Taking One for the Team

Weekend News

Teamwork is such an integral part of success. Anti CCSS Warriors, we have seen how our teamwork has helped us repeatedly strike a blow to the CCSS Machine. We have also seen how the CCSS Machine has used teamwork against our nation’s education, values, work ethic, and anything in between.

In the name of ‘student success’ we have seen ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) blatantly misguide our nation. No doubt we will continue to see more and more teamwork from the CCSS Machine from now until ESSA is fully entrenched.

So, what can, we, the Anti CCSS Warriors work on as a team?!

It is my researched opinion AND personal belief that we CONTINUE with truthful consistency in what we expose. While I have used the David/Goliath story as a comparison between ‘teams’ in this War Against the Core, I think we can also use the principles behind erosion.

Think about it, that one drop of water hitting the dirt will do little, but several drops at the same time create a puddle. Turn a hose full of water on the soil and you see the ground create a hole. The more water, the bigger the hole. What’s my point? With enough truthful evidence pointed in the most influencing direction, it  will create such a gap in the CCSS Machine, there is NO way it will be able to grind on.

carditch

So, what truth have I for you this weekend? The CCSS Machine is grinding out some teamwork of their own you can use against them.

 
Collective Resumes?

ASCD (formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) uses social media quite a bit to spew CCSS Machine rhetoric. Below is a screen shot I think you will find interesting. As usual, the added emphasis you see is mine.

crawford

As you well know, several anti CCSS Warriors have connected the Gates Foundation to ASCD, so we won’t focus on that aspect. What we need to focus on is the “Faculty 
Team Resume”. However, before we do, I want you to see what I was able to find out about Patrick Crawford in a visual way.

 

Crawford and a MD School:

fountaindale

That MD School: 
As far as finding out any more about Fountaindale, there is almost no information on their website. I can tell you that they are associated with the Chesapeake Coalition of Essential Schools. Fountaindale is an elementary school aligned to CCSS and STEM. The school uses Teacher Incentive Funds and MAPS for assessing ‘rigor’. See: http://fountaindaleleadershipportfolio.weebly.com/index.html

I can also share with you that Fountaindale’s school has been key to a LA (Louisiana School District).

labelief
Anti CCSS Consistent Truths to Learn and Share:


As anti CCSS Warriors, you need to see this 73 page document. It refers to all kinds of CCSS Machine groups, efforts, practices, and more. For example, Project RED (a Pearson Publishing Data mining mammoth); Using only CCSS Machine member organizations for Professional Development; How the Essential School Networks/Corsortiums are needed; Laying out what whole school reform should look like; How Gulen type education is needed; Using the “Using Minds Well” products; and how students are to be the ‘workers’ while teachers are the ‘coaches’, especially when it comes to 21st Century Learning. See: baker—baker-middle-2015-sig-application

As anti CCSS Warriors, here is what I have found on the Chesapeake Coalition of Essential Schools,
a) their website address: http://chesapeakeces.org/
b) their trademark tagline uses ‘rigor’ and ‘caring’
c)  their mission statement, “is to support schools and the people and communities touched by them in shaping respectful, rigorous, and responsive places of learning.”
d) all other information was blocked when I clicked on the tabs.

As anti CCSS Warriors, here is the link to the entire (nationwide) CES (Coalition of Essential Schools) directory:
 http://archive.essentialschools.org/affiliates%3Fby=type&order=asc.html

As anti CCSS Warriors, you need to know that CES is big on ‘coaching’ not so much true teaching and that Dr.Linda Darling-Hammond is one of the Executive Leaders. See:
http://archive.essentialschools.org/items/7.html (*Note: you will want to the the CES Benchmarks for Education: http://archive.essentialschools.org/items/5.html)

Those ‘Faculty Team Resumes’:

According to ASCD’s article which  Patrick Crawford wrote, here are his reasons WHY we need to shift from individual resumes to team resumes.

1) As a source of pride for your school collectively
2) Using humans as ‘assets’ during perspective parents/student events
3) As a tool to build each other up in a public way
4) Showing a collective body of achievements earned
5) Here is a screen shot of what Crawford has created and is helping spread across the nation:

teamresume

Crawford even gives ASCD readers (and us as Warriors) tips on how to make your school’s faculty look like his. (As Warriors, of course we will use the information to preserve individualism in our schools.)
Here is the link to his article: http://www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/education-update/aug16/vol58/num08/Showing-Off-with-a-Faculty-R%C3%A9sum%C3%A9.aspx

ASCD:  Churning Out 21st Century Professional Development:

Crawford’s work wasn’t the only recent news I thought we should learn about, there is
also the Professional Development model for 21st Century Learning. Here is a screen shot I thought you might find very revealing.

fetters

To explain what I mean by Fetters best advice above, here is his opinionated statement near the close of the article he wrote for ASCD. “Of course, in my opinion, the most powerful PD out there is your PLN (professional learning network) via Twitter & Voxer. It takes time to build and maintain an effective PLN but it’s so worth the investment. Feel free to check out my blog post from a few months back on this very topic if you’re not connected……yet.”

Fetters also says we must ‘think outside the box’ when it comes to Professional Development in a modern day setting. See what else he has to say about the great things about CCSS, 21st Century technology, and more: http://edge.ascd.org/blogpost/21st-century-professional-development

Fetters is in the IRT (Information and Resources and Technology) Department (a Support Staff position) at Wendell ES Magnet.  See: http://www.wcpss.net/Page/19898

As an Anti CCSS Warrior, you might find interesting the School Improvement Plan from Wendell ES Magnet. See: http://www.wcpss.net/Page/19099

Related:

ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education)  has quite a few ideas about 21st Century PD in team settings which resemble what Crawford and Fetters are harping on: on-line, collective, and aligned!

If you want a quick look at ISTE’s view, check out this blog (with a short video) detailing ISTE’s Professional Development. This work by a grad student.
http://annietremonte.com/iste-teaching-standard-5-leading-collaborative-pd-in-edtech/

Closing:

Press on, my Warriors, get this truth out as you need to and let’s continue to erode the CCSS Machine!

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