Debbie K. Niwa -- Redefining Education For Global Citizenship
Other Guest Articles:
REDEFINING EDUCATION FOR GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP
education reforms lurk behind the changes being foisted on U.S. schools:
redesigning American high schools, promoting universal preschool, expanding
technology, increasing data collections, linking secondary and higher
education, and more. But where will these lead? In revisiting the old
ideas behind reforms, we would be wise to ask, ?? 1/2 Do we want the kind of
life these changes will bring??? 1/2
monitoring
all facets of your life ?? 1/2
school, work, health, leisure, and spiritual
monitored and assessed from birth-to-death through one comprehensive
?? 1/2 system.?? 1/2
Under the banner of ?? 1/2 lifelong education,?? 1/2
such a system is evolving.
through United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) and the Organisation (sic) for Economic Co-Operation and Development
(OECD), the lifelong education principle is influencing school, workforce,
and economic reforms worldwide.
formal withdrawal from UNESCO in December 1984 by then-President Reagan,
the global lifelong education scheme nevertheless began spreading throughout
the U.S. during the nearly 19 year period of non-membership.
before President G.W. Bush rejoined the U.S. with UNESCO in 2003, the
UNESCO-endorsed idea received U.S. tax dollars through federal laws that
funded different aspects of the principle.
in education are linked to building the system. Included are efforts to:
combine the academic with the vocational for
technology for teaching, training,
eliminate public
control through creation o establish school-business
and much more.
Technology
in particular ?? 1/2
combined with surveys, assessments, and evaluations ?? 1/2
plays an indispensable data gathering role for monitoring individuals
and forcing accountability to those with the power to dictate the systems?? 1/2
away the hype ?? 1/2 about equality, justice, diversity, human rights, and 21st
century workplace skills ?? 1/2
and what remains is nothing less than a global
system of social and economic control.
social engineering
UNESCO published Towards a conceptual model of life-long education
by George W. Parkyn. Explained in the preface, the lifelong education
concept underlies all of UNESCO?? 1/2 s educational action. With that in
mind, the publication studies ?? 1/2
beginning in 1971 ?? 1/2
were conducted to
?? 1/2 outline a possible model for a system based on the ideal of a continuous
educational process throughout the lifetime of the learner?? 1/2
and ?? 1/2 if possible,
indicate the means for bringing an existing national school system
into line with life-long learning.?? 1/2
(p.3) [Emphasis added]
explains, ?? 1/2 A comprehensive model for life-long education needs to start
with two basic dimensions: first, the span of a human lifetime, and second,
the range of human behaviour.?? 1/2
(p.19) He asserts that establishing lifelong
education requires ?? 1/2 radical changes in the structures, functions, methods,
and content of education systems at all levels . . .?? 1/2
With lifelong
education, the traditional goal to develop the intellect is replaced
with an emphasis on attitudes, values, habits, and social behaviors.
explains that the focus of childhood and adolescent education needs ?? 1/2 to
aim at producing not educated people but educable people . . . ?? 1/2
aim is to produce ?? 1/2 people who are adaptable in changing circumstances,
who realize the provisional nature of knowledge, the tentative nature
of decisions, and the need for constant evaluation of the results of their
actions . . . ?? 1/2
lifelong education, K-12 school systems link universal
infant care and and elementary and secondary levels
transform as follows:
general education (ages 6-15): The first five years, a child is introduced
?? 1/2 to the universe of space and time in which he and his community are located,
to open up to him through his own activities the wide range of interests
and potentialities. . . to lay the foundations of those learning skills
and interests on which subsequent development will depend.?? 1/2
next four years start the ?? 1/2 process of educational and vocational choice.?? 1/2
By the end of this ?? 1/2 transitional cycle,?? 1/2
children pick ?? 1/2 a provisional
field of employment.?? 1/2
education (ages 15-18): This three-year period consists of ?? 1/2 part schooling
and part working.?? 1/2
Successes are noted for China and the former USSR:
?? 1/2 Many
attempts have been made to devise a method that satisfactorily combines
general education, vocational education and specific vocational training
during this period, and for some occupations considerable success has
been achieved notably in the USSR and in China.?? 1/2
education also involves expanding adult education to address economic,
political, and personal needs (p.12); use of Marx?? 1/2 s theory and practice
(p.14); occupational training and retraining (p.24); integrating culture
and vocation (p.28); self-education (p.31); certification (p.31); centralization
of general policy making (p.32); and more.
the nation at risk
forward to 1981 when President Reagan?? 1/2 s Secretary of Education Terrel
Bell established the National Commission on Excellence in Education. Charged
with reporting on the ?? 1/2 quality of education in America,?? 1/2
the Commission?? 1/2 s
findings and suggestions were published in A Nation at Risk: The Imperative
for Educational Reform (1983). The report?? 1/2 s criticism of U.S. education
launched efforts to bring American schools in line with UNESCO?? 1/2 s lifelong
education plans.
