A Pied Piper’s Tale

Warriors Against the Core, it’s not a festive report I bring to you today. However, it IS relevant to our War Vs Fed Ed.

That stated, I would like you to recall the ancient tale of the Pied Piper. You may remember the version where the Piper would play his flute to lead the rats away. However, the original version of the tale is a bit more sinister. In that version, the Piper returns to the village for payment for removal of said rats. His payment? The children. I’ll leave it at that. However, if you wish to read the more ghastly version: http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/disturbing-true-story-pied-piper-hamelin-001969

So how is the CCSS Machine playing its own version of the Pied Piper?

I think, we, as educated anti CCSS Warriors, know how: with deception at almost every level of existence.

Depending on what type of deception is needed determines what tune the Piper uses on the flute. Depending on what level of ‘accountability’ is being performed determines just who the Piper may be at that moment. For example, The Pied Piper of ESSA has to be Sen. Lamar Alexander playing his ‘song’ of ‘returning education control to the States’. However, the Piper’s tune for something like ‘filling the skills gap’ or ’21st Century Skills’ could be led by many groups anxious to lead our students away.

In the remainder of this article, our Piper for the “21st Century Skills” is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

“Business Leads Solutions”:

Warriors, this article appeared almost at the end of November, 2016. To see the entire ‘song’ of this Pied Piper: https://www.uschamber.com/above-the-fold/business-leads-solutions-workforce-challenges

One of the first graphics you’ll see is this (added emphasis is mine):

To see my U.S. Chamber/Gates Foundation article:
https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/05/22/fom-chambers-pot-of-lies-for-ccss/

To see my USA Funds researched article:
https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/10/27/ftf-measure-twice-cut-once/

To see one of my articles on the “Talent Supply Pipeline”:

The Academy Piper Tune:

First off, watch the video about the “Academy”:

So, Warriors, just WHAT does this organization do to lead our students off to a CCSS/CTE/Workforce Educated demise?! Here’s an excerpt from Oct. 2016:
“The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF) announced today the first cohort of nineteen participants in the Talent Pipeline Management Academy which is supported by a $2.5 million grant from USA Funds. USCCF’s signature workforce development initiative, Talent Pipeline Management (TPM), is a new way of addressing the nation’s skills gap by positioning employers in a more central role as key customers of post-secondary education and training providers. The TPM Academy consists of workshops led by USCCF for business professionals to receive instruction on talent pipeline strategies and guidance for implementation. In addition to a curriculum, technical assistance, and a peer-to-peer learning network, a key resource to be developed as part of the Academy will be the next generation of software tools and applications that support ongoing implementation of signature TPM strategies.”

To access the article where the screen shot above is located: 
https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/press-release/us-chamber-commerce-foundation-and-usa-funds-announce-first-cohort-talent-pipeline

The Talent Pipeline has regional hubs, “The regional partners include the Arizona Chamber Foundation, Vermilion Advantages in Illinois, the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors in Kansas, Impact Northern Kentucky, Michigan Energy Workforce Development Consortium, the Greater Houston Partnership, and Elevate Virginia.”
To see the Talent Pipeline “Piper’s hubs”: https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/center-education-and-workforce/talent-pipeline-management-learning-network

To see short videos for Talent Pipelines in KS, KY, MI, TX, IL, and VA:
https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/talent-pipeline-management/videos

More Piper Tunes:

One of the ‘biggest’ Piper tunes the CCSS Machine churns out and that ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) plays, leads students astray via business/corporate overreach into the classroom as the answer to lots of ‘skill gap’ problems.

GradsforLife plies this ‘tune’, “The talent pipeline is developed with specific needs and current challenges in mind. Standards developed by the employer coalition are constantly changing based on the current economic environment. It is, therefore, more impactful for the business community to define what skills its workforce needs than to wait for the world of academia to catch up. At the same time, this progressive approach may incentivize academic chiefs to develop reforms.”

To see the rest of this ghastly Piper tune: 
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gradsoflife/2016/03/09/how-employers-can-manage-their-talent-pipeline-like-they-manage-their-supply-chain/#4cc80b565cdb

Warriors, we’ve seen enough non-educator based disaster via the CCSS Machine. We do not need more. Yet, between ESSA, WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), and HEA (Higher Education Act) have laid a road for the “Pied Piper” where businesses and corporations INCREASE their overreach into the classrooms.

Of the Case Studies the U.S. Chamber’s Talent Pipeline has conducted, at least 2 are corporations and/or businesses are ones I’ve researched and published my findings as to each of their “Pied Piper CCSS/CTE” tunes. Toyota and General Assembly. To see the Case Studies, https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/talent-pipeline-management-case-studies

To see my articles on each:

Toyota’s (Notice they have every age group covered): 
a) https://www.commoncorediva.com/2014/11/16/rmt-vp-unions-career-tech-and-common-core/
b) https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/08/31/monday-musings-more-parent-ccss-alignment/
c) https://www.commoncorediva.com/2015/11/02/monday-musings-alignment-for-wee-ones/

General Assembly’s:

a) https://www.commoncorediva.com/2016/05/16/do-you-know-this-ga/
b) https://www.commoncorediva.com/2016/05/18/special-edition-news/
c) https://www.commoncorediva.com/2016/10/07/something-wicked-brewing/
(*Note, this last GA related article is truly fitting into the Piped Piper’s luring of our students away from true education to a workforce based nightmare existence. It features a made-for-You Tube movie were students are given achievement tests. If they pass, they live; if they do not, they die.)

Closing:

Warriors Against the Core, I do not wish to leave you on such a drastic mental image. However, I am not the only Warrior who’s compared what is happening to our students to awful things. I am not alone in hating what is going on in America, as far as our education system being so overrun with Pipers who deceive, indoctrinate, and conform our students.
We must mute their tunes! We must stand between the Pipers of Reform and our students, regardless of their age. The Pipers of Reform are here for EVERY student, not a select few.