This appeared here.....
Dispatching from the Alexander Hamilton Institute for
the Study of Western Civilization, in Clinton, New York, where the Dissident
Prof is visiting fellow and continuing her study of George Schuyler, great
American writer and patriot. She is looking forward to a productive year
writing the Schuyler book and keeping you informed about developments in the
re-education of America.
Today, Dissident Prof examines one of the newsletters
sent to teachers across the land. She learned that education is like a bowl of
fruit. . . .
The July 24 Teachers Edition, “A
Newsletter Celebrating Teaching & Leading from the U.S. Department of
Education”
This is what she found:
Teachers of the Year at
Their Conference
In this issue, teachers first receive inspiration
through a video of a conversation between actor/producer/rapper Will Smith and
PBS talk show host Tavis Smiley on “the importance of persistence.” This is
part of a presentation titled “True Grit,”
by Angela Duckworth, Ph.D., promoter of “Grit” at the annual conference of
State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY).
“Partners” for this organization include CCSSO, teachers unions, Pearson,
Microsoft. “Sponsors” include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation…and the
teachers unions. This year’s theme was “At the Core,” which “focused on Common
Core State Standards and featured four strands, Student Success, Teacher Leadership,
Education Policy, and Community Relationships.” (It's certainly a good thing
that most teachers are not Teachers of the Year!)
Teacher Homework: Tweet to Re-brand
Teacher to Reflect Complexity
In the next section of the newsletter, teachers are
asked to Tweet their favorite teacher synonyms as part of the re-branding of
the title, “teacher.” The purpose is to find a term that “explores more of the
complexity of our work.” This campaign is the brainchild of two teachers
attending the conference for award-winning teachers.
In keeping with the theme, the next entry directs
teachers to an essay about “teacher leadership.
Parents, Remember, Talk!
Still looking for substance (the 3 R’s), Dissident Prof
instead finds news about the expansion of the Presidential initiative called
“My Brother’s Keeper,” bad news about “financial literacy,” “Digital Innovation
in Learning” awards, and the Early Learning
Initiative that tells parents to talk to their babies.
Girls Rising: Empowering Girls,
Pearson, and Microsoft
Dissident Prof next learned about a new curriculum to
“empower” girls across the globe with education. The Pearson Foundation, the
non-profit arm of the world’s largest textbook publishing company, is
sponsoring and producing the Girl Rising
“standards-aligned curriculum,” those standards of course being Common Core.
In order to receive free materials, including films,
teachers are required to fill in a form answering the question, "What is
motivating you to use this curriculum?"
Among the answers to be checked off are:
“Common-core aligned lesson plans”
“Helping students realize their
potential/responsibility as global citizens”
“Project-based learning” (a hallmark of Common Core
learning)
“Looking for a curriculum to motivate students”
What will the girls learn?
There is a lot about motivating girls, with videos of
girls from around the globe talking about the need to educate girls. What about
what girls need to learn, such as civics, such as why our constitutional form
of government provides the most freedom and opportunity for girls and women?
Well, that was not in the check-off box for teachers
to get their free materials.
Strategic partners
“Strategic partners” for “Girl Rising” include the
Clinton Global Initiative, the Ford Foundation, CIEE (Council on International
Educational Exchange, a “world leader in international education and
exchange).”
Strategic Partners of Strategic
Partners: CIEE “Strategic partnerships”:
There are partnerships within the partnerships. A
“strategic partnership" for CIEE is “Diversity Abroad,” which includes
funding for study abroad through national and state financial aid. There is
also the “World Affairs Council of Maine” and the “Asia Society” that promotes
the teaching of Chinese to students and having students “adopt a position of
advocacy or action.” In case this isn’t enough advocacy one of the links leads
us to the “Choices” curriculum developed at Brown University—rest assured,
Common Core aligned and associated with the NY Times, PBS, Seeds of Peace, and
the Skoll Foundation (for social entrepreneurship).
Well! The Dissident Prof is dizzy with all the
“partnerships” and “strategic partnerships” that are promoting “advocacy.”
Citizen Tots
It is never too early to start the young ones in
“advocacy.” The next item in the newsletter is about civic engagement for
pre-schoolers.
“Looking for ways to engage pre-schoolers in community
service and citizenship?” teachers reading this newsletter are asked.