in the report include: ?? 1/2 The world is indeed one global village?? 1/2 ;
. . . we must dedicate ourselves to the reform of our educational system
for the benefit of all ?? 1/2
old and young alike, affluent and poor, majority
and minority?? 1/2 ; ?? 1/2 The search for solutions to our educational problems must
also include a commitment to life-long learning?? 1/2 ; ?? 1/2
. . . life-long
learning will equip people with the skills required for new careers and
for citizenship.?? 1/2
[Emphasis added]
A Nation at Risk was published, U.S. presidents have presented
similar lifelong education supporting plans. A Feb. 4, 1994 Congressional
Record entry by then-Senator Moynihan (NY) reveals:
1984, President Reagan proposed a set of education goals to be achieved
by 1990. And in 1990, President Bush devoted a sizable portion of his
State of the Union address to setting forth his education goals for the
year 2000 . . . President Bush then listed his education goals, which
were similar to President Reagan's goals ?? 1/2
and virtually identical to
those now proposed by President Clinton.?? 1/2
Nation At Risk provided excuses to begin nationwide school reform,
but the report was flawed in its assessment of U.S. schools. Stated in
a paper prepared for the National Education Goals Panel:
. . A Nation at Risk may have been flawed as an accurate, balanced
assessment of American schooling in the early 1980s, but it was a key
factor in mobilizing public opinion on behalf of educational reforms.
And while the reforms that it helped to stimulate were not enough by themselves
to increase sufficiently student achievement in the 1980s, the report
was followed by other initiatives focused more on the restructuring of
the schools.?? 1/2
(The Road to Charlottsville ?? 1/2
The 1989 Education Summit,
1999, p.12)
T. Iserbyt, author of the deliberate dumbing down of america .
. . A Chronological Paper Trail (, 2001), served as an OERI
Senior Policy Advisor in the U.S. Dept. of Education during the Reagan
administration. Her article ?? 1/2 Death Sentence for Private and Home Education,
Courtesy of Supreme Court,?? 1/2
(7-8-2002) identifies a key intention behind
school reform. In 1981, Iserbyt was informed by the Director of the Office
of Libraries and Learning Technology, U.S. Dept. of Education: ?? 1/2 . . .
in the future all education will take place in the home, using computer-assisted-instruction,
but that we will always have the school buildings for 'socialization'
purposes.?? 1/2 ?? 1/2
Iserbyt explains, ?? 1/2 This is the United Nations lifelong learning/brainwashing
concept (International community education) which places all community
services under the umbrella of the community school. The National Alliance
of Business refers to this agenda as Kindergarten-Age 80.?? 1/2
& vocational education
On November
10, 1989 in Paris, the Convention on Technical and Vocational Education
was adopted by the UNESCO General Conference. U.S. school reform goals
since the 90?? 1/2 s have been strikingly aligned with Article 3, section 2
of the Convention:
?? 1/2 Technical
and vocational education should be designed to operate within a framework
of open-ended and flexible structures in the context of lifelong education
and provide: (a) an introduction to technology and to the world of work
for all young people within the context of general education. (b)
educational and vocational guidance and information, and
(c) development of an education designed for the acquisition and development
of the knowledge and know-how needed for
. . .?? 1/2
[Emphasis added]
For-profits
brought on-board
1991 creation of the New American Schools Development Corporation (NASDC,
later shortened to New American Schools) was part of President Bush Sr.?? 1/2 s
America 2000 plan to finance development of new models for U.S. schools.
funded nine groups between . Selecting for-profit partners like
the NCEE (see below), awardees formulated what amounts to strategies to
institutionalize key elements of a human resource system (community/lifelong
education). Noted in Iserbyt?? 1/2 s the deliberate dumbing down of america,
NASDC and partners have been on the front lines promoting business-school
partnerships, charter schools, choice, and vouchers ?? 1/2
all of which facilitate
systemic reform.
National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE, est. 1988; formerly
the Carnegie Forum on Education and the Economy) has prominently supported
lifelong education. Included among the 1988 NCEE Board of Trustees were
Marc Tucker (President), Hillary Clinton, Mario Cuomo, Ira Magaziner,
Lauren Resnick, John Sculley, James B. Hunt, Jr., Anthony Carnevale, David
Rockefeller, Jr., Vera Katz, and others.
