Yesterday, anti CCSS/Fed Ed Warriors, I stated we would look a bit closer into the CCSS Machine to find out about a ‘silent partner’. Before we look at who or what group is revealed, let’s continue with where I left off, the U.S. Dept of Labor’s involvement.
‘Building Youth’ via the U.S. Dept. of Labor:
If you have not heard of the YouthBuilder Grants from the U.S. Dept. of Labor, now is our opportunity to learn just how these are tied to the CCSS Machine.
The website: https://www.doleta.gov/Youth_services/YouthBuild.cfm
Their mission for your students in their words, “The Department of Labor has administered the YouthBuild program since September 2006. The YouthBuild program is administered by the Employment and Training Administration’s Office of Workforce Investment, Division of Youth Services. YouthBuild is a community-based alternative education program that provides job training and educational opportunities for at-risk youth ages 16-24. Youth learn construction skills while constructing or rehabilitating affordable housing for low-income or homeless families in their own neighborhoods. Youth split their time between the construction site and the classroom, where they earn their high school diploma or equivalency degree, learn to be community leaders, and prepare for college and other post-secondary training opportunities. YouthBuild includes significant support systems, such as a mentoring, follow-up education, employment, and personal counseling services; and participation in community service and civic engagement. There are over 220 DOL funded YouthBuild programs in 43 states serving over 6000 youth per year.”
To see the Fact Sheet (where you will find WIOA as a featured bonus of the CBGs):
https://www.doleta.gov/youth_services/pdf/AllAboutYouthBuild.pdf
If you are interested in the 2015 CBG Awarded Grants:
https://www.doleta.gov/Youth_services/pdf/2015_YB_Grant_Awards.pdf
As further evidence of the connection between WIOA and YouthBuild, look at the screen shot below from the Dept. of Labor:
If you enlarge the screen shot, you will notice the HUD (Housing and Urban Development) is also on board with the Program. Does that mean the U.S. Dept. of HUD is a CCSS Machine member, too? Yes! However, before we get to HUD, let me finish the U.S. Dept. of Labor by linking you back to two very important articles:
a) This article details the U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Secretary Perez, the U.S. Vice President (Biden), and a think tank organization with ties to the global aspect of workforce, global education:
https://www.commoncorediva.com/2014/11/02/rmt-sunday-vp-common-core-and-jobs/
b) This article ties the alignment of Common Core to Career Tech Education as well as reveal a well known supposed anti CCSS Warrior and some other organizations you may not know are in the CCSS Machine:
https://www.commoncorediva.com/2014/11/16/rmt-vp-unions-career-tech-and-common-core/
HUD, A Silent CCSS Machine Member?
Knowing that I have shared with you many times, in many articles how the U.S. Dept. of Labor is ruining quality education, I haven’t shared what I have found out about HUD. That ends now.
HUD is a part of our government which seeks to equalize neighborhoods across America. While that is a good mission, it is not necessarily up to our federal levels of government to oversee, at least from what I have found out. However, we have seen the federal government overtake healthcare and education, so I guess overtaking the neighborhoods stands to reason.
HUD uses Community Block Grants (CBG) and Promise Zones, which include Promise Neighborhoods. Promise Neighborhoods are embedded in the ESSA (see: https://www.commoncorediva.com/2016/01/04/meet-your-new-neighbor-essa-seriously/)
Part of being eligible for a CBG is developing a ripe economic environment (aka: creating jobs). See the screen shot below for HUD’s Economic Success example:
Also part of being eligible are ‘national activities’. While ESSA does not spell out what ‘national activities’ IT will require, it is worth noting that ESSA, does, in fact, mandate national activities. Activities on a national level are to target teachers and entire families, as well as students and communities. (*Note: Section 4601 in ESSA Final Conference Report is where you will find the family involvement. Section 2201 begins the teachers national activities.)
To learn all you can about CBGs: http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/comm_planning/communitydevelopment/programs
While education is not specifically mentioned (that I saw) in the paper about the HUD’s New Core Shared Service Project, some of the same CCSS Machine member organizations ARE involved in this community wide, encompassing Project.
To access the HUD paper:
http://www.imanet.org/docs/default-source/thought_leadership/operations-process-management-innovation/implementing_shared_service_centers.pdf?sfvrsn=2
To access the Official Report HUD has where they announced the New Core Services:
http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=43-FY16CJ-OCFO.pdf
If you are curious about the Promise Zones featuring Promise Neighborhoods:
1) They are a White House led Initiative (meaning another top-down set of programs, laws to support them, etc.)
2) The first 5 Promise Zones were in TX. PA, CA, Southeastern KY, and the Choctaw Nation in OK. Below is a screen shot from the White House.
To access the rest of the facts from the White House:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/01/08/fact-sheet-president-obama-s-promise-zones-initiative
To see a Report on the Promise Zones (and when Promise Neighborhoods was a proposal in NJ) from the Center for the Study of Social Policy: Promise-Zones
(*Note: The Center for the Study of Social Policy has some well known CCSS Machine member organizations including the U.S. Dept. of Education, the U.S. Dept. of Justice, the United Way, the Promise Neighborhoods via Policy Link, and the HUD. See the entire list: http://www.cssp.org/about/major-funders)
To see the other social policies the Center studies: http://www.cssp.org/about
Look below to see one of the Center’s highlighted news items (click to enlarge it):
Related Resources:
1) To see the Federal Register’s information on the Dec. 2015 Promise Zones, https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/12/18/2015-31884/promise-zones-initiative-third-round-selection-process
2) To see what information you may need on Promise Neighborhoods; pipelines for students:
CLosing:
I hope you have been able to see the connections between the U.S. Depts of Education, Labor, Housing and Urban Development; the White House overreach; the CCSS Machine and the alignment to workforce based education. When you expand the screen shot below, you will find Youth Build in the upper left hand corner. You will find SNAP (it was the featured news NOT circled in the screen shot about the Center for the Study of Social Policy.). If you go back and look at the many programs HUD has for job training, you can probably spot them below, as well. Since all these agencies are involved in the education reform, alignment to workforce based education via WIOA and ESSA is a given.
3 thoughts on “Silent Partners”