Pirate and Princess Summer of Doing
Good with the Disney Company
Resources are offered by Disney Junior, where “Disney’s
Jake and Sofia are helping young citizens understand how they can make a
difference during the Pirate and Princess Summer of Doing Good.”
“The Power of Me”
Me...and the power of me
A link brings you to a Disney
game and Disney videos (one featuring a girl dressed as a princess and
labeled “The Power of Me.”) Another click brings you to the Disney store, where
shoppers can buy backpacks on sale and “Shop by Disney Junior Character”--for
products aligned to each Disney character.
It’s not just commercial enterprises that offer tips:
The Department of Ed offers a “simple suggestion”: “institute a cabinet of
secretaries to be responsible for conserving resource. (sic) For example, the
Light Secretary is responsible for making sure all lights are turned off.” Now
that’s the way to get the tots thinking about career paths—as government
bureaucrats.
Principal Chat
After a report on teacher pay (titled, "Shortchanged"),
we come to the Principal Chat section with news about the upcoming
Anti-Bullying Summit on August 15 and the ConnectEd Initiative, “learning
powered by technology,” which “empowers teachers with the best technology and
the training to make the most of it, and empowers students through
individualized learning and rich, digital content.”
Principals are directed to the free resources on this
page, including. . .
Getting free breakfasts and lunches
For “healthy, hunger-free kids” principals are
encouraged to apply
for the “Community Eligibility Provision, of the Healthy, Hunger-free
Kids Act of 2010, in which schools provides free breakfasts and lunches for all
of their students, and cover any costs that exceed the reimbursements from the
USDA.” Why would costs exceed reimbursements? Never mind! Apply now! Deadline
has been extended to August 31.
PBS Early Learning Programs: Funded
by Viewers and Non-Viewers Like You
“Peg + Cat” for your tot. The animated series
won three Emmys and was “partially funded” by a $71 million
RTL grant from the Office of Innovation and Improvement to the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting and the Public Broadcasting Service”—in other words,
through viewers, and non-viewers, like you!
All of the suggested activities for teachers are
coincidentally PBS activities.
Mr. Rogers
Some are from the Fred Rogers Company, non-profit
company that produces government-subsidized programming.
Common Core Connections
This section features tips for teachers on selling
Common Core to parents. Tips are given by a former “teacherpreneur” at the CTQ
“collaboratory.” Maybe they teach you how to combine and make up new words in
education school.
Among the funders are the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation, the Joyce Foundation (Dissident Prof sees the
"connections.")
There are a couple helpful links to “resources” from
Achieve, the non-profit architect of Common Core.
Illinois, "the Leader in Leader
Prep"
The Leaders are principtals.
One of those preparing principal-leaders is the
Illinois Board of Education. Another is the Urban Leadership Program at the
University of Illinois at Chicago. Both these are funded by Department of
Education School
Leadership Program grants. Who knew there were so many
leaders and so much funding for making new leaders?
Parent Engagement (or entrapment?)
In South
Huntington, New York.
(Those "engaged" accept the official take on education.)
Don’t believe the media! Students
love the new healthy lunches.
Students have “’exhibited acceptance and even
happiness” about the newer and healthier school lunches...that's what a
"Bridging the Gap" study says.
Teachers’ Notes:
Teaching
Tolerance Awards for Excellence in
Teaching from the Southern Poverty Law Center
"Natural energy literacy” webinar by the Dept. of Ed (Do they have reading specialists for that
yet?)
The New America Foundation has issued 2 new reports:
"The Case Against Exit Exams"
“Beyond Subprime Learning: Accelerating Progress in
Early Education”
The New America Foundation receives a good portion of
its funding from Gates, Lumina, and the U.S. Dept. of State
The Dissident Prof is scratching her head over how
these topics are a function of the Department of
State.
Top 5 Quotes: wisdom from educators
heard by ED
I think these anonymous quotations are meant to
inspire teachers as they finish reading the newsletter with so much information
about leadership, innovation, and winning awards. One civically minded “teacher
from San Jose, CA,” quotes from the Constitution’s general welfare section, and
says, “’I don’t think our education is promoting the general welfare, and there
is no justice when there’s a 20% difference in high school graduation rates,
depending on your race. . . . This is our generation’s Million Man March.”
Education is like. . .Top quote, #5, from “a teacher in VT”:
“’Education policy is like a bowl of fruit. There is too much in the bowl.”
Dissident Prof agrees
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