NCEE?? 1/2 s 1992 A Human Resources Development Plan for the United States
suggested ?? 1/2 a national system of education in which curriculum, pedagogy,
examinations and teacher education and licensure systems are all linked
to the national standards, . . .?? 1/2
The new system would qualify ?? 1/2 all
students for a lifetime of learning in the postsecondary system and
at work.?? 1/2
[Emphasis added]
Nov. 11, 1992 letter to Hillary Clinton, NCEE?? 1/2 s Marc Tucker wrote extensively
about a ?? 1/2 human resources system?? 1/2
. . . a ?? 1/2 seamless web?? 1/2
that ?? 1/2 literally
extends from cradle-to-grave and is the same system for everyone ?? 1/2
and old, poor and rich, worker and fulltime student?? 1/2
. . . for a ?? 1/2 lifetime
of learning.?? 1/2
(Congressional Record, 9-17-98)
Dept. of Labor?? 1/2 s SCANS
U.S. Department of Labor?? 1/2 s Secretary?? 1/2 s Commission on Achieving Necessary
Skills (SCANS) began publishing documents between
suggesting
systemic school reforms that included integrating technical/vocational
and general education for all students.
Work Requires of Schools, A SCANS Report for America 2000 (1991) highlights
the link between Bush Sr.?? 1/2 s America 2000 and UNESCO?? 1/2 s lifelong education:
?? 1/2 The strategy [America 2000] would change lifelong learning from a slogan
to a reality for all.?? 1/2
paves the way
laws supporting vocational and technology plans boosted U.S. adoption
of lifelong education. Explained in ?? 1/2 The Impact of School-to-Work and
Career and Technical Education in the United States: evidence from the
National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997,?? 1/2
by James R. Stone III:
?? 1/2 The
1990 Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Applied Technology Education Act (?? 1/2 Perkins
II?? 1/2 ) mandated that federally-funded CTE [Career Technical Education.
?? 1/2 Ed.] programs develop the following: integration
of vocational and academic curricula; promotion of work-related
experience; and accountability for funding continuation. [Emphasis
?? 1/2 Building
on Perkins II, Perkins III expanded the goals of CTE to include:
Integrate academic
and vocational education.
Promote student
attainment of challenging academic and vocational standards.
Provide students
with strong experience in, and understanding of, all aspects of an industry.
Involve parents
and employers.
Provide strong
connections between secondary and post-secondary education.
Develop, improve,
and expand the use of technology.
Provide professional
development for teachers, counselors and administrators.?? 1/2
of Vocational Education and Training, Vol. 54, No. 4, 2002)
Of interest,
Stone observes, ?? 1/2 The notion of curriculum integration goes back almost
a full century to John Dewey (1916).?? 1/2
Federal aid
bulk of federal funds and promotion for global education reform were secured
in laws enacted during President Clinton?? 1/2 s terms. Different aspects were
split among Goals 2000: Educate America Act (1994), School-to-Work Opportunities
Act (1994), Improving America?? 1/2 s Schools Act (1994, an ESEA reauthorization),
Workforce Investment Act (1998), Perkins III (1998), and others.
education reforms currently continue through President Bush?? 1/2 s No Child
Left Behind Act. At the February 2005 EFA (Education for All) conference,
Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings stated: ?? 1/2 The No Child Left Behind
Act and UNESCO's Education for All campaign complement each other.?? 1/2
(?? 1/2 Mrs.
Laura Bush Pays Tribute to UNESCO's Education for All Week,?? 1/2
U.S. Dept.
of Education, 4-27-2005)
boards of education rallied
Framework for the Future: Creating a School-to-Work System for Learning,
Livelihood, and Life was published by the National Association of
State Boards of Education (NASBE) School-to-Work Study Group. The NASBE
report encouraged the restructuring of American schools in-line with lifelong
education:
?? 1/2 Developing
the capacity of all citizens for . . . lifelong learning
is an absolute necessity . . .?? 1/2
(p.4) [Emphasis added]
?? 1/2 Meeting
this need [to create a ?? 1/2 comprehensive and coherent system?? 1/2 ] will require
the development of a new school-to-work system able to educate all
students . . . and teach them to be lifelong learners. It must
be based on learning that is releva curriculum that
incorporate and experience in a workplace or community
setting for all students.?? 1/2
(p.4) [Emphasis added]
?? 1/2 (2)
State boards must ensure that SCANS and other work-related skills areas
are incorporated into state performance standards, curricular frameworks
and assessments, as well as the state accountability system.?? 1/2
1994, three federal initiatives were passed that sought to consolidate
these discreet efforts, . . . The Goals 2000: Educate America Act, Improving
America?? 1/2 s Schools Act . . . and the School-To-Work Opportunities Act,
taken together, offered a blueprint for the creation of a new education
paradigm. . . . for all students.?? 1/2
(p. 11-12)
schools for planned change
years ago in Iserbyt?? 1/2 s 1985 booklet Back to Basics Reform or . . .
