Comparison of Elementary and Secondary Education Act, NCLB, Race to Research Paper

Comparison of Elementary and Secondary Education Act, NCLB, Race to the Top - Research Paper Example For years, Congress has attempted to reform it with little results. Upon the election of President Obama, efforts to reform this act is reinvigorated. The Obama government released the â€Å"Blueprint for Reform† last March, 2010. The Blueprint for Reform is a proposal for the re-authorization of the ESEA/NCLB, and is based on the successes of the â€Å"Race to the Top† (RTT) (Morrell, 2010, p.146). RTT is a plan for the increase of test-based accountability, centralization, standardization of education. The changes from the ESEA of 1965 up to the RTT and Blueprint for Reform of 2010 created the modification of the education system from â€Å"district-designed curriculum and testing under Johnson, to state-driven standards and testing under Clinton and Bush, to national curriculum standards and high stakes tests under Obama† (Onosko, n.d., p.1). Specifics ESEA ESEA's enactment in 1965 demonstrated the federal government's push for the improvement of public educat ion (Standerfer, 2006, p.26). Ever since then, the government played an increasingly significant role toward education. Through the Department of Education founded in 1980, the government is able to set standards for the quality of educators, provide funds for school libraries in low-income schools, etc (Hustedt & Barnett, 2011, p.168). As the federal funds assisting K-12 spending increased significantly over the years, the requirement for local and state schools reporting also increased, yet, is prohibits the creation of a national curriculum. It states that by providing equal access to quality education, achievement gaps among students are lessened. It mandates that funds be provided for the ESEA, NCLB, and RTT 3 promotion of parental involvement, support of educational programs and materials, and professional development. Every five years, the act has been re-authorized (Standerfer, 2006, pp.26-7). One of the most recent re-authorizations is the NCLB. NCLB NCLB mandates that ever y state should have a challenging achievement standards and curriculum particularly for Math, Science, and English. This means that states should have a benchmark of the achievement level and learning expectations for a specific grade level. However, despite mandating a state-driven curriculum, NCLB does not impose any requirement on the academic standards and curriculum created by each state. Because of this, it created a great disparity among the states' quality standards (Strunk & McEachin, 2011, pp.879-81). RTT or Blueprint for Reform The Blueprint for Reform is based on the RTT, which is the Department of Education's competition to promote reforms to the quality standards set by each state. It was announced in July, 2009, and awarded schools for meeting the requirements of nationwide standards on performance. Because of this, several critics argue that the effect is a weakened public education as it promotes charter schools. Furthermore, several are doubtful of the reliability of high-stakes tests. Despite the criticism, it spawned the idea for the Blueprint of Reform where each state is required to develop standards in Math and English that would promote college readiness. States are given 2 options in developing such standards. One is to work with the public education system to ensure that, despite the states keeping their own quality standards, they are meeting the requirements set for college readiness.

Synthesis Essay on Rear Window Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Synthesis on Rear Window - Essay Example Jeff telephones Thorwald and asks him to meet him at a bar, providing Lisa and Stella with the opportunity to dig up the flower patch, but they find nothing. Lisa then climbs through the fire escape into Thorwald’s apartment, but unfortunately, he returns and catches her. Jeff witnesses this through the window and calls the police to save Lisa, who signals to him across the courtyard with Mrs. Thorwald’s ring. Thorwald notices Lisa signaling to Jeff through the window and realizes that Jeff is behind the whole scheme to uncover him as the murderer of his wife. Â  In the scuffle that follows Thorwald throws a yelling Jeffries through the window, but the police arrive in time to catch him before he hits the ground, and only suffers another broken leg. The police arrest Thorwald, who confesses to murdering his wife. In the final scene of the movie, Jeff has broken his other leg too as a result of the fall and is shown resting at peace in his wheelchair. Across the courtya rd, the lonely woman has a new-found friendship with the songwriter, the lover of the dancer returns home from the military, the elderly couple has acquired a new dog, and the young couple is constantly arguing. Rear Window provides an insightful view of the social and psychological factors that give rise to difficulties experienced in relationships between men and women. Jeff’s relationship with Lisa and the relationships of the other tenants across the courtyard combines throughout the film to bring out this central theme.... In the scuffle that follows Thorwald throws a yelling Jeffries through the window, but the police arrive in time to catch him before he hits the ground, and only suffers another broken leg. The police arrest Thorwald, who confesses to murdering his wife. In the final scene of the movie, Jeff has broken his other leg too as a result of the fall and is shown resting at peace in his wheelchair. Across the courtyard, the lonely woman has a new-found friendship with the songwriter, the lover of the dancer returns home from the military, the elderly couple has acquired a new dog, and the young couple is constantly arguing. Rear Window provides an insightful view of the social and psychological factors that give rise to difficulties experienced in relationships between men and women. Jeff’s relationship with Lisa, and the relationships of the other tenants across the courtyard, combines throughout the film to bring out this central theme. In The Women Who Knew Too Much, Tania Modlesk i interprets The Rear Window by using it as the basis for an analysis of the male and female spectators. Modleski asserts that the film stresses both male and female points of view, with both Jeff and Lisa being portrayed in the reverse shots observing the neighbors through the rear window. She stresses that the male character is not domineering over the female character, and that spectators get the opportunity to identify themselves with both Jeff and Lisa on different occasions. Lisa related to the characters through empathy and identification, whereas Jeff was more interested in spying on them and adopting a controlling relation to the happenings in their lives. Through these two perspectives, Modleski brings out the instances in the film that provided spectators with the

