Teaching as a profession has changed drastically Free Essays

This is besides a timely issue in southern Florida since one of its school territory ‘s gained national attending late because parents used a societal computing machine web forum to develop the group TINT ( Testing is Not Teaching ) . This grassroots organisation was started by parents who felt that their kids were being overly tested in the public school system. The parents were joined by instructors and pupils and used the societal web to form protests and mass meetings. We will write a custom essay sample on Teaching as a profession has changed drastically or any similar topic only for you Order Now Two of the groups purposes were to hold the CAO ( Chief Academic Officer ) removed from his place, along with the Superintendent who hired him. The group felt that the CAO was passing out a â€Å" written plan † , particularly in reading, that all instructors were mandated to follow. This plan was designed to increase trial tonss on the FCAT ( Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test ) , given to all pupils in classs 3 through 10. In the terminal both the CAO and Superintendent resigned and TINT is now closely watching local and national developments in instruction. In this epoch of high bets proving, territories, schools and instructors depend on the success of their pupils ‘ success on standardised trials. These trials are correlated with national and province criterions and are farther broken down by benchmarks. These benchmarks provide the guidelines for the content instructors cover during the school twelvemonth. Research has shown that effectual instructors participate in the planning and implementing of the course of study but the authorizations from the Federal, province, and local authoritiess take the ownership of learning off and replace it with a course of study that is out of their control. This instance survey will look at the effects of the high-stakes testing motion on single instructors and analyze the functions and duties these instructors believe they have in fixing their pupils for the high-stakes testing. This instance survey was designed to analyze the relationship between the execution of increased high bets proving and teacher efficaciousness and to reply the inquiry do teacher believe they have a function or any duty in determining instructional schemes in fixing their pupils for taking high bets trials? The focal point was on analyzing what educational patterns are working to increase instructor efficaciousness with province mandated standardised testing and looking at schools which have implemented successful plans to help instructors. Three instructors will be interviewed to determine their position in determining instructional schemes within their school that prepare their pupils for the province mandated trials. This qualitative research designed instance survey will interview three instructors in public schools in a territory in South Florida. The interview inquiries will be predetermined and the topics will hold the chance to read these inquiries before being interviewed. There will be four inquiries for each one to reply. These inquiries will be developed by the interviewer and concentrate on the instructor ‘s function sing high bets proving and if it has changed their instruction patterns. They will besides be asked what function they have in their peculiar school in determining instructional schemes for their pupils to win on these trials. The interviewer will both transcribe and tape all the interviews and after the written text is complete it will be given to the instructors for their reappraisal. History of testing: The construct of aptitude testing was introduced during World War II as a method of happening the best and most intelligent soldiers for the United States military, ( Schmidt 2008 ) . In the old ages after the war these trials became incorporated into the American society as a manner to happen persons with superior scholarly capablenesss. The SAT was adapted from Yerkes ‘ trials for the military and was used by colleges and universities as one factor in finding admittances to their installations. By the 1960 ‘s SAT scores began to worsen, raising political and public concerns about the quality of the state ‘s educational system. Before this diminution, many Americans held a positive position of public instruction in the United States. American instruction was thought to both work out society ‘s jobs and besides endeavor to include pupils from diverse backgrounds, ( West A ; Peterson, 2003, p. 4, as cited in Schmidt, 2008 ) . After publication of the diminutio n in trial tonss, many Americans became concerned with the province of the American educational system. The standardised testing motion is the consequence of the a series of jurisprudence ‘ passed by the state ‘s Presidents, climaxing in 2001 with the transition of No Child Left Behind ( NCLB ) , by so president George W. Bush. The authorizations of NCLB have proved to be controversial although basic end was â€Å" aˆÂ ¦to create an inducement for pedagogues to guarantee that no one pupil, or group of pupils, is left behind in their reading, linguistic communication, and mathematics abilities † . NCLB had legion demands that provinces and school territories had to follow in order to have federal support. The foundation of the NCLB jurisprudence is that provinces must make AYP ( Annual Yearly Progress ) each twelvemonth. The jurisprudence specified that every province â€Å" aˆÂ ¦must develop, and incorporate into their course of study, a standards-based answerability plan that demonstrates student proficiency degrees in the nucleus capable countries of rea ding, linguistic communication humanistic disciplines, and mathematics † ( Schmidt, 2008 ) . These proficiency degrees are measured by standardised trials given to all pupils one time a twelvemonth and these trials had to be approved by the Department of Education prior to being given ( Abernathy, 2007, p.5 ; Sunderman et. al. , 2005, p. 5 ) . By carry oning one-year testing, territories can closely supervise the advancement, or deficiency thereof, of pupils. No Child Left Behind was the latest reproduction of President Lyndon Johnson ‘s reform of educational reorganisation known