School Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

School Finance - Essay Example In fact, a 1993 circuit court of Cole County opined that "The existing school finance system does not provide an 'equal ... opportunity' for all school age children as is required by ... the Missouri Constitution" (Committee for Educational Equity v. Missouri, 1993, p. 29). As described in the decision, "various statistical measures confirm the degree and extent of these wide inequalities" (p. 13) and "All relevant standard measures of equity ... clearly and consistently indicate that Missouri funding for its public schools is highly disequalized and is getting worse" (p. 15)"(Wan Ko, 2006).This court decision instructs that the school must revise its financing policies. The court wants that school finances should be EQUALLY allocated to all children irregardless of race, religion, sex, etc. This new financing policy introduces a new hold harmless provision. Hold harmless schools clearly receive more than the normal monetary help than other schools receive. As a result, these hold ha rmless school districts give more accurate equity analysis for evaluating the state's policy impact. this study of the Missouri school finance system shows that there was an improvement in the Missouri school's finance equity under the new funding formula. However, there were times when financial help did not arrive as schedule or came only in trickles. One reason is that the monetary help had come from other sources and not from the newly approved funding schemes. Evidently, this article shows that schools need money in order to deliver high quality education to the students(Wan Ko, 2006). II. A Helping Hand: A Federal Grant Program Gives School Districts the Financial Support The Need to Develop Updated, Comprehensive Disaster Plans. The article mentions how tornadoes ravaged several towns in Missouri. The tornadoes literally scattered some elementary school buildings in the community. In Caulfied, MO, a tornado killed a seven year old girl named Elizabeth Croney. Likewise, a school in Derby, KS had to close down to allow police officers to corner and arrest an armed criminal in front the the school's premises. Many of the schools are not accustomed to confronting increasing threats from many quarters. The dangers include natural disasters, street gangs and terrorists. Many of the schools' administrators and responsible personnel underwent emergency disaster training to counter the effects of any emergency. The Department of Education's office of safe and drug -free schools spearheaded this campaign to help schools be more prepared to alleviate any emergency. In turn, the schools would be given REMS funds that would be used for the schools' disaster awareness and readiness program. The United States government has focused on school disaster preparedness programs in response to the infamous September eleven twin tower airline hijacking incidents as well as the ramming of a commandeered passenger plane onto the Pentagon. For, "If you think back to 9/11, there were a lot of lessons learned from that incident," according to Sara Strizzi, who is a program analyst for the DoE in Washington, DC. One of those lessons was the vulnerability of K-12 campuses. "We realized that within the ground zero vicinity, there were a lot of schools close by."(Bowles, 2007). Here, the government of

2 Articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

2 Articles - Essay Example stories also differ in their thematic concerns, with Army Tan giving her account of learning English and Hughes talking of having lied (Tan 1; Hughes 1). Army recalls the efforts as she engaged in learning English as an immigrant in the US. Her account of how her mother spoke broken English and how often she found her easy to communicate with while other people could not. In her story, there are elements of justification of misconceptions about the Chinese. Army writes to justify that while many people thought the Chinese could not prosper in literature, she could break the traditions. She expresses her determination to prove people wrong (Tan 1). On the contrary, Hughes writes a confession and a mockery simultaneously. He confesses of having lied to her aunt and the congregation of having seen Jesus and receiving salvation. His autobiography satirizes the way the church conducted the service. The use of satire creates a mocking effect of the work and hints at uselessness of preachers and the congregation. Hughes’ work points at salvation of the children as being infatuations (Hughes

Progressive Movement Era Essay Example for Free

Progressive Movement Era Essay Progressive Movement is defined as an effort to cure and prevent many of the ills of American society after significant industrial growth took place in the end of the 19th century. This movement promoted the idea that all people are equally capable of improving ills of society. Progressivism strongly rejected Social Darwinism. Moreover, the Movement strongly opposed corruption in all its displays and supported trends to make the country defend worker’s rights. Progressivisms tended to protect ordinary citizens, though it rejected the church stressing that it shouldn’t be the driving force for changes. Speaking about beliefs of Progressive Movement it is necessary to underline that its leaders promoted urban-industrial society. Moreover, they believed in human abilities to make our society better by improving living conditions. Further, they believed in necessity to intervene in social, political and economic affairs of the country. Speaking about views of trusts, the Sherman Anti-Trust Act of 1890 appeared to be effective federal measure aiming at limiting the power of companies to control the highest percentage of the market share. In other words, Progressivism promoted the idea of intervention into all spheres of government. Progressive leaders argued that effective means should be implemented to deal with the ills produced by trusts. They referred to trust-busting and regulatory approaches. In foreign policy Progressive leaders practiced more imperialistic and active approach in contrast to the Founding Fathers. For example, Roosevelt claimed that global imperialism was the best policy, whereas Wilson sent American troops for inevitable death to make the world ‘safer for democracy’. In conclusion it is necessary to admit that the sites used for writing the paper are very effective at enhancing my understanding of Progressive Movement as they offer detailed overview of beliefs, motivations, foreign and domestic policies, trust and anti-trust views, etc. Moreover, they offer different perspectives on the matter of interest. References Ideas and Movements: The Progressive Movement of 19th Century. (2002). Retrieved February 27, 2008, from http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1061.html Progressive Era. (2004). Retrieved February 27, 2008, from http://www.eagleton.rutgers.edu/e-gov/e-politicalarchive-Progressive.htm

