Prize Laureates, heads of international and non-governmental organizations, academics, representatives of the private sector, researchers and other key stakeholders.” The press release goes on to share internationally agreed upon 6 EFA (“Education For All”) Goals. (*Note: the U.S. is an active participant in EFA; See the screen shots below.)

And from this week’s Forum, be sure to access the entire program. You’ll want to focus on Day 2’s topics. See: http://en.unesco.org/world-education-forum-2015/about-forum/programme 

So, What are the 6 “EFA Goals”:

1) expanded early childhood education; 2) more girls involved; 3) more ‘equity skill- based’ education; 4) continuing education throughout adulthood; 5) gender issues; and 6) more measured outcome based education complete with life skills. If any of this sounds familiar there’s a reason why.
Mrs. Kjos states it best in her “A Common Core for a Global Community”, “UNESCO’s efforts in the 1960s and 1970s to influence U.S. school curriculum were unsuccessful. But now UNESCO has found a sugar daddy. On November 17, 2004 at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris, UNESCO signed a 26-page “Cooperation Agreement” with Microsoft Corporation to develop a “master curriculum (Syllabus)” for teacher training in information technologies based on standards, guidelines, benchmarks, and assessment techniques. The Agreement states that . . . “UNESCO will explore how to facilitate content development. Following the signing of the Agreement, UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura explained it in a speech. One of its goals, he said, is “fostering web-based communities of practice including content development and worldwide curricula reflecting UNESCO values. No doubt that is agreeable to Bill Gates because the Agreement states that “Microsoft supports the objectives of UNESCO as stipulated in UNESCO’s Constitution.” The goals crafted as a result of this ‘union’? “Environmental education will be incorporated in formal education; Any value or attitude held by anyone globally that stands independent to that of the United Nations’ definition of “sustainable education” must change; Current attitudes are unacceptable; Education will be belief-and-spirituality based as defined by the global collective; Environmental education will be integrated into every subject, not just science.” 

As far as from 2015 to 2030’s plan? Here’s a sample, “The post-2015 development agenda should be rights-based and adopt an equity perspective, while reflecting the expanded vision of access to quality education at all levels, with a focus on learning. UNESCO recommends to its Member States: “Ensure equitable quality education and lifelong learning for all by 2030” as a possible overarching education goal, aiming to achieve just, inclusive, peaceful and sustainable societies. This overarching goal is translated into specific global targets to which countries would commit and could be held accountable, and for which corresponding indicators will be developed.” To get the entire strategy report: unesco2015beyond

More related resources:
I’m including an almost 500 page UNESCO Global Ed Monitoring Report (the 2013-14 one). If you want to go straight to the chapter about curriculum and assessments, it’s Chapter 7.
globaledmonitor
If you’d like to know the public-private partnerships UNESCO has to help spur all this global education on, be sure to access their ‘tell all’ publication, globaledp3s (*Note: you’ll not only find Microsoft, but Coca-Cola, and many others)
If you’d like to find out about more of the UNESCO/USA interactions, be sure to visit the website in the screen shot below:

If you’d like an excellent article from the “Arizonians Against Common Core” about the UN and CCSS Machine’s intertwining connections, see: http://www.arizonansagainstcommoncore.com/UN_connection.html

If you wonder how a former U.N. Leader felt about education for all global citizens, here’s a quote.