as the ESEA ( Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ) . Both steps stressed the thought that public instruction â€Å" aˆÂ ¦requires a federal presence to guarantee academic advancement and academic equality for all pupils † . Schmidt ( 2008 ) Since the ESEA was passed at that place have been alterations made to its base, with the latest being No Child Left Behind ( NCLB ) The federal authorities has played an of import function in altering public instruction in the United States, the motive for these alterations in public schools were motivated because of concerns for America ‘s worsening trial tonss. The two chief drifts for alteration were worsening trial tonss on the Scholastic Aptitude Test ( SAT ) and the publication of A State At Risk by Terrance Bell. Three of import causes were named in the passing of the ESEA statute law. The first was the worsening public presentation of pupils on the SAT test. The second was studies conducted during this clip that repeatedly placed the United States in the lowest percentile of overall academic accomplishment when compared with foreign educational systems, ( West A ; Peterson, 2003, pp. 4-5 ; Nichols A ; Berliner, 2007, p. 4 ) . The 3rd factor was the relentless accomplishment spread that separated minorities and low-income pupils ‘ tonss from kids who came from a more affluent background. ( Nichols A ; Berliner, 2007 ; p.4. A ; Kantor, 1991, p. 51 ) . A State at Risk was published 18 old ages after the transition of the ESEA and was written by so Secretary of Education, Terrence Bell â€Å" Nation at Risk: The Imperative for Education Reform in America ( West A ; Peterson, 2003 p. 5 ; Berry, 1993, p. 215 ) . This study focused on the United States ‘ low academic accomplishment in malice of the federal authorities ‘s focal point on bettering pupil public presentation in public schools when the ESEA was passed. The study stated that, â€Å" aˆÂ ¦the educational foundations of our society are soon being eroded by a lifting tide of averageness that threatens our really future as a State and a people † ( Bell, 1983 ) . Furthermore, the United States achieved a low academic rank when compared to other states and the authors of the study believed that America ‘s educational system was in demand of a drastic reform. The publication radius of a series of reforms that the writers believed would â€Å" aˆÂ ¦reverse the downward spiral of an unequal educational system, ( Schmidt, 2008 ) . The reforms included parental and community engagement at local schools, engaging instructors with advanced grades who were more motivated to learn, and a higher degree of engagement from all degrees of authorities. Although this publication did non excite any alterations on the federal degree, it still remained an of import factor in American public instruction. In 1994, so President Clinton passed a reauthorization of the ESEA called Goals 2000. This federal reform plan was ambitious in nature since it provided pecuniary inducements for public schools that implemented annually proving to demo student advancement towards proficiency, ( West A ; Peterson, 2003, p.7 ) . This plan provided Title 1 schools with â€Å" aˆÂ ¦federal support â€Å" for developing ‘local reformsaˆÂ ¦the developmen t of standardsaˆÂ ¦enhanced professional development, bettering in engineering, and alterations in administration for answerability † † with the end of increasing pupil public presentation in the aˆÂ ¦ † nucleus capable countries such as, reading and mathematics ( Fuhrman, 1994, p. 84 ) . Goals 2000 laid the basis for NCLB. It was during this clip that the term â€Å" answerability † became of import since it was used as an inducement for provinces to get federal financess. This thought was added to NCLB, but President Busch extended the significance by doing the relationship stronger between the federal, province, and local bureaus. Although the answerability measures set Forth by NCLB have proved to be controversial, its basic end of the Act was â€Å" aˆÂ ¦to create an inducement for pedagogues to guarantee that no one pupil, or group of pupils, is left behind in their reading, linguistic communication, and mathematics abilities † . NCLB had legion demands that provinces and school territories had to follow in order to have federal support. The foundation of the NCLB jurisprudence is that provinces must make AYP ( Annual Yearly Progress ) each twelvemonth. The jurisprudence specified that every province â€Å" aˆÂ ¦must develop, and incorporate into their course of study, a standards-based answerability plan that demonstrates student proficiency degrees in the nucleus capable countries of reading, linguistic communication humanistic disciplines, and mathematics † ( Schmidt, 2008 ) . These proficiency degrees are measured by standardised trials given to all pupils one time a twelvemonth and these trials had to be approved by the Department of Education prior to being given ( Abernathy, 2007, p.5 ; Sunderman et. al. , 2005, p. 5 ) . By carry oning one-year testing, territories can closely supervise the advancement, or deficiency thereof, of pupils. The standards-based instruction reform and answerability motion started in the mid-1980s and raised outlooks of public presentation for U.S. schools ( Buttram A ; Waters, 1997 ) . The province of Florida took the enterprise to better K-12 instruction and so Governor Jeb Bush instituted the A+ Plan in 1999. This program was created as a standards-based answerability system, concentrating on bettering the public presentation of all pupils, irrespective of their ethnicity, gender, poorness degrees, native linguistic communication or disablement position. The chief premiss of the A+ Plan was that â€Å" every kid can larn and no kid should be left behind † ( Executive Office of the Governor, nd. ) . A brief reappraisal of the literature found a clear division between research workers who found that standardised trials are good vs. those who believe these trials are damaging to education as a whole. Many writers began their Hagiographas by depicting the necessity of standardised testing in today ‘s schools. Bandalos ( 06 ) explained the demand for standardised testing within educational scenes today since these high-stakes trials are the method in which pupil acquisition