Globalized Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Globalized Communication - Essay Example "The racial, cultural, and linguistic mosaic of Singapore underscores the importance of language management throughout the educational system in the country. Much of the success of language management in Singapore is the result of a long-standing policy of multiracialism, multiculturalism, and multilingualism." (Pakir, 1999). English was chosen as the working language, being "neutral" because it was not the language of any of the three major ethnic groups (Malay, Chinese & Indian). The bilingual policy placed English as the official language that the whole population should know. The multilingualism of Singapore has given birth to a colloquial language mostly spoken by the English-knowing public. Known as "Singlish" (short for Singapore English), it differs from English in rhythm and intonation, stress patterns, vowel length and quality and sometimes also word order. "It is the nature of widely spoken languages to fragment into dialects, then into new languages, as Latin did into French, Italian, Spanish and others." (Mydans, 2001) The same is true with English, as more and more countries are adapting it to their own languages. "As they emerge, the world's various Englishes reflect the needs, personality and linguistic roots of their home ground." (Mydans, 2001). "Singlish is simply Singaporean slang, whereby English follows Chinese grammar and is liberally sprinkled with words from the local Chinese, Malay and Indian dialects. Take jiat gentang, which combines the Hokkien word for "eat" (fiat), with the Malay word for "potato" (gentang). Jiat gentang describes someone who speaks with a pretentious Western accent (since potatoes are considered a European food), as in "He went to Oxford to study, now he come back to Singapore, only know how to fiat gentang."" (Tan, 2002) Students are exposed to the English language at the start of their formal schooling. Lee Kwan Yew, the main architect of the bilingual education policy believes that learning a second language early on leads to higher proficiency. He declares, "Language is a key to the acquisition of knowledge. If a student is unable to understand a language, then he is unable to receive information or knowledge in that language. It is therefore crucial that a breakthrough must be made in the English language as early in life as possible." (as cited in Platt, 1982) The concern for connecting to the world in a global community while maintaining one's cultural roots and identity has given birth to the concept of English in Singapore as being "glocal". Derived from the words "global" and "local", it makes for greater awareness of intercultural and cross-cultural exchanges. It indicates that one has to be open to new ideas and yet be embedded in one's own culture. Today, the call is for citizens of all nations is to "Think globally , act locally." (Pakir,

China the Onechild Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

China the Onechild Policy - Essay Example It emerged from the belief that development would be compromised by rapid population growth and that the sheer size of China's population together with its young age structure presented a unique challenge." (Kane and Choi, 1999). Therefore, a reflective analysis of the one child family policy in China confirms that it was developed and implemented in reply to the concerns about the social and economic consequences of the sustained fast growth of population in the country and the execution of the policy was more effective in urban areas than rural areas of China. One of the major criticisms of the policy has been that it brings about inequity against females, who are often aborted, abandoned, or unregistered and there are reports of fines, pressures to abort a pregnancy, and even forced sterilization in the case of second or subsequent pregnancies. The rigorous implementation of the policy became more difficult due to social and economic reforms. However, one of the most important con sequences of the policy has been that it eased some of the pressures of rapid population increase on communities and it has reduced the population of the nation by at least 250 million. In this paper, a profound analysis of the one child policy in China is carried out in order to point out some of the good and bad effects accompanying the policy. China: the good and bad effects of one-child policy The one-child policy, which comes under the official translation of family planning policy of the Chinese government, has been one of the very important steps taken by the government in order to control the population growth in the nation and the policy officially restricts the number of children to the urban couples. Introduced by the Chinese government in 1979 to deal with the social, economic, and environmental problems in China, this policy has affected around 35.9% of China's population today. It is essential to realize the various significant aspects of the policy in order to make a good analysis of the good and bad effects of one-child policy in China. In a reflective analysis of the essential aspects of the policy, it becomes lucid that "the aim was to curtail population growth, perhaps to 1.1 billion and certainly to 1.2 billion, by the year 2000. It was hoped that third and higher order births could be eliminated and that about 30% of couples might agree to forgo a second c hild. The ideal of a one child family implied that the majority would probably never meet it People were to be encouraged to have only one child through a package of financial and other incentives, such as preferential access to housing, schools, and health services." (Kane and Choi, 1999). Thus, the one-child policy was the result of a common realization that the sacrifice of second or third children was very essential for the sake of future generations of China which is the most populous country in the world. One of the crucial factors about China's one-child family policy has been that it has crucially influenced the lives of nearly a quarter of the world's population for more than a quarter of the century and it is essential to realize the good and bad effects of the policy. A background analysis of China's one-child family policy makes clear that the Chinese government embarked on this policy in 1979, following the economic stagnation of the

