----- Original Message -----
From: D.Niwa
To: USPEIN
Sent: Wednesday, April 17, 2013 7:20 AM
Subject: Educating for Sustainability . . .
Be sure to look at "Table 2" from the article (excerpts after my note) -- it
contains the same old failed school reforms that have been degrading U.S.
education for decades. But in the "Educating for Sustainability. . ." article
they are marketed as "Sustainability Education" and "Transformative Action."
While not stated outright, "sustainability education" promotes United Nations'
sustainable development agendas in the classroom. (Note: International
Baccalaureate programs peddle similar goals via the "IB Learner Profile"; ethnic
studies types of programs promote similar objectives through use of
"Transformative Education."
Those opposing Common Core standards, take note that Sustainability
Education Professional Development Courses include (emphasis added):
-- Sustainability Education (SE) Teaching Methods — This course showcases the
core themes of Sustainability Education (SE), with an emphasis on its role as an
ecological, economic and social teaching platform, and will provide teachers
with the knowledge and resources necessary to integrate sustainability into
their core disciplines.
-- Grade-Specific Courses — These courses develop 21st century critical
assessment strategies for measuring standards-based competencies in
sustainability, and approach Sustainability Education (SE) as a
multi-disciplinary framework for Common Core standards-based instruction. Grade
levels targeted: Elementary, Middle and High School
-- Sustainability Education (SE) Content Electives:
- Green Energy and Green Technology
- Populations and Global Citizenship
- Green Building
- Sustainable Agriculture
- The Economics of Sustainability
Source: GEF announces teacher K-12 professional development courses and
certification program in Sustainability Education, Green Education Foundation (GEF)
website. http://www.greeneducationfoundation.org/newsroom/1156-gef-building-momentum-in-sustainability-education.html
Debbie
Educating for Sustainability: Competencies & Practices for Transformative Action
Erin Frisk and Kelli L. Larson, Arizona State University
Journal of Sustainability Education Vol. 2, March 2011 ISSN: 2151-7452
(PDF attached)
Abstract
Achieving a sustainable future requires that individuals adopt different values,
attitudes, habits, and behaviors, which are often learned and cemented at a
young age. Unfortunately, current educational efforts are inadequate for
achieving transformative action. Even programs whose primary goal is to promote
responsible, pro-environmental behaviors have largely failed at creating change
among students. The lack of efficacy in sustainability-related educational
programs is at least partly due to faulty assumptions about knowledge
automatically leading to action, and by extension, the information-intensive
methods that focus largely on declarative knowledge regarding how environmental
systems work. Meanwhile, social science literature clearly highlights the need
to go beyond ecological and technical knowledge when educating for
transformative action, since sustainable behaviors are motivated by much more
than declarative information. In order to effectively educate for
sustainability, alternative forms of knowledge (i.e., procedural, effectiveness,
and social knowledge) are essential, as is the consideration of various barriers
and motivators for action. The transition towards sustainability will require
action and change that is guided by an understanding of the complexities that
arise within an interconnected system, as well as the ability to collaborate
with people from diverse backgrounds, while keeping an eye to the future. In
formulating our approach to educating for sustainability, we incorporate
perspectives from three somewhat disparate fields: (i) behavioral change
research, (ii) sustainability scholarship, and (iii) educational pedagogy. While
drawing upon diverse knowledge domains, our primary purpose is to integrate
behavior change research and sustainability competencies in developing effective
educational approaches for transformative actions.
Key Words: sustainability education; sustainability competencies; pedagogy;
behavior change; transformative action; pro-environmental behavior
Excerpt from the Introduction:
As the urgency to address environmental, social, and economic challenges
increases worldwide, education continues to be seen as a central part of the
solutions for sustainability (Sterling, 2001, UNESCO, 1997). In 1997, UNESCO
issued a report declaring: “education is the most effective means that society
possesses for confronting the challenges of the future. Indeed, education will
shape the world of tomorrow” (UNESCO, 1997, pp. 17). The UNESCO report goes on
to argue that education should play a pivotal role in bringing about the deep
change required to move towards sustainability (UNESCO, 1997). With a focus on
educating for sustainability and transformative action, this paper aims to
establish effective educational practices needed to achieve key competencies and
the behavioral changes required to attain a sustainable future.
Below image from article: Table 2 -- Summary of Key Competencies and Approaches
for Sustainability Education
________________________________________
CATEGORY . Common Core opens a Republican rift over education standards : The Common Core system is meant to unify K-12 education standards in states across the nation. It’s having the opposite effect within the Republican Party, as a rift grows between supporters including high-profile figures such as Jeb Bush, Mitch Daniels and other Republicans who had a hand in crafting it and those who fear it’s a well-disguised federal takeover of schools. Concern from conservatives has reached a boiling point, leading the Republican National Committee last week to adopt a resolution condemning the standards.... Republican lawmakers in Alabama this week are introducing legislation to get their state out of Common Core, which has been adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia./ The backlash and RNC resolution are major setbacks for what had been, until recently, widely accepted as a significant step forward for the nation’s public schools. It also was seen as a rare bipartisan accomplishment./ “This would be a huge political mistake for the Republican Party to repudiate its long-standing commitment to high standards,” said Michael Petrilli, a Common Core supporter and executive vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative education think tank.... the Obama administration strongly supports Common Core, though it didn’t have a hand in crafting it. The standards which do not establish specific curricula, but instead set English and math benchmarks for students at each grade level were the joint effort of the National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers. See ARTICLE
http://www.crossroad.to/News/archive/education-4.html
3. Mind Control