Education and Testing Standards - Wisconsin Essay

Education and Testing Standards - Wisconsin - Essay Example The document provides objectives that teachers are expected to achieve and measured via the scores of their students. However, it does not dictate how these are to be taught. The strategy is left to the teacher to determine and implement. You will find, however, that there are three main points common in all grade levels: training students towards critical thinking, use of technology as aid to learning, and giving the students the confidence to learn, impart what they know, and ask questions and explore to know more. The measure of these standards is where each grade level differs. Reading and Writing for the early years of K-5 put emphasis on understanding the details of the text while later years concentrate on understanding the subtext, understanding the context, and analysing characters via their personal experience. Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium (ISLLC) Administrator Standards The CCS is a 13-page administrator standard that clearly defines the responsibilities of administrative officials involved in the education of children. Like CCS, it defines the expectations but does not provide for how these expectations are to be met. The document is pretty straight forward but very helpful for teachers in order to understand the point of view of administrators when they make decision and set direction of a school. There are always some differences between how teachers see things and how administrators will do things because of the very nature of their obligations. In summary, they have seven major concerns: (1) know the teachers’ objectives, how they can develop in their profession, teaching style, and how students see the student, (2) know the students in terms of knowledge, disposition, and performance, (3) nurture a school conducive for learning, (4) nurture a system that will help push the students forward, (5) establish relationship between the families and communities of students, (6) work with integrity, ethics and fairness, and (7) learn and work with a larger political, social, legal, and cultural perspective. Interstate New Teachers Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) Teachers Standards The INTASC is a 10-page teachers standard. It sets the minimum requirements of a teacher in terms of knowledge, character, and teaching skill. It does not set objectives on what a teacher must achieve at the end of a school year. It is a requirement on what a teacher should be to be able to effectively teach their courses to students and use the strategies set forth by the CCS. Of the 10 points, four are most likely the hardest to measure or determine: a teacher’s ability to set a collaborative learning environment, the use of both formal and informal assessment strategies, understand how students are different and still be able to come up with a strategy that would nurture all students, and understand how to be of help to the students on an intellectual, social and personal level without invading privacy. How t he Documents Are Similar Never the Details. These documents set the objectives that teachers and administrative personnel must achieve for students to learn what they are expected to possess for college and, eventually, the professional world. To a certain extent, it also provides the strategies that teachers can utilize to achieve the objectives but none of these documents provide specific steps on how to get to the

Hegemony In The Current World Order Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hegemony In The Current World Order - Essay Example According to the Marxist philosophy, hegemony embodies manipulation instincts that adopts a superior dictum of not only the cultural belief system, values and perceptions, but also imposes a particular worldview as a universal ideology that justifies a socio-political and economic course as natural, inevitable, perpetual and more so beneficial to all (Bullock and Trombley, 1999, pp. 387-88). In other words, hegemony is a process that inculcates ideals of the hegemon into the undertaking of the subordinates via the social channels such as educational publications, advertising, and, if need be, through mobilization to subdue any possible opposition. In the 21st century, economic liberalism–the belief in globalization and the relative effectiveness of private enterprises are certainly well-orchestrated ideals of capitalism that have fought communism right into oblivion. Equally prominent alongside the above capitalistic ideals are the standards of western civilization that compri ses of the greater awareness of human rights and a heightened cognizance of the moral responsibility as the bedrock of accountable governance. Hegemony as a concept frequently features in scholarly analysis of power relations in international politics, particularly how a dominant power [state] ought to deal with a second tier states rapidly growing influence in the international arena and the subsequent antagonistic hegemonic ambitions that ensue thereof. There is a wide consensus among theorists of international relations (IR) that such scenarios necessitate the formation of alliances in order to neutralize [balance] any possible stronger wave-challenges from the seemingly ambitious state(s), protect the existing status quo control of a dominant power, and so to the survival of the second tier powers that may feel threatened by the new power game. Kenneth Waltz argues that in an international system with no overarching government that is strong enough to enforce laws, balancing is often the immediate remedy induced by the system (1979, pp. 125–6).

Medicare and Medicaid Cuts Essay Example for Free

Medicare and Medicaid Cuts Essay The debate on health care spending has been highly contested and remains the top most agenda on the Obama administration. The U. S government has been pursuing effective health care reforms for quite a long period of time. Focus has been on developing a plan that reduces government spending on heath and home care reimbursements while increasing the regard for insurance cover. An important aspect of these reforms is the reduction in budgetary spending on Medicare and Medicaid programs (Meena, et al. 006). President Obama in 2009 announced the $ 313 reduction in Medicaid and Medicare efficiencies as a move to accomplish the proposed savings essential for facilitating the administration’s heath-care plan. Currently, the cut on Medicare reimbursements paid for health care access costs by psychiatric patients, the elderly and the disabled stands at about 21%. In justifying these cuts, the U. S government points out that the funds would be less essential in the light of a new health care reform. However, at the current economic status and the increasingly declining rates of hospital revenues, this move has resulted into the rationing of medical and home care services, high payroll taxes, and closure of departments and hospitals. According to a study conducted by the American Hospital Association (AHA) regarding these cuts, about one in every five hospitals have already reduced a number of health care services such as outpatient services, post-acute care and behavioural health; as they have had to reduce overhead costs resulting from the cuts (Shen, 2003). These cuts will affect millions of people especially seniors, military families and the