Fast Food Feast †Mcdonald’s Versus Whataburger Essay

Operation and Supply chain management (OSCM) is one of the foundations that successful businesses count on to provide a competitive advantage within their industry. The goal of OSCM is to develop and maintain a system that effectively and efficiently manages the flow of raw material resources into useful end products for consumer use (Chase, 2006). In the fast food industry this process takes center stage in maintaining competitive pricing. A review of the production process in two national chains, Whataburger and McDonald’s, showcases each chain’s approaches to OSCM. Observed Production Processes McDonald’s restaurant places its focus on quick turnaround times for efficiency and cost savings. McDonald’s mission statement is â€Å"to be our customers’ favorite place and way to eat. By lowering the unit cost per item and establishing a customer flow process that increases the volume of units sold, McDonald’s can maintain its dollar menu items and low prices (McDonald’s, 2012). The production process of McDonald’s is straightforward and all McDonalds follow the same process with employee training via videos on customer service and the food prep process. The restaurant makes use of sophisticated technology and prepackaged pre-cut produce to reduce prep times. Each shift has certain cleaning tasks to complete to maintain the food prep area and safety standards. (McDonald’s, 2012). Whataburger The focus at Whataburger is on freshness and a burger it takes two hands to hold. The mission statement is the same as it originally was: to serve a burger so big that it took two hands to hold and so good that with one bite customers would say, â€Å"What a burger! ’’(Whataburger 2012). Whataburger uses the latest technology but preserves the importance of the customer and made to order food. Identify the customer expectations for the service and product McDonalds The customer expectations for McDonalds are based on speedy service and good prices. The fast food chain has a value menu with items for one dollar during all meal times. Customers expect quick delivery of their meal whether they drive through or dine inside. Whataburger Whataburger patrons expect a big burger that is made just for them when they order it. While time of delivery does matter, the experience is more about getting a large burger just the way they want it. Consumers where are not as concerned about a dollar menu. Seven Major Questions How are in-store orders taken? The McDonald’s fast food chain has multiple cashiers where orders are placed face to face and entered via computerized cash registers. The cashiers transmit the orders electronically to a screen in the food prep area, with in store orders are identified from drive through orders. Once the order has been completed, the cashier clears that order when the customer is handed the food. Whataburger also uses electronic screens in the food prep area that receive the order information from the cashier at the counter. Orders are numbered and the customer is given a number to place on his or her table. Whataburger actually has an intermediate server who delivers the finished order to dine in patrons at their tables and offers condiments for their meal. Are the hamburgers prepared to order, or are they prepared ahead of time and delivered from a storage bin? McDonald’s hamburgers are frozen patties to ensure consistency of size and appearance. McDonald’s cooks the patties in batches and place them in temperature controlled warmer bins. Each bins holds one batch and a timer is placed per bin to regulate times according to OSHA standards (McDonald’s, 2012). During peak times, a set quantity of burgers are prepared and prepackaged ahead of time and placed on a temperature regulated delivery rack. Whataburger hamburgers are never cooked until they are ordered. The burgers are made from 100% American beef that has never been frozen (Whataburger, 2012).. How are special orders handled? Since McDonalds does prepare ahead of time, special orders are called over head as well as placed in the computerized order entry system via the cash register. Special stickers are applied to the outside of the burger wrapping to identify special orders as items are placed in the delivery rack. At Whataburger, all orders are special orders. All customers are asked what they want on their burger when they order. Whataburger will take phone orders ahead of time for large groups (such as buses of students) and have them ready when the group arrives. How are the hamburgers cooked? McDonald’s hamburgers are frozen patties to ensure consistency of size and appearance (McDonald’s, 2012). McDonald’s cooks the patties in batches and place them in temperature controlled warmer bins. Each bin holds one batch and a timer is placed per bin to regulate times according to OSHA standards. During peak times, a set quantity of burgers are prepared