Public Private Partnership in Nationalized Education. Local Control is Non-Existent.

From ed.gov and Education Department Launches 2013 Investing in Innovation Competition:

The U.S. Department of Education announced the start of the $150 million 2013 Investing in Innovation (i3) grant competition today with the release of the program's invitation for pre-applications for the i3 "Development" grant category and the notice of final priorities for the i3 program overall. Today's announcement incorporates several improvements the Department has made to the grant competition in its efforts to support school districts and nonprofit organizations in partnership with schools to pursue innovative ideas that increase student success.


The Development category, which funds grantees with promising but relatively untested ideas, has been the most popular of the three grant categories throughout the previous three i3 competitions.

In addition, this year the Department has modified the competition to assist grantees in building meaningful private-sector support. The i3 competition requires all grantees to secure private-sector matching funds; i3 Development grantees must secure a private-sector match comprising 15 percent of their budget. Each highest-rated applicant, as identified by the Department following peer review of the full applications, must submit evidence of 50 percent of the required private-sector match prior to the awarding of an i3 grant by the end of the year. The i3 grantees must then provide evidence of the remaining 50 percent of the required private-sector match no later than six months after the project start date.

This is currently how education is delivered and developed.  Your local state/district's decisions are dictated by the federal tier.  The Federal Government is giving out grants for untested ideas (think Common Core State Standards) to provide outcomes the USDOEd requires.  The priorities for this new grant are taken from Race to the Top.  Even if your state didn't win RTTT grant money, your state/district still has a chance to implement these goals/objectives in your state via more Federal grant money:

• Improving the Effectiveness of Teachers or Principals;
•  Improving Low-Performing Schools;
•  Improving Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education;
•  Improving Academic Outcomes for Students with Disabilities;
•  Improving Academic Outcomes for English Learners (ELs);
•  Improving Parent and Family Engagement;
•  Effective Use of Technology;
•  Serving Rural Communities

The interesting difference between the original RTTT grant and this grant is the requirement of private-sector matching funds.  The Federal government is setting educational direction/development and requiring private sector funding to implement programs within the Federal government's blueprint.

This is similar to the development of Common Core STATE standards.  The Federal government gave stimulus funding to the NGA and CCSSO (two private trade organizations) to set standards within the parameters of USDOE requirements.  The standards must be common for data retrieval and updates to state longitudinal data systems.  Is it any surprise FERPA regulations were revised by the US Department of Education to allow the free exchange of information between states?

Did you believe the standards were really state led?  Would the US Department of Education grant federal dollars for programs that didn't meet the USDOE's requirements or work against the stated desire of the USDOE? 

The sustainability of the USDOE's educational agenda must have a buy in from the private sector which may not be concerned with WHAT educational services it is providing.  WHAT is taught is irrelevant to the private sector.  It has been told what needs to be delivered and private firms are happy to take the federal dollars to do so.  It's the perfect plan for How to Sustain a Nationalized Educational System. Turn it Over to 501(c)(3) Groups for Outsourcing:

Twenty million students are expected to take the SBAC assessments on-line. There needs to be technical and professional support for this system going forward. Both SBAC and PARCC were funded with seed money from TARP. This money will run out September 30, 2014. Any remaining unused funds will revert to the US Treasury. Both consortia must now figure out how to make the assessments sustainable by finding other funding sources.

The first RFP for a consultant to take on this work received zero bids because SBAC had grossly underestimated the effort needed to do the work. They are now looking to identify areas of commonality with the other assessment consortia, PARCC, and see if the two groups can share a consultant on those common points. It is not a stretch to see that these two groups are probably going to have to combine in the future in order to remain sustainable. Then we will truly have national standards.

The plan is to go to private foundations to fund Phase 2. 

 

Why The Left Doesn't Want Common Core Rescinded

Agenda driven curriculum courtesy of Common Core?

A previous post explained why Republicans don't want Common Core standards rescinded:

Common Core standards (written by private companies) have mandated this enormous data retrieval.  The mandates have created  a niche for private companies to compel states to spend money on these systems.  The states have to provide the data; the private companies are delighted to supply this need.   THIS is why the Republicans are loath to rescind the standards.  If there are no standards, there is no vehicle/mandate to require this data.  No data means no private start ups to gather the data.  It doesn't matter to the Republicans that these private start ups are using Federal and state money for their "entrepreneurial" ventures. 

