No child left behind Essay Example for Free

No child left behind Essay No Child Is Left Behind (NCLB) is a federal state act of 2001 which was proposed by the then president, George W. Bush immediately after being inaugurated in to the White House. This legal framework was aimed at ensuring that the primary and secondary education system was improved by advocating for increased accountability and transparency in its management. It further focused on the education system increased the flexibility on how parents can choose the learning institution their siblings will attend. This paper provides a broad overview of the act and it includes its history, scope, player involved challenges, among other issues. Brief discussion of the relevant history The law was authored by John Boehner and Judd Gregg, a representative and a senator respectively from the Republican Party and George miller and Edward Kennedy, a senator respectively from the Democratic Party. It was then signed by G. W. Bush. Beside aiming at improving the performance primary and secondary education and increasing accountability, improved the focus on reading and re-authored the 1965 Elementary and Secondary Act. The act was brought forward in the 107th congress whereby it was passed in the House of Representatives and US senate on 2001, May 23rd and 2004, June 14th respectively. It was later signed in to law on 2002, January 8th. Scope The act was brought to the lime light after realization the quality of the education being offered was directly affecting the students, parents and all the citizens at large. At the international level, since the world was becoming a global village as a result of globalization, the quality of education needed to improved since many of the Americans’ children had little hope in the future due to high levels of illiteracy and low self esteem (self doubt). The act was of paramount essence since the US, the world largest economy needed to produce intellectuals that would transform America and the globe at large. Context (historical, political, economic, social) At the time George W. Bush introduced this blueprint, he noted that though the American was entering the 21st century with a lot of promise and hope, many of the children who were in need of education support and aid were being ignored and thereby left around. 70% of the fourth graders residing in the inner city could not read or even pass the national reading trial which involved the elementary level of education. The senior high school student in other parts of the world, South Africa and Cyprus to be specific perform very poorly on the international mathematics test. Almost a 1/3 of the college freshmen of American origin take compulsory remedial courses prior to initiating the regular college level courses It is the responsibility of the parents, state and all the citizens to ensure that quality education is guaranteed for all the American children in order to have a bright future. This has not been the case and the United Sates Federal Government is to be blamed for condoning the poor results and failing to address the failure in the education system. The federal government has controlled the Americans, schools since through education policies since 1965 when the first major initiative on the elementary –secondary was undertaken. Since then the federal government has established so many programs/ projects geared towards facilitation of quality education. A major drawback for these programs is that the results have not been analyzed to evaluate whether the programs achieve their objectives or not. Another factor for the failure of the programs is that they are formulated by the congress and the locals are not consulted, as a result, local population education needs are not addressed. There have been programs that are formulated for every single education program and this had led to a pile of programs across the federal states. These programs costed the federal government hundred billions each year but quality of education on the other hand has been falling since the objectives are not being realized. This has resulted to a wide and an increasing gap between the rich and the poor in America. Faced with this dilemma, some citizens have proposed that the federal government should not be involved the education sector. Another proportion of the population suggests that the new programs should be added to the old education system. , the federal government was therefore required to come up with effective programs and projects which would restore confidence in to the American education system. After a braining search of the best option, the federal government came up with the No Child is Left Behind policy which would transform the American education system. During the signing of the bill, the then US president, George W. Bush said; Weve got large challenges here in America. Theres no greater challenge than to make sure that every child and all of us on this stage mean every child, not just a few children, every single child, regardless of where they live, how theyre raised, the income level of their family, every child receive a first-class education in America. Individuals/agencies involved including a discussion of the major decision makers The No Child is Left Behind policy would involve a number of parties in order to transform the American education system, these entities include; o The teachers o The parents o The local citizens o The federal government The teachers will be involved in ensuring the No Child is Left Behind policy work. They will be trained to improve their quality. The schools that will perform well will be rewarded while those not achieving the expected results will be sanctioned. The federal government is expected to fund the training of school teachers and improve