DIscussion questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

DIscussion questions - Assignment Example Getting paid more than your fellow employees gives you a psychological advantage and one is made to believe that is getting treated special. But keeping in mind the tasks I had to deliver and the number of hours I was forced to work in order to meet deadlines never gave me personal satisfaction. I had friends in others companies in the same industry and they were getting paid almost as much as me but there was one major difference. The difference was that they were only responsible for accounts related work. They had a separate tax department that handled tax related works and had a storage supervisor who was responsible for checking and maintaining the stock level. So that meant I was doing task of three people all alone. Although the level of pay made things look reasonable, the level of commitment, focus and hard work always made me feel that I was being over worked and the incentive giving me was comparatively less. This feeling and heavy schedule went on forcing me to resign fro m work and opting for a different place. Technology has really made it easier for us to gather information on compensation; explore the Glassdoor website at http://www.glassdoor.com Click on the Companies and Reviews, then Best Places to Work feature and check out some of the company reviews and salary information, remembering that this is unsubstantiated, anonymous information. What did you find on this site? How useful do you think it is? The website contains a vast number of things related both, to the companies and the employees. The overview of the company is given along with a list of salaries being taken by employees at different positions. The average salary and the range of salaries for each department/position are given. This gives a fair idea of what starting pay should one expect and as time goes on how much raise in pay scale should be expected while staying at the company. A percentage of number successful, unsuccessful and waiting list (neutral) candidates are also gi ven. A prospective employee may analyze his chances of getting through in the interviews. Reviews of employees is also an important aspect, as one may get to know how well a company is treating its employees and understand whether he/she can adjust to such an environment. The number of jobs and positions available along with the job description helps one to assess whether to apply for the job or not. The thing that I found most useful was the information and split in categories of how people manage to get an interview. Most prospective employees don’t know how to apply and what is the best mode of applying. Some may simply use the online portal while others may try getting a referral in a company before they even apply. They may be some individuals who go straight up to recruiting agencies and ask for their help and guidance. By analysing the information on people actually getting an interview, the possibility of managing to get an interview becomes much higher. Using Table 1 2.1, which two programs for recognizing employee contributions do you feel are most worthwhile from an employee motivation standpoint and why? Table 12.1 Employee Motivation Merit Pay Incentive Pay Profit Sharing Owner-Ship Gain Sharing Skill-Based Design features Payment method Changes base pay Bonus Bonus Equity Bonus Change in base pay when skill Frequency at payout Annually Weekly Semiannually or annually When stock sold Monthly or quarterly When skill or competency Performance measures Supervisor’

