Tightening the Collar

 

Warriors Against the Core, have you seen one of the latest documents concerning those State led ESSA implementation feedback meetings? ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) does in fact increase the choke-hold of federal overreach in education. I know you know this, BUT have you wondered if your input really matters? I know I sure did when I attended one in the state I live in.

So, what’s the document? Courtesy of the CCSS Machine half owner, CCSSO (Council of Chief State School Officers), it’s called the

Now, if you have seen this guide, you know the implications are immense. Anytime you have a sold out group, a subjective viewpoint, the information you give to ‘guide’ others will definitely be a Delphi move. However, if you’ve not see this document,  you should. Why? Look at the number of meetings still be held by your State levels of education leadership for our input into HOW ESSA should be for our local control. When you create a conversation guide, you might as well be handing the States a cheat sheet for an exam.

What the Guide is Delphi-ing Your State Into:

1) The Guide is 27 pages long and has SO much CCSS Machine support it might as well be in the undergarment support business.

2) Page 4 leads us to believe that if we (the States) do ‘x,y, and z’; then all kinds of good will come from the local control. Now, pardon me, but leading up to this ‘vote of confidence’, is a shout out from the NEA (National Education Assoc.) which has been horribly visible about their support of ESSA, its passage and is now driving their agenda to help influence political votes. Now, the way in which this page is written it begs the question: If my State doesn’t do ‘x, y, and z’; will this be thrown back in our faces?! Warriors, I do believe so.

If you’d like to see how the CCSSO is heralding the State conversations:

3) Page 10 begins the ‘how to’ parts of engaging stakeholders. Legislators top the list, educators finish the list. Parents are next to last. Native Americans are second after the law makers.

4) Page 11 will so you how to use the U.S. Dept. of Ed’s arm, Ed Reform Support Network tools:

5) Page 12 is of special note. This is where the parents are targeted, carries to the pages which follow.

6) Page 24 gives you a map where you can classify your most desired relationship you wish to influence (aka: manipulate from their perspective).

7) On one of the last pages of the Conversation Guide, you’ll see what resembles a detailed ESSA impact guide. I highlighted a couple of facts not so visible.

Get the Guide: ccsso-stakeholder-engagement-guide-final

The U.S. Education’s Education Reform Support Network Guide:

If you thought the CCSSO was the only one Delphi-ing our States, I found the Education Reform Support’s Guide. Like the CCSSO’s, this one’s full of all kinds of tools, techniques, and conversation starters. It is from late 2014. I swear, you’d think no one in America knew how to form syllables, must less talk intelligently.

This Guide is only 21 pages. It expounds on the Four Is mentioned in the CCSSO Guide. This one, however, also gives you, the influencer, a self assessment on how well you can help ratchet up the conversation.

Get this one and read up on just how far the U.S. Dept. of Ed expects us to be bent.
communications-and-engagement-assessment-rubric

Closing:

As you can see, Warriors, we are definitely being set up for a tremendous fall. Please be sure to stay tuned for how I want to help us strike back against the ‘false advertising’ with not only the videos I mentioned in the opening, but to the false/positive meetings we are experiencing. How dare, these people host meetings with the premise our voices count, only to have guides like the 2 I’ve featured, coaching them right into the