disabled who depend greatly on Medicare. This is because accessibility to physician help will be minimized. In support of medical practitioners, The American Medical Association (AMA) argues against these cuts on the basis that they are derived through an unreliable method of determining the physicians’ reimbursements and which according to them ought to be reviewed. It is imperative to also note that the effects of these cuts are being transferred to the public through increased insurance costs. Effects on Access, Cost and Quality of Psychiatric Care There is evidence that patient’s access to health and home care has been increasingly diminishing in the past few years and even got worse following the recent 21% Medicare cuts. Physicians argue that this has been prompted by the increased costs in the provision of medical care services due to the reimbursement cuts. For instance, by the year 2005, medical care provision costs had been projected to be about 40% more than the in 1991 (White, Dranove 1998). In 2008, about $ 879 million was spent by hospitals in Michigan in subsiding services for the patients affected by the cuts. There have also been care rationing, reduction in provision of vital medical services and closure of hospital departments has been prevalent. This means that access to heath care services by concerned individuals has reduced significantly. A number of medical practitioners have been forced to stop providing psychiatric services to patients due to high overhead costs (Meena, et al. 2006). The reduced Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements have made it impossible for psychiatrists to effectively provide care to long-term-care clients as well. There are reports of psychiatrists declining to provide consultation services in nursing homes as result of the lower rates of Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements received. According to the chair of the Geriatric Psychiatry committee for the Maryland Psychiatric Society, Allan Anderson, the cuts are a drawback to the willingness of the psychiatrists to provide care for the Medicare-based patients (Mulligan, 2002). Geriatric patients currently are underserved. Psychiatrists argue that due to a reduced access to psychiatric care such in cases demanding early interventions, most psychiatric patients are ending up complications. Doctors note that the cuts make it difficult for them to meet the requirements of their practice such as administrative issues and thus end up restricting their caseloads on Medicare. Currently, Medicaid does not take responsibility of the complete co pay for patients on both the Medicaid and Medicare and this has made a number of clinics to close to avoid the extra burden of absorbing the costs of treating these patients. For instance, Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic incurred a loss of about $ 34. 2 million in years 2002 and 2003 due to these cuts and it is such losses that are pushing clinics to close down minimizing access to health acre even more. Access to healthcare for the Medicare patients is increasingly becoming expensive and complicated given that the ability to pay currently determines this access (White, Dranove 1998). Most heath facilities have had to cut down on their provisions of vital services that the seniors, the metal disabled and the military personnel within the community rely on to protect their bottom lines. Affected patients are being forced to skip visits to hospitals and this has prompted the providers to restrict access through costs. Impact on Psychiatrists and Other Medical and Home Care Providers A study of about 14,000 anaesthologists and surgeons indicate that most medical care providers will change their practice thus jeopardizing health care provision. A third of those studied said they will cease to practice as Medicare psychiatrists. This will adversely affect their quality of life. Practical challenges are forcing the providers to halt providing some Medicare related services, cutback on staff, minimize time allocated for Medicare patients and/or halt further purchase of equipments essential for serving such patients (Konetzka, et al. 2005). This will limit the doctor’s practice adversely. Some medical and home care providers have been forced to quit their practice following the high overhead resulting from the high costs incurred in attending to Medicare patients. Hospitals are being forced to resize on Medicare patients’ staff since hospitals have had to absorb care costs. Individual practitioners are more affected. Reimbursements cuts are prompting hospitals to focus on other non-reimbursement-dependent care services while closing down departments as well as cutting back on services to enable hospitals protect their bottom lines. This trend is prevalent even in community hospitals. In this regards, hospitals and home care provision establishments have had to reduce the number of practitioners providing these services and hence most are on the verge of losing their jobs should the cuts continue as anticipated (Mulligan, 2002). This implies that the government will only be solving on problem while creating multitude of others such unemployment. Many hospitals have also resulted in freezing of workers’ salaries and hence compromising their motivation. Impact on Taxpayers According to Randall (2009), the 2005’s 3 % reimbursement cut resulted into a $ 49 billion in terms of cost on permanent reforms. Currently, the Medicare reimbursement cut stands at 21% at a reform cost of about $ 210 billion. Medicare and Medicaid programs are funded by pay roll taxes. According to the health care reform bill, there will be an expansion of the pay roll tax associated with the Medicare to cover unearned income. It is projected that beginning year 2018; insurance firms will be required to pay an excise tax of about 40% for plans where family premiums range from $ 27, 500 and above (Sam, 2006). Experts note that these payroll tax effects will be transferred to employees in terms of lowers wages and benefits or in terms of higher premiums. This comes at a time when the government is focused on laying strict measure to ensure that people have health insurance. Further, it is also projected that from year 2013, adjustable spending accounts which currently enable users to skip various expenses on health care, will reduced or limited. In regards to the high income earning population, families earning in excess of $ 250, 000 will be required to spend way above what they spend currently on medical payroll taxes. Moreover, the now exempt unearned income will also be subjected to 3. 8 percent in payroll taxes. Individuals and families are definitely feeling the weight of these Medicaid and Medicare cuts through increased payroll taxes. This is because the federal government is focusing on insurances an alterative to help patients meet their health care costs. A 2005study by the Kaiser Family Foundation on employer health benefits indicates that family coverage premiums had increased by an average of about 9. 2 percent (Sam, 2006). Health insurance expenses have made it costly to employees as they are subjected to deductions for the same. At the same time, the mean per month contribution by employees on family plans increased to $ 226 in year 2005 form 2000’s $135. These are some of the costs that the citizens are bearing at the expense of the reduction in Medicare and Medicaid cuts.

