Part II: WAKE UP, CATHOLICS
(And all others with children in private & religious education!)
Read Part 1
By Betsy Kraus, 3D Research Group
UNESCO: WORLDWIDE STRATEGIC PLANNINGFOR ALL EDUCATION
The U.N. (United Nations) advocates Communist
Common Core education for all students on this planet, no matter the religion
and no matter whether the school is public or private. The “UN, Obama, and Gates are globalizing education via
Common Core.”(1) Here is a summary of the educational aims
of UNESCO, The United Nations Educational, Scientific,
and Cultural Organization.
This pedagogical revolution attempts to impose an ethic for the creation of a new society and to establish an intercultural society. The new ethic is nothing more than a remarkable presentation of a communist utopia. A study of the documents leaves no doubt, under cover of ethics and behind a rhetoric and remarkable dialectic, of a communist ideology for which only the presentation and the means of action have been modified.... Also it is no surprise that the level of scholarship will continue to go down since the role of the school has been redefined so that its principal mission is no longer intellectual but social formation....One no longer gives students intellectual tools for liberation but imposes on them values, attitudes, and behavior using psychological manipulation techniques. (emphasis added) (2)
With the usual disclaimer, UNESCO’S International Institute for Educational Planning(3) released the
working paper, Strategic Planning, Concept and rationale, in 2010.(4) This is a world blueprint for “managing”
education (restructuring and governance for community control and Common Core) across
the globe. This paper describes the
structural business model of Total Quality Management (TQM) for education to
assure each child in the world becomes
a global product of Communism.
TQM was put in place in public education years ago through funding from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. Cookie-cutter Common Core goals, objectives, performance indicators, and assessments were in place in all public schools by the mid to late 70’s. At that time the management program was called Planning, Program and Budgeting System (PPBS).Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy (to destroy faith and values) was mandated for this system. Now this same Strategic Planning Management Control System is being applied to Catholic Parishes and the Parish Community.
THE CATHOLICS AND STRATEGIC PLANNING
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Strategic
Plan Roadmap, Journey with Christ: Faith
– Worship – Witness calls for
Strategic Planning and affords an overall view of this paradigm shift
slated for Catholic dioceses and parishes.(5) What could possibly be wrong with such glowing mission proposals
and strategic planning from the USCCB which include the participation of so
many arch/dioceses and parish members? It appears that the same format for strategic governance and restructuring proposed by UNESCO is now being applied to dioceses across the country. Such Planning and Programming controls always
start from the top down.
The first report, Wake Up Catholics (6), documented that Catholic education has not escaped Common Core and TQM planning and governance. Diocese after diocese has succumbed to Common Core and restructuring and funding for governance under the heading of “Strategic Planning.” Simply search the internet for ”Catholic dioceses strategic planning” to see how widespread this is. Check your own arch/diocese’s Mission Statement for references to ‘strategic planning.’
STRATEGIC PLANNING AT THE PARISH LEVEL
Compliance to this planning is required at the parish level
to complete the global transformation. Professionals train or retrain those on existing
parish committees and boards, and
create and train new committees and small groups. Who knows how many
professional organizations exist in which to assist in training and transforming
members of local parishes? The
following organization is perhaps one of many parish planning groups. Their format
demonstrates what can be expected to take place in the Parish Community.
The Catholic School Development Program (CSDP), now called the Healey Educational Foundation, sponsored workshops at the major National Catholic Education (NCEA) Conference in April, 2014. It is probably safe to conclude that their program would have been made available to many of the attending school superintendents and principals.
The stated CSDP model is based on Governance and Strategic Planning. They inform us that to be an effective (outcome based, OBE) school it takes a teacher’s teacher, a CEO, a financial planner, a personnel evaluator, a family counselor, a child psychologist, a crisis manger, a curriculum designer, and a pastor as well. However, in addition, the school must have a marketer. Schools are referred to as businesses and families as customers. Wouldn’t parents who “foot the bill” find all this community authorization to administer to their children and their parish school rather audacious as well as usurpative?
CSDP recommends “Boards of Limited Jurisdiction” which would have official authority governed by “operating principles” (O.P). Of great interest, this board does not get involved with management, staffing or curriculum issues, which only the principal controls. Why would there be a school board that has nothing to do with the school? The board’s purpose is to promote the school’s mission and policy positions, etc. and demonstrate this support within the community. Are they to become “Alinskyian-type” Community Organizers?
In other similar governance plans, the principal must also follow the Common Core dictates of the diocese superintendent, either directly or through parish “Consortiums.” Such structures can render fruitless parental input and efforts for authentic Catholic education at their parish school.
CSDP says the necessary qualities for school boards require the “right people” to serve as Board members. They recommend another site, The Blue Avocado, where choosing boards is further discussed.(7) For “diversity,” The Blue Avocado suggests that questions need to be asked such as: “Do we need someone who can reach the Arab grocers’ association to get their support for the plastic bag ban?”(8) They also recommend Community Organizers (Alinkyianism?) for positions on the Board.
In addition “The Effective (OBE, Ed.) Parents Association” has been recommended by the CSDP. Parents would go out into the community to approach new parents, etc. and to present the school’s mission (Common Core and progressive education). These parents are to follow the direction of the principal and work with an advancement director in the areas of development, enrollment, management, constituent relations, and communications. Is this more top-down organizing of the Community? CSDP offers workshop sponsorships, school sponsorships, and service as a school board member. Schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Diocese of Allentown, PA. are among their clients. How many more are on CSDP’s list of subscribers?