China the Onechild Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

China the Onechild Policy - Essay Example It emerged from the belief that development would be compromised by rapid population growth and that the sheer size of China's population together with its young age structure presented a unique challenge." (Kane and Choi, 1999). Therefore, a reflective analysis of the one child family policy in China confirms that it was developed and implemented in reply to the concerns about the social and economic consequences of the sustained fast growth of population in the country and the execution of the policy was more effective in urban areas than rural areas of China. One of the major criticisms of the policy has been that it brings about inequity against females, who are often aborted, abandoned, or unregistered and there are reports of fines, pressures to abort a pregnancy, and even forced sterilization in the case of second or subsequent pregnancies. The rigorous implementation of the policy became more difficult due to social and economic reforms. However, one of the most important con sequences of the policy has been that it eased some of the pressures of rapid population increase on communities and it has reduced the population of the nation by at least 250 million. In this paper, a profound analysis of the one child policy in China is carried out in order to point out some of the good and bad effects accompanying the policy. China: the good and bad effects of one-child policy The one-child policy, which comes under the official translation of family planning policy of the Chinese government, has been one of the very important steps taken by the government in order to control the population growth in the nation and the policy officially restricts the number of children to the urban couples. Introduced by the Chinese government in 1979 to deal with the social, economic, and environmental problems in China, this policy has affected around 35.9% of China's population today. It is essential to realize the various significant aspects of the policy in order to make a good analysis of the good and bad effects of one-child policy in China. In a reflective analysis of the essential aspects of the policy, it becomes lucid that "the aim was to curtail population growth, perhaps to 1.1 billion and certainly to 1.2 billion, by the year 2000. It was hoped that third and higher order births could be eliminated and that about 30% of couples might agree to forgo a second c hild. The ideal of a one child family implied that the majority would probably never meet it People were to be encouraged to have only one child through a package of financial and other incentives, such as preferential access to housing, schools, and health services." (Kane and Choi, 1999). Thus, the one-child policy was the result of a common realization that the sacrifice of second or third children was very essential for the sake of future generations of China which is the most populous country in the world. One of the crucial factors about China's one-child family policy has been that it has crucially influenced the lives of nearly a quarter of the world's population for more than a quarter of the century and it is essential to realize the good and bad effects of the policy. A background analysis of China's one-child family policy makes clear that the Chinese government embarked on this policy in 1979, following the economic stagnation of the

Comparison and Contrast of the Story of Joseph in the Bible and the Essay

Comparison and Contrast of the Story of Joseph in the Bible and the Koran - Essay Example The Koran and the Bible present similar accounts only for Joseph and Moses, whereas they widely differ in accounts of Noah, Abraham and Jonah. The story of Joseph has the main basic theme, but some of the details presented differ in some ways. The Biblical story of Joseph is presented in detail, whereas the Koran presents a broader version. The paper will analyze the differences between the two stories. These are discussed in detail; 2. The Dreams In the Bible two dreams are mentioned. The first dream is of sheaves that bow down to Joseph’s sheaf. The second dream mentions eleven stars, the Sun and the Moon bowing down before Joseph. The Koran mentions only one dream which is the second dream. There is no mention of the first dream. Furthermore, both versions vary in accounts of Joseph telling his father Jacob about the dreams. In the Koran version Jacob advised Joseph to keep the dream to himself and not tell his brothers. Jacob seems to understand the meaning of the dream an d understands that Joseph has been selected by God and may possess special knowledge to interpret dreams. As per the Koran the reaction is as follows: â€Å"My little son! Relate not thy vision to thy brothers, lest they concoct a plot against thee: for Satan is to man an avowed enemy! Thus thy Lord choose thee and teach thee the interpretation of stories and perfect His favor to thee and to the posterity of Jacob† (Sura 12:5-6). He believes the dream to be true. Whereas, as per the Biblical account, Jacob seems unsettled and keeps the dream under consideration that it may come true. 3. Cause for Hatred The Bible has explained the cause of hatred of Joseph’s brothers. Joseph shared his dreams with them. The brothers are jealous of his dreams and that he has been granted higher position and respect. Other reasons explained also include more affection of Jacob towards Joseph since he was born to him in his old age. As per the Bible, â€Å"because he had been born to him in his old age† (Gen 37:3). Furthermore, Joseph also brought his father bad reports about his brothers. Apart from these reasons, signs of favoritism are shown towards Joseph from his father. This specially includes the colored shirt given to him. The Koran on the other hand does not mention any colored shirt, though the favoritism is the only cause explained for the hatred of his brothers for Joseph. 4. Sending Joseph with his Brothers The Koran mentions detail account of Jacob not trusting his sons. They ask permission from him to take Joseph along with them. The Koran mentions this part in a way that Jacob had knowledge of enmity that his sons were against Joseph and their intentions were not good. He was worried but allowed his sons to take Joseph along with them after some pressure and pleading. This account is not mentioned in the Bible. Furthermore, the plan to kill Joseph or to get rid of him was not premeditated as per the Bible, whereas, as per the Koran this comple te activity was planned before and the permission to take Joseph along with them was a part of this plan. 6. Selling Joseph Both the books have account of Joseph being sold into slavery. The Bible has detailed account in this act. Though, the plot is the same that Joseph was sold to a caravan headed