It's just a business venture for these companies.  They don't care what the content is, they will be making  huge profits on the crafting of assessments and providing the necessary infrastructure for implementation.  Upon reflection, a better title for the previous article should be "Why Capitalists Don't Want Common Core Standards Rescinded".  Viewing  the top Obama donors indicates political affiliation includes the left in this capitalist club.   The goal for corporations/private companies is to make as much money as they can from these mandates.  


It's a win win situation not only for the capitalists, it's a dream for left leaning groups as well.  They capitalize on the standards the capitalists are profiting from and using the framework for their agenda.  From Environmental Education Initiative in California and Beyond:

The California Initiative for Education and the Environment states on their website "California is currently poised to lead the nation in environmental literacy with the Education and Environment Initiative (EEI). More can and should be done to understand our relationship with the environment, and we believe the best place to begin is in California's classrooms." Though I feel that the woods or climbing a tree might be a better place to start and I'm sure the folks at Children and Nature would agree, California has once again done the right thing by investing in two of our most valuable resources, youth and the environment.

While I was in San Francisco, I had the pleasure to spend some time with Michael Leifer, co-founder of ecodads (Eco-Dads) who are spearheading a movement to fix education, create a new economy, and inspire environmental stewardship. Basically ecodads are creating and giving away free "Environmental Edutainment" apps based on the states' Common Core Standards and Next Generation Science Standards and district superintendents,' CAL\EPA, CalRecycle, Cal State Parks and the California Dept of Ed's CREEC Resource show support. 

These ecodads will "fix" education by using Common Core standards/assessments to push their particular message.  Not only that, they will be able to create a new economy with their educational message and instruct students on their ideas on what environmental stewardship encompasses.  How will they do this?  Common core implementation and funding mechanism allows this practice: the "public private partnership", otherwise known as the capitalist gravy train.  This quasi-public framework uses taxpayer money for capitalistic profit and left leaning agendas:

The goal of these fun, interactive apps is to put the curriculum into the hands of the students and give them access to all of the separate and valuable education resource providers. Ecodads are blazing the trail for "this type of private public partnership that brings new innovation, collaboration and passion to the task of supporting students' access to powerful learning opportunities in environmental education", as Kris Munro, Assistant Superintendent, Santa Cruz City Schools states.

(Hmm.  A Missouri state senator insisted Common Core standards would not drive curriculum.  Either the senator is wrong or the ecodads are mistaken.)  What is the ultimate agenda of the ecodads?

If we are lucky enough to see this emerge as a cultural revolution that honors nature, raises eco-literate children, and embraces the whole human community as one global family, then perhaps we can enjoy the comforts of our cozy modern life without the threats associated with a warming planet.

Maybe instead of accepting some group's vision of a cultural revolution, students should be educated in the Kurt Vonnegut manner of learning.  From Althouse:

 "As for your term papers, I should like them to be both cynical and religious."

"I want you to adore the Universe, to be easily delighted, but to be prompt as well with impatience with those artists who offend your own deep notions of what the Universe is or should be."

Kurt Vonnegut, to his Iowa Writers' Workshop class in 1965 (reprinted in this collection of his letters).

Substitute "one global family" for "the Universe" and you get the idea.  I wonder if the left leaning groups will be providing a free app so students can access the Constitution, Bill of Rights and an understanding of the difference between state and federal power.  Probably not.  I'm not holding my breath that American public school children will learn that the individuals are greater than the state. I'm sure there would be a huge outcry on "indoctrination of our kids"!  Those crazy people on the right are trying to drive their agenda!  One of these "crazy right wingers" commented on the article:

"California has always been known for its technology, innovation, green initiatives, and movie stars adopting social causes." Too bad California is also known for 167 Billion in debt, schools in the lower half of state rankings, the worst credit rating of any state ever, high crime rate and anti bussiness restrictions that are pushing out companies not to mention one of the highest unemployment rates and insane cost of living. And those rolling blackouts are awesome making you pay other states for their energy..oh and lack of water for your fields. But as long as you have your head in the sand everything is a ok.

Our children in SBAC (and most likely PARCC as well) will become citizens beholden to David Coleman, his minions and their agendas.  Aren't Common Core standards swell?  They are as long as you can control the content and make a fortune in the crafting and implementation.  Somehow I don't think Kurt Vonnegut would approve of them in the least.