the schools in general. The parents are required to monitor the performance of their children and at the same time access more information concerning the performance of his/her child from the school administration. Additional funds will be provided to the state and district schools by so that they can become more flexible. The local society is required to ensure that it provide a conducive learning environment so that the students can utilize their potential to the best of their capability (Hammond 2007). Major stakeholders involved (who the policy/issue affects, who has an interest in the policy) Among the major stakeholders who will be involved and will be affected by the NCLB will include the students, the teachers, parent, the local authorities and the federal government. The teachers will be required to play a crucial role in ensuring that the gap between the poor and rich is closed by ensuring that they maintain high standards and accountability, offering annual academic assessment to children which will then be evaluated by the parents. The teachers are further required to give reading a priority. The parents are expected to work closely with the teachers so that they can assist in progress of the children education. The parents’ flexibility and option for schools will also increase. The local authorities are expected to guarantee the teacher protection, promote school safety, rescue the schools from the schools that are not safe and advocate for character education. o The federal government is expected to provide funds and reward to the well performing schools and states in terms of accountability and transparency. The government will also give the teachers some initiatives like tax deduction in order to promote their performance. The role public administrators play in the policy/issue The public administers are expected to ensure that the funds provided by the federal government are utilized in the most efficient was possible while at the same time making certain that they reach the targeted entities. The public administrators are further expected to evaluate the performance of the school. They should also give feedback to the federal government on matter concerning the effectiveness of the No Child is Left Behind policy in meeting the academic needs of the American people (Samier, et, al, 2008). Policy alternatives and solutions Currently this is the best education program that has been formulated in the US. Proper implementation of the program will ensure that it becomes perfect since it will be evaluated from time to time. Corrective measure will be put in place to ensure that the expected results are achieved. Challenges facing policy implementation and solution The policy is faced with a number of challenges prior to its implementation. One of major critic is on the use of standards to gauge the performance of the states and schools. The schools or each state can lower their standards so that they cam purport to have improved in their performance. This is because each state has the capacity to set its own standards. This means that the incentives and penalties (sanctions) provided by the government would end up on the hand of wrong persons. This problem therefore calls for standardization of the examination if at all there is an expectation of correct unbiased results (Uzzell (2005). The use of standardized within states reduced the quality of education since the teachers â€Å"teach the test† to ensure that the students performs well in the schools. They, teachers, only teach the areas that are expected to be tested in the final standard exams. The standardized tests are also against Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. The tests have also been condemned of promoting cultural bias since different culture value certain skills than others. To avoid this kind of bias, the policy of standardized test should be re-evaluated in depth and a sustainable standard established (Abernathy 2007). The issue of offering incentives to the schools performing poorly enables the schools to continue performing poorly. The schools that are rewarded after performing well in the standards test is likely to push out the poorly performing students so that hey can maintain the standards. In order to ensure that the poorly performing schools improve they should be offered with technical expertise and not financial resources. The top performing schools on the other hand should be closely monitored to ensure that the poor students are not expelled on academic grounds. The No Child is Left Behind policy focuses manly on the core subjects, that is English and Mathematics, this has made the student to improve in these two subjects while the other broader education is lost. This therefore requires the NCLB policy to be considerate of other skills and subjects to ensure that education meets its purpose (Menken 2008). Importance of the No Child is Left Behind policy Its enables the children to understand the policies that have been implemented in the efforts to improve the quality of education in order to face the global challenges in bold. Precisely, the understanding of this policy enables a person to understand the existing education policy’s roots, challenges and its core values. This policy is also an indication of the federal government interest in leading the global by providing its citizens with quality education which will ensure that the illiteracy level decreases significantly. The policy also explains in details the expected level of participation by all the parties involved in ensuring that it is a success. The policy also explains the importance of the accountability and transparency for any program or policy to succeed (Peterson, et, al, 2003). Overview of the important values Irrespective of the stake holders involved in