and prepackaged ahead of time and placed on a temperature regulated delivery rack. Whataburger hamburgers are cooked on a grill top. While the burger is cooking, the bun is toasted alongside it on the grill. How are the hamburgers assembled? At McDonald’s, patties are removed from the warmer bins and assembled according to direction per type of burger or per customer order. The vegetables are already cut up prior to assembly. The total time it takes to prepare a McDonald’s hamburger, from the freezer to the customer’s hands, is about a minute and a half (McDonald’s, 2012). Whataburger burgers are never assembled ahead of time. All vegetables are purchased fresh and cut up often throughout all shifts. The cook places the meat on the grilled bun and passes it to the assembler who adds the vegetables and quickly delivers the food to the server to carry to the table if it is a dine-in order. Is a microwave oven used in the process? McDonald’s previously used a microwave to heat up cheese burgers, but that practice was discontinued about three years ago. They do have a customized pie heater that is based on the microwave; it’s designed specifically to heat the fried Cherry and Apple pies (McDonald’s, 2012). Whataburger does not use a microwave in food preparation. How are other items such as French fries and drinks handled? McDonald’s cooks French fries in batches according to volume using an 80% guideline that states 80% of the customers will order a large size fry. McDonald’s French fries take 2. 5 minutes to cook, thus they have to move fast to maintain the output of fries to keep with the volume of hamburgers (McDonald’s, 2012). The lobby fountain drink stations are self-service. The McDonald’s drive through system is fast and efficient. As each drive through order is keyed, the automated drink dispenser drops the correct size cup into the holder and rotates it through the process of ice and then to the correct fountain drink and fills within one half inch to the lip of the cup. The finished drink slides to the side and the cashier places the tops. Whataburger serves fries that are cooked fresh in a quick fryer in small batches. The fries are never cooked in the same oil with fish or meat products. The soft drinks at Whataburger are self service inside. On to go orders at the window, the cashier fills the drink and places the lid on. State your opinion concerning the process effectiveness, efficiency, and measurements McDonald’s basically serves a market concerned with speed of service and a lower price. As such, the organization has developed some processes to turn out food in under three minutes. The value menu of items for one dollar is also a popular item. McDonald’s operates efficiently, but consumers generally frequent the place based on convenience and speed over quality. McDonald’s measures success largely on the time it takes to deliver food orders. Quality does not seem to be the main concern. Whataburger strives to deliver large quality burgers and food items that are prepared fresh when they are ordered. The service can be a bit slow, but the end product is an old fashioned burger made to order. The processes used are generally effective because the goal is different from the sheer speed desired by McDonalds. Suggestions for improvement McDonald’s and Whataburger do a good job based on the audiences they serve. McDonald’s succeeds because it can turn out inexpensive food quickly. One area that could improve is the automatic drink dispenser used for drive through service. Different flavors of drinks are dispensed through the same line. Some residual flavor from the previous drink shows up in the next one dispensed. Fruity drinks leave a strange taste in colas or lemon lime drinks particularly. Whataburger still treats every order like a special order and starts preparation only after the order is placed. As a result, service may be too slow for hurried consumers. The chain could probably speed up service without compromising quality by adding staff at peak times. Conclusion Organizations of all kinds rely on operations supply chain management to meet the needs of the consumer. An effective and efficient system of delivering raw materials and/or finished goods to the consumer is necessary in all industries to ensure that the business is successful. Whether the business is a sole proprietorship or a mega giant such as Walmart, it must utilize operations and supply chain management to remain profitable and achieve the goals of the organization. References Operations Management for Competitive Advantage (11th ed. ) Richard B. Chase, F. Robert Jacobs, and Nicholas J. AquilanoMcGraw-Hill, 2006 New York, NY McDonalds (2012). Company Information. Retrieved from http://www. mcdonalds. com/ Company Mission. (2012). Retrieved from http://www. aboutmcdonalds. com/mcd/our_company/mission_and_values. html Whataburger. (2012). Retrieved from http://www. whataburger. com.

