By Mary Grabar, Posted July 31, 2014: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:
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 nonprofit 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”
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.
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.”
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