School Development Planning Process | Research Study

School Development Planning Process | Research Study School Development Planning is an ongoing process that helps schools as complex communities to meet the dual challenge of enhancing quality and managing change. (DES, 1999:9, Online). In recent years schools started giving more thought to how the planning and management of change need to be taken more into account and carefully planned. Decentralisation, a common characteristic of quite a few of the national educational systems worldwide such as the USA, Canada, England and Wales (Anderson, 2005) and in Malaysia, Honk Kong, Singapore, China and Korea has opened doors to development and effectiveness in schools (Bolam, 2006:77). Over the years, the education scene in Malta has likewise witnessed a paradigm shift from an essentially centralised system to one that encourages self-government. One of the most effective implications of this shift is that of a systematic and whole school approach to development planning enhancing freedom [and] allowing institutions to shape the possibilities provided by greater autonomy (Lumby, 2007a:86). Moreover, Bush and Coleman, (2006) argue that, placed in a competitive environment, self-managing schools have to meet the students needs efficiently if they are to achieve survival and success. While increasing autonomy (Karstanje, 1999), self-managing schools are encouraged to shoulder more responsibilities and promote their own identity and character. One of the most beneficial implications of this shift is that a School Development Plan (SDP) can be tailored by the same school. Considering that, the Maltese Education Authorities are at present discussing at length the process and the implementation of a national reform in the education system, the topic seriously appears to be of great interest. This study may be expected to serve as an eye-opener to the strengths and weaknesses of the SDP being currently implemented at St.Helen Girls Secondary School. Consequently, the study might be envisaged to be an asset to the school, before it actually starts to negotiate the tailoring of a new SDP as will be suggested in the education reform to take place. The purpose of this study is to investigate the SDP as an effective tool to enhance appraisal and collegiality among the teaching staff and to promote improvement among the learners. The Literature review shall briefly justify the need for and the process of development planning in relation to what literature has to say about the subject. Furthermore, the following research questions will be discussed and analysed, mainly: What is the importance of a SDP to the school? How is the planning process carried out? Who is involved in the planning process? Is the SDP opening doors to school improvement? After conducting a case study through qualitative and quantitative research, an analysis will emerge, based on a questionnaire distributed to teachers and an open-ended interview with the Head of School. The research findings will be analysed and compared to the literature findings. Finally, suggestions will emerge in respect to what can be done in order to evaluate, maintain and/or change what has been done during the past seven years since development planning has started to be organised in an official way at St.Helen Girls Secondary School. Literature Review Introduction All schools should have a vision of where they hope to go and what they hope to achieve. This implies that a school plan should aim at leading the whole school community in the direction for improvement and growth. With its insistence on schools to have their own SDP, the Maltese National Minimum Curriculum (NMC) came into effect on the 1st of October 2000. Following is a brief description of the SDP both as a process as well as a product. It examines the concepts of development, improvement, collegiality and appraisal through effective planning. What is the importance of a SDP to the school? A school without planning is like a boat without a rudder. We cannot achieve goals unless we plan ways and means of getting there. (Bezzina, 1999:58) In order to keep on course, schools require a clear sense of direction, expressed in vision and mission statements and aims and objectives, as well as an effective strategic plan and good efficient action plans (DES, 1999, Online). The SDP can be a great asset to the school in various ways. Bezzina claims that it: helps in giving the school a sense of direction establishes aims and priorities identifies the needs to be done in order to bring about improvement identifies staff needs monitors the effectiveness of the teaching-learning process evaluates the success of the changes made, and implements any changes to the planning cycle (1999:35). The SDP is a means whereby the vision, believed by Jenkins to be the strategic intent which guides planning (1991:38), is transformed into reality through clear priorities, targets and actions. It is an instrument, through which schools are able to articulate their needs and also their priorities (Ministry of Education, 2001:14). Moreover, it is meant to indicate the institutions capacities and limitations and thus open doors to school improvement. An English publication defines the SDP in that: It will be based on the schools analysis of current levels of performance, its assessment of how current trends and future factors may impact on the school and set out priorities and targets for improvement for the period ahead. (DOE, 2005:1, Online). This implies that the concept underpinning a SDP is that each school would undertake, on an on-going basis, a limited number of small-scale development projects, which the staff identifies as significant priorities. The SDP has at its heart the learning of all students while raising standards of attainment. It is a process of learning and growth for all those involved in it. Moreover, it allows schools to organise their programmes of innovation and change with much greater efficiency and success (Hargreaves and Hopkins, 1991). Furthermore, the SDP is highly beneficial for schools since it is worked out by those who put their heads together in a common effort to develop a realistic strategy as to how the educational goals are to be reached (NMC:85). How is the process of School Development Planning carried out? The School Development Plan Initiative (SDPI) in Ireland considers the Mission, Vision and Aims of the plan to be the core of the SDP process (DES, 1999:16, Online). As depicted by Hargreaves and Hopkins (1991), Bezzina (1999) and Nathan, a SDP is made up of four stages, mainly: Audit when the school analyses its strengths and weaknesses and assesses its own needs Planning and decision making generation and evaluation of options Implementation putting the plan into action, and Evaluation checking the success of implementation and reviewing targets (1996:61) This entails that the SDP works in a cycle. Furthermore, the SDPI suggests three features through which the SDP is accomplished, mainly through: Initiation: where the school decides to embark on school development planning,  ensuring that there is commitment to it among members of staff and preparing for participation. Familiarisation: when the school community is learning how to carry out the whole process. Embedding: when school development Planning becomes part of the school life and of the normal way of doing things at school. (DOE, 1999, Online). The Irish Document (1999) further argues that the SDP process needs to be systematic, collaborative, ongoing, progressive, enhancing and flexible to work properly. It therefore involves a systematic approach to the planning work, which draws the whole school community together in shaping the schools future. This needs to be an on-going process, rooted in a school culture where policies and plans are continuously being developed, implemented, evaluated and revised according to