The Graduate Cultural Significance

The Graduate Cultural Significance The Graduate is a 1960s American film based on the novel of the same name by Charles Webb. The film tells a story of a university graduate named Benjamin Braddock who did not have a clear idea about his future. The young man was seduced by an old woman, Mrs. Robinson, but he fell in love with her daughter Elaine in the end. The film reflects the confusion and helplessness of the American young people in the 1960s. The characteristics of the counterculture movements were also shown in the movie. Consequently, instead of just being a comedy, the graduate plays an essential role in reflecting and promoting the culture and ideology of the 1960s America. It shows more sympathy than satire to the young generation at that time. The film starts by showing Benjamins void, loneliness and helplessness, which can be clearly seen from his facial expression. The theme songsound of silence also expresses a stuck and hollow feeling, which actually is the keynote of the whole movie. There is a conversation between Ben and his father at the beginning of the movie, when Bens father ask him what he is worried about, Ben hesitantly answers he does not know and he just wants his future to be different. Being the keynote of the film, the hollow feeling lasts till the end of the movie. At the end of the movie, when Ben and Elaine escape from the church and sit in the bus, their facial expressions are actually very calm, which is quite different from their happiness and excitement when running away from the church. Although they have extricated themselves from the shackle of their family and made their own choices, they still do not know what to do next. This kind of hollow feeling shows exactly the ideology of the young peo ple living in the 1960s America. Unlike the older generations who had a strong idea of the America dream, young people in the 1960s did not experience the hardship caused by war and there was a generation gap between them and their parents. The older generation hoped the young people could cherish their peaceful life and continue to fight for the America dream, but the young generation did not understand why they need to do that and their dream of achieving social justice is slightly ideal. The difference in the sense of value between two generations is also shown in the film by the conversation between Ben and his father, which can further reflect the opposite attitude of the young people at that time towards the traditional sense of value. The two different values had conflicted with each other for several years, and in the late 1960s, there was a strong dissatisfaction of the current social situation and the sense of value of the middle class among the young people. With the outbreak of the Vietnam War, both the counterculture movement and anti-war movement reached the peak in around 1967, and The Graduate exactly shows the idea of counterculture of the young people at that time. Anti-war movement is an essential part of the 1960s American society. One scene in the film is that Ben tiredly sits in the campus of Berkeley when the national flag of America is waving high above his head. Berkeley is one of the most active campuses during the anti-war movement in the 1960s. It becomes world-famous for the Free Speech Movement in 1964 and the strike against the Vietnam War organized by the students at that time. The anti-war movement showed the young peoples sense of social responsibility and their desire for a peace world. The draft for a compulsory military service is one of the main reasons for all kinds of anti-war protests. Under the draft, lots of young people were sent to Vietnam and many of them died, which made their families suffer a lot. Hippie is another good illustration of the youth culture at that time. Hippies were against the mainstream and reacted to the difficult times by dropping out of the society. There is one scene in the film that shows the hippy culture. When Ben and Elaine are eating and talking in the car, there are some hippies playing rock music beside their car. However, instead of turning down the music as required by Ben, those hippies turn up the volume and keep playing the music. Their reaction shows the idea of counterculture and disapproval of the social mainstream. Being a symbol of the 1960s youth culture, hippies are remembered for their fancy clothes and deviant behavior like taking psychedelic drugs. Sexual revolution is a part of the counterculture movements in the 1960s and it is shown in the movie by Mrs. Robinsons seduction behavior. This new culture of free love encouraged millions of young people to accept the beauty of sex as a natural part of everyday life. Besides this reason, Bens relationship with Mrs. Robinson is partly due to another factor, which is his loneliness and helplessness. The 1960s is a crossroad in the whole American history. The Graduate is of great importance in recording that period of history, especially the behavior and thought of the young people at that time.