implementing this policy, is of great significance to evaluate the important values of the No Child is Left Behind policy. This policy is expected to; o Result to grades for tests o General improvement of all the standards o Increased accountability of all resources in the schools o Creating opportunity for the minority groups o General improvement of the quality of education o Offering the parent the option to select school for children o Guarantying of the federal funding Conclusion Though the change is well formulated, it needs to be cleansed off some of the issues that are raising eyebrows. It needs to be refined to address all the children depending on their needs. The policy provides clearly detailed guidelines which will ensure that the quality of the education system in America greatly improves to solve the ever increasing global challenges. While comparing the old and the new education programs, this new NCLB is likely to have better results since it focus on all the children with emphasis on the children from the minority groups. The local population, citizens and the federal government should ensure that the proper implementation and evaluation is carried out to make certain that the best results are achieved. As time passes by, a research should be carried out to find out area or clauses that need to be changed for upgrading of the programs. References Abernathy Scott Franklin (2007) No Child Left Behind and the Public Schools, Michigan, University of Michigan Press, (pp 130-149). Hammond Linda D. (2007) Evaluating No Child Left Behind’ retrieved on 18th, November, 2008, available at http://www. thenation.com/doc/20070521/darling-hammond Menken Kate (2008) English Learners Left Behind: Standardized Testing as Language Policy, NY, Multilingual Matters Press (pp 118-140) Samier Eugenie Angele, Stanley Adam (2008) Political Approaches to Educational Administration and Leadership, NY, Routledge, (pp 139-154) Peterson Paul E. , West Martin R. (2003) No Child Left Behind? The Politics and Practice of School Accountability, Brookings, Brookings Institution Press, (pp13-14) Smith Marilyn Cochran (2004) Walking the Road: Race, Diversity, and Social Justice in Teacher Teachers College Press (p 157) The white house, Foreword by President George W. Bush, retrieved on 18th, November, 2008, available at http://www. whitehouse. gov/news/reports/no-child-left-behind. html The White House, President Signs Landmark No Child Left Behind Education Bill, retrieved on 18th, November, 2008, available at http://www. whitehouse. gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020108-1. html Uzzell Lawrence A. (2005) No Child Left Behind: The Dangers of Centralized Education Policy, retrieved on 18th, November, 2008, available at http://www. cato. org/pub_display. php? pub_id=3769

Adolescents on Mental Illness :: essays research papers

Watson, Amy C., Otey, Emeline, Westbrook, Anne L., Gardner, April L., Lamb, Theodore A., Corrigan, Patrick W., & Fenton, Wayne S. (2004). Changing Middle Schoolers’ Attitudes About Mental Illness Through Education. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 30, 563-572. Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This article shows the attitudes and intellect of Middle Schoolers about Mental Illness. The investigators are interested in the amount of improvement that the Middle Schoolers receive after being well-informed and educated about Mental Illness. They are especially interested in the changes in the attitudes of the pupils that think pessimistically about Mental Illness. Finding out if a curriculum informing the students about Mental Illness would significantly impact them is the other main interest of the investigators.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Previous studies show that many adults are almost naturally prejudice to people with Mental Illnesses. Most adults automatically stereotype them as people that are dangerous, shouldn’t be talked to, and have a slim-to-none chance of recovering. This comes from their lack of knowledge of Mental Illness growing up. In their childhood, they see Mental Illness as a disturbance and sway away from anything related to it. This concept is truly an unnoticed act of discrimination. Ultimately, the goal of the experiment was to find out how the minds of the students change toward Mental Illness after more knowledge of it is found out. The investigators supposed that there would be a bit of knowledge or at least some awareness of Mental Illness in the students’ minds. They figured that there would be many pessimists in the group (students that initially think negatively about Mental Illness.) Also, they assumed that the curriculum would benefit all of the students (especially the ones with the negative attitudes.) Method   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The investigators used The Science of Mental Illness curriculum to educate the students. This curriculum consists of unique scientific discoveries and case studies that help students understand the link between the sciences and their applications to health care. Some parts of the curriculum are classic, lecture-style teachings and some are more interactive including online programs and situations on video clips. The variety of the curriculum keeps the students interested throughout the 5-week program.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Helping the students understand that Mental Illness can be diagnosed and treated very well (unlike they might have thought) is one of the curriculum’s main goals. The other is to make the students more aware of Mental Illness and understand its different aspects. The curriculum is broken up into 5 lessons that cover everything from the brain’s functions to recognizing Mental Illness to methods of treatment.