Public Education in the Old South: 1790-1860 Essay

One of the most characteristic elements of the Enlightenment was the pervading missionary zeal for reform. Whereas Reformation zeal had gone into religious fervor, the enthusiasm of the Enlightenment was directed at reform of all kinds of institutions and was organized into campaigns for the aid of the weak, the poor, the persecuted, and the unfortunate. Fed by the liberalism that came from England in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, the propaganda for popular enlightenment found its climax in France in the middle and late eighteenth century and became the ideological forerunner of the French Revolution. Appealing not only to the growing intellectual and middle classes, the reformers also worked hard for the alleviation of the conditions of the masses of the people. A great increase in the agencies of public information took the form of new books, pamphlets, newspapers, journals, encyclopedias, debates, scientific academies, libraries, and museums. The fight for civil liberties, for religious and political freedom, and for popular education, the appeal to the natural rights of man as against privilege and tradition laid the basis for our western heritage of humanitarian democracy. Look more:  satire in the importance of being earnest essay In this struggle public education as we know it had its birth. Education in South Superficially at least, higher education flourished in the antebellum South. There were some half-dozen state universities and numerous private colleges. In 1850, the South had 120 colleges and universities, as compared with 111 in the North. Taking into account the considerable number of southern youths who went to such northern institutions of higher learning as Yale and Princeton, the South could point with pride to the number of its collegetrained youth. But southern colleges were smaller and more meagerly supported than those of the North, and the educational standards were of a lower order. The University of Virginia, founded in 1825, was a center of classical learning and was free of sectarian controls, but most of the colleges and universities were controlled by one or another of the religious denominations. The South had a considerable number of private academies for the sons of the well-to-do, and public high schools were increasing in number prior to 1860. There were state-supported common schools in some states, though only North Carolina and Kentucky had good public school systems. But reluctance to face taxation and a general feeling that it was the duty of the individual to see to the education of his own children were barriers to the development of public education. There were rural areas where the poorer classes had practically no educational opportunity. A large part of the white population of the South was illiterate, and a considerable number of the planters never learned to read and write. The system of Public Education was considered capable, and only capable, of regenerating this nation, and of establishing practical virtue and republican equality, it is one which provides for all children at all times; receiving them at the earliest age their parents choose to entrust them to the national care, feeding, clothing, and educating them, until the age of majority. Propositions of John Howland John Howland proposed to the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island on the last Monday in February, A. D. 1799. In his Petition he proposed that all the children so adopted should receive the same food; should be dressed in the same simple clothing; should experience the same kind treatment; should be taught (until their professional education commences) the same branches; in a word, that nothing savoring of inequality, nothing reminding them of the pride of riches or the contempt of poverty, should be suffered to enter these republican safeguards of a young nation of equals. Howland further proposed that the destitute widow’s child or the orphan boy should share the public care equally with the heir to a princely estate; so that all may become, not in word but in deed and in feeling, free and equal. Thus may the spirit of democracy, that spirit which Jefferson labored for half a century to plant in our soil, become universal among us; thus may luxury, may pride, may ignorance, be banished. Howland also proposed that the food should be of the simplest kind, both for the sake of economy and of temperance. A Spartan simplicity of regimen is becoming a republic, and is best suited to preserve the health and strength unimpaired, even to old age. The propriety of excluding all distilled or fermented liquors of every description; perhaps, also, foreign luxuries, such as tea and coffee, might be beneficially dispensed with. These, including wine and spirits, cost the nation at present about fourteen millions of dollars annually. Are they worth so much? Thus might the pest of our land, intemperance, be destroyed-not discouraged, not lessened, not partially cured–but destroyed: this modern Circe that degrades the human race below the beast of the field, that offers her poison cup at every corner of our streets and at every turn of our highways, that sacrifices her tens of thousands of victims yearly in these states, that loads