Uni :: essays research papers

The protagonist in this self titled autobiography Martin Luther King, Jr. is Martin Luther King Jr. himself. In this scene Mr. King was at a book signing in a Harlem department store. As he was autographing a copy of his book about the Montgomery bus boycott titled â€Å" Stride toward Freedom† he was approached by the antagonist of this scene; an obviously demented black woman later to be judged as legally insane, Mrs. Izola Ware Curry. On Saturday September 20, 1958 Mrs. Curry approached Mr. King and asked, â€Å"Are you Martin Luther King?† Mr. King replied â€Å"Yes†, and she commenced to stab him in the chest with a razor sharp letter opener.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Martin Luther King, Jr. was rushed to Harlem Hospital by ambulance where he would lay for four hours while he was being prepped for the removal of the keen-edged knife. Days after surgery Dr. Maynard, the chief of the surgeons, informed Mr. King that the razor tip of the letter opener was touching his aorta requiring them to open his chest to remove it. With this comment to follow, â€Å" If you had sneezed during all those hours of waiting your aorta would have been punctured and you would have drowned in your own blood.† said Dr. Maynard.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If this had actually been the one of Dr. King’s last days; it would have meant that the world would have been deprived of a ten year, non-violent campaign that did in fact change society for the better. A little less than a year after his near fatal stabbing he and his family would embark upon a journey to India accompanied by Dr. D.L. Reddick. There he meet Ghandi himself giving him newfangled prospective on non-violent campaigns.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On a Humid Saturday Afternoon on September 20, 1958, Dr. King sat in a Harlem Department store signing copies of his book on the Montgomery bus boycott entitled â€Å"Stride Toward Freedom†. Amidst all the smiles and support of the crowd derived an obviously deranged woman. She approached Dr. King and inquired,†Are you Martin Luther King?† As Dr. King Replied, †Yesâ€Å" She stabbed him in the chest with a letter opener. Dr. King was rushed to the Harlem hospital by ambulance where he was immediately prepped and admitted to the surgery ward. After hours on the operating table the head surgeon Dr. Maynard, had the saturnine duty of telling the King family that the totality of effort shown by he an his team were only able to slow Dr.

The Use of Settings in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Essay -- Charlott

The Use of Settings in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontà « In this essay, I will be examining three different locations used in Charlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s novel ‘Jane Eyre’ and discussing their uses towards the story. The three settings I am to consider are the red-room at Gateshead Hall, Lowood Institution where Jane attends school, and Jane’s first sight at Thornfield Hall; the house in which she becomes employed as a Governess. The first setting I am going to discuss is the red-room at Gateshead Hall. Gateshead is the house in which Jane lives as a child after both her parents die. Jane is sent there to live with her Uncle and his family. Her Uncle dies shortly after her arrival and so she is left with her wicked Aunt Reed and her three cousins. Jane is sent to the red-room as a punishment, following an incident where John throws a book at her and she retaliates as he continues to physically bully her. The room itself is described: ‘Square chamber, very seldom slept in’ and this room happens to be ‘one of the largest and stateliest chambers in the mansion’ The room is non-surprisingly dominated with the colour red. The furniture is made from deep polished mahogany, the walls were a ‘soft fawn colour with a blush of pink in it’ and the curtains draped around the four-poster bed were red. We soon find out that this room was in fact the room where Uncle Reed had died. ‘It was in this chamber he had breathed his last; here he lay in state; hence his coffin was borne by the undertaker’s men; and, since that day, a sense of dreary consecration had guarded it from frequent intrusion’ Jane becomes extremely frightened by the whole sinister atmosphere of the room, and worsens her state of mind with the thoughts ... ...tory would be entirely different. They keep the reader interested, not only in the story, but also in Jane. The reader grows to love Jane as a strong and brave character and I enjoyed seeing how she managed to cope with such difficult situations. I thought it was interesting to find out that when Brontà « first published the book ‘Jane Eyre’, she was not permitted to publish under her female name. She had to create a male name for herself. I think it’s a shame that Brontà « was not given credit as the true author, but thankfully the system has changed now, although you may have noticed that the policy has not been completely abolished. Joanne Rowling, author of Harry Potter, had her name initialised to J.K Rowling, as not to deter male readers from reading it. All in all, I really enjoyed reading and analysing Charlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s infamous novel, ‘Jane Eyre’.