the schools aims and the changes which continuously take place in the community. It is also flexible since it offers a framework for collaborative creativity and each school is free to adopt the framework to suit its own particular needs. Who is involved in the planning process? Nathan (1996) maintains that, to a large extent, the work entailed in the school plan is performed by the Head of school and the SMT. However, Bradley (1988) argues that a partnership in which people work together will lead to the successful achievement of their goals. This is also depicted in an English publication. The document highlights parental, pupil and staff involvement in the planning process as one of the factors that will help schools achieve high standards and improve the quality of learning and teaching (DOE, 2005:6, Online). Through partnership, the educational needs will be identified and action will be taken accordingly (DES, 1999:15, Online). Bradley (1988) further claims that partnerships are encouraged when they are willing to yield to some of their autonomy. Their sense of joint ownership strengthens and encourages partnership and is extended beyond the planning process into the actual implementation of the activity. Parent participation is seen as very important in schools. According to Braithwaite (1994) 22 Actions are involved in the Australians SDP process, among which is parental involvement. The NMC (2000) claims that parents should be seen as partners in the education of their children, so much that it believes in site-based curriculum development, where teachers and administrators can work alongside with parents and the local community to be able to respond to the needs of that particular school. In explaining how a shared vision is achieved, Lumby (2007a:89) holds that notwithstanding the principal leading the planning process, all staff [should] share in the re-creation and adjustment of vision. Furthermore, Jenkins considers staff involvement as the most useful part of the planning process (1991:38) in not only arriving at plans but also in raising the chances of their successful implementation (Lumby, 2007a:98). While being a threshold to school improvement, Newton and Tarrant declare that Evaluation needs the co-operation of the whole organisation to be effective and accurate. (1992:33). Is the School Development Plan opening doors to school improvement? Bush and Coleman say it quite simply: The origins of school development planning lie in the move towards school improvement and effectiveness (2006:75). The SDP enables the school community to develop a clear vision of what the school is about and where it is going, a shared sense of purpose, a common set of goals and consensus on the means of achieving them. It characterises the school as a learning organisation that focuses on meeting the professional needs of teachers in order to meet the educational needs of pupils. The Irish National Progress Report 2002, states that This focus is essential if SDP is to achieve its core purpose: school improvement. (DES, 2003:55, Online). As seen by Law and Glover (2000), school improvement is the result of a three-stage process: establishing targets, planning to attain them and finally monitoring and evaluating them. Moreover, studies conducted by Gray et al. lead an improving school to be measured and defined as one that increased in its effectiveness over time (1999:137). It is also worth mentioning that, an English publication states that Appraisal should support development planning and vice versa. (DES:1991) According to Jones (1993:12), improvement in the teaching and learning is guaranteed when appraisal is considered an integral part of the SDP. Likewise, through their research, Horne and Pearce maintain that integrating appraisal into the SDP resulted in a way of improving the quality of education for the pupils and of raising standards (1996:62). One reason to which Davies attributes an ineffective school is to the teachers lack of punctuality resulting from a low motivation that keeps the teachers lingering in the staffroom till the last minute (1994:35). This implies that lack of appraisal may lead to low motivation in teachers, which in turn will result in ineffectiveness. Furthermore, in discussing the issue about strategic planning, Sergiovanni compares the Traditional with the Alternative rule of planning. He suggests that the latter brings about school improvement in that it emphasizes first the means appraising people involved, then the ways allowing them to discern what needs to be done, and finally the ends in that they themselves will decide on and attain aims (2009:95). Conclusion Dalin and Rust believe that: A good school is one which itself learns; it is a learning school, a living institution that changes in order to remain an institution that stimulates learning. (1996:7) This implies that, the changes that take place in a school, must support the preservation of what has worked well in that school, to be able to give it stability and reputation. The schools SDP is a means of implementing change. It must, in the process, provide a way of dealing effectively with new developments so as to ensure school improvement whereby, all stakeholders are empowered to make decisions and engage in planning their own educational future. Investigation Introduction The first part of this section presents the aim and objectives of this study. Some methodological considerations are then examined. Subsequently, the research instruments are considered. Finally, this section gives an account of the ethical framework considered, the school context, the procedure and the data analysis used. The Aim and Objectives of this Research This research was undertaken in an attempt to investigate the effectiveness of the process of school development planning of the school under consideration. Also, the research project has more specific objectives, mainly to investigate: the importance of a SDP to the school how the process is carried out who is involved in the planning process whether the SDP is opening doors to school improvement. Methodological Considerations There are two approaches to academic research that can be adopted by a researcher quantitative and qualitative (Bell, 2008; Briggs and Coleman, 2007). In this study, an educational case study (Bassey, 2007:142) was used, conducted through both qualitative and quantitative research. According to Bassey, one of the strengths of case study research is that it is carried in its natural context [it] entails being where the action is (2007:143). The case study is aimed at improving educational action (Bassey, 2007:142) and which has theory seeking and theory testing as an end point (Basset, 2007:147). This leads to a theoretical structure that not only provides sound data and limits assumptions but also attempts to tease out why a situation is good, bad or mediocre (Bassey, 2007:154). In this research project, an interview with the Head of School was carried out in order to seek insights rather than statistical perceptions of the world (Bell, 2008:7). One should say that the major advantage of qualitative approach is adaptability (Bell, 2005:157) as it emphasises direct human experience. On the other hand, the major disadvantage is that it is time-consuming and generalisation is much more limited (Bell, 2005:157). In an attempt to take advantage from the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative approaches, Triangulation is used to cross-check findings (Bell, 2005:116). In this manner, the findings are compared in order to determine the accuracy of information (Bush, 2007:100) rendering them more reliable. The Research Instruments used for Data collection The Interview with the Head Teacher (HT) An approximately one hour-long unstructured interview was carried out with the HT. Although it takes a great deal of time to analyse, the unstructured interview was deemed best for this