Partnering Up!

There’s no doubt about life, Warriors; some partnerships make a lot of sense. Some partnerships are fantastic and help us out greatly. Then, as we’ve seen through our War Vs. the Core, some partnerships belong in Hell.

As you were able to find out in my last article, the partnerships made to align American education to anything which resembles a more traditionally academic or patriotic one, happened long ago.

For today’s article, we’ll look at how the partnerships made among our leaders in DC and elsewhere are just as Hell-bound as the others.

Sen. Hatch’s Partnership:

Back in March 2017, the Oregon Senator’s press release stated he’d joined forces with Senator Bennet from Colorado to create ‘critical’ CTE (Career Technical Education) legislation. They are sponsoring the Innovation for Tomorrow’s Workforce Act  The number is S790. It is to accompany this existing Workforce Advance Act, S795. (*Note: S795 has replaced last Congressional Session’s  S3271, by the same name).

From my research into CTE, the only ‘critical’ legislation needed is a repeal of what exists to divorce workforce training from academic education. Why? CTE is, as you know, a direct form of Common Core. As I call it, it’s the ‘adult version’. It’s only purpose is to streamline education into workforce training.

So, what’s the ‘critical’ need for CTE as seen by these partners?
In a few words: by increasing the technology uses in and for CTE, you improve the ‘quality’ of what is learned and taught.

How will all this technology ‘improve’ education?
*Bring in more apprenticeships. work-based programs, and CBE (competency based education) all of which are also CCSS, STEM, and, CTE aligned.

*Easily transfer massive data points on students from one educational institution to the next (this doesn’t include all the third parties involved in the data pool)

*Increase the involvement of more businesses in the classroom; thereby changing academics to workforce based industry needs (which ESSA, Every Student Succeeds Act, has so handily already mandated)

*Have the Secretary of Education (DeVos) decide the funding streams for CTE (largest money trail from federal level to each State level via Perkins Funding). Where it goes and to whom it goes to. (expect favortism via locations and public-private partnerships)

*Embeds Sen. Hatch’s ‘favorite’ tool: The ‘pay for success’ business model applied to education (it’s been a disaster before now, it will only get worse)
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*Before we move on, when we see these types of Congressional partnerships, let’s bear in mind that many have special interest groups in common. Take for example, the resource which tracked all the ‘yes’ votes and ‘no’ votes on the passage of ESSA per special interest campaign donations. Over 100 special interest groups ‘incentivized’ Congress on how to vote. Find that information here.

Then consider this: what Congress did with ESSA, they will do again, when it it time to re-authorize the HEA (Higher Education Act).
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The Warren Partnership:

In the current Congress, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and 3 others have taken former legislation of a few Senators/Reprensentatives’ data mining bill and ‘improved’ upon it. We’ll get back to this one in a few minutes, but first, a bit of background.

In previous Congress sessions, Sen. Marco Rubio had teamed up several others to create a ‘Know Before You Go’ bill. In 2013, the Senators/Reps. partnering together were Marco Rubio, Ron Wyden, Mark Warner, Duncan Hunter, and Robert Andrews. In 2015, it was simply Rubio, Warner, and Wyden.

The purpose of the bill sounds fine, having access to facts about a college or school before you attend. I mean, who wouldn’t like help in making a decision about education?

HOWEVER, add in what our fellow Anti Fed Ed Warriors, Jane Robbins and Emmett McGroarty published about the unspoken federal education and data mining capabilities, that is a HUGE red flag for us.

If you recall, it’s been in previous articles that other Anti Fed Ed Warriors (myself included) have warned about the purposed uniting of student data (all ages, all educational backgrounds) via the SLDS and the WQDI (Student Longitudinal Data System and the Workforce Quality Data Initiative).

So, what has Sen. Warren done with this type of legislation?
According to her Press Release, she’s partnered with 3 other Senators (Hatch, Cassidy, and Whitehouse).
The name of the bill is the College Transparency Act.
The telling sign that this partnership is connected to the CCSS Machine? The involvement of Third Way and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
It’s important to note that Sen. Warren is not the lead sponsor for S1121, but she does appear to have the most information on it.

The House of Representatives also has a College Transparency Act Bill (HR2434). How many partners there? Eight in all. Reps Paul Mitchell (main sponsor), Jared Polis, Thomas Garrett, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Steve Stivers, Jimmy Panetta, Neal Dunn, and Fred Upton.
Like the Senate version, some of the same dangers Robbins/McGroarty have published, are in the House’s version, too.

If you wish to see the government’s Digital Play Book for data/technology use (as mentioned in HR2434), find it here.

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Let’s face it, Warriors, I’ve shown you before how devoted to CTE our Congress members are!
If they truly listened to us and honored the Constitution, they would need
to repeal WIOA (Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014/STEM Act of 2015 (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)/ HEA’s (Higher Education Act) funding streams continuing/ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act)/The WIOA Technical Amendments/the American Apprenticeship Initiative, and anything legislatively binding us to CTE!
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(image is courtesy of ClipArtFest.com)

Partnering Up For Your Little Ones:

HR 2590 (Computer Science for All Act) by Rep. Lee. According to her Press Release,
Computer Science should start in PreK or preschool. It’s streamlined track ends at 12th grade. (*Here’s my Jan. 2017 article on the “Computer Science for All” push by Scholastic, Inc. and others.)

Other CCSS Machine alignment clues from the Press Release: 
*those 21st Century jobs/skills for a greater economy, especially in STEAM fields (STEAM is short for Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math)
*the backing of leading STEM organizations (STEM is short for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).
*uses OECD data/influence as justification for the need to target women and minorities
*uses at least $250 million in taxpayer money
(While the text of the newer version isn’t available, be sure to access its former version below. See what’s being done in the ‘name’ of student success.
That Act was HR 6095. It was also Rep. Lee’s bill. During THAT Session, these Representatives partnered together with Lee:Eddie B Johnson, GK Butterfield, Judy Chu, Jared Polis, Susan DelBene, Ruben Hinojosa, Dina Titus, Robin Kelly, Michael Honda, Katherine Clark, and Marcia Fudge.)

Closing:

Warriors, these are by far, NOT the only Congressional partnerships being used to further the intrusion of WIOA, HEA, ESSA, the STEM Act, Apprenticeships, and everything which connects them into our lives.

These types of partnerships are NOT exclusive among Congress members. As we’ve seen, outside influences are involved.

So, on the federal level, we see alignment all around us. Warriors, it’s on the State levels, too! ESSA will force these partnerships in your communities as well.

Think of it this way: you have the information from the top, you know the system. It flows downward. Get this type of information to your State and local levels before there’s time for the grasp of the CCSS Machine to continue grinding us down. While we are playing catch up on some battles in the War Vs the Core, we CAN surge ahead in areas like these WHEN we use the power of information! Warriors, these Bills (above) haven’t been made law. THEY CAN BE STOPPED!

If you stop and look, almost everything in education/workforce is lined up to meet the UN’s SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). With legislative partners like we see above are in action, they bring us ever closer to what you see below.

Let us no longer turn a blind eye, or, a deaf ear to this situation. For, if we do, this very well may be the only type of ‘class photo’ we’ll see from now on.