Tuesday, August 6, 2019
The Drivers of Globalization Essay Example for Free
The Drivers of Globalization Essay At the dawn of 21st century, information technology, communication, transportation and even banking systems took a great leap of improvement that changed billion of lives around the world. Using a personal computer, an individual could perform a number of trade and banking transactions from anywhere, for as long as there is an Internet connection. People who are fond of traveling around the world could remain in contact with his families and employers, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Important events could now be shared by millions of viewers around the world through satellite connections and the use of the World Wide Web. The world became a small a neighborhood through fast delivery brought about by airplane travel around the world, minute by minute. All of these improvements contributed to the creation of a single thread that connects billion of lives throughout the globe. That thread came to be known as globalization and it is a trend that contributed to the development of the so called global society. Globalization acknowledges the emergence of a global society in which political, economic and cultural events could easily influence the lives of people from all parts of the world. The so called global society also implies the idea of a global market which allows freer movement of goods, services, investment and capitals across the globe . The global market focuses on economic globalization, a sub field of globalization which focuses on the improvement and changes that occur in the sector of trade and commerce. Economic globalization suggests diminishing national boundaries and territory to allow freer movement of goods and services . Tariffs and trade regulations are created to further improve and ensure that the flow of goods and services would continue and safe from illegal activities. Along with these and the improvements achieved in the field of transportation, information technology and communication, the cost of transactions and operation of companies around the world and have opened up millions of jobs throughout the world and have reduced the cost of transactions. An example of this would be the large increase of trade and movement of capital in the form of bonds, stocks and investment. The volume of world export level from 1950 to 2001 grew 20 times from its original level. Analysts have also deduced that investors and shareholders nowadays are so well informed that they could easily manipulate their shares and capitals through Internet to enable them to gain more profit. It was eminent that the consumer himself was an influential catalyst for change; however, there are other factors which contribute greatly to the development, growth and spread of globalization. It is possible that there are many reasons or factors that have caused globalization spread so fast but it would be best to narrow it down based on the influence and number of changes that it has brought forth towards the globalization as we know of today. As much as possible, these factors would be in touch with market and product globalization. The assessment of these factors would be the key in answering why globalization has spread so fast over the past decades. Lastly, the last part of the paper would be a reflection about the influence of globalization on the lives of normal people such as the author of this paper. A. The Consumer and the Nature of Man In his endless pursuit of greater pleasure, comfort and perhaps happiness in life, man has always sought to improve the quality of his lifestyle and everything around him. Whether it was accidental, planned or forced, man never failed to bring advancement in his daily life and to his predecessor in the future. In the early years, man was forced to develop and improve his agricultural system and tools to cope up with the growing population and harsh environment that surround him. The idea for gunpowder and guns that change how wars are fought, were brought by the creation and extensive use of firecrackers by the Chinese. The Industrial Revolution for instance, was a period in which many innovations were introduced that forever changed how goods are being manufactured and also transportation services was the main attraction during that time. Personal computers, cell phones and satellites connections of the 20th century could connect people from any part of the world in a matter of minutes or even seconds. Even couples who are having problems in bearing children could now resolve this through artificial insemination. These are manifestations of how far man could go when he attempts to further improve his lifestyle and it is for a fact that there is no possible end on how man could go when he wishes to seek more pleasure and comfort in life. This desire of man to further enhance its current lifestyle has pushed the boundaries and possibilities of 20th century world market. Merely supplying people with basic goods and necessities is not enough for a company to stay in the business. They need to be innovative about their product and they need to produce product that will capture the taste of the consumers. Even services being offer by manufacturer and companies should be top rank in order to ensure that consumers would adhere to their product. Moreover, considering the status of information technology and how easy it is to gain various amount of information, it could be consider that consumer nowadays is more informative and knows what they need not to mention how picky most of then when it comes to