research as the interviewee is free to talk about what is of central significance (Bell, 2005; Ribbins, 2007). The interview consisted of ten questions aimed to elicit detailed information about the HTs personal view of the SDP, how the process is managed and who is involved to participate and whether the SDP is opening doors to school improvement (see Appendix 1). The face-to-face interview (Ribbins, 2007:212) served as a means of getting the real feelings of the HT, regarding the content, the process and the implementation of the SDP. The Teachers Questionnaire Quantitative research was also used in a questionnaire consisting of ten closed statements and one open-ended question (see Appendix 2). In order to select a group which is as representative as possible (Bell, 2005), stratified sampling was used (Fogelman and Comber, 2007). In fact, the questionnaire was distributed to eighteen teachers one teacher from every subject being taught. The respondents were asked to tick one of three options: Yes, No, or Do not know. Statements 1-8 were intended to investigate positive perceptions on the SDP while statements 9 and 10 were intended to bring to light any negative perceptions, if any. Moreover, an open-ended question was set in order to give the respondents the opportunity to give their personal views on SDP matters at school. This question placed each teacher in a position to reflect and answer freely, thus reducing the interviewer effects regarding emotionality and free response (Cohen et al., 2000). Procedure and Ethical Considerations An appointment was made with the HT of St.Helen School (a pseudonym used to maintain confidentiality) and the date for the interview was agreed. Permission to carry out the research was informal, due to the fact that the investigation was carried out in ones own institution. The interview with the HT was carried out onsite (Busher and James, 2007:110) and in the Heads office. At the beginning of the interview, the Head of school was shown the set of questions prepared for the interview as well as other relevant material that proved the interview was required for the research. Though very time-consuming to transcribe, the interview was recorded to ensure data collection and maintain eye contact with the interviewee (Bell, 2005). The HT was given assurance of confidentiality. It is also worth mentioning that the questionnaires were anonymised so as to assure protection to the participants. Moreover, the respondents were made aware of what the research was about and also of its purpose (Bell, 2005:156) (see Appendix 2). Consent for answering the questionnaires was granted freely and without force. The School Context The investigation was carried out at St. Helen Girls Secondary School one of the 22 church schools on the island operating at secondary level. A profile of the school is given in the Table below. ST.HELEN GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL PROFILE Year founded 1999 Secretary Clerk Affiliation Church Librarian Student Admission Feeder Area Counsellor Student Population 364 Guidance Teacher Number of Classes 15 Spiritual Director Average Class size 24 Pastoral Care Team No. of Assistant Heads 2 Discipline Team Teaching Staff 37 P.T.A. Classroom Support Staff 4 Student Council Ancillary Staff 3 Eco School Council Table 1: School Profile Conclusion This section has served the purpose of describing and giving an explanation for the methodology used in carrying out this research supported with all the necessary ethical issues arising from the same research. Following is an analysis of the findings that emerged from the investigation. Analysis Introduction This section includes the significant features that emerge from the Teachers Questionnaire as well as the Head Teachers Interview. Both research tools were based on the following research questions: What is the importance of a SDP to the school? How is the process of development planning carried out? Who is involved in the planning process? Is the SDP opening doors to school improvement? The presentation and discussion of the findings that follow, aim at providing answers to these questions. Presentation of Findings Teachers Questionnaire The questionnaire, consisting of ten statements and one open-ended question was distributed to 18 teachers. All questionnaires were collected. Following are the results for statements 1-10 of the questionnaire. Open-ended question The teachers questionnaire ended with an open-ended question asking the respondents to comment in general about the SDP at their school. Only 6 (33.3%) out of 18 respondents answered this question. Four respondents agreed that the SDP is of utmost importance both for the teaching staff as well as for the students improvement. They claim that at their school, the SDP is discussed thoroughly most especially during the Staff Development Days. However, they argue that it is hardly mentioned during the rest of the scholastic year. Another respondent states that more time should be allocated to see if everything planned has been carried out, and if not, why. Similarly, another respondent argued that the SDP should be more carefully monitored and evaluated, and that while it is frequently very cautiously planned, however, it is not adequately implemented. The Head Teachers Interview Following is a summary of the Head Teachers responses to the Interview (see Appendix 1). The Head Teacher (HT) of the school under investigation holds that the SDP conducted since 2002 plays a very important role in the life of every school. Asked about who is involved in the process, the HT mentioned various stakeholders. Regarding the process, the HT states that it takes place in different stages. The difficulties encountered during the process are time and the staffs interest and cooperation. However, since the latter has become an annual process, nearly all teachers help in formulating objectives and action plans. The HT declares that the SDP definitely provides a framework for evaluation and improvement; otherwise it will be of no value. Finally the HT expressed her hopes that the SDP will lead to open wide the doors to school improvement. Analysing the Findings The following section is an attempt to go into the main concerns and interests raised during research. After being collected and classified, the research findings will be discussed and analysed in relation to the research questions and compared to the literature review. What is the importance of a SDP to the school? As shown in Table 2, all 18 teachers interviewed consider the SDP as important to their institution. Moreover, in an attempt to answer the open-ended question at the end of the questionnaire, one teacher claims that the SDP is of utmost importance both for the teaching staff as well as for the students improvement. As suggested by Bezzina (1999), another teacher claims that the SDP is important to enhance the students potential and that it must be used to tackle all their needs. While Bezzina acknowledges that a SDP encourages team effort (1999:37), the Irish document holds that it is a great benefit to the whole school community (DES, 1999, Online). Similarly, the HT holds that: It is a great opportunity to enhance teamwork, collaboration and collegiality among the whole school community, that is, the Senior Management Team, the staff, the students and their parents, and all those who rightly give their share. (Interview with HT). Also, this implies that the style of leadership of the HT at St.Helen is participative (Coleman, 2005a:18), as the issue of decision-making is shared with other stakeholders. Moreover, the HT confirms what is suggested in the DES document (1999, Online), mainly that the SDP gives the teachers a sense of direction as They all know what the school is after (Interview with HT). Who is involved in the process? Bezzina claims that A SDP calls for a co-ordinated effort, a belief in each others worth, and