“In Alignment We Trust”

Just released yesterday, was this glowing article about how fantastic and ‘for education’ Vice President-elect Pence is. Sure, the IN based media has a right to brag..after all it is one of their own who will be second in command of the entire nation. (article link is below in the ‘school choice’ portion)
Pardon me, if I (along with other Anti CCSS Warriors) are not joining in the celebration.

Let me state, it is not Gov. Pence I am attacking, it is his involvement in education I wish to bring to light. First, the stance on Career Tech Education. Then, the stance on vouchers and school choice.

Career Tech Education: Education/Workforce Alignment For All Ages:

Recently, I’ve shown you how the U.S. House’s Education and Workforce Committee has used Gov. Pence’s words about the glories and praises of CTE (Career Tech Education). Those words were from 2015. With their  mantra, our Congress has been spreading, they are leaving out some very crucial details. (For example, see the ‘featured shot’ above.) To see the  important CCSS Machine information surrounding that featured picture and to learn more about Pence’s speech,
https://www.commoncorediva.com/2016/11/09/does-it-really-matter/

Warriors, I’ve been sharing with you for years about the toxicity of CTE (Career Tech Education). Why? It is the adult form of Common Core. It is all about workforce education, NOT academic education. It is designed for EVERY educational choice known to mankind due to all the locations it is embedded.

From my research, I’ve shown you how this ‘adult version’ has reversed itself and now traces backwards into K-12 education. It also extends itself into community colleges, apprenticeships, job seeking services, and everywhere in between. Four year colleges, on-line colleges, some private higher education institutions (especially the for-profit trade based schools) ALL have CTE!

Warriors, from my article I’ve linked you to above, you can see how Congress is considering some pretty wide sweeping CTE legislation. That article mentions 2 pieces. However, back in August, I showed you a total of 4! Each are toxic on their own, but it is the LADDER Act which is the MOST damming of all. To learn about the data mining, the job/economy education micromanaging, and lots more: https://www.commoncorediva.com/2016/08/18/americas-obsession/

Pence on CTE:

In this undated IN article, the two bills to strengthen CTE in IN were described as ‘sweet music’. The first bill combined P3s (public private partnerships) to create workforce based education. The second bill created ways for all the ‘stakeholders’ to be present at the same time and place. Pence stated CTE would reduce the drop out rate, help IN’s economy, and attract new jobs. He also stated he’d create a new high school curriculum for ‘vocational tech’. Warriors, CTE is the re-brand name for ‘vocational tech’!

To see the entire article: http://techedmagazine.com/node/5298

*Note: While Gov. Pence is on record for creating a new educational curriculum, his biography does not reveal any education experience whatsoever. There’s no education degree, no education resource authorship. Nothing.
To see his biography: http://www.biography.com/people/mike-pence-071416

In July 2016, the New York Times had what you see below in their article about Pence’s stance on education. As you’ll see the added emphasis is mine.

As you can guess the national groups for CTE are pumped Gov. Pence is on board with this part of the CCSS Machine. Here’s an article from the Career Tech Blog:
http://blog.careertech.org/?p=12435

Here’s a screen shot of the Blog. Emphasis is mine.

From Pence’s 2014 Roadmap for Education, the last page detailed how he was set on increasing CTE. On the pages preceding the information, you’ll find his plan for vouchers and low-performing schools.
See: https://www.in.gov/gov/files/Roadmap_2014_Education.pdf

Vouchers, School Choice Stances:

Taken from the first page of Pence’s Roadmap, early education vouchers (emphasis mine):

Over on the Trump Campaign website, you’ll find a glowing statement made by Pence about Trump’s school choice plans. “GOV. PENCE:“A Bold Set Of Policies That Will Increase Accountability And Lead To Better Results For Our Nation’s Children…” ” To see the policies:
https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/pence-statement-on-trumps-new-school-choice-policies

*Note: I do not know for a fact if either of these elected officials is aware of the dangers in ‘school choice’, ‘education savings accounts’ (vouchers/tax incentives), or re-prioritizing federal funds to create these ‘opportunities’. I do not know if they are aware that all that accountability they seem to believe is available in these options is a fallacy. Why? ESSA and its accountability mandates decrease local control NOT increase it! ESSA and its language neuter school choice completely.
Feeding this rhetoric (regardless of political affiliations) to our nation only accomplishes 3 things:
a) furthers the CCSS Machine grasp on education thereby increasing the P3 overreach
b) renders campaign promises as null and void as to ending CCSS thereby strengthening CTE (CCSS’s extension)
c) sets our nation up to continue its global workforce education streamlined march into a caste America
(*Note: if you’d like to know how I know these 3 points, please refer to my portion of Alice Linahan’s recent article, http://www.voicesempower.com/betsy-devos-being-against-common-core-is-like-saying/)

The IN based article (the very first picture you saw with “In Pence, Trump Finds School Choice Advocate”), you’ll see that Pence is heralded as a champion for not only choice, but vouchers. Read this excerpt, “school choice policies that have come to define Indiana’s educational landscape could gain an unprecedented prominence on the federal level.”

Warriors, this should have us all concerned. We DO NOT need more federal level education activity!

Another huge warning should be this quote, “While the administration of President Barack Obama has supported the expansion of charter schools nationwide, educators expect the Trump-Pence administration to provide a bully pulpit for national discussions on school choice.”

To access the entire article:
 http://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2016/11/26/pence-trump-finds-school-choice-advocate/94338258/

Warriors, we’ve seen the many other Obama administration overreaches into the school systems (ie: data collection, digital assessments which lead to data mining, STEM initiatives, College/Career Readiness initiatives, The American Apprenticeship Initiative (CTE and P3 in one location). We’ve witnessed Vice President Biden join forces with American unions to promote workforce based education on several local, state, and national levels. We are seeing our U.S. Congress create legislation after legislation to continue CTE. We’ve seen our Congress pass, without hesitation, the ESSA which further expands charter schools, incentives (which could be called vouchers or education savings accounts in the future) to States, all the while keeping the workforce based streamlined education embedded for students AND teachers.

Do we really need more of the same? Do we really need a ‘bully pulpit’?

Closing:

It’s important to note that while there is so much true and fact based information as to why school choice is a fallacy, there is just as much fallacy based, misguiding information out there. The CCSS Machine is funding many groups to spread the latter. In fact,they’ve already been at it for a while. How do we know? Look at your State legislation already in place for charter schools. Look at the already passed ‘school choice’ options available.

Then, look at the national groups spearheading BOTH. For example, Jeb Bush’s Foundation for Excellence in Education (I recently wrote and published information about his latest D.C. push for such activities.), EdChoice (formerly the Friedman Foundation) was also featured in the IN news article above. Here’s is an excerpt as to why they re-branded themselves, “Although we will no longer be using their name, we will never lose sight of universal school choice as the intellectual legacy of Milton and Rose D. Friedman. We have been honored to be their legacy foundation during the last 20 years and to be the nation’s only organization solely dedicated to promoting their concept of educational choice. We believe that government has a responsibility to educate the public, but that doesn’t mean writing every child a mandatory prescription for “public school” as it’s been defined over the past 60 years.”
(entire article: https://www.atlasnetwork.org/news/article/friedman-foundation-changes-name-to-focus-on-benefits-of-educational-choice)

In this You Tube video, be sure to note how the Foundation has already been at work ‘training’ policy and law makers to sway the ‘school choice’ illusion. So, Warriors, our War vs the Core will take on a different direction, it seems. Not only fighting for our students, but debunking the myths so permeating the nation.