the quality of the product theyââ¬â¢re going to buy. In the least sense, consumer itself was the one who shaped and pushed the current market to its current level. Globalization was merely a tool that helped in satisfying the demand of consumers for product that could improve and make life easier. Through a freer movement of capitals and less restrictions concerning importations of foreign goods, people across the globe was able to experience gadgets, goods, services and even infrastructure that usually could only be found in developed countries. Such conditions could be seen in countries in Asia and South America were investors from the so called 1st world countries have invested huge amount of money to penetrate and dominate local markets. When it comes to infrastructure, one example that could be found is recent spread of high class casinos and hotels in tourist destinations especially in areas such as the Caribbean, Mediterreanan and Hawaii . Globalization for a moment has satisfied the consumersââ¬â¢ needs but at the same time it has invoked greater desire for the consumers to experience and use more product that could further improve their lifestyle. Additionally, the power to avail certain kind of products such as luxury cars and advanced gadgets represent the social status of consumers. 3rd world countries have opened their markets to foreign investors not just to increase revenue but also to provide its people with job opportunities and improve their economy through such investments. Product Innovations It is eminent that there is no permanent product that would dominate a market for long a time. Aside from our basic necessities, everything that we use will eventually come to an end. This is why leading companies and manufacturers are forced to develop and produce new products that would interest the public and would help them stay in business. Microsoft for instance, continuously creates and develops operating systems for personal computers in order to cope up with the latest programs and software that are being sold in the market today. From time to time, leading cell phone manufacturer like Nokia and Samsung need to release new models of cell phone that are better that its predecessor and could offer new tricks to its user. Everything has its own evolution, even the tiniest gadget that we use started of from a humble beginnings and had been changed in order to cope up with the demands of the public and at the same time stay on course with regards to business operations. Through product innovations and improvement, leading companies and manufacturers could supply the public with goods that could satisfy their demands . When a product is adhered to by billions of people around the globe, leading companies turn their attention to manufacturers for possible business expansion and reproduction of their product. Manufacturers are either hired or created by those companies who personally want to manage the production of their products. Investment comes in huge amounts of money and it often creates thousands of job opportunities. Globalization comes into play during these times. Tariffs and trade regulations are lowered in order to accommodate business expansion and to give investors flexibility about theyââ¬â¢re investment. Countries who sought to increase their nationââ¬â¢s revenue, turns their heads to foreign investment for possible influx of money and generating jobs that could decrease unemployment level . For an instance, famous clothing lines have opened not only outlet stores but also their own factory outside of their main offices in order to meet the demands of the public. Clothing lines like Lacoste, Luis Vitton and other famous brand could now be found in various parts of the world. Michelin, the French tire company owns a factory in south California where they produce tire that would answer the demand of the local market. Globalization spread across the globe because of the opportunity that foreign investment could offer to a country. Aside from lowering the cost of foreign product through local manufacturing, foreign investment could boost the economic performance of those poor countries.
Monday, August 5, 2019
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre THE BOSTON MASSACRE: Its Cause and Impact in Society I. The Boston Massacre Crowds gathered. There was tension between the armed troops and the civilians. There was mocking and throwing of rocks and other elements towards the direction of the armed men. They feel provoked by the crowd and the tension rose. As members of the military, they had the responsibility to practice maximum tolerance. The tension escalated even more. A single gun shot was heard as more followed. A number of innocent people were killed; to some, they are murdered. This was a scenario that happened in 1970 in the Kent State University when a protest went violent in an encounter between the antiwar demonstrators and the National Guardsmen.