a sincere willingness to work together to achieve set goals (1999:36) Similarly, Lumby maintains that even though the principal may lead in the process, all staff is responsible for the recreation and adjustment of vision on a daily basis (2007a:89). This is evident at St.Helen, so much that the HT mentions the following as stakeholders: Staff Members, P.T.A Members, Ladies Circle, the School Handyman, Parents, Students Council and Students. Moreover the participation of groups such as the Pastoral Team, The Green/Eco-School Team and Discipline Team is encouraged. The HT claims that, All these groups give their contribution. Different meetings are held with different groups on different topics; they all do their utmost to achieve goals. (Interview with HT) Teachers Participation Although The Principal plays a prominent role in the leadership and management of the planning process (DES, 1999:26, Online) 83.3% of the questionnaire responses claim that teachers participation is encouraged in the planning process. Researchers like Bush and Coleman (2006) and Lumby (2007b) hold that the involvement of staff might cause difficulties. However, Early (2007) maintains that staff involvement in becoming increasingly important for school success. Moreover, the above mentioned Irish document states that The whole-hearted participation of the teaching staff is crucial to the success of the planning process and that the whole staff should be actively involved to enable all members of staff to participate in discussion and decision-making (DES, 1999:27, Online). In fact, 55.6% of the responses show that the teaching staff is committed to the SDP. Also, this implies that the staff should be made aware of what the SDP is, why it is inevitable and how it is to be organised. If not, there will be the risk of having staff members who are uninterested, sceptical of the whole process and determined to resist change (Lumby, 2007b:97). In fact, this might be the case with a couple of teachers who joined the school only recently and who in the questionnaire (11.1%) expressed their doubt whether the SDP is threatening to the school or not, while another (5.6%) does not know whether or not the SDP is an added burden to the school (see Table 11). This implies that while the rest of the respondents (94.4%) are rooted in the three features constituting the SDP process (DOE, 1999, Online), these newly recruited teachers are not. According to the HT, the teachers are called in for SDP consultation through questionnaires and also on Staff Development Days. In addition to this, some teachers volunteer to work together in teams and in collaboration with the SMT in order to analyse audit results as well as to prioritise and draw strategic plans (Interview with HT). The response of 83.3% of the respondents shows that at St.Helen teacher participation is quite evident. Nevertheless, the HT feels that some teachers still need to be reminded to give their contribution. Also worth mentioning is the fact that, once a month or twice in a term, the HT holds subject meetings with teachers in order to sustain continuity and on-going monitoring (Interview with HT). Parent Participation Epstein (1992) states that parental involvement is an asset to their childs education in that the school equips them with the necessary tools to help them. While learning more about educational programmes they also get familiar with how the school functions. The NMC also holds that parents or guardians should be involved as partners in their childrens education (NMC 1999:31). Although this idea is confirmed by the HT, however it is not so in style with 44.4% of the teachers who have doubts as to whether or not the SDP has brought about greater parental involvement (see Table 8). This also implies that the teachers at St.Helen are not yet embedded with parental involvement in the SDP process (DOE, 1999, Online). Student Participation The HT believes that feedback from students is an essential input to the school (Interview with HT) so much that Hargreaves holds that they play an active role in implementing the plan and have an interest in the outcomes (1989:17). This implies that the students are to be involved throughout the whole process. This is likely so at St.Helen where the SMT takes into great consideration any suggestions proposed by the student council especially when they have to do with any aspect of the SDP. Also, a questionnaire is distributed annually to the students so as to ascertain their views (DES, 1999, Online). How is the process of development planning carried out? The HT gave very vivid and clear explanations of how the school goes about the process of development planning. As expressed in the Irish document (DES, 1999, Online), the HT maintains that it takes place at different stages, mainly at three Staff Development Days together with monthly afternoon staff meetings. On such days, the teachers are grouped according to their subject, interest or specialisation, and so they are more motivated to contribute to the discussions which usually focus on the strengths and weaknesses of the targets implemented. From these elements, decisions are taken as to what the school will be tackling as aims. Moreover, these meetings offer the SMT and the Staff an ideal opportunity to audit and evaluate progress. Furthermore, the HT asserts that, speakers who are authority on different subjects as well as Personnel from the Education Department also give their contribution during these meetings. Most of the teachers feel a sense of ownership and commitment when carrying out the SDP tasks assigned to them. This emerges quite plainly in the questionnaire with 83.3% of the respondents considering the SDP to be an on-going process while 55.6% believing that the school community is motivated to implement plans. According to the HT, the SDP establishes a clear programme to follow; it defines targets, implements strategies, time limits, necessary resources and evaluation procedures. Similar to what Hargreaves and Hopkins (1991), Nathan (1996), Bezzina (1999), the Irish document (DES, 1999, Online), and Bush and Coleman (2006) suggest, the HT identifies four main processes to SDP in St.Helen, mainly, the Audit, Construction, Implementation and Evaluation. This implies that St.Helen Girls Secondary is meeting the standards that are required by the SDP. Is the SDP opening doors to school improvement? Sammons, Khamis and Coleman state that The normal measurement of effectiveness is usually to do with better than expected academic outcomes (2005:137). Consequently, 77.8% of the questionnaire responses show that the SDP promotes improvement among students. Following are three positive outcomes in addition to the acquisition of examination results (Ouston, 1999:176) and as elicited from the HTs interview, in which the process to SDP implemented at St.Helen proves to be fruitful in being effective and in bringing about improvement. Improving the attitude towards Literature Literature is Fun is one of the target-titles listed for implementation in this years SDP. The HT argues that after finding that Literature and Culture of Languages was weakening, the management provided a Literature Room, which h

The Rape of the Lock Essay example -- The Rape of the Lock Alexander P