is assessed and continuously evaluated by instructors, principals, and school territories. Bandalos besides stated that acquisition is the end in all of instruction and the function of appraisal is to assist professionals understand the degree of larning pupils have achieved. Hammeran ( 10 ) besides felt that it was possible to â€Å" learn to the trial † while still covering the of import course of study for a category. This writer studied learning a scientific discipline plan that was aligned to the National Science Education Standards ( NSES ) . She wrote that since the province criterions reflect the national criterions, and standardised trials reflect both the province and national criterions, so concentrating on learning to the trial would guarantee that pupils were having the of import content in scientific discipline category. The significance of the job is clearly discussed The significance of the inquiry of instructor beliefs in their function in determining instructional schemes to fix their pupils for proving is a timely one in the province of Florida. Performance-based appraisal is now compulsory in many schoolrooms but instructors and parents have become concerned about the genuineness of these appraisals and how assessment information can be used as formative feedback to better instruction and acquisition. Although these newer attacks are driven by a motive to do pupil appraisal informations more utile and meaningful than some traditional attacks this alteration was viewed as a positive progress by some research workers while others felt that it was hard to judge the theoretical benefits of these alterations or to get down to consistently research the nature of instructors ‘ schoolroom appraisal patterns. This trouble arises because research workers, protagonists, and specializers in school territories in the state have non arrived at a cons istent definition of what these footings mean or what these patterns look like ( Frey A ; Schmitt, 2007 ) . Coming to Footings With Classroom Assessment 2007 Bruce B. Frey-University of Kansas, Vicki L. Schmitt-Missouri State University Those who advocate for â€Å" aˆÂ ¦test-based accountabilityaˆÂ ¦ † argue that it increases pupil success by helping instructors to set more accent on the of import content in their capable country, provides wagess for good instruction, and produces informations that is used to do determinations about pupils, instructors, and schools. For such systems to work every bit intended, the policies must advance good direction, and any resulting additions in trial tonss must back up valid illations about increased pupil accomplishment. Research has shown that high-stakes testing does so act upon direction, but these effects are complex and consist both desirable and unwanted alterations in pattern. For illustration, instructors in territories or provinces where high bets are associated with trial consequences tend to concentrate on tried stuff and de-emphasize unseasoned stuff ( see Stecher, 2002 ) . Similarly, research indicates that the additions in tonss on high-stakes trials frequently generalize ill ( or non at all ) to other trials of the same sphere, raising uncertainties about the extent to which these additions provide valid grounds of improved pupil public presentation ( Klein, Hamilton, McCaffrey, A ; Stecher, 2000 ; Koretz A ; Barron, 1998 ; Koretz, Linn, Dunbar, A ; Shepard, 1991 ; Linn, 2000 ) . The literature on high bets proving is clear sing the history and development of these trials and how they are being implemented in school territories today. Conversely, the literature is divided into two factions-authors who believe that standardised testing is a good step of pupil acquisition and instruction, and writers who feel that high-stakes proving is a negative influence for instructors and pupils. The function that instructors believe they play in implementing in determining instructional schemes to fix pupils for proving is non a topic that has much coverage in the literature, but the branchings of † learning to the trial † is covered. The research inquiry is designed to understand the function instructors feel they play in determining instructional schemes to guarantee that their pupils achieve success on these compulsory province and authorities needed trials. These are the trials that they themselves are held accountable for the consequences by their schools and territories. If instructors feel they have no function in determining the direction for their ain pupils so for them it will be a affair of â€Å" learning to the trial † . If, on the other manus, they feel in control of direction the term â€Å" teacher efficaciousness † will be applicable to these instructors. Teacher self-efficacy refers to a instructor ‘s belief about his or her competency in holding a positive consequence on pupil larning accomplishment, Ashton, 1984 as cited in Denzilel, 2005. Prior research conducted in the field indicates that teacher self-efficacy is related to a instructor ‘s success in curriculum invention ( Berman A ; McLaughlin, 1977 ) , beliefs about pupils ‘ capablenesss ( Ashton, 1984 ) and intelligence ( Klein, 1996 ) , quality of pupil relationships ( Ashton A ; Webb, 1986 ) , assurance in working with parents ( Hoover- Dempsey, Bassler, A ; Brissie, 1987 ) , clip spent on academic acquisition ( Allinder, 1995 ) , self-efficacy of low-achieving pupils ( Midgley, Feldlaufer, A ; Eccles, 1989 ) , and the instructor ‘s ability to keep pupils accountable for their acquisition and public presentation ( Ashton A ; Webb, 1986 ) . In the original Rand surveies, teacher self-efficacy was measured by inquiring two inquiries: ( a ) ‘When it comes right down to it, a instructor truly ca n’t make much because most of a pupil ‘s motive and public presentation depends on his or her place environment ‘ , and ( B ) ‘If I try truly difficult, I can acquire through to even the most hard or unmotivated pupils ‘ . The first inquiry was hypothesized to measure instructors ‘ result outlooks, typically labeled learning efficaciousness ( TE ) . In contrast, the 2nd point was hypothesized to reflect personal instruction efficaciousness ( PE ) . From this position, TE relates to a instructor ‘s outcome outlooks and PE is based on the instructor ‘s