Bad Boss Good Boss Essay

â€Å"Servants don’t know a good master until they have served a worse,† (Aesop). By the tender age of eighteen, most people have had a job. Whatever that job was, the kind of master –boss encountered most likely made a big difference in how work performance is perceived and what constitutes a good or a bad boss. The collaborative relationship or lack there of, between an employee and employer is a contributing factor when measuring whether or not one has been successful. In these encounters one invariably learns the difference between a good or a bad boss. When comparing leadership capability of bosses, it is important to consider communication, collaboration, and people skills to determine their ability to succeed. Good bosses communicate with their employees effectively, while bad bosses are poor communicators. All bosses differ in their communication style. Some bosses like e-mail while others like face-to-face contact. Employees need communication from their bosses to make good decisions and to make sure a job is being done to specification. For example, a project is due in a week’s time; there are three different ways to complete this project, but there is only one way from management’s point of view. A good boss will take the time to explain clearly how he or she wants this job to be done; he or she will show the employee the correct way to do the job so the employee does not second guess himself. How a boss communicates with the employee has a major impact on their performance. Good bosses inspire and motivate the people they lead, encourage them to give feedback, and avoid launching into arguments or becoming angry when they think an employee is wrong. A bad boss on the other hand is withdrawn; he or she does not seem to care if their employees perform to their highest standard, and give neither time nor priority to listening as long as they get the job done. For example, an employee is doing a job that he or she could do much more effectively with a little  guidance; instead of the boss communicating with the employee, he allows the employee to complete the job and does not show the employee anything. Bad bosses do not feel it necessary to tell the employees anything about the bottom line or how the company is doing, he or she does not care about the well being of the employee or how they are performing in their jobs. They just do not communicate, and rarely show any emotion-good or bad. A good boss collaborates with employees, bad bosses are selfish. During one’s working career, one will have many bosses with varying leadership styles and interpersonal skills. Despite the disparity of personalities, the collaborative relationship the boss has with the employees is significant and the effects long lasting. Working well with the employees requires a concerted effort to obtain the knowledge and skills forming the foundation of a mutually beneficial relationship. A good boss knows that improving collaboration with the employees is essential to the advancement and completion of doing a good job. He or she will work with employees to achieve goals and complete projects. If working on an assembly line, a good boss will take the place of an absent employee and do the exact job that employee was doing. Conversely, a bad boss does not know the meaning of team. He will show a lack of interest in the well–being of the people he leads, and he will be prone to be demeaning and disrespectful. He or she will take the credit for a job done well without any acknowledgement to the employees that actually completed the work. When things do not go as planned, bad bosses will place the blame on anyone but themselves, they tend to find it easy to blame wasteful work systems, processes, and staff members for their inability to meet company wide goals and performance standards. Good bosses exhibit good people skills; however, with bad bosses it’s all about them. A good boss will go out of his way to accommodate an employee. Even when reprimanding an employee they will always give them a chance to explain and tell their side of the story. A good boss will tell an employee not to take it personally and take the time to explain that everyone has a bad day. As opposed to a bad boss who does not care about what the employee is feeling, he or she just wants the job done-no questions asked. Bad bosses tend to flaunt their rank and make sure the employees have no doubt about who the boss is. He or she will never get in the trenches with the employees as this is beneath him. When employees do a good job and  are recognized by others, the bad boss wants all of the glory. On the other hand, if he or she is being recognized they do not share the spotlight with the employees. Bad bosses have a false sense of security, they feel that what they are doing is fine as long as upper management does not hold them responsible or accountable for actions or positive change, and things remain in a constant state of confusion for the employees. In the business world, good bosses are an asset to any company. They appreciate what their employees do and do not mind getting in the trenches with them. The turnover rate in the workplace would be much lower if all companies had bosses that were competent, compassionate and fair. Although there may be as many good bosses as there are bad, it is likely that most bosses are a bit of both, ‘swinging both ways’ so to speak. To have a boss that makes employees realize that they have more ability than they thought they had so they do better work than they thought they could, versus a boss that negatively impacts the work environment by fostering high levels of employee frustration, stress, resentment, and unnecessary labor turnover makes all the difference between a successful and unsuccessful company. When given a choice, most people if not all would choose a good boss over a bad boss every time. During the working career, one will have many bosses with varying leadership skills and interpersonal styles. Despite the difference in personalities, the collaborative relationship you have with your boss can be significant and the effects long-lasting. Whether the boss is good or bad, some boss-employee relationships can withstand the test of time. Forming a harmonious and productive relationship with the boss can be good but is not always possible. Every boss brings with them different personalities, backgrounds and challenges. The bottom line is in all successful companies the leaders possess a certain degree of collaboration, communication and good people skills. At the end of the day in a successful company the bottom line is really what matters. References Day, J. A. (n. d.). Good boss, bad boss? Ezine articles, 1-3. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Good-Boss,-Bad-Boss?&id=7250782 Jamison, T. G. (2012, 3/27). 7 Signs of a bad boss. BioSpace. Retrieved from http://www.biospace.com/news_print.aspx?NewsEntityId=254513 Post, P. (2013, 11/17). What does a good boss do to be a good boss. The Boston Globe, pp. 2. Retrieved from http://www.bostonglobe.com Scott, D. E. (2007, 2/1). personal & Financial Health. Collaboration with your boss: strategic skills for professional nurses., 1-3. Retrieved from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/_/print/PrintArticle.aspx?id=159079514