[1] Over three centuries ago, Boston witnessed the same setting that turned out to be one of the most controversial shootings in American history. The Boston Massacre can be considered as one of the highlights of the American History. There are many speculations and documentations about the Boston Massacre. This would be further discussed in the paper. The Boston Massacre had happened in March 5, 1770. Based on the account of Mauricio Tellez, a number of soldiers had tried to help their comrade from the violent crowd which were throwing snowballs at the sentry. The squad released fire at the crowd, wounding three persons fatally and killing two people on the spot. Tellez had written that the first person to be killed was Crispus Attucks, an African American. In an account of Boston Massacre in Pamphlets and Propaganda article, the Boston Massacre was started by a barbers apprentice. The apprentice has complained about the late payment of the captains bill. A soldier had bashed his musket on the youths head. Because of this, apprentices had rushed around the town center and had spread the attack. From then on the crowd started growing wild. Captain Thomas Preston had arrived with seven of his grenadiers and started dispersing the crowd. According to the article, it was stated that a private had shouted the fire signal that had triggered the others to fire their ammunition to the crowd. The Constitutional Foundation had featured the Boston Massacre in their article. In the article, the mob that had shown during the Massacre was around 300 to 400 people. Crispus Attucks, the first person who died in the battle was reported as the one saying ââ¬Å"Kill them! Kill them! Knock them over! It further noted, that Captain Preston was the one who instigated the soldiers to stop firing. After the incident, Governor Thomas Hutchinson made an agreement with the British army commander to remove the soldiers. Captain Preston and eight of the british soldiers were subjected for trial. The prosecuting attorney was Samuel Quincy and Patriot Robert Treat Paine. The Defense attorney was John Adams, Robert Auchmuty and Josiah Quincy. Prestons trial issue was if the Captain has given the order to its subordinates to fire their ammunitions to the crowd. The outcome was not guilty. However, from the soldiers trial for the innocence of murder, two privates were judged as guilty for firing their musket with malice. These are Private Montgomery and Private Killroy. Private Montgomery admitted to the fact that he was the one who shouted ââ¬Å"Fireâ⬠that had triggered the band of soldiers to start firing at the crowd. II. Cause of Boston Massacre According to the Constitutional Rights Foundation article, customs collectors, conducted searches using writs of assistance. In the year 1768, the John Hancocks ship was searched, wine was seized and charges of smuggling were given. A crowd had attacked and this had caused the British Government to bring 700 British regulars marched towards Boston. British taxes had been shouldered by the citizen. This had further enraged the citizens of Boston to rebel against the British. The Sons of Liberty had been formed which had been led by Sam Adams, the cousin of John Adams, which had been formed to end the military occupation of the British Based on the references gathered, it can be seen that the cause of the outrage from the crowd is the fact that the people in Boston do not like the British Rule. As discussed in a powerpoint presentation by Longhearst, it had been explained that Boston was full of tension. Both of the sides gather insults, the British called the colonists, ââ¬Å"Yankeesâ⬠which is considered as an insult. On the other hand, the colonies called the British soldiers ââ¬Å"Lobsterâ⬠because of their red uniforms. The article of Pamphlets and Propaganda had shown that there had been seventeen months of friction between the British troops. From the Mass Moments article, since the Bostonians had been used to self-government, it had been hard for them to recognize the British Rule. Townspeople were forced to provide lodging for Boston Soldiers who had a reputation of being an immoral. Through the insults and frustration of the Bostonians, their anger had accumulated and this had become a hatred that had led to violence. The Boston Massacre is an event that had been caused by the hatred of the Bostonians to the British. III. Impact of Boston Massacre in Society The Boston Massacre had inspired artists such as Paul Revere and John Pufford. Mauricio Tellez had written in his article that Paul Revere had used his art to prove that the British are a bunch of people who are slayers and oppressors. The drawing is considered as a memento, that the freedom of America came by the price of blood and sweat of Bostonians. It had been further used to further anger the British and give awareness to the colonists about the nature of the oppressors. John Puffords work can be described as a proof of the Massacre in King Street. Unlike Paul Reveres, John Pufford had shown a bias of the British against black men. Based on the documentation, Crispus Attucks was the first person to fall in the attack. It had been speculated upon that the death of Crispus Attucks was caused because he is black. The meaning of the art further boils down to the fact that Crispus Attucks had been the first one to die because he is black. Pamphlets and Propaganda article had shown that the event had also become a money-making profit for published newspapers. The report from Boston which they had given a title of ââ¬Å"A Short Narrative of the Horrid Massacreâ⬠, had sent copies to London and American Colonies. Although the copies were not for sale, when a reprint had arrived from London, the copies were sold as imported papers. London had blamed the Boston crowd for the violence. In the same day of the massacre, the Parliament had revoked all duties and taxes except the Tea Tax. When the Americans have heard about the incident, they had boycotted the British. Topped by the massacre and the revoking of duties and taxes, this had led to the Boston Tea Party in 1773. The Sons of Liberty had commissioned an annual public statement for the victims of the massacre from the year 1771 to 1782. After the event, the Sons of Liberty had made moves in