THE AMAZING PARISH
The Amazing Parish
is a newly formed organization. Its first conference was held in Denver, Colorado
in August, 2014. There was a capacity attendance of 500 Catholic leaders and
pastors from across the United States. Their
workshops focused on parish leadership teams, formation programs and
evangelization. One of their resources is A
Guide to Building Teams for Catholic Parishes by staff member Patrick
Lencioni who is also founder of the Table Group. This Guide deals with teamwork for
transformational improvement in parish leadership, trust, conflict, commitment,
and accountability to produce results (outcome/results/performance-based). To
accomplish this, parish leaders must overcome “dysfunctions.” They must trust their fellow team members and
be comfortable with each other’s weaknesses, fears, mistakes, and behaviors.
They should engage in passionate dialogue to reach decisions. The guide says
accountability means “calling out” team members for their behavior and
performance.
In addition, parish team leaders must allow their weaknesses to be exposed to others members. They must become vulnerable and be pushed outside their emotional comfort zones. They must be willing to engage in constructive conflict. [See footnote 10, second site, for the harm this can cause.]
“When it comes to teams, trust is all about vulnerability. Team members who trust one another learn to be comfortable being open, even exposed, to one another around their failures, weaknesses, even fears. Now, if this is beginning to sound like some get-naked, touchy-feely theory, rest assured that it is nothing of the sort.”(9)
If not that, does it, at the least, sound like it is beneath Christian dignity,
Christian decorum, and counter to the some of the Fruits of the Holy Spirit,
such as charity (or love),
joy, peace, patience, benignity (or kindness), goodness, long suffering and
mildness?
According to this guide, achieving “commitment” is apparently not “consensus.” The guide defines “commitment” as a group of individuals buying into a decision with which they don’t naturally agree.
Team members should also submit to Behavioral Profiling such
as the Myers-Briggs diagnostic questionnaire. The guide states:
“Once all types have been identified, have team members each read a short description of their own type out loud to the rest of the team… After the exercise has been completed, have team members read a more comprehensive description of their own type, highlighting sections that they find particularly insightful and descriptive of their tendencies. Also, have them choose one or two areas that they would like to improve about themselves, based on their Myers-Briggs type. Have all team members report these findings to the group, preferably on day two of an initial off-site...[regarding “conflict” the guide continues, Ed.]… Have the team members each share those implications, along with other conflict influences in their lives, including family and life experiences as well as cultural background.”(10)
Anyone engaging in this type of group disclosure format might want to
become familiar with the Group Dynamics of Marxist Kurt Lewin (Group
Process/Sensitivity Training... brainwashing... out of the National Training
Laboratories/NEA, Bethel, Maine, founded by Kurt Lewin in 1947, and the
destructive Encounter Groups once led by Robert Coulson. (11)
Amazing Parish had quite a few sites for all kinds of parish leadership for pastors and others. These sites can be reviewed at http://amazingparish.org/real-leadership-team.
AND MANY MORE
Boston College’s Barbara and Patrick Roche Center for
Catholic Education also has a “Leadership Team Initiative” for principals,
pastors, teachers, schools boards, and other stakeholders to collaborate and manage mission-driven centered
institutions.(12) There are probably
many more of these types of college-sponsored and professional team training
programs for strategic governance
around the country.
In the meantime, the massive quest for philanthropic money to support funding and governance continues. Note the scope of the Philanthropic Roundtable and what they support. http://www.philanthropyroundtable.org/topic/k_12_education.
Footnotes and Sources:
1. Newman, Alex, “UN, Obama, and Gates are Globalizing Education Via Common Core”, The New American, 3/28/2014. http://www.unol.org/rms/wcc.html
2. Iserbyt, Charlotte, the deliberate dumbing down of america,
page 346. http://www.deliberatedumbingdown.com/MomsPDFs/DDDoA.sml.pdf
3. The International Institute for Educational Planning, UNESCO. http://www.iiep.unesco.org/aboutiiep/about-iiep.html
4.” The Strategic Planning Concept and rationale: Working
Paper”, UNESCO, 2010. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001897/189757e.pdf
5. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops” Journey With Christ: Faith –
Worship - Witness.: USCCB STRATEGIC PLAN
ROADMAP http://www.usccb.org/about/2013-2016-priority-plan-roadmap.cfm and http://www.usccb.org/about/2013-2016-plan-suggested-parish-diocesan-roadmap.cfm and: B Mission: 2013-2016
Conference wide Priority Initiatives:
USCChttp://www.usccb.org/about/usccb-mission.cfm
6. Kraus, Betsy, “Wake Up, Catholics: Major New Blows”,
9/2014 http://www.abcsofdumbdown.blogspot.com/2014/09/wake-up-catholics.html
7. The Catholic School Development Program,
http://www.csdp.us/news-events/2012/schools-broaden-reach-recruit-and-retain-board-members
8. Masaoka, Jan, “Ditch Your Board
Composition Matrix”, Blue Avocado. http://www.blueavocado.org/node/762
9. Lencioni, Patrick, “A Guide to Building
Teams for Catholic Parishes”, Amazing Parish. Page 6. http://amazingparish.org/sites/default/files/uploads/files/catholic-fg.pdf
10. Ibid, Page 26. http://amazingparish.org/sites/default/files/uploads/files/catholic-fg.pdf
11. Kjos, Berit, “Brainwashing in America: Why
Few Dare Call it Conspiracy”, 2001 http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/brainwashing.html
and http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/Education/sensitivity-training.htm
12. “The Leadership Team Initiative”, Boston
College. http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/schools/lsoe/cce/leadershipteaminitiative.html