judgements of his or her personal ability to act upon pupil acquisition. Early Rand research workers grounded teacher self-efficacy in Rotter ‘s ( 1966 ) venue of control concept and placed important accent on outcome outlook s and personal duty when construing efficaciousness tonss. Later, Ashton and Webb aligned the concept with a societal cognitive theoretical position of self-efficacy ( 1977, 1978 ) . In contrast to the venue of control position, the social-cognitive attack emphasizes the dealingss between efficaciousness beliefs and outcome outlooks. Harmonizing to Bandura, result and efficaciousness beliefs are related but can be conceptually and through empirical observation differentiated ( 1986, 1997 ) . For Ashton and Webb, TE and PE represent steps of result outlooks and efficaciousness outlooks, severally. Teacher efficaciousness can be affected by the function they play in fixing pupils for mandated standardised trials. Author Kenneth Vogler ( 2006 ) stated in his article that in the past instructors were merely accountable to their decision makers and local school boards. It was those local boards that developed the course of study every bit good as the criterions for their school system. Now, instructors, every bit good as decision makers, are being held accountable to the populace for the academic public presentation of pupils in their charge. Standardized testing is a world in south Florida and that fact is non altering in the foreseeable hereafter. Students, parents, and instructors have mobilized to alter the importance and weight of these trials, but there is still â€Å" FCAT blackout † where no schools are allowed to take field trips, no personal yearss are given to instructors, and no conferences are held by the territory. After the blackout comes â€Å" FCAT season † where schools are on practical lock-down until all the testing is complete. From personal experience, instructors are ranked by the additions their pupils made, particularly in reading, math, and scientific discipline. When the CAO was in office, each instructor received a â€Å" book † to be completed that twenty-four hours. Sometimes the day-to-day book was 15 pages or longer. All of the control was taken away with respect to instructional schemes and learning to the trial began on the first twenty-four hours of school. The resea rch says that this focussed instruction can be positive or negative. The focal point of this survey is to inquire instructors if they fell they have control fixing their pupils for these high-stakes trials and to analyze what works in their readying and which countries they feel they have no control in direction. The consequences will be good to both the school and territory as we struggle to equilibrate the ends set Forth by the authorities with our pupil ‘s single demands. Teachers ‘ RESPONSES TO HIGH-STAKES TESTING AND THE VALIDITY OF GAINS: A PILOT STUDY. Daniel M. Koretz CRESST/Harvard Graduate School of Education Laura S. Hamilton CRESST/RAND Education Coming to Footings With Classroom Assessment 2007 Bruce B. Frey-University of Kansas, Vicki L. Schmitt-Missouri State University British Journal of Educational Psychology ( 2005 ) , 75, 689-708, 2005 The British Psychological Society www.bpsjournals.co.uk. Confirmatory factor analysis of the Teacher Efficacy Scale for prospective instructors. Gypsy M. Denzine1* , John B. Cooney2 and Rita McKenzie3 1Northern Arizona University, USA 2University of Northern Colorado, USA 3Buena Vista University, USA How to cite Teaching as a profession has changed drastically, Essay examples

Warren Electric Essay Research Paper The electronic free essay sample

Warren Electric Essay, Research Paper The electronic distribution industry is one of the fastest growth and altering industries right now. One of the jobs right now is that the industry is traveling into a way that it has neer been earlier. Massive acquisitions and amalgamations are doing a rebuff job right now in this industry. One illustration of this is when three old ages ago the Cleveland-based Premier Industrial Corp was bought out by Farnell electronics plc of Britain. This company saw itself battle with many jobs spawned by falling portion monetary values, a major CEO # 8217 ; s going, and worsening gross revenues. Many of these jobs had to make with the logistics of major corporations unifying ( Srikonda, 1999 ) . Another job is that there was a gross revenues slack in the industrial electronics industry in the 3rd one-fourth of 1998. Gross saless during this one-fourth rose seven per centum, but makers ordered less than the old twelvemonth. We will write a custom essay sample on Warren Electric Essay Research Paper The electronic or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Harmonizing to the Electronic Industries Alliance, gross revenues began to decelerate during the spring and the trade group expected industrial gross revenues to be level for the twelvemonth ( Brack, 1999 ) . The 4th one-fourth seems to be questionable depending on what companies you are looking at. Avnet, Inc. announced dissatisfactory public presentation for their forth one-fourth and Arrow Electronics announced that 4th one-fourth net incomes will be below analysts outlooks. Kent Electronics and VEBA Electronics Inc. both had increased gross revenues for the forth one-fourth ( Walter, 1999 ) . Warren Electric seems to hold jumped into the acquisition game with full force. Warren Electric # 8217 ; s latest acquisition was in 1997 when Warren purchased Watson Electric Company. Watson Electric joins Warren Electric Group # 8217 ; s bing Warren Electric Company, Warren Electric Telecommunications-Utility Company, Warren Electric of Louisiana, Warren Electric of Texas, Warren del Caribe and Thompson Real Estate ( warrenelectric.com ) . There are many suggestions that could be given to Warren Electric. One suggestion is that they need to be careful of the immense logistics job that exists when acquisitions occur. Gross saless countries and incorporate supply processs could really good belie each other in this ever-changing environment. Warren Electric needs to concentrate on their nucleus competences and increase value-added services to their clients if they expect to stay competitory in the electronic distribution field.