prosecution and the organization had made sure that there is a fair trial against the British. This had shown that the justice system during that time is not biased against the colonists. As stated in the same article, nowadays, American considers the Boston Massacre as a political violence. There are two sides on the incident. Some thought that the soldiers are the victims and others thought of it as the men who were killed for Independence. Boston Massacre had been an event that had caused the American Revolution. IV. Conclusion As a conclusion, the Boston Massacre is an event that had took place after the American Revolution. This event had been caused by the frustration and anger of the Americans against the British. It had been used as a tool by the colonists to further raise the hatred of the colonists against the British which had led to the American Revolution. As can be seen from the discussion above, there are many reasons as to why the soldiers and mob had acted that way. Some of the soldiers may have acted because of their personal vendetta against the insults that they had received ever since they had arrived in Boston. The crowd may have been infuriated by the soldiers because the soldiers think of them as vile creatures and people not worthy of respect. Crispus Attucks can be considered as a hero by the other Americans and some may have thought that it was right for the soldiers to shot the fellow because he was the one who started attacking. This had caused dilemma against what society thought of the incident. The list could go on and on. The event is a proof of acts of violence because of independence and frustration of two races against each other. V. Bibliography Tellez, Mauricio. ââ¬Å"The Boston Massacreâ⬠Web pages: African- American History Through the Arts http://cghs.dadeschools.net/african-american/precivil/boston.htm (Accessed September 13, 2007) Liberty Public School District. ââ¬Å"Boston Massacreâ⬠. Web Pages: Microsoft Powerpoint 1.2 Boston Massacr: 1.2.pdf. http://www.liberty.k12.mo.us/~elanghorst/notes/1.2.pdf. (Accessed September 13, 2007) W.M. Keck Foundation. ââ¬Å"John Adams and The Boston Massacre Trialsâ⬠. Web Pages: Bills of Right in Action http://www.crf-usa.org/bria/bria16_1.html. (Accessed September 13, 2007) Massachussetts Foundation for the Humanities. ââ¬Å"Five Die in Boston Massacreâ⬠Web Pages: Mass Moments. http://www.massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=71. (Accessed September 13, 2007) Zobel, Hiller B. The Boston Massacre. New York: Norton, 1970. [1] Carol Sue Humphrey, ââ¬Å"The Case of the Boston Massacre (1770) A . . . melancholy Demonstration.â⬠In The Press on Trial: Crimes and Trials as Media Events, ed. Chiasson, Lloyd Westport, 15-22. CT:Greenwood Press, 1997, 15.
Sunday, August 4, 2019
The Yellow Wallpaper and The Chrysanthemums -- Comparative, Allen, St
Restraints are set by parents on their children to aid with the developmental process and help with the maturity level. Restrictions and the ability to control exist in our society and our lives. We encounter restraints daily: job, doors, people, and the most frequently used and arduous become intangible. In the following stories tangible and intangible scenarios are presented. Autonomy, desires, and talents spurned by the husbands in John Steinbeckââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"The Chrysanthemums and Charlotte Gilmanââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"The Yellow Wallpaper.â⬠The authors share views regarding a similar theme of male domination and imprisonment. ââ¬Å"The Yellow Wallpaperâ⬠involves the treatment of a depressed woman who is driven insane in a male imposed detention in her own room. On the other hand, Elisa Allen in the ââ¬Å"The Chrysanthemumsâ⬠struggles internally to find her place in a fully male dominated society with definite gender roles. The mirror-like situations bring upon a different reaction for both the women in different ways. The importance of symbolism, control from their husbands, and the lack of a healthy marriage will be discussed in this paper in two stories. Elisa Allen and the narrator of ââ¬Å"The Yellow Wallpaperâ⬠are both trapped in various ways and the sexuality leads to this entrapment. Elisa feels confined and limited; ââ¬Å"the high grey-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from all the rest of the worldâ⬠(226). Trapped inside the house and feels isolated from the world outside. The chrysanthemums symbolize her scope of life where she devotes most of her time with this activity. The chrysanthemums, strong and thriving, portray Elisaââ¬â¢s current physical condition. She treats the chrysanthemums like her children; ââ¬Å"she held the flower po... ...e husbands possess a male ego of power that leads to lack of understanding in their marriages. The wallpaper symbolizes the trapped narrator and the structure of the tradition. Also, Elisaââ¬â¢s chrysanthemums are discarded and the narratorââ¬â¢s feelings are disowned which portrays the rejection of women. Elisa ends up ââ¬Å"crying weakly like an old womanâ⬠and settles for wine (233). The narratorââ¬â¢s actions lead to her husband fainting ââ¬Å"but he did, and right across my path by the wall, so that I had to creep over him every timeâ⬠(447). The narrator is insane and causes faintness in her husband, hoping that she now has an escape. To conclude, John Steinbecks ââ¬Å"The Chrysanthemumsâ⬠and Charloette Perkins ââ¬Å"The Yellow Wallpaperâ⬠show two different outcomes mainly arisen due to being trapped inside an isolated house or a garden and having a limited life under a husband's control.
