Weekend News: The State of CCSS’s SEL

During this busy time, anti CCSS Warriors, we have much distracting us in this War Against the Core (Common Core, that is). For today’s “Tech Thursday”, I’d like to draw your attention to the Gates Foundation funded ASCD (Association for Supervision of Curriculum Development) and their push for SEL (Social Emotional Learning). SEL is a HUGE part of the CCSS Machine’s effort to indoctrinate our students, teachers, school leaders, and, legislators.
We MUST know all that we can about the legislative moves in each of our states to truly combat this portion of the CCSS!

Why is SEL such a big deal? Consider this:
Our emotions were created in us to help us express ourselves. We are to rule them, NOT have them rule us. However, when you take the agenda behind the CCSSI (Common Core State Standards Initiative), you find the gist is to alter our emotions and MOLD them to fit the social issues (ie: social justice). This is a dangerous goal, anti CCSS Warriors. When you alter the mind in any way to fit someone or something else’s agenda, you are no longer your own person living your life as you see fit. You become a easily manageable cog in the CCSS Machine’s parts. So what is SEL? It stands for social, emotional learning. In short, it is everything connected t our attitudes, values, beliefs, and how we use them. Common Core has already proven out in many ways just how it is purposefully manipulating subjects taught, so imagine what it is doing to our minds?

Enter the ASCD:

This is not the first time I’ve written about this pro CCSS group. If you’d like to see what other aligned aspects of theirs I’ve written about, please refer to:
1) https://www.commoncorediva.com/2014/10/08/wybi-wednesday-ccss-and-the-altruism-movement/
2) https://www.commoncorediva.com/2014/11/21/fib-0-meter-friday-as-heard-in-committee/
3) https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/02/13/fom-friday-ccss-cant-be-wrong/
4) https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/04/01/wybi-crystal-clear-common-core/
5) https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/05/30/sic-em-saturday-ed-leaders-aligned-standards/
6) https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/08/18/ftf-ccss-education-community-alignment-reaction/
7) https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/10/21/wybi-tying-stem-to-ccss-again/

On 11/18/15T, ASCD helped host a SEL webinar. The same day the hearings to continue re-authorizing the ESEA (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) began. If you’ve not been made aware of it, SEL is a HUGE portion of the combined bills (HR5 and S1177; Student Success Act and Every Child Achieves Act) that are to replace the ‘outdated’ ESEA!
What group was also hosting this webinar? The Rennie Center. Have you heard of them, anti CCSS Warriors? You should get to know this Center, if you haven’t.
Before we move on to the Rennie Center, I want to leave you with one quote from the ASCD’s author Mike Anderson, “The Common Core State Standards give us a golden opportunity to teach social-emotional skills and academic skills together.” Want to see more of what he wrote about CCSS and SEL lessons?

“Here are just a few examples of connections between the Common Core standards and the five core social and emotional competencies outlined by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL):

Self-Awareness

• Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. (Reading/Foundational Skills/Grade 5)
• Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer’s purpose. (Writing/Grade 5)

Self-Management

• Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach. (Writing/Grade 5)
• [Mathematically proficient students] monitor and evaluate their progress and change course if necessary. (Math Practice Standard 1)

Social Awareness

• Describe how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described. (Speaking and Listening/Grade 5)
• Engage in a range of collaborative discussions with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly. (Speaking and Listening/Grade 5)

Relationship Skills

• With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed. (Writing/Grade 5)
• [Mathematically proficient students] justify their conclusions, communicate them to others, and respond to the arguments of others. (Math Practice Standard 3)

Responsible Decision Making

• Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material. (Speaking and Listening/Grade 5)
• Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. (Speaking and Listening/Grade 5)”
  Source: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/oct15/vol73/num02/Social-Emotional_Learning_and_Academics@_Better_Together.aspx

Enter the Rennie Center:

This Center is yet another ‘education and research policy’ group. Their website address is:
http://www.renniecenter.org/
Below is a screen shot I got from their website:

If you didn’t know it, this Center is based in Massachusetts. Boston to be exact. From their website page titled “Our Impact”, read the following excerpt, “The Rennie Center seeks to foster thoughtful public discourse and informed policy making through non-partisan, independent research and constructive dialogue on key education reform issues.”
What follows this statement is the impact of their work in key education areas.
a) family and children educational services
b) youth readiness
c) Massachusetts Teaching, Learning and Leading Survey (TeLLS) where all the ‘stakeholders’ weighed in.Here’s the link to the description of the 2008 event. Notice what group of ‘stakeholders’ was not included. http://www.renniecenter.org/events/090115_event.html
d) higher education
e) use of data to mold student outcomes
f) English language learners.
See all of the impacts: http://www.renniecenter.org//impact.html

What groups support and fund the Rennie?

Barr Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; Hyams Foundation; IBM Corporation; Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation; Nellie Mae Education Foundation; Noyce Foundation; United Way of Pioneer Valley; and the United Way of Central Massachusetts

Board members: http://www.renniecenter.org//board.html

Rennie Center presented an SEL event in co-operation with MassInc and Transforming Education on 10/26/15. Below is a screen shot from that SEL presentation.

Below is what the Transforming Education’s definition of SEL looks like:

Anti CCSS Warriors, you should view the entire presentation to know what else, and, which educational groups are being targeted! See: 151026_SELpresentation
Other Rennie Center items you need to know:
If you’d like to see how The Rennie Center crunches students and teacher data to reform and align education: RennieMassData
To see how The Rennie Center has reported the use of Title One Funding in MA to align and reform education, RennieTitleOne
How does Title One Funding play into SEL? The re-authorization of the ESEA? Portability of funds or funds which are being proposed to follow your child throughout their education. (ie: Education Savings Accounts, tax credit scholarships, vouchers)

The ASCD and Rennie Center’s 11/18/15 SEL presentation handout notes: social-emotional-learning-webinar-handouts-111815
The ASCD/Rennie Center webinar:  http://www.ascd.org/professional-development/webinars/social-and-emotional-learning-policy-and-practice-webinar.aspx
There are several in-depth things you MUST listen for during this almost hour long webinar! If you don’t have time now to listen, below I have provided some of the high points, but trust me, there is SO much more. I have notes I will be happy to share with you, just contact me via the comments section.

 

What We Need to Know to Look for in Our States Concerning SEL:

1) re-purposing school budgets, combining funds and resources so they are open to all involved

2) college and career readiness departments or committees, especially on the local level and often embedded in community projects.

3) developing a SEL program or initiative (or refreshing an existing SEL program)
ASCD has a ‘how to launch a SEL program article you should read, see:
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may97/vol54/num08/How-to-Launch-a-Social-$-Emotional-Learning-Program.aspx

4) Ethic, moral, or, sex education courses and curricula (all parts of the ‘social issues/justice’ portion of CCSS). With the whole community is in this approach, note that means any group seen as invested in education will have access to your students via ‘educational opportunities’.

5) community wide SEL programs or initiatives (ie: 21st Century Community Learning Centers or Strive Together cities (part of KnowledgeWorks) I’ve written about both of these several times, if you’d like the articles, let me know.

6) How higher learning institutions and other LEAs(local education agencies) are helping align our students, SEL, and Positive Behavior Interventions (also a big part of the Title One Funding, and is set to impact every student via the re-authorized ESEA). (ie: The NC Dept. of Public Instruction’s SEL Foundation’s 2013 newsletter for early education. See: NC-DPI SEFEL newsletter_4-3-13_0 ; Vanderbilt University’s SEL Center for Early Education, see: http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/resources/states.html)

7) Youth Development Initiatives (ie: after school programs, mentors, ‘real world’ preparation)

8) state level SEL indicators such as:

Closing:

With the rush job Congress is giving the re-authorization of the ESEA, the upcoming vote, and the fact the public will NOT have access to the voluminous bill, we have much we need to be preparing for! SEL will NOT go away anytime soon, like everything else connected to the CCSS Machine, it will continue to grind away at not only our educational system, but everyone involved until they become a manipulated version of whom they used to be!