The Rape of the Lock Pope's portrayal of Belinda and her society in 'The Rape of the Lock' This Lock, the Muse shall consecrate to Fame, And mid'st the Stars inscribe Belinda's Name! In 'The Rape of the Lock' Alexander Pope (1688-1744) employs a mock-epic style to satirise the 'beau-monde' (fashionable world, society of the elite) of eighteenth century England. The richness of the poem, however, reveals more than a straightforward satirical attack. Alongside the criticism we can detect Pope's fascination with, and perhaps admiration for, Belinda and the society in which she moves. Pope himself was not part of the 'beau-monde'. He knew the families on which the poem is based but his own parents, though probably comfortably off, were not so rich or of the class one would have to be in to move in Belinda's circle. He associated with learned men and poets, and there can have been little common ground between the company he kept at Will's Coffee House and those who frequented Hampton Court. The incident at the centre of the poem is the Baron's theft of a lock of hair and the ensuing estrangement of two families. The opening lines of the poem introduce the reader to the satirical stance he is taking towards the society portrayed in the poem. What dire Offence from am'rous Causes springs, What mighty Contests rise from trivial Things, [I.1-2] Pope suggests that they are taking a trivial incident too seriously, displaying an exaggerated sense of their own importance. Throughout the poem Pope continues to make this point through his use of the mock-epic style, which itself takes a trivial incident too seriously, and uses disproportionately grand language to describe an unworthy subject. Belinda is belittled earl... ...y men of the age. An affinity between them is revealed by Pope's empathy, fine judgements, and carefully aimed criticisms, and Pope must have been at least a little fascinated by the 'beau-monde' to apply his talents to this poem which, in an ironic way, celebrates Belinda and her world and, as Pope himself suggests in the final couplet of the poem, has preserved them for posterity. This Lock, the Muse shall consecrate to Fame, And mid'st the Stars inscribe Belinda's Name! [V.149-50] References Butt, John (Ed). The Poems of Alexander Pope. A one-volume edition of the Twickenham text with selected annotations. London. Methuen & Co Ltd. 1963. First published in University Paperbacks 1965, Reprinted with corrections 1968. Reprinted 1977 Bibliography Cunningham. The Rape of the Lock. Oxford University Press. 1971 Gordon. A Preface to Pope. Longman. 1976

Implications of Omnipotence :: essays research papers

Implications of Omnipotence The concept of omnipotence seems to reign prominent among most religions, specifically among their myths articulating the origin and the inevitable destruction of our universe. Omnipotence, meaning all-powerful/perfect and predictably all good, produces many contradictions and questions merely by definition. The prospect of a life form being omnipotent is impossible. For the omnipotent being would inexorably be the creator and destroyer of all things; however, a perfect (omnipotent) being needs not to create anything else, for it is perfectly harmonious in its state, let alone creating an imperfect universe necessary for destruction. Every race, culture, and individual for the most part seem to have some grasp on a deity or deities that omnipotently created everything and all-lovingly watches over all. Some people will declare these beings’ omnipotence as fact and infallible, but with no deliberation of the entire scheme of things. Most believers, with some exceptions, say that one must have faith, and irrelevantly tack-on, â€Å"Our god(s) is all-powerful, and loves all his/their children however imperfect they may be.† If something is perfect and all- powerful then nothing imperfect can come from it. This also proves that the concept of opposition would not exist; everything would perpetuate in perfect harmony. Most monotheistic religions such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, etc. believe in a single omnipotent god that loves man above all as sons and daughters. If such a being exists and is truly omnipotent, why is there so much pain? Man suffers from plague, war, and natural disaster. How does m an’s agony in any way depict an all-knowing and all-loving being? Followers often use the sayings: â€Å"It is his (omnipotent being) will† or â€Å"He (omnipotent being) works in mysterious ways,† in order to justify man’s constant sorrow before this being’s feet. According to the Bhagavad-Gita (Hindu sacred book), when â€Å"all the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the silent sky, that would be like the coming of the Mighty One. I am become death, the shatterer of worlds.† With the presence of nuclear power, this quote seems somewhat disheartening; nevertheless it reiterates the fact that if there is a force above all, it being omnipotent is unfeasible.

Frostbite Chapter 6

Six I WAS FEELING PRETTY GOOD about life when I headed to my before-school practice the next day. The secret gathering last night had been super fun, and I felt proudly responsible for fighting the system and encouraging Dimitri to go with Tasha. Better still, I'd gotten my first crack at a silver stake yesterday and had proven I could handle one. High on myself, I couldn't wait to practice even more. Once I was dressed in my usual workout attire, I practically skipped down to the gym. But when I stuck my head inside the practice room from the day before, I found it dark and quiet. Flipping on the light, I peered around just in case Dimitri was conducting some kind of weird, covert training exercise. Nope. Empty. No staking today. â€Å"Shit,† I muttered. â€Å"He's not here.† I yelped and nearly jumped ten feet in the air. Turning around, I looked straight into my mother's narrowed brown eyes. â€Å"What are you doing here?† As soon as the words were out of my mouth, her appearance registered with me. A stretchy spandex shirt with short sleeves. Loose, drawstring workout pants similar to the ones I wore. â€Å"Shit,† I said again. â€Å"Watch your mouth,† she snapped. â€Å"You might behave like you have no manners, but at least try not to sound that way.† â€Å"Where's Dimitri?† â€Å"Guardian Belikov is in bed. He just got back a couple of hours ago and needed to sleep.† Another expletive was on my lips, and I bit it back. Of course Dimitri was asleep. He'd had to drive with Tasha to Missoula during daylight in order to be there during human shopping hours. He'd technically been up all of the Academy's night and had probably only just gotten back. Ugh. I wouldn't have been so quick to encourage him to help her if I'd known it'd result in this. â€Å"Well,† I said hastily. â€Å"I guess that means practice is canceled† â€Å"Be quiet and put these on.† She handed me some training mitts. They were similar to boxing gloves but not as thick and bulky. They shared the same purpose, however: to protect your hands and keep you from gouging your opponent with your nails. â€Å"We've been working on silver stakes,† I said sulkily shoving my hands into the mitts. â€Å"Well, today we're doing this. Come on.† Wishing I'd been hit by a bus on my walk from the dorm today, I followed her out toward the center of the gym. Her curly hair was pinned up to stay out of the way, revealing the back of her neck. The skin there was covered in tattoos. The top one was a serpentine line: the promise mark, given when guardians graduated from academies like St. Vladimir's and agreed to serve. Below that were the molnija marks awarded each time a guardian killed a Strigoi. They were shaped like the lightning bolts they took their name from. I couldn't gauge exact numbers, but let's just say it was a wonder my mom had any neck left to tattoo. She'd wielded a lot of death in her time. When she reached the spot she wanted, she turned toward me and adopted an attack stance. Half expecting her to jump me then and there, I quickly mirrored it. â€Å"What are we doing?† I asked. â€Å"Basic offensive and defensive parrying. Use the red lines.† â€Å"That's all?† I asked. She leapt toward me. I dodgedjust barelyand tripped over my own feet in the process. Hastily, I righted myself. â€Å"Well,† she said in a voice that almost sounded sarcastic. â€Å"As you seem so keen on reminding me, I haven't seen you in five years. I have no idea what you can do.