Enders Shadow or Enders Game :: Free Essay Writer
Ender's Shadow or Ender's Game Journal - Enders Shadow Entry 1 In this story there is an alien race called the buggers, they have attacked earth before and now the I.F. (International Fleet) is training the younger generation to be commanders of the next fleet. The main character in Enders Shadow is Bean. He lives on the streets of Rotterdam, in the allies and under steps. Like many other children living on the streets, it is very sparse to find food. Most survive by the leftovers they find in the trash. Bean, being the smallest of the children was the skinniest of them all. He was extremely small. He was on his last few days of life and was so weak he gave up on finding food. That very day a crew leader named Poke (crews were a group of children that shared the food that they found and they had crew leaders) gave Bean 7 peanuts and she asked for his name. But he said he hadnââ¬â¢t received a name, so they called him Bean. There were food shelters that gave food out every morning but crews with young children couldnââ¬â¢t get in because of the older children that were bullies. And most of the time bullies would come and take food from the crews instead of beating them up. Bean had a plan to threaten one bully to protect the crew and I n return he would be allowed to live. They choose to pick the bully named Achilles because he was born with a bad leg and he needed the crew for his safety. They jumped Achilles and held a rock over his head and told him their plan and he agreed to go along with it but Bean told Poke to kill him as and example to the other bullies, but Achilles was smart and he persuaded them to let him be there protector. Entry 2 Achilles made a plan to get the children into the kitchens. When the bullies started lining up for the kitchen Achilles sent one of the crewmembers named Sergeant to the second place in the line budding in front of the meanest bully. The bully shoved the kid into the ground. Achilles came up to the bully and asked him why he pushed Sergeant into the bully in the front. Achilles explained how he was just saving his place in line, until he pushed him into his friend.
Saturday, August 3, 2019
The Importance of Masks in William Goldings Lord of the Flies :: Lord Flies Essays William Golding Papers
In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, we find a group of British boys stranded on a tropical island while the rest of the world is at war. Their plane has been shot down and they find themselves without adults to tell them how to act. As they struggle to survive, they encounter conflicts that mirror the decayed society from which they have come. We see Golding's theme come about as we watch the boys begin to lose their innocence and let their natural evil overwhelm their otherwise civilized manner. While formulating the theme of the story, Golding utilizes much symbolism, one of these symbols being the masks, or painted faces, that the boys wear.Ã The masks, and painted faces, became a producer of evil circumstances, give a sense of anonymity, and represented the defiance of social structure. Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Whenever someone is wearing a mask or has a painted face, evil is at large.Ã Ã The very purpose of a mask is for hiding. The boys use the masks to hide their lust for blood, killing, and death from their consciences. When going to hunt for the first time, "Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness" (Golding page #) because he knew that his manner of hunting was evil and would only lead to lascivious killing. While describing that hunt to the boys, Jack was "twitching" and "shuddering" as he talked.Ã He knew it was wrong. Eventually all the savages hid behind their masks when their lust for killing climaxes on the manhunt for Ralph. Throughout the story, all hunting, killing, and shedding of blood was done while the boys faces were hidden by masks. Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã A mask makes one unknown, unrecognized, and mysterious.Ã When the first mask was put on, Jack "looked no longer at himself but at an awesome stranger" (Golding page #). At the formation of Jack's tribe, all who join wear a mask from that time on and become a part of the savages. As three savages return to steal fire, they are driven because they are "demoniac figures with faces of white and red" (Golding page #) not individual boys. The mask becomes such an anonymous symbol that, towards the end of the story, Ralph "gazed at the green and black mask before him trying to remember what Jack looked like" (Golding page #).Ã Whether stealing, fighting, or hunting, the savages found their courage because they "looked like something else" "hidden behind the mask of paint" (Golding page #).
