ESSA Aligners

Back in February 2016, we Anti CCSS (and anti Fed Ed) Warriors listened in horror as Sen. Lamar Alexander listed off several groups already hard at work over implementing the ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act). We have witnessed these same groups repeatedly backing Common Core, Career Tech Education, Competency Based Education, and all the other aspects in this illegally based education reform.

So, what are the implementation efforts of these groups? That is the focus of today’s ‘From the Files’ article.

The Groups Mentioned during the Speech:

On Feb. 25, 2016, during the first U.S. Senate HELP (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions) Committee, Sen. Lamar Alexander revealed the following groups had formed a coalition to ensure education fit the ESSA.

National Governors Association, The National Educators Association, School Superintendents Association (aka: American Association of School Administrators),
American Federation of Teachers, National Conference of State Legislators, National Association of State Boards of Education, The National School Boards Association, National Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals, the National Secondary School Principals Association, and with the support of the Chief Council of State School Officers.
(Source: the Senate HELP Committee Hearing from 2/25/16)
To see the rest of the previously published article where this information above came from: https://www.commoncorediva.com/2016/02/29/warriors-guide-to-essa/

Since every one of these groups in part of the CCSS Machine, remember, their reports, articles, and resources will all put a positive spin on ESSA! Warriors, like myself, have combed through the ESSA and reported how damaging it will be.

NGA (National Governor’s Association):
From their website, a recap of the Winter meeting reveals that Sen. Alexander was present to extol not only education reform, but improving lives. See the recap: http://www.nga.org/cms/home/news-room/news-releases/2016–news-releases/col2-content/2016-nga-winter-meeting-recap.html
(*Note: the Recap will not give specifics about what was said, but I did find the following excerpt in the Meeting’s related News section.)

“State implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). In December, Congress passed this landmark legislation, which repealed the No Child Left Behind Act and devolved federal control of legislation, returning power to the states. At the Education and Workforce Committee session,governors discussed how states can move forward with ESSA implementation. The conversation continued at a Senate hearing this morning, at which Gov. Herbert testified. “Governors view ESSA as an opportunity for states to set high—but realistic—expectations for schools while allowing them to determine how to meet those expectations,” he said.”
(*Note: click on the highlighted word to gain access to the over 1 hour meeting on video!)

NEA (National Educators Association):
Leading the NEA is Lily Garcia. She has made a name for the efforts to back ESSA (according to her page on the NEA website). It is called ‘Spring Into the ESSA’.

According to Lily, April 3rd is the date the NEA will, indeed, spring into your schools. How?
“Beginning April 3, NEA local associations nationwide will be hosting meetings, school walk-ins, panel discussions, and community forums designed to explain what the law means and how we can implement it in ways that benefit students.” (*Note: if you are not sure what a school walk-in is, click the highlighted link to see the 2/17 event.) To access all of what Lily says (and she says a lot we need to know): http://lilysblackboard.org/2016/03/this-spring-is-for-essa-and-we-need-you/)
Related to the NEA is the ‘State and Local ESSA Implementation Network’. See:
http://www.nea.org/home/65842.htm
To see the Network members: ESSA-Implementation-Network-Letter-FINAL

The American Association of School Administrators (AKA: The School Superintendents Association):
This group has quite a few resources we Warriors can use and learn from. Below is one of the more helpful ones in a screen shot:

To access the entire presentation: ESSA Approps NCE 2016
To see their other ESSA resources: http://www.aasa.org/pages/templates/gsesearch.aspx?q=ESSA

AFT (American Federation of Teachers):
Before we look at their current ESSA activities, check out the screen shot below:

From their March 2016 News, you can find this excerpt: “AFT and CCSSO were at the core of an unprecedented alliance of education, parent, community and civil rights groups that secured enactment of ESSA last December—an achievement many longtime observers have labeled Washington’s “Christmas miracle” at a time of partisan gridlock. The March meeting between the two organizations suggested the possibility of that work continuing, based on a shared dissatisfaction with the No Child Left Behind status quo and a shared belief that states need to give the grass roots a real say in the rollout of the replacement law.” Read the rest:
http://www.aft.org/news/union-state-school-officers-talk-essa-implementation
Related is an article the AFT published about the ESSA success in Utah: http://www.aft.org/news/utah-seizes-essa-opportunity-testing-evaluation

National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL):
From their dedicated pages of ESSA resources, you can find all sorts of things related to the ESSA. One, in particular, caught my eye. It was when the NCSL worked with the NGA to push for the passage of ESSA. Why is this vital to our War Against the Core? Look at the plans both groups hatched up for states and local levels! See: NGA_NCSL_ESEAPlan_Final
To access the other resources: http://www.ncsl.org/ncsl-in-dc/standing-committees/education/every-student-succeeds-act-essa-information-and-resources.aspx
(*Note: be sure to check back periodically on this website, as the NCSL will continue to add more items.)

NASBE (National Association of State  Boards of Education):
On their archived Webinar page, you can find at least 4 concerning the ESSA. ‘Principal Standards and the ESSA‘, ‘ESSA and Early Learning’, ‘ESSA Briefing’, and the ‘Next Generation Assessments’. See: http://www.nasbe.org/news-info/multimedia/webinars/webinar-archives/ (*Note, these archives are as recent as early March 2016.)

NSBA (National School Boards Association):
This group has much to say about ESSA, but the most helpful for what we can use, is their announcement of the upcoming ‘Rules for Implementation Process’ for the ESSA. Why is this important, it will be one of the FEW public opportunities to be involved! See the screen shot:

NAESP (National Association of Elementary and Secondary School Principals):
This group recently visited Washington D.C. to stump for the implementation of ESSA. Read their report: http://www.naesp.org/content/nation-s-principals-visit-capitol-hill-launch-naesp-s-advocacy-agenda-essa-implementation

NASSP (National Association of Secondary School Principals):
Find out, not only, how they are tracking the implementation process of ESSA, but are advocating for funding tied to the ESSA. See: http://blog.nassp.org/2016/03/21/advocacy-update-tracking-essa-2/
This group will also be hosting upcoming ESSA webinars. Below is one set for tomorrow!
If you cannot sign up for this, I have and will do my best to share all I can learn.

Finally, the CCSSO, Chief Council of State School Officers:
You can bet, just like their partner in educational crimes, the NGA (remember, both the NGA and CCSSO hold the copyrights to the Common Core State Standards), the CCSSO will have PLENTY to do with the ESSA’s implementation.
They have a dedicated ESSA implementation page. See: http://www.ccsso.org/Resources/Programs/Every_Student_Succeeds_Act.html (*Note: jam packed with pro CCSS materials!)
Here is their brief on the funding stream changes: Summary of Significant Spending and Fiscal Rules in ESSA – 03092016

Closing:
Warriors, as you can see, we have lots of evidence here. Share this news, compare it to the ANTI CCSS/Fed Led Ed evidence I, along with others, have given you straight from the Law, not our CCSS Machine agenda perspective. Each of these groups above has sold our nation out!