Weekend News: Tangled Webs of Educratic Moves

For this first “Weekend News” of 2016, I wanted to focus in on how much CCSS (Common Core State Standards) and CTE (Career Technical Education) is still alive and thriving across the nation.
As most of you (anti CCSS Warriors) know, I reside in NC. As you can imagine, NC, like all the other States, has several legislators, politicians, and other various groups completely sold out to the educational alignment that spans from birth to career.  It has been well documented just HOW sold out NC is. I won’t bore you with the dreary details or name names. I would rather focus in on the information we can use as tools to FIGHT this continue assault on education and our citizens!

So what news do I have which has me re-visiting NC’s moves?! On January 7, 2016 (just yesterday) there was a release by the State Board of Education (SBE). This Resolution is to support the Governor’s alignment plans for a workforce based education system. Basically it is an announcement to the world that proclaims all things CCSS, Common Core State Standards is right for NC. Below is a screen shot. Please, click on it to expand it. Notice that even the fancy font and cursive letters can’t hide the selling out of our state’s education.

My fellow anti CCSS Warrior, LadyLiberty1885 wrote about this Resolution as well. Embedded in her article is the direct link to the Resolution in its entirety. Please read it. Then see if your state board of education has written a similar resolution to continue your state’s assault on education! Access the article:
http://ladyliberty1885.com/2016/01/07/while-ky-lawmakers-move-to-dump-common-core-ncs-governor-tries-to-cement-it/

Here are my key points (from the Resolution) as to what we can use as tools to fight this kind of continued alignment of education.

1) Scrutinize not only your SBEs but your Depts. of Commerce as well. Remember, the Gates Foundation gave the U.S. Chamber of Commerce millions of dollars to use via the state Chambers for the express purpose of involving businesses in the educational alignment!

2) Hold accountable any legislator or politician who refuses to listen to the constituents.

3) Depending on how your State government works, investigate any Dept connected to education in any way. (see below in the instance of rural education)

4) If you do not already know this, find out: What are your State’s Workforce Development goals? How does WIOA{Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014} funding (federal to state trail) play into these goals? What portion of SBE (State Board of Education) RttT {Race to the Top} funding (federal to state trail) was used to help lay the ground work for Workforce education? (Look for Career Technical Education/Career Clusters/Career Pathways/STEM in budget line items) How far has your State come in establishing their WQDI,  Workforce Quality Data Initiative (data mining job applicant’s work information)? (This information will be ‘married’ to the SLDS, Student Longitudinal Data System from the U.S. Dept. of Education to not only create a career track, streamlining jobs, but teacher and school measurements and accountability)

5) What measures has your State made for global readiness/global competitive citizens via education? What measures has your State made for CTE (Career Technical Education (which is the adult version of CCSS)? What current laws are in your State’s books which protect CTE?

6) What collaborations or partnerships has your State made in aligning education to not only CCSS or CTE, but College and Career Readiness Standards from the elementary, secondary institutions to post-secondary educational institutions (Don’t overlook proprietary {for profit} schools or on-line schools.)

7) What current legislation supports the continued use of CCR (College and Career Readiness). What legislation is being written or considered which supports the continued use of CCR (CCSS’s ‘newer name’) What evidence is your State ignoring (which has proven CCSS/CCR as developmentally inappropriate) to justify continuing this harmful education which is based illegally into law?

8) What current legislation is in your State’s Statutes which allows P3 (public-private partnerships) in education? (Be aware that the ESSA has language embedded which will allow for MORE P3 interference in education.)

9) What work-ready communities does your State have currently? (Be aware that the newly passed ESSA law has given the green light for total community alignment to College and Career Readiness, CCR.)

10) What power does your State give to LEAs (Local Educational Agents)now? What current laws protect those powers? (Know that the ESSA gives LEAs even more power than ever and that many accountability and assessment factors will now be at their discretion.)

From My Files:

Below are just a few of the articles I have previously researched and published which directly relate to the Resolution the NC SBE presented not only our Governor, but our entire state’s population.

https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/03/25/wybi-job-development-grants-and-ccss/ (Job development grants are given to the States, what are yours being used for?)

https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/01/15/tech-thursday-update/ (where ‘talent supply’ phrase is unabashedly used to describe students.)

https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/11/19/tech-thursday-post-secondary-champs/ (NC’s College/Career Readiness Certificates; Rural education programs which impact economy and involve the Dept. of Agriculture.)

https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/11/09/monday-musings-global-readiness-and-ccss/ (How far NC has come in the ‘globalness’ of education and how it is aligned to CCSS and the Global Competency Task Force)

https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/10/15/tech-thursday-career-readiness-pledge/ (an in-depth report on the CTE pledges many states have made previously and which in NC’s case, will now be furthered by the Resolution signed Jan. 7, 2016)

https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/10/10/weekend-news-collective-workforce/ (This one from Oct. 2015 gives you a detailed look at how the NC Governor has come in his quest to align NC to all things Workforce, WIOA, CTE, and more.)

https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/08/27/ccss-follow-up-system-more-than-money-will-follow-your-students/ (Where you can see how NC spent some of its WQDI grant money.)

https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/08/20/tech-thursday-high-school-equivalency-ccsscte-style/ (a huge look into NC, the U.S. Dept. of Ed, assessments, General Equivalency Diplomas (GEDs), and more!)

https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/07/19/rmt-dont-look-now-nc-ccsscte-overload/ (A blow by blow look at how the NC SBE has set NC up to support the Resolution they just presented to the Governor.)

https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/07/07/ftf-this-just-in-military-bases-economy-and-ccss/ (CCSS, the NC economy and the U.S. Military.)

Closing:

You got lots of work to do, as do I, so use what I have provided above. Share it, there is a time for everything, and it is our time to step on the toes of those legislators, politicians, and businesses which have taken education to a level that is not only harmful, but criminal.