OBE Skinnerian International Curriculum, the author warned: the ?? 1/2 educational
system [would be used] as the primary vehicle for bringing about planned
social, political, and economic change.?? 1/2
Iserbyt also noted that technology
use would result in stifling intellectual development. [This aids the
lifelong education aim to produce ?? 1/2 not educated people but educable people.?? 1/2
?? 1/2 Ed.] The warning unheeded, schools today are focusing on non-academic
standards ?? 1/2
under the pretense of workplace and life skills ?? 1/2
to advance
planned changes.
to sit at the helm of the global system is the United Nations and its
agencies like UNESCO, World Bank, WTO, WHO, ICC, and other entities situated
to regulate a part of the system.
first half of the 20th century, the League of Nations failed to establish
itself for governance and was replaced by the United Nations in 1945.
With U.N. agencies and partners promoting global initiatives ?? 1/2
education, world citizenship, international standards setting, free trade
and sustainable development schemes eroding national economic control,
and other national sovereignty encroaching activity?? 1/2 the U.N. is not far
from establishment as a world governing body.
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chance of living under oppressive U.N. global authority surely rests upon
whether or not determination exists to uphold individuality, liberty,
and a Constitutional Republic for serving (not enslaving) citizens. One
can only hope the hundreds of thousands throughout America?? 1/2 s history,
who risked their lives to uphold these ideals, will not have done so in
RESOURCES:
Towards a conceptual model of life-long education, George W. Parkyn, UNESCO,
Paris, France, 1973. English Edition ISBN 92-3-101 1174, French Edition
ISBN 92-3-.
2. A Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Educational Reform, National
Commission on Excellence in Education, U.S. Department of Education, 1983.
Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt, 1985.
4. The Road to Charlottsville -The 1989 Education Summit, Maris
A. Vinovskis, Department of History, Institute for Social Research, and
School of Public Policy, University of Michigan, September 1999. Paper
prepared for the National Education Goals Panel.
5. Convention on Technical and Vocational Education, adopted by
the UNESCO General Conference, Paris, November 10, 1989.
6. "Dollars to the Classroom Act," Congressional Record, Sept.
17, 1998, pp. E. Entry contains the letter to Hillary Clinton,
Nov. 11, 1992 written by Marc Tucker (National Center on Education and
the Economy, Rochester, NY).
7. What Work Requires of Schools, A SCANS Report for America 2000,
U.S. Department of Labor, Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary
Skills, 1991
8. A Human Resources Development Plan for the United States, National
Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE), 1992.
9. Remarks by Senator Moynihan (NY), Congressional Record, February
4, 1994, Online at GPO Access. Accessed December 2005.
10. Framework for the Future: Creating a School-to-Work System
for Learning, Livelihood, and Life, Report of the National Association
of State Boards of Education (NASBE) School-to-Work Study Group, 1995.
11. Tangled Web-The Mastery Learning/OBE/STW-TQM Connection, researched
and compiled by Joe Esposito, .
12. "Background of 'School-to-Work' Concept," D.L. Cuddy, Ph.D.,
Extension of Remarks-May 16, 1997, Congressional Record, pp. E945-E946.
13. "International Implications of School-to-Work Programs," D.L.
Cuddy, Ph.D., Extension of Remarks-June 26, 1998, Congressional Record,
14. the deliberate dumbing down of america . . . A Chronological
Paper Trail , Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt, Conscience Press, ,
2001. Go to
and click on "e-book download free to all."
Charlotte Thomson Iserbyt, , July 8, 2002.
16. "The Impact of School-to-Work and Career and Technical Education
in the United States: evidence from the National Longitudinal Survey of
Youth, 1997," James R. Stone III, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul,
Journal of Vocational Education and Training, Vol. 54, No. 4, 2002
17. "Laura Bush named Honorary Ambassador for the United Nations
Decade of Literacy", Office of the Spokesperson, UNESCO, February 14,
18. "First Lady Laura Bush Says U.S. Is Proud to Rejoin UNESCO,"
U.S. Department of State, Office of International Information Programs,
September 29, 2003.
19. "Mrs. Laura Bush Pays Tribute to UNESCO's Education for All
Week," U.S. Department of Education, Press Release, April 27, 2005.
2006 - Debbie
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Debbie Niwa began
researching education issues five years ago when she started questioning
the policies and changes occurring in the school district in Tucson, Arizona
that her son was enrolled in. She has devoted thousands of hours researching
local, state, federal, and global school reform issues, as well as actively
advocating for academic quality in education. Since 1980, she has worked
professionally on the design and production of publications as well as
the gamut of other graphic design projects.
lifelong education (learning), the traditional goal to develop the intellect
is replaced with an emphasis on attitudes, values, habits, and social
behaviors.