Necklace by Guy de Maupassant Essay

The â€Å"Necklace† by Guy de Maupassant, is a story about a beautiful girl, named Mathilde Loisel who was born into an unfavorable family. She then got married, Monsieur Loisel who is a common clerk, who can only provide her with little things. Unhappy with her circumstances, Mme Loisel always felt beneath herself. So to become the person she wanted to be she borrowed a friends necklace for a party, she lost it, and then had to do everything she could to pay off the debt made from the replacement necklace. Maupassant shows that she had gotten exactly what she deserves for her vanity and pride. She not only was punished, but her husband’s life was also affected. Since Mme Loisel had believed that because of her beauty she deserved to be of higher class that what she was in. She claims she had â€Å"suffered endlessly† because she felt as though she was entitled to â€Å"delicacy and luxury†. Maupassant is showing his reader how conceited Mme Loisel was being. Instead of being happy that she live in comfort, Mme Loisel dreamed of more. She dreamed of â€Å" delicate meals† and â€Å"marvelous dishes† things that she believed she deserved just because of her beauty. Trying to make his wife happy Monsieur Loisel came home with an invitation to a party. Instead of being happy â€Å"she flung the invitation† and â€Å"was beginning to cry. The was another example, given by Maupassant, showing Mme Loisel’s vanity, and how much she hated that fact that she couldn’t afford dresses to match her beauty. Her husband, however still tries to please her by giving her money to buy a beautiful dress. However this was still not enough because she now needed jewelry to match. Thus showing more of how she thought highly of herself just because of beauty and wanted more to mach it. She borrowed her friends necklace, and unfortunately lost it on the way home. She bought a replacement and it caused her and her husband to be in debt. She began to do â€Å"the heavy work of the house†and ten years went by and she began to look old and became like all other poor women. Maupassant showed his readers Mme Loisel’s karma for her wanting so much of what she cannot have. Then what made matters worse, she found out that the necklace she borrowed was fake and was worth a lot less than the replacement. This was Maupassant’s way to punish the conceited girl. Now she is no longer the beautiful girl she once was and she now lives in poverty. This was the best way to punish Mme Loisel. Unfortunately her husband suffered too. Her husband also was punished, mainly because instead of telling his wife she should just tell her friend what happened, he told her to buy time by saying they’re getting it fixed. His punishment was using the money left from his father, and â€Å"risked his signature† by borrowing money from different people. He now had to let go of their servant, changed their flat, because now they had work to pay off the debt, and in the process they fell into more debt. The husband had to work even harder than before having to pay off the many debts. He even had to work evenings and nights. Maupassant gave his reader the right punishment for Mme Loisel. She now was old, lost her beauty and became even more poor. This was a just punishment because she should have been appreciative of what she had. Even though she wan’t rich she at least lived comfortably. She now lost her beauty trying to be someone she wasn’t and now she lives with even less luxury than before. Maupassant wanted to show his reader that you must be grateful for what you have, and don’t look for things that is not of you nature. Mme Loisel didn’t live luxury so she shouldn’t have looked for luxury.

Euro Disney Essay - 6225 Words

Only one year after the grand opening of EuroDisneyland, Robert Fitzpatrick left his position as EuroDisney’s chairperson, citing a desire to start his own consulting firm. In April 1993, Philippe Bourguignon took over the helm of EuroDisney, thought by some to be a sinking ship. EuroDisney publicly reported a net loss of FFr188 million for the fiscal year ending September 1992, though cumulative losses through April 1993 approached half a billion dollars.1 The European park also fell one million visitors short of its goal for the first year of operations, with the French comprising only 29% of the park’s total visitors between April and September 1992—a far cry from the predicted 50%.2 In addition to the financial woes weighing on†¦show more content†¦A12. 5 Jefferson, â€Å"American Quits Chairman Post at Euro Disney,† p. B1. 2 A15-99-0007 In 1955, Walt decided to send his entourage of characters into the real world, through the creation of Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Walt’s Disneyland dream was to create a place where people from all over would be able to go for clean, safe fun, unlike the less-than-wholesome carnivals of the day. He wanted a place that would teach both young and old about America’s heritage and about the diversity of the world. Since July 17, 1955, Disneyland has stood as the icon of Walt’s dream—a park for family-type entertainment that would provide clean, safe fun. Cleanliness is a high priority. By 8 a.m., when the park opens, the cleaning crew will have mopped and hosed and dried every sidewalk, every street, and every floor and counter. This begins at 1 a.m., when more than 350 of the park’s 7400 employees commence the daily cleanup routine. This routine includes using steam machines, razor scrapers, and mops towed by Cushman scooters to literally scour the streets and sidewalks in an effort to rid them of the chewing gum and other garbage left behind. Other examples of the emphasis placed on the small details include one person working a full eight-hour