our country with a tax more than sufficient to pay twice over for the virtuous training of all her children-might thus be deposed from the foul sway she exercises over freemen, too proud to yield to a foreign enemy, but not too proud to bow beneath the iron rod of a domestic curse. Is there any other method of tearing up this monstrous evil, the scandal of our republic, root and branch? About other details he said that the dress should be some plain, convenient, economical uniform. The silliest of all vanities (and one of the most expensive) is the vanity of dress. Children trained to the age of twenty-one without being exposed to it, could not, in after life, be taught such a folly. The food and clothing might be chiefly raised and manufactured by the pupils themselves, in the exercise of their several occupations. They would thus acquire a taste for articles produced in their own country, in preference to foreign superfluities. Under such a system, the poorest parents could afford to pay a moderate tax for each child. They could better afford it than they can now to support their children in ignorance and misery, provided the tax were less than the lowest rate at which a child can now be maintained at home. For a day school, thousands of parents can afford to pay nothing. In his historical presentation he further proposed that under such a system, the pupils of the state schools would obtain the various offices of public trust, those of representatives, &c. in preference of any others. If so, public opinion would soon induce the most rich and the most prejudiced, to send their children thither; however little they might at first relish the idea of giving them equal advantages only with those of the poorest class. Greater real advantages they could not give them, if the public schools are conducted as they ought to be. Public Education in Pennsylvania In the two decades before the Civil War public awareness was shaped by the zeal of devoted crusaders: Horace Mann and Henry Barnard in the East, Calvin H. Wiley in the South, and Caleb Mills in the west. Through their educational journals, reports as educators, or appeals to legislatures, they drew attention to needed reforms. The Lyceum movement, founded by Josiah Holbrook in 1831 made the advancement of education, especially the common schools, its principal business. To its lecture platforms came Edward Everett, Henry Ward Beecher, Wendell Phillips, and Abraham Lincoln. Teachers’ institutes, like that of Onondaga County. A Delaware journalist and school teacher, Robert Coram felt that society, through the establishment of public schools, should teach everyone how to make a living. Each was to be taught the rudiments of the English language, writing, bookkeeping, mathematics, natural history, mechanics, and husbandry. He favored apprenticeship regulations binding youth out to the trades or professions. Literary discussions were a regular feature at his schoolhouse. The necessity of a reformation in the country schools, is too obvious to be insisted on; and the first step to such reformation, will be, by turning private schools into public ones. The schools should be public, for several reasons-1st. Because, as has been before said, every citizen has an equal right to subsistence, and ought to have an equal opportunity of acquiring knowledge. Because public schools are easiest maintained, as the burthen falls upon all the citizens. The man who is too squeamish or lazy to get married, contributes to the support of public schools, as well as the man who is burthened with a large family. But private schools are supported only by heads of families, & by those only while they are interested; for as soon as the children are grown up, their support is withdrawn; which makes the employment so precarious, that men of ability and merit will not submit to the trifling salaries allowed in most country schools, and which, by their partial support, cannot afford a better. Public schools then established in every county of the United States, at least as many as were necessary for the present population; and let those schools be supported by a general tax. Let the objects of those schools be to teach the rudiments of the English language, writing, bookkeeping, mathematics, natural history, mechanics and husbandry-and let every scholar be admitted gratis, and kept in a state of subordination, without respect to persons. Public Schools in Virginia The first step toward the establishment of a public school system in Virginia was made in 1810, when a bill was passed by the legislature providing for the creation of the Literary Fund. The act ordered that â€Å"all escheats, confiscations, fines, penalties and forfeitures, and all rights accruing to the State as derelict, shall be set aside for the encouragement of learning. † Tyler’s father was governor of the commonwealth at this time, and it was probably in response to his recommendation that this law had been enacted. An act was passed the next year by which the Literary Fund was set apart for the purpose of â€Å"providing schools for the poor in any county of the State. † The fund had grown continually from the beginning, and on Tyler’s accession had reached an amount little less than $1,400,000. The annual income from this fund was about $70,000, more