† She moved on me again, and again I just barely kept within the lines in escaping her. That quickly became the pattern. She never really gave me the chance to go on the offensive. Or maybe I just didn't have the skills to take the offensive. I spent all my time defending myselfphysically, at least. Grudgingly, I had to acknowledge to myself that she was good. Really good. But I certainly wasn't going to tell her that. â€Å"So, what?† I asked. â€Å"This is your way of making up for maternal negligence?† â€Å"This is my way of making you get rid of that chip on your shoulder. You've had nothing but attitude for me since I arrived. You want to fight?† Her fist shot out and connected with my arm. â€Å"Then we'll fight. Point.† â€Å"Point,† I conceded, backing up to my side. â€Å"I don't want to fight. I've just been trying to talk to you.† â€Å"Mouthing off to me in class isn't what I'd really call talking. Point.† I grunted from the hit. When I'd first begun training with Dimitri, I'd complained that it wasn't fair for me to fight someone a foot taller than me. He'd pointed out that I'd fight plenty of Strigoi taller than me and that the old adage was true: size doesn't matter. Sometimes I thought he was giving me false hope, but judging from my mom's performance here, I was starting to believe him. I'd never actually fought anyone smaller than me. As one of the few girls in the novice classes, I accepted that I was almost always going to be shorter and slimmer than my opponents. But my mother was smaller still and clearly had nothing but muscle packed into her petite body. â€Å"I have a unique style of communication, that's all,† I said. â€Å"You have a petty teenage delusion that you've somehow been wronged for the last seventeen years.† Her foot hit my thigh. â€Å"Point. When in reality, you've been treated no differently than any other dhampir. Better, actually. I could have sent you off to live with my cousins. You want to be a blood whore? Is that what you wanted?† The term â€Å"blood whore† always made me flinch. It was a term often applied to the single dhampir mothers who decided to raise their children instead of becoming guardians. These women often had short-term affairs with Moroi men and were looked down on for iteven though there wasn't really anything else they could have done, since Moroi men usually ended up marrying Moroi women. The â€Å"blood whore† term came from the fact that some dhampir women let men drink blood from them during sex. In our world, only humans gave blood. A dhampir doing it was dirty and kinkyespecially during sex. I suspected only a few dhampir women actually did this, but unfairly, the term tended to get applied to all of them. I had given blood to Lissa when we had run away, and although it had been a necessary act, the stigma still stayed with me. â€Å"No. Of course I don't want to be a blood whore.† My breathing was becoming heavy. â€Å"And they're not all like that. There're only a few that actually are.† â€Å"They bring that reputation on themselves,† she growled. I dodged her strike. â€Å"They should be doing their duty as guardians, not continuing to fool around and have flings with Moroi.† â€Å"They're raising their children,† I grunted. I wanted to yell but couldn't waste the oxygen. â€Å"Something you'd know nothing about. Besides, aren't you the same as they are? I don't see a ring on your finger. Wasn't my dad just a fling for you?† Her face turned hard, which is saying something when you're already beating up your daughter. â€Å"That,† she said tightly, â€Å"is something you know nothing about. Point.† I winced at the blow but was happy to see I'd struck a nerve. I had no clue who my dad was. The only bit of information I had was that he was Turkish. I might have my mom's curvy figure and pretty facethough I could smugly say mine was much prettier than hers nowadaysbut the rest of my coloring was from him. Lightly tanned skin with dark hair and eyes. â€Å"How'd it happen?† I asked. â€Å"Were you on some assignment in Turkey? Meet him at a local bazaar? Or was it even cheaper than that? Did you go all Darwin and select the guy most likely to pass on warrior genes to your offspring? I mean, I know you only had me because it was your duty, so I suppose you had to make sure you could give the guardians the best specimen you could.† â€Å"Rosemarie,† she warned through gritted teeth, â€Å"for once in your life, shut up.† â€Å"Why? Am I tarnishing your precious reputation? It's just like you told me: you aren't any different from any other dhampir either. You just screwed him and† There's a reason they say, â€Å"Pride goeth before a fall.† I was so caught up in my own cocky triumph that I stopped paying attention to my feet. I was too close to the red line. Going outside of it was another point for her, so I scrambled to stay within and dodge her at the same time. Unfortunately, only one of those could work. Her fist came flying at me, fast and hardand, perhaps most importantly, a bit higher than the permissable according to rules of this kind of exercise. It smacked me in the face with the power of a small truck, and I flew backward, hitting the hard gym floor back-first and head-second. And I was out of the lines. Damn it. Pain cracked through the back of my head, and my vision went blurry and sparkly. Within seconds, my mother was leaning over me. â€Å"Rose? Rose? Are you okay?† Her voice sounded hoarse and frantic. The world swam. At some point after that, other people came, and I somehow wound up in the Academy's med clinic. There, someone shone a light in my eyes and started asking me incredibly idiotic questions. â€Å"What's your name?† â€Å"What?† I asked, squinting at the light. â€Å"Your name.† I recognized Dr. Olendzki peering over me. â€Å"You know my name.† â€Å"I want you to tell me.† â€Å"Rose. Rose Hathaway.† â€Å"Do you know your birthday?† â€Å"Of course I do. Why are you asking me such stupid things? Did you lose my records?† Dr. Olendzki gave an exasperated sigh and walked off, taking the annoying light with her. â€Å"I think she's fine,† I heard her tell someone. â€Å"I want to keep her here for the school day, just to make sure she doesn't have a concussion. I certainly don't want her anywhere near her guardian classes.† I spent the day moving in and out of sleep because Dr. Olendzki kept waking me up to do her tests. She also gave me an ice pack and told me to keep it close to my face. When the Academy's classes let out, she deemed me well enough to leave. â€Å"I swear, Rose, I think you should have a frequent patient's card.† There was a small smile on her face. â€Å"Short of those with chronic problems like allergies and asthma, I don't think there's any other student I've seen here so often in such a short period of time.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said, not really sure I wanted the honor. â€Å"So, no concussion?† She shook her head. â€Å"No. You're going to have some pain, though. I'll give you something for that before you go.† Her smile faded, and suddenly she looked nervous. â€Å"To be honest, Rose, I think most of the damage happened to, well, your face.† I shot up from the bed. â€Å"What do you mean ‘most of the damage happened to my face'?† She gestured to the mirror above the sink on the far side of the room. I ran over to it and looked at my reflection. â€Å"Son of a bitch!† Purplish red splotches covered the upper portion of the left side of my face, particularly near the eye. Desperately, I turned around to face her. â€Å"This is going to go away soon, right? If I keep the ice on it?† She shook her head again. â€Å"The ice can help†¦but I'm afraid you're going to have a wicked black eye. It'll probably be at its worst tomorrow but should clear up in a week or so. You'll be back to normal before long.† I left the clinic in a daze that had nothing to do with my head injury. Clear up in a week or so? How could Dr. Olendzki speak so lightly about this? Didn't she realize what was happening? I was going to look like a mutant for Christmas and most of the ski trip. I had a black eye. A freaking black eye. And my mother had given it to me.