Commercializing education for workforce development!

Commercializing education for workforce development!

Commercializing education for workforce development!
Commercializing education for workforce development!

 Between 1989 and 1998 America implemented Federal laws that reformed its public education system to meet the workforce development needs of the 21st Century. 

By the late 1990’s every state was forced into implementing school reforms necessary for commercializing education for workforce development.

Goals 2000 Educate America of 1994School-to-work Acts of 1994. Improving America’s Schools Act of 1994. Workforce Investment Act of 1998.

Communities lost local control of their school boards.

School boards had to take orders from their State Board of Education.

The State Boards Education became the new Den-Mother of education.

A Global Workforce Map was approved by the World’s International Leaders and UNESCO.

An International Regional Workforce Map was approved by Global Regional Leaders (example: Canada became North America, Mexico and South America, The United States of America, and The United Kingdom of Europe is one workforce region).

The United States of America has 10 Workforce Regions  and 6 Education and Training Regions.

My home state of Maryland has 12 Workforce Regions.  Find your State’s Workforce Regional Map.

The State Boards of Education used the new federal formula to determine which school district would implement which school-to-work program.

Each school district had to create a map of Workforce Zones for their school district. My home county has 5 Workforce Regions. Each region was required to align its level of academics and proficiencies to the employment, career, and/or advance educational opportunities within the school’s cluster (zip code).

Each school cluster had to align its education model to reach the ‘desired educational outcome’ set by the state. Example: If the only job opportunities within a particular zip code is McDonald’s, garbage collection, teaching, day care, family restaurants, postal, mechanic, etc… then the school is not required to teach beyond the basic proficiency level. Why? Because you do not need a degree to work at these places. However, a school community is surrounded by NASA, hospitals or medical research facilities, high-tech corporation or developers, upscale restaurants, housing, retail, and/or universities, then your kindergartener will learn how to complete the rubrics cube in 3-minutes and by the time the student is in the 4th grade, he or she should be capable of solving the most complex math problems.

The curricula used in kindergarten through twelfth grade within a neighborhood had synchronized its teaching methods to deliver the skills employers within that community required.

By the time a student enters the 7th grade (middle school) he are she is presented with jobs opportunities that the student is familiar with because these job industries exist within the student’s community. The child selects the job he or she would like to do after graduation. Now they are tracked to reach the employment goal. The student did not do well in math. The student do not plan to attend college or university.  At least the student will work and pay taxes and not end up in jail.

The funding for Goals 2000 expired when Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 under the Bush (43) Administration. There was one catch; ALL STATES HAD TO COMPLETE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF GOALS 2000 AND HAD TO CONTINUE THE WITH THE GOALS of GOALS 2000 BEFORE any funds were released the applying states.

In 1989, the nation’s governors adopted six National Education Goals, which were incorporated into Eight National Goals of “Goals 2000 Educate America Act of 1994”.

The Eight National Goals that states must continue to meet beyond 2000 are:

  1. School Readiness: All children in America will start school ready to learn.
  2. School Completion: The high school graduation rate will increase to at least 90 percent.
  3. Student Achievement and Citizenship: American students will leave grades four, eight, and twelve having demonstrated competency in challenging subject matter-including English, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, and geography -[and leave school] prepared for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment.
  4. Teacher Education and Professional Development: The nation’s teaching force will have access to programs for the continued improvement of their professional skills and the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to … prepare … students for the next century.
  5. Mathematics and Science: U.S. students will be first in the world in science and mathematics achievement.
  6. Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning: Every adult American will be literate and will possess the knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
  7. Safe, Disciplined, and alcohol and Drug-Free Schools: Every school in America will be free of drugs, violence, and the unauthorized presence of firearms and alcohol and will offer a disciplined environment conducive to learning.
  8. Parental Participation: Every school will promote partnerships that will increase parental involvement and participation in promoting the social, emotional, and academic growth of children.

Read each of these goals carefully.

I am preparing a blog post for each goal.