than two-thirds of which ($45,000) was used for the education of indigent children. In this way 9,779 children were given a little schooling as a public charity. The governor indicated great dissatisfaction with this plan of public instruction. He maintained that only a small number of the youth were reached by it and that it was of little benefit to them because of the irregularity and uncertainty of the system. In some instances a school would be open for a few months, and in others a year. But it often happened that after the children had made a good start in the primary branches, the school would be discontinued and the pupils would be returned to their parents to forget what they had already learned. He might also have added that the aid given indigent children caused them to be looked down upon as paupers by their fellow pupils. It is quite likely that in many instances the intellectual gain under such a system was offset by a spiritual loss resulting from the development of a sense of inferiority in the beneficiaries of these charity schools . Moreover, this method of instruction was more expensive than it should have been. By drawing a comparison between the educational system of New York and that of Virginia he showed that the people of the former commonwealth were getting a great deal more for their money than were those of the latter. Virginia needed a public school system (the message went on to state) not for poor children alone, as was then the case, but for all classes. And it was particularly desirable that the children of the great middle class should be given the means of education . As a remedy for these unsatisfactory conditions he proposed that the counties be divided into school districts and in each a permanent school be established, under the management of trustees elected by the people. This school should be directed by a competent instructor. Attendance should be absolutely free or else the tuition charge should be low enough to afford all the children an opportunity for an education. This was a well-meant gesture in favor of a public school system, but it proved to be an empty one. There was one fatal defect in the plan it did not carry an adequate system for financing the scheme. The governor recommended that expenditures from the Literary Fund be suspended until the accumulations had increased to the point at which the interest would be sufficient to finance the schools. Just what should be done during this period of waiting he did not suggest. Schooling for the poor during the interim would either have to be suspended or provided for out of county levies. A public school system worthy the name could not have been established in Virginia at that time without supplementing the income derived from the Literary Fund by a substantial revenue raised by taxation. Tyler did not have the boldness to recommend such a plan. At one time it looked as if the governor’s scheme of public education, with certain modifications, would be put into effect promptly. Resolutions favorable to the idea were adopted and a bill embodying the principles laid down in them was reported to the House of Delegates. This bill, however, was laid on the table, and no further action on it was taken during this session of the legislature (or at least no mention of it can be found in the Journal). Apparently, nothing was later done to carry out the governor’s suggestions. A good deal of space in the governor’s message was devoted to internal improvements. He made specific recommendations as to improvements in the means of communication by the construction of roads, and locks and dams on the James River and other streams, with a view to connecting the east more closely with the west. He pointed out that a considerable portion of the State lying west of the Alleghany Mountains, though rich in soil, was in certain regions almost in a state of nature. The citizens there could not reach the capital without going out of the State and using transportation facilities furnished by other States. It was not a matter of surprise, therefore, that the tide of emigration had passed around this area and gone farther west. Two roads should be opened up from the western borders of the State to the Valley region. There was also considerable ill feeling between the eastern and western sections of the commonwealth, and this sectionalism could be destroyed by the proper means of communication. Another reason given for the State’s speeding up its improvements in land and water transportation was that in so doing it would take away the excuse of the Federal government for expending money on internal improvements in the States. In this way a great political menace would be averted. For, as he considered, â€Å"more danger is to be apprehended to the State authorities by the exertion of the assumed power over roads and canals by the general government than from almost any other source. It holds out the tender of the strongest bribe which can be offered to a people inhabiting a country yet in its infancy, and which invites the exertions of man to its improvement in almost every direction. † Let the State meet these demands and accustom the people to look to the State instead of the United States government for these improvements. Tyler’s administration must have been