Free Essays on Women

Divided We Stand Together We Fall Men in the most part in today's culture have no clue of what is going on in the daily travails of a woman's life. Not too many men are out there advocating for equality of woman amongst the masses. Now in the song Beautiful Skin, Goodie Mobb, focuses on woman respecting themselves to make men respect them. They say in the chorus that they must respect themselves first before the man can. The song particularly makes black woman the bulls eye for his lyrics, who amongst the woman in America have little or no voice at all. The reason the song mainly focuses on black woman is for the oppression she has faced through the years of being held captive in slavery and the horrors she had to face then and now. These horrible wrongs committed against the black woman made her enemy to the white woman in a struggle of identity and culture. The black woman is in a culture where her hair is not beautiful in its natural form, instead it must be straightened for her beauty to shine through. Th e black woman was as we all know raped by her owners (black and white), and were hated by the wife's of these slave owners for the forced adultery on them. This made the house wife who had no rights just privileges despise her slave and oppress her even more. The woman of this country must be strong and I think that Goddie Mobb tries to convey to men and woman alike that the imaged portrayed to be is nothing more than a way to weaken and null the since of self respect and dignity. The poem brings up many points on women covering their bodies to make men in theory respect them for the beings that they are. And in that it brings forth a way of thought for men to reflect on and recite in their hearts. The poem calls for woman to respect themselves but never says truly how, and this is where The Laugh of Medusa, by Helene Cixous, comes to play. Cixous, brings to the table action along with her word. In her philoso... Free Essays on Women Free Essays on Women This is a good book, it shows, by careful research of an open-ended kind, that women's intellectual development does not follow the same path as that of men, particularly as outlined in the influential research of William Perry. Perry traced, in college students, a progression from basic dualism to passive learning, to an appreciation of multiplicity of views, to a subjectivism which says that my opinion is as good as any other, to a relativism subordinate, where the objectivity of an academic discipline is respected as a way of knowing, to a full appreciation of relativism, where it becomes the real way a person thinks, and not just something adopted within a discipline. Knowledge is therefore constructed, not given - that is the final stage of learning. This all sounded likely enough, but it made abstract objectivity the only way forward, and this seemed to be a repeat of much the same error as Carol Gilligan had found in the research on ethical outlooks of Lawrence ! Kohlberg. Gilligan, a former co-worker of Kohlberg, had shown that his scoring system did not do justice to the ethic of care, responsibility and connectedness which many women adhered to in their thinking. It focussed strictly on questions of abstract truth and justice, and again the emphasis was on objectivity. What the authors found in their research on women was a somewhat different developmental model. The first and most basic position they found was silence. Many women had simply been silenced, firstly by their own families and then by their husbands and other men. They had no voice and did not acknowledge any right to think. The second position was received knowledge, gained from listening to the voices of others. Women at this stage had no respect for their own opinions and regarded other people and books as the source of all knowledge. I say "stage", but the authors of this book are much less confident than Perry or Kohlberg that these positi... Free Essays on Women Divided We Stand Together We Fall Men in the most part in today's culture have no clue of what is going on in the daily travails of a woman's life. Not too many men are out there advocating for equality of woman amongst the masses. Now in the song Beautiful Skin, Goodie Mobb, focuses on woman respecting themselves to make men respect them. They say in the chorus that they must respect themselves first before the man can. The song particularly makes black woman the bulls eye for his lyrics, who amongst the woman in America have little or no voice at all. The reason the song mainly focuses on black woman is for the oppression she has faced through the years of being held captive in slavery and the horrors she had to face then and now. These horrible wrongs committed against the black woman made her enemy to the white woman in a struggle of identity and culture. The black woman is in a culture where her hair is not beautiful in its natural form, instead it must be straightened for her beauty to shine through. Th e black woman was as we all know raped by her owners (black and white), and were hated by the wife's of these slave owners for the forced adultery on them. This made the house wife who had no rights just privileges despise her slave and oppress her even more. The woman of this country must be strong and I think that Goddie Mobb tries to convey to men and woman alike that the imaged portrayed to be is nothing more than a way to weaken and null the since of self respect and dignity. The poem brings up many points on women covering their bodies to make men in theory respect them for the beings that they are. And in that it brings forth a way of thought for men to reflect on and recite in their hearts. The poem calls for woman to respect themselves but never says truly how, and this is where The Laugh of Medusa, by Helene Cixous, comes to play. Cixous, brings to the table action along with her word. In her philoso... Free Essays on Women Introduction Abstract Women in the world of mathematics is a subject that people rarely hear about. The only time they do is if she’s math teacher. What many do not know is that women have made extremely important contributions to the world of mathematics. Women have been documented to be involved in mathematics since as early as the fifth century A.D. Famous Women Mathematicians Women such as: Hypatia, Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Sophie Germain, Emmy Noether, Ruth Moufang and Sun-Yung Alice Chang. These women have lived through difficult times such as women’s oppression, the French Revolution, World War I and II, which included Hitler’s administration over women’s schooling, and social prejudices. However, this did not stop their yearning for math. These women combined have earned many different awards, specifically ones usually given to men. They have conquered the biases people have had towards them and made what they do best count. Many of their theorems and equations are still used today, and some are even being perfected by others. It is important to educate children about women in mathematics. Many children think of mathematicians as men and that is totally untrue. That thought could possibly contribute to the fact that women are less likely to enter the mathematics field compared to men. This is because they are not educated properly on the subject and are not given the opportunity to excel. There are many more women in mathematics than mentioned above, but those women are very important to mathematics. Contributions In the world of mathematics, there are many women mathematicians who have made significant contributions to the field. From as early as 370 AD, women have been contributing to the study of equations, theorems and even solving problems that have deemed themselves in the mathematical world as impossible. Because of the time period these women lived, many were not recognized for their achievement; ...