shift to polish the brass on the Fantasy merry-go-round; treating the meticulously manicured plantings throughout the park with growth-retarding hormones to keep the trees and bushes from spreading beyond their assignedShow MoreRe latedEuro Disney2974 Words   |  12 PagesEuro Disney I found two mission statements for this company one is â€Å"to make people happy† and the other one is â€Å"we create happiness by providing the finest in entertainment to people of all ages, everywhere† (Strauss, h. n.d.). Each and every employee from maid to the president knows the mission statement. All employees are motivated to create happiness for their guest, and they do everyday. From what I have read and heard, Disney lives up to both of these statements. Euro Disney SRead MoreDisneyland Paris ( Formerly Euro Disney )1291 Words   |  6 PagesDisneyland Paris (formerly Euro Disney) While Tokyo Disneyland is considered a great success, the Walt Disney Company’s next international theme park venture, Euro Disney, is quite the opposite. In the 1980’s with the great success of Tokyo Disneyland, TWDC entertained the idea of building another international theme park. The Walt Disney Company knew they wanted to build a park in Europe but needed to find a place where they could build their own reality free from the sights and sounds of the realRead MoreEssay Euro Disney the Failure1269 Words   |  6 PagesWalt Disney is the world leader in family entertainment and one of the most valuable brands in the world. Recently, Walt Disney has decided to open up a Disney Theme Park in Hong Kong China, which will be the first theme park in China. Since the opening of Euro Disney, the Walt Disney Company has learned to take into consideration important determinants so that their investment will not be a huge financial loss. Unfortunately, Since Disney did not r esearch as much as they should of when decidingRead MoreThe Poor Performance Of Euro Disney1569 Words   |  7 Pagesfactors came together and contributed to the poor performance of Euro Disney during its first year. The primary reason for the failure in its first year was its high cost as EuroDisney was charging 280 Dollars to enjoy the attractions of the park and the hotel was charging prices comparable to the most luxurious hotels in Paris. In addition the airfares were cheaper to Disneyworld in Florida with guaranteed good weather. The Disney executives also made a major mistake in understanding and researchingRead MoreEuro Disney - Case Study2145 Words   |  9 Pages1 Introduction Ââ€" Euro Disney s Plans and Reality When the International Offer of Shares for the Euro Disneyland S.C.A. (in the following called Euro Disney) was published in October 1989 the plans for this new enterprise of the Walt Disney group were ambiguous. The financial plans for the first year of operation projected total revenues of FF 5,482 million and a net profit after taxation of FF 204 million. For the following years the development should be even more impressive. At that time theRead MoreEuro Disney Case Study1353 Words   |  6 Pagesstill are to great success. Tokyo Disney followed with a slow start but quickly became a successful cash cow like the 2 parks in the United States. Disney next projected success was Euro Disney, today it goes by DIsney Paris. Disney was confident and quite optimistic that the 4th Disney theme park, located just over 30 minutes drive from one of the worlds biggest tourist attractions, Paris would be no different. Some would say a little too confident. However, Disney made some major plan ning mistakesRead MoreEuro Disney Case Study12599 Words   |  51 Pagescase fourteen Euro Disney: From Dream to Nightmare, 1987–94 Robert M. Grant At the press conference announcing Euro Disneyland SCA’s financial results for the year ended September 30, 1994, CEO Philippe Bourguignon summed up the year in succinct terms: â€Å"The best thing about 1994 is that it’s over.† In fact, the results for the year were better than many of Euro Disneyland’s long-suffering shareholders had predicted. Although revenues were down 15 percent – the result of falling visitor numbersRead MoreEuro Disney Case Essay3399 Words   |  14 PagesCase Analysis # 1 EuroDisney- Disney Land Paris 1. What factors lead to EuroDisneys poor performance during its first year of operation? EuroDisney had a disastrous first year in Paris, France. There were many reasons that contributed to the horrible start. I am going to discuss six reasons why I think EuroDisney had such a hard time adjusting in Europe. 1. It was cheaper for European families to travel to Disney World in Orlando, FL. Not only was the trip to Orlando going to be cheaperRead MoreEuro Disney Case Study1430 Words   |  6 Pagesculture * Disney executives believed in cultural inconsistencies such as: Europeans didn’t eat breakfast which is not true * Disney didn’t stress the entertainment value of visit to the theme park in their promotions which â€Å"ruined the magic† * Europeans only spent 1-2 days at the park which contrasted the American experience which lasted at least 2 days * Europeans had different vacation tendencies; they preferred a month of vacation to a year b.) Hong Kong Disney: * OnlyRead MoreEuro Disney: First 100 Days1911 Words   |  8 PagesEXECUTIVE SUMMARY The case â€Å"Euro Disney: First 100 days† talks about the issues faced by the Walt Disney Company when expanding to international borders. The case begins with the history of Disneyland and then describes the reasons behind its success and expansion to various states across the country. It then describes the success of Tokyo Disneyland, first Disney theme park outside America and the factors affecting it. It then describes Disney’s entry into Europe. The various entry barriers, decision