generally regarded as successful, as no one appeared against him when he came up for re-election December 10, 1827. He received all the votes cast but two, which were scattered. One of the last of Tyler’s recommendations (made on February 1, 1827) was in regard to the journals of the legislature. These records had been carelessly looked after, and the proceedings of three important sessions had been lost. Some of the journals were in manuscript and others were out of print. He suggested the reprinting of those that were out of print and of placing complete sets in the public offices and among the chief literary institutions. So far as the social and ceremonial functions of the office were concerned, Tyler performed them admirably. He was especially well fitted by education, training, and culture to play the rble of social leader. George Wythe Munford, who, by virtue of his position as clerk of the House of Delegates, was in close touch with official life in Richmond, considered Governor Tyler exceptionally happy in the performance of his duties at the executive mansion. Rise of Public Education Legislative provision for a state-wide system of public education made its appearance in Pennsylvania, in 1834. This act, largely permissive in nature, did not come about without a long and arduous struggle against considerable opposition. Indeed, its future was in doubt until the Assembly passed the law of 1836, which afforded a permanent basis for a system of universal education in Pennsylvania. It was not until 1849, however, that legislation was enacted requiring each of the State’s school districts to establish public schools. Upon the foundation of common schools, the public high school arose. For the greater part of the nineteenth century it was the academy rather than the public high school from which the colleges recruited the bulk of their students. In fact, the proponents of the academy after 1850 argued that preparation for college was the legitimate function of the academy alone. As the high schools increased in number, and the academies suffered a corresponding decline, the colleges sought a closer rapprochement with the public school system. According to an editorial in the Pennsylvania School Journal, one of the objects in establishing the College Association of Pennsylvania, in 1887, was in substance, to promote the common interests of the Colleges by securing harmonious action and cooperation in all matters pertaining to the general welfare of these institutions, and also to labor for closer identification with the public school system of the State. This latter question was brought to the front, at the second session of the meeting by a rather aggressive paper read by President Magill, of Swarthmore. Before the meeting finally adjourned, ample evidence had been given of a sincere desire to co-operate with the public school agencies of the State in effecting a proper and, if possible, an organic bond of union between the Common Schools and Colleges. Indifference and Opposition to Public Schools Before the Civil War, the development of public schools languished throughout the South. Here, the experiences of Virginia and Tennessee are probably representative. While Thomas Jefferson had unsuccessfully sought the establishment in Virginia of a tax-supported system of universal common-school education as early as 1779, both state and local support for schools was meager during the ante-bellum years. Public schools were considered primarily as schools for paupers, for the support of which men of property were not disposed to tax themselves. Nonetheless, the smaller farms, less sharp social distinctions, and dearth of good private schools in the western counties of Virginia (including modern west Virginia) made public education a vital sectional issue, culminating in the provision for increased financial support for Virginia’s common schools in the constitution of 1851. Even so, during the 1850’s public education in Virginia continued to suffer from mismanagement of the state’s school funds and their diversion to other uses. The state of Tennessee entered the Union too early for its schools to benefit significantly from public land policy. By 1806, when provision was at last made by interstate compact for reserving onesixteenth of all future land grants in Tennessee for the use of schools, little unclaimed land of much agricultural value remained. Subsequent sales of the residual public lands to provide a fund significantly labelled â€Å"for the education of the poor† yielded very little revenue. By acts of 1830 and 1838 the legislature sought to supplement the state school fund from non-tax sources, but the fund showed little growth. It was not until 1854 that Governor Andrew Johnson of East Tennessee pushed through the act in which Tennessee imposed her first state taxes and authorized the first county taxes for the support of education. This legislation represented a narrow victory of the yeomanry of East Tennessee over the wealthier planters of the rest of the state. The resulting public schools were still not able to hold their own with the private and denominational schools favored by persons of means. During the Reconstruction years immediately following the Civil War, both Virginia and Tennessee enacted some much-needed