Economic History of English Colonization of the US

Economic History of English Colonization of the US Early settlers had a variety of reasons for seeking a new homeland. The Pilgrims of Massachusetts were pious, self-disciplined English people who wanted to escape religious persecution. Other colonies, such as Virginia, were founded principally as business ventures. Often, though, piety and profits went hand-in-hand. The Role of Charter Companies in the English Colonization of the US Englands success at colonizing what would become the United States was due in large part to its use of charter companies. Charter companies were groups of stockholders (usually merchants and wealthy landowners) who sought personal economic gain and, perhaps, wanted also to advance Englands national goals. While the private sector financed the companies, the King provided each project with a charter or grant conferring economic rights as well as political and judicial authority. The colonies generally did not show quick profits, however, and the English investors often turned over their colonial charters to the settlers. The political implications, although not realized at the time, were enormous. The colonists were left to build their own lives, their own communities, and their own economy - in effect, to start constructing the rudiments of a new nation. Fur Trading What early colonial prosperity there was resulted from trapping and trading in furs. In addition, fishing was a primary source of wealth in Massachusetts. But throughout the colonies, people lived primarily on small farms and were self-sufficient. In the few small cities and among the larger plantations of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia, some necessities and virtually all luxuries were imported in return for tobacco, rice, and indigo (blue dye) exports. Supportive Industries Supportive industries developed as the colonies grew. A variety of specialized sawmills and gristmills appeared. Colonists established shipyards to build fishing fleets and, in time, trading vessels. The also built small iron forges. By the 18th century, regional patterns of development had become clear: the New England colonies relied on shipbuilding and sailing to generate wealth; plantations (many using slave labor) in Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas grew tobacco, rice, and indigo; and the middle colonies of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware shipped general crops and furs. Except for slaves, standards of living were generally high - higher, in fact, than in England itself. Because English investors had withdrawn, the field was open to entrepreneurs among the colonists. The Self-Government Movement By 1770, the North American colonies were ready, both economically and politically, to become part of the emerging self-government movement that had dominated English politics since the time of James I (1603-1625). Disputes developed with England over taxation and other matters; Americans hoped for a modification of English taxes and regulations that would satisfy their demand for more self-government. Few thought the mounting quarrel with the English government would lead to all-out war against the British and to independence for the colonies. The American Revolution Like the English political turmoil of the 17th and 18th centuries, the American Revolution (1775-1783) was both political and economic, bolstered by an emerging middle class with a rallying cry of unalienable rights to life, liberty, and property - a phrase openly borrowed from English philosopher John Lockes Second Treatise on Civil Government (1690). The war was triggered by an event in April 1775. British soldiers, intending to capture a colonial arms depot at Concord, Massachusetts, clashed with colonial militiamen. Someone - no one knows exactly who - fired a shot, and eight years of fighting began. While political separation from England may not have been the majority of colonists original goal, independence, and the creation of a new nation - the United States - was the ultimate result. - This article is adapted from the book Outline of the U.S. Economy by Conte and Carr and has been adapted with permission from the U.S. Department of State.

Knowledge Management - Discussion 3 Knowledge Generation Assignment

Knowledge Management - Discussion 3 Knowledge Generation - Assignment Example Techniques utilized are brainstorming, observation, and brainstorming. Organization should first determine the knowledge needed, current organization knowledge, and then fills in the gaps by developing new knowledge or through acquisition. It requires a fast and inexpensive way to use both internal and external knowledge. Knowledge acquisition is used to codify explicit knowledge, as well as converting tacit knowledge into explicit knowledge. It eases an organization, location, and use of knowledge. For this reason, Nestle has incorporated information technologies to the acquisition and share knowledge. Developing knowledge in an organization can be done by getting ideas from customers, suppliers, and creating space for new ideas. The knowledge can be developed through vast array of collaborative research with competition. Today, companies are looking for strategies to access external knowledge creation by collaborating with research institutions. Nestle has approximately 20 research centers all over the world that work together with field research experts. It brings people together with different perspectives in order to generate solutions. However, individual do not share the knowledge freely, and they need to be motivated in order to create, share, and use knowledge. According to Karlsen and Gottschalk (115) knowledge fusion is one of the key processes in knowledge generation. Knowledge fusion is an important component of knowledge management system of an organization. The right information should be available at the right time. Also, it can save time and improve the quality and providing solutions in an organization. Adaptation is the ability of the firm to change by utilizing the existing resources in new ways, opening to change or having high absorptive powers. It is ability to balance between the exploration of new opportunities and the utilization of existing certainties within an organization (Reber 228).

Khat Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Khat - Research Paper Example They are likely to smoke cigarette and drink alcohol as compared to the non-user c counterparts. More youth are using khat, and they can be categorized demographically as between ages of 15 and not exceeding twenty five years of age. This group has male and female drug users. Demographic data in relation to the age, gender and level of education can be used to describe the use of khat in African countries. The table below summarizes the khat drug use: (Al†Hebshi & Skaug, 2005). According to Al†Hebshi & Skaug, 2005, statistics show that in Africa, the female and male youth have insignificant differences in the percent drug users at the same educational level. School going youth below the age of twenty years are the majority consumers of khat as compared to those in college with over 20 years of age. It is shown that khat use is high among the urban poor and those in informal settlements, suburbs, the illiterate, and those in informal employment. Majority of the users tend to consume khat on daily basis, the least number are the monthly users. That is: The usage patterns and trends therefore show that khat is highly addictive and use can lead to dependence. Many consume the drug on daily basis. Eighty seven point seven percent is significantly huge value. The effects, signs and symptoms vary. They can be categorized as short term and long term effects. Nencini, P., Ahmed, A. M., & Elmi, A. S, 1986) argue that short term effects include: irritability, a feeling of excitement, euphoria, physical exhaustion, difficulties in breathing, constipation, increased heart rate and blood pumping, hallucinations, feeling of hyperactivity, manic behavior, increased alertness and concentration as well as increased motor activity. Long term signs and symptoms due to khat use include: Anorexia, gastric disorders, depression and elevated stress levels, heart diseases and cancer, tachycardia, liver complications and damage, cardiac complications among

