Common Core brought the massive expansion of private interests in K-12 education. New text books, electronic textbooks, electronic tests to go with the new text books. Rent education materials for 7 years and own nothing. Gather student data and then “share” that with private companies (forget privacy) so the companies can produce more “content” to sell back to the school districts…the list goes on and on.
Would you think there was a way to make a profit off of children and recesses? Well…there is. Following are two (2) articles that show what’s being done to do just that. Indeed, the Woodland School District is listed as having used the services of the company…give it a read.
This first article comes from Nancy’s Bailey’s Education website. She says:
“You might hear that school recess is returning, but it might not be the recess we have come to know and love, and miss. It is not run by the school, but by a nonprofit called “Playworks: Play and Recess to Support Emotional Learning.” I have written about social and emotional learning before. Many are worried about those words and what they mean for children and schools.”
“Playworks isn’t recess. It isn’t a period of time where children can play on their own and dream. It’s privatized Phys. Ed. Those who understand recess will recognize quickly that coaching students on games chosen by adults, and how to act, is not recess. Often referring to the “power of play,” Playworks is not the kind of play which develops cognitive skills and empowers children.”
“It seems today, the only way America will give children breaks from their schooling, is if those breaks are turned into a business. Playworks costs on average, between $60,000-65,000 for the coaches who organize and play games with children. For those schools with Free and Reduced Lunch students, philanthropic support will ease the cost.”
“Full-time Playworks coaches cost $18,000-$22,000 per school. Again, this might be subsidized at certain schools by 30%. Playworks TeamUp provides their style of training to teachers and ongoing development to school staff, paraprofessionals, and after-school care providers. This is ongoing.”
You can read the rest of her comments on her website by clicking the link above.
Now, let’s take a closer look at the company itself: https://www.playworks.org/services/
Here is the link to their FAQ’s: https://www.playworks.org/services/faq/
Who do they focus on? Elementary schools (K-8)
Playworks GameGuide is just $40: https://playworksstore.org/products/the-playworks-game-guide
Impact: Here’s their link to testimonials – https://www.playworks.org/impact/
Are you ready to outsource recess and play time?
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