educational reforms which partially survived the later return of the ex-Confederates to political power. In 1869, a carpet-bag constitutional convention in Virginia adopted a new state constitution which provided for the establishment of free schools throughout the state. Under this constitution, the Virginia assembly created in 1870 the first plan of general public education in the state’s history and provided for state property taxation and authorized local taxation for school purposes. During the next decade, despite formidable political and financial obstacles, Virginia’s public schools made considerable progress but no more than held their own from 1882 until the constitution of 1902 awakened a renewed interest in improving the state’s public-school systems. Meanwhile, educational policy in Tennessee had taken a similar course. In 1867 the radical legislature of Tennessee (which was dominated by East Tennesseans of Union loyalties) enacted the most progressive educational measure in state history, providing a sound financial basis of property and poll taxes for public-school support. With the return of the ex-Confederate Democrats to power in 1869 this act was repealed, and a new act abolishing all supervisory school offices and abandoning all property taxes for schools made all responsibilities for common schools both local and voluntary. The new constitution of 1870 repaired part of this damage and, with the tide for tax-supported, free schools running too strongly to be curbed, the Democratic legislature of 1873 substantially re-enacted the school law of 1867, which still remains the parent act for the state’s modern public-school system. The cause of public education after the Civil War was not without prominent supporters. That Virginia aristocrat and great American, Robert E. Lee, declared that â€Å"the thorough education of all classes of people is the most efficacious means for promoting the prosperity of the South. † Walter Hines Page wrote in 1896 that â€Å"a public-school system generously supported by public sentiment, and generally maintained by both state and local taxation, is the only effective means to develop the forgotten man and the forgotten woman. † Nor was the Negro excluded by some, such as Clarence H. Poe, who declared in 1910 that â€Å"we must . . . frame a scheme of education and training that will keep [the Negro] from dragging down the whole level of life, that will make him more efficient, a prosperity-maker. . . . we must either have the Negro trained, or we must not have him at all. Untrained he is a burden on us all. . . . Our economic law knows no colour line. † Yet a great Southern educator, Edwin Mims, had to note sadly in 1926 that â€Å"the Southern States still have a great mass of uneducated people, sensitive, passionate, prejudiced, and another mass of the half-educated who have very little intellectual curiosity or independence of judgment. † If some of the South’s intellectual leaders agreed with such indictments of the products of regional education, in doing so they turned their fury on the public schools. Woodward, for example, has shown how the Redeemers-who took over the leadership in state and local government with the restoration of self-rule to the South-took â€Å"retrenchment† as their watchword and frankly constituted themselves as the champions of the property owner. In the process, public education, which bore the stigma of carpet-bag sponsorship and raised the unpleasant image of the ubiquitous â€Å"horse-faced Yankee schoolma’ams† of the bitter Reconstruction years, was first to suffer. Governor Holliday of Virginia considered public schools â€Å"a luxury . . . to be paid for like any other luxury, by the people who wish their benefits. † Successful Launch of Public School System in South In the Deep South the illiteracy of the people and the neglect of education were perhaps more distressing than in the Upper South. A Committee on Education of the Louisiana legislature reported, March 22, 1831, that there were approximately nine thousand white children in the state between the ages of ten and fifteen years but that â€Å"not one third of that number received any instruction whatever. † Georgia was the one of the earliest states to found a state university and had academies for the well-to-do, but it woefully neglected the education of the masses. Not until 1877 did the state finally establish free public schools. Liberal laws permitting counties to tax property for school purposes, which had been enacted in the late 1830’s, were repealed in 1840. Governor George W. Crawford declared in 1845 that not half of the counties applied for their proportion of the state funds for free schooling. 8 As late as 1859 Gabriel DuVal, Superintendent of Education of the State of Alabama, reported to the governor that nearly one half of the children of the state were not attending any school and were growing up in ignorance . The census of 1850 seemed to indicate that the Southern States were even retrograding in literacy. The returns from Virginia, for example, showed the presence of seventy-seven thousand and five adult white illiterates as compared with fifty-eight thousand, seven hundred and eighty-seven in the previous census. This increase could probably be explained in part by the more careful and