Role of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

Role of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) For many countries in the global landscape, its economic situation is perhaps one of the most important concerns which are duly given enough priority by the government. The economic situation of a certain nation is highly indicative of the countrys performance as well as the state of living of its citizens. It is therefore a major concern among national governments to protect the best interest of their domestic economy, as well as local business, in the objective if being able to establish a successful nation. With this, it is a priority for many countries to be proud of many globally operating organizations and economic councils which will not only help them foster a better trading and economic relationship with other nations but will also help them establish global presence. One of such groups would be the APEC or the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation. In this research paper, the researcher seeks to examine the APEC in general while being able to provide its background and what it does to be able to help improve the economic condition of its member countries. More importantly, the research will examine some of the issues in APEC and how such were overcome through the policies and recommendations from the said economic body. The impact of APEC on its member countries will also be examined to be able to provide evidence of its significant efficiency. This research would generally seek to discuss the role of APEC in helping its member countries establish a more sustainable and stable economic situation. WHAT IS APEC? The Asia Pacific Economic Forum or APEC is a premiere forum which is primarily responsible for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade, and investment in the region of the Asia Pacific. It was established to promote economic integration around the Pacific Rim and with the goal of being able to sustain economic growth especially among its 21 member nations. The members of APEC are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Hong Kong China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Peru, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, United States, and Vietnam. An open trade and the establishment of closer economic relation are among the priorities of each member countries in the APEC. Being the primary vehicle in the region to be able to promote trade, investment, and economic cooperation, it is expected that APEC will be able to generate favorable circumstances and activities such as increased employment opportunities and the dev elopment of the local community. Since its inception in 1989 to this current time, APEC has initiated various economic activities which resulted into better business among local nations such as the implementation of reduced tariffs. The APEC is very significant in the global economy primarily because its members, collectively, are acknowledged for being drivers of the growth of the global economy. The individual economic performance of the Asian countries and members of APEC are all seen to have made significant contributions in the success of the international economic situation. Another reason on why APEC is seen to be very significant in the global trading is because its member economies are representative of around 42% of the worlds population while it occupies 43% of the worlds total land area. APEC AND THE WTO Both the APEC and the WTO have been active and demonstrated success in their goals of being able to help in the improvement of the performance of domestic economies by being able to facilitate trading and other economic activities. Both have played active and significant roles in being able to liberalize trading. While the WTO is able to promote trade liberalization on a multilateral level, the same thing was done by APEC, only that it covers only the regional level. This is basically because the very nature of the said economic cooperation is limited when it comes to membership size and economic significance. Although the two organizations both have the same goal of being able to liberalize trade, they have totally different approaches on how to achieve such goals. This makes the WTO to be considered as the locus of negotiations and rule-making while the APEC is considered as the consultative body. the rules of the WTO are absolute and applicable all the members of the group while the APEC is more open to dialogue and it is basically voluntary in terms of participation in their economic and trading provisions and other executions or strategic actions. THE STRATEGIC ROADMAP To be able to effectively reach its goals and to be able to help its member countries build a better domestic economy, APEC has established a framework which serves as its roadmap towards achieving success in its operations  [1]  . The following are the basic principles which are dinetified in the said roadmap: non-discrimination; comprehensiveness; simultaneous start, continuous process, and differentiated timetables; comparability; standstill; transparency; consistency with the World Trade Organization; flexibility; and cooperation. Based on these major principles, APEC is seen to operate based on commitments which are assume to be non-binding, facilitates open dialogue, and practices equal respect fro the views of its member nations or participating countries. The strategic roadmap of APEC is influenced by the initiatives of its member countries like three of the worlds most dynamic economies  [2]  , along with the tiger economies of the Asian continent. The goals of APEC are expected to be achieved through a balanced program of: liberalization to be able to dismantle the barriers towards international economic transactions; being able to facilitate investment and trade to effectively reduce divergences which are not needed for domestic policies which are highly influential of international trade; technical cooperation which enables its members to share information as well as skills which are required to enhance the efficiency and availability of regional infrastructure; and coordination of economic policies to be able to help reduce risks or uncertainties in the economy. TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY The succeeding section of this research will provide a discussion on some of the initiatives of the economic organization through the years since its inception  [3]  . During the annual conventions of the member countries, strategies and new goals are laid out in which the members perpetually work for its achievement. Some of these things will be briefly discussed in the next paragraphs in the goal of the researcher to provide some of the initiatives of APEC towards the establishment of a more sustainable economy and nation. The Blake Island Economic Vision In the year 1993, economic leaders from the member countries of APEC gathered in Seattle to be able to discuss the ongoing economic condition and measures in which such problems could be given resolution for the longer term. During this forum in Seattle, the major problems which have been identified include erosion of multilateral global trading system, rise of inward-looking regionalism, and fragmentation within the Asia Pacific. During this convention, a proposition was made to change the meaning of APEC to Asia Pacific Economic Community but it was not approved for such was not deemed appropriate. Furthermore, $2 million  [4]  was also released to fund the activities of the organization in the following year. The leaders, who attended the meeting from APEC member countries, presented The Blake Island Economic Vision. The vision which they created is reflective of how they see the following years would be. The vision which the leaders created presented a call for an Asia Pacific which can be able to fully harness, utilize, and maximize