Friday, August 2, 2019
Identify the four roles that artists play that have not changed over time Essay
Artist like any other human been, are trying to understand, and explain the world to others, and to themselves, they use their experiences, and imagination, in order to make sense of the world , tangible, or intangible, to do this the artist assume four roles, Henry M. Sayre in his book ââ¬Å"A World of Artâ⬠define those roles as: 1) Artist help us to see the world in new or innovative ways: In this role the artist will produce a piece that generate a new sensation, or a new way of thinking, as an example the artist Yayoi kusama in her work, ââ¬Å"You Are Getting Obliterated in The Dancing Swarm of Firefliesâ⬠,2005, she create a room whoââ¬â¢s walls, ceiling, and floor is covered by mirrors, inside the room is and assortment of led lights hanging from tiny wires above the ceiling, went the spectator enters the room immediately feels the sensation of been in space, floating, and his/her persona perceive the sensation of been diminished by immensity of the space, created by the illusion of the mirrors. Another example is artist Xia Xiao Wan (Innovative Art Ideas), he will paint multiple layers of glass separately with semi-translucent colors, all six facets of the sheet will be painted, and then put together in groups forming a cube, offering a new and unique experience for the paint spectator, a 360 degree viewing angle, instead of the traditional two dimensional paints. 2) Artist make a visual record of the people, places, and events of their time and place: At times the artist just want to record an event, person or an object, sometimes to impartially describe it, or to appreciated it, or to criticize it, two of the most used forms of art for this purpose are, painting, and sculpture. In the painting ââ¬Å"Jahangir in Darbarâ⬠, 1620, it shows the muslin ruler of India Jahangir seated in his court during and audience, is easy to deduce the diversity, and acceptance of Jahangir court, by the faces, and clotting of the people assisting. Endless paintings, and sculptures, of battles, cities, landscapes, and portraits, are the backbone of the historical record of humanity. 3) Artist make functional objects and structures (buildings) more pleasurable and elevate them or imbue them with meaning: The mankind is being building objects since the beginning of time in order to satisfied their needs of protection, from the elements, and from themselves , also to process food, and a myriad of other uses, but humans have a necessity of beauty, this necessity melts in every object that humans produce, as an example we can analyze ââ¬Å"the coffinâ⬠a very basic object, a box, whose only purpose is to contain the physical remains of a death person, if the African artist Kane Kwei build this object just to fulfill this function, he will construct a rough box with the basic dimensions to accommodate a body, and his work will be finished, instead he embrace his need of beauty, and create carving coffins with meaning for the decease, and the people who knew the decease, coffins in the form of fishes for fishermanââ¬â¢s, expensive cars for the wealthy, suddenly the coffins is not just a box, is a object of beauty and meaning. 4) Artist give form to the immaterial ââ¬â hidden or universal truths, spiritual forces, personal feelings. In this role the artist is trying to explain, or represent spiritual believes, feelings, or forces of nature, like God, death, birth, fertility, love, lust, and many more; one of the most notorious representation of this role is the religious art, paintings, sculptures and others forms of art, representing Gods like Jesus, Buda, Zeus, trying to show a representation of a certain believe. The artist Jan Van Eyck in his painting ââ¬Å"The Ghent Altarâ⬠, 1432, represent God as a young king/God, very powerful, very rich, but benevolent and merciful, supported in the sides by the Virgin Mary, and John the Baptist, reigning on top of a assortment of people, his adaptation of God is a direct representation of what he knows, kingdoms and kings, mixed with the ideas of catholic church. Works Cited http://www. pinterest. com/pin/265712446734822517/, Innovative Art Ideas Sayre, Henry M. A world of Art (7th Ed. ). Orange State University-Cascades Campus: Pearson/Practice Hall, 2012.
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Measuring academic proficiency under the NCLB.
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act was designed to close the achievement gap between high and low performing children, especially the achievement gap between minority and non-minority students and between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers (NCLB, 2001). The key components of the act are the adequate yearly programs (AYP), and the annual measurable objectives (AMO). The AYP is the working principle of the act and it is seen as the mechanism for which all schools and all students meet the same academic standards in reading and mathematics by school year 2013-2014. The AMO indicates the performance of the school in terms of proficiency in reading and mathematics tests. Moreover, the law identifies student subgroups like economically disadvantaged students, students form major racial and ethnic groups, students with disabilities and students with limited English proficiency. The law also specifically requires that 95% of the total number of students in a school and 95% of each subgroup to take the reading and math standardized tests, while the state is tasked to determine its own AMO targets and the minimum number of students in each subgroup who are required to meet or surpass the AMO targets (NCLB, 2001). The AYP requirements apply to Title 1 and non-title 1 school that receive federal funding. Schools that do not reach AYP for two or more years will be labeled as in need of improvement and are sanctioned. The NCLB employs a conjunctive accountability system wherein each subgroup of students are required to reach the minimum levels of proficiency in math and reading regardless of their previous proficiency levels, thus within 12 years, all students should reach 100% proficiency. NCLB is based on the idea that high expectations for achievement would result to higher actual achievement levels. By requiring each school to reach a uniform level of proficiencyà would mean that in a given period, all schools and all students would have mastered the same skills and learned the same knowledge in reading and mathematics. The NCLB measures progress through a single mean proficiency score across levels and subgroup.à However, this frame of mind does not consider the diversity of American students and their backgrounds. For example, requiring each subgroup to meet the minimum mean proficiency score would ensure that the school would not reach the AYP. Using a single mean proficiency score to measure performance is not a true measure of school improvement nor student performance. Although, NCLB have positive visions, its method of attaining its objectives undermines what it is supposed to do. The law treats each school and each student as a single and uniform entity when our society is composed of different races and backgrounds, not even taking into account the difference between the rich and the poor. Even if the law identified the subgroup of students, it still however assess each group in terms of the single mean proficiency score which is the same as implementing a one size fits all policy. The problem with NCLB is that it asks schools to be assessed against a single mean proficiency score, wherein if a school fails to reach this score, would indicate that the school is not performing as it should be in accordance with federal and state rules. The use of a single mean proficiency score says that each school is treated as equals, however the reality is differences in each school is present. For example, different districts cater to different students and since education have been the purview of the state; they have also different standards on accountability and accreditation. The schools seek to attain the level of performance required by the state and in cases where measures of school performance differ from the NCLB would say that schools are making progress in the state level but is not up to standard in the national level. Students also would be burdened by being pitted against a single score that may or may not be realistically attainable, and if they fail to reach the mark they would have caused the failure of the entire school. Another problem with the NCLB is that by identifying subgroup of students and requiring them to achieve the mean proficiency score puts them in a bind. The subgroups identified by the law in some cases could be an unnecessary repetition of the groups, for example most Blacks and Latinos are economically disadvantaged, and that most of these groups also have lower mean proficiency scores. Thus if a school is composed of many poor students, of different racial groups, of students with limited English proficiency, then this school will surely not reach that mean proficiency score. The NCLB is not friendly to racial groups, economically disadvantaged children, children with disabilities and children with limited English proficiency. It is common knowledge and even supported by statistics that those who are identified as economically disadvantaged are those who belong to a minority racial group. In which case they will be asked to reach the same proficiency score twice, then they will be labeled as under performing and the school as needing improvement. It will compromise what the students have accomplished in a school year, because failing to reach the mark is not equal to no improvement or no learning. As for the parents, they would probably think that NCLB is good for their children as it ensures equality between groups in terms of academic achievement. However, if their state certifies that their children are performing to expectations like in Virginia and California, but the federal government says otherwise would saw confusion and distraught among parents. Schools and districts complain that using a single mean proficiency score to measure performance is not realistic and appropriate. It does not take into consideration that high-poverty schools have students with less academic preparation than those with low-poverty schools. Moreover, by using a system of conjunctive accountability dooms schools from reaching AYP. The short term effects of NCLB on low-income students and of color is that thy will b subjected to more requirements in school or additional interventions that would enable them to reach the desired improvement of scores as well as being pressured to make that mark. The long-term effect is that when they fail to reach AYP and cause the school to lose out on the AYP race, then they will be blamed for it and probably will be faced with angry members of the community. When schools still fail to make the mark and is identified as needs improvement and probably would be given less funding the more the low-income and racial groups become more disadvantaged, instead of closing the academic achievement gap, the NCLB does not even consider what academic achievement is. I think that NCLB was born out of the sincere desire to make sure that our students have the same level of academic proficiency even for math and English only. Whoever drafted the bill however did not have a clear understanding of achievement, intelligence and environmental factors that are part and parcel of learning and education. It is also funny to think that as diverse a population as we have we want to be pitted against a single score when what is more important than the grade or score is actual learning and the evidence of improvement across the years. Thus, as a law that seeks to close the achievement gap between groups of students, the NCLB divides and places the minority groups in a more difficult situation and at a more disadvantaged position. Ã
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)