its diverse economies while being able to have strengthened cooperation and promoting prosperity. Another achievement of APEC in the same year is the initiative to push for the creation of the Pacific Business Forum  [5]  and the APEC Education Program  [6]  . The Osaka Action Agenda The Osaka Action Agenda presents two components of how APEC member countries seek to improve its economic condition and sustainability: trade liberalization and facilitation and economic and technical co-operation. The trade liberalization and facilitation seeks to discus fifteen key areas which are seen to be vital in the economic activities of the member nations. These include: tariffs, review of non-tariff measures, investment, procedural custom activities, rights regarding intellectual property, services, purchasing from the national government, policies affecting the competitive environment, conformance with standards, rules of origin, deregulation, implementation of the results of Uruguay Round, mobility of people in business, mediation between disputes and conflicts, gathering of information and analysis. Furthermore, the economic and technical co-operation covers thirteen areas including: small and medium scale enterprises, the development of human resource, industrial scienc e and technology, transportation, tourism, energy, information and telecommunication, infrastructure of the local economy, promotion of trade, information about investment and trade, fisheries, agricultural technology, and conservation of the marine resource  [7]  . Manila Action Plan for APEC A year after the Osaka Action Agenda was laid out, APEC identified the Manila Action Plan for APEC or MAPA which included individual and collective action plans which could be able to help to bring the Bogor goals  [8]  into reality. The individual action plans of the member countries were compiled to be able to help the group stipulate measures which would be necessary to be undertaken to bring into possibility the achievement of free and open trading by 2010 or 2020. Moreover, it was also during the same APEC conference were the members have identified high priority issues which need their immediate attention for resolution to help sustain their economic conditions. These areas include developing human capital; fostering safe and efficient capital markets; strengthening the economic infrastructure; harnessing technologies of the future; promoting growth and improvement which is environmentally sustainable; and encouraging the prosperity of small and medium scale enterprises whi ch are significant in the collective growth of the member countries and of the region in general. Sustaining Growth, Connecting the Region The APEC Summit which was held in Singapore in 2009 marked the twenty years of the organization in pursuit of its objectives. During the summit, the member countries have acknowledged the fact that many things have changed since the inception of APEC although the organization still remains in its pursuit of supporting the growth and economic prosperity in the Asia Pacific region through various trading and economic activities such as free and open trade and investments. It ahs been identified that the robust policies of the organization have helped its member countries to recover from the financial crisis and economic downturn which hit the global economy. It ahs also been identified that responding to food security has been a top priority the year prior to the summit as evident by the calamities which struck its members. During the summit, the leaders also stressed the need to fight corruption, improve governance and implement transparency. These things are seen to be contributory t o the improvement of domestic economies in the Pacific Rim. APEC CHALLENGES In spite the contributions of APEC to the economic development and sustainability of the Pacific Rim, it is also confronted by a number of challenges. This calls for continued initiatives in order to improve the economic situation and to be able to help the organization establish a brighter economic condition in the future. One of the challenges identified to confront the organization is on how it is going to manage globalization as such is seen to have a significant effect on its member countries. The organization is also facing the challenge of how it will be able to effectively manage regional and bilateral free trade agreements which is very critical in the trading activities of member countries. Another challenge which should be overcome by APEC is its initiative to be able to create a free and open trading to its region. Until now, efforts to be able to help achieve such objective are seen to have remained ill defined. There is a need for APEC to realize that it needs modifications with regards to agenda-setting mechanism and procedures. The organization would need to set it eyes towards goals for the longer years and bring the goals into reality such as the achievement of free trade. This year, APEC faces a greater challenge as the deadline is already set for the achievement of the Bogor goals, which is the establishment of free trade. This is apart from other challenges which will confront the organization in succeeding years such as the threat from protectionism and lack of trust on financial institutions. To be able to recover from the financial crisis which hit the economy in the previous years, there is a great challenge not only to attract dynamic investments to boost the economic situation on the Pacific but also to bring back the trust into institutions of finance. By this way, it is acknowledged that a better business will be on its way. Furthermore, the member countries are also challenged to be able to improve its current standings on the World Banks Ease of Doing Business Index. Through this, it is anticipated that more investments will come in as a means of improving financial condition. Several APEC economies are already included in the top five an din the top twenty of the list which is a good indication of the fruitful years to come for the region. A challenge is also posed to address the growing disparities between the urban and rural regions especially with regards to levels of education, social inclusion, and health care provision. CONCLUSION This research does not disregard the importance of the WTO in the trading relationships and quest for the improvement of the economic situation in the Asia Pacific. However, it necessitates the significance of the role which was assumed by APEC to be able to help improve the condition of its member nations. Since its inception in 1989, the organization has helped identified measures on how to achieve greater economic visibility and improved domestic performance through free and open trade and investments among another factors. Nonetheless, twenty years after its establishment, the organization still remains to be challenged by the uncertainties of the economic situation. In the following years, it is expected that the increased importance of the role of the organization, along with WTO, will be more significant in the achievement of prosperity in the Asia Pacific. APEC has signaled the growth of a new political and economic order in the Asia Pacific region through the years. However, the uncertainties in the economic situation made it harder for the organization to achieve its goals and work its way towards prosperity and improvement of the status quo. The organization has also demonstrated positive effects not only on member nations but also towards non-member countries. The perpetual goal of APEC still remains to be the possibility of being able to establish a seamless market or a single economy for the benefit of the Asia Pacific  [9]  . The organization remains true to its commitment of helping countries be able to establish a more sustainable and economic condition. Through the years, the organization is left with shoes to fill and expectations to fulfill on its ability to bring a free and open trading and attract investments in the region in order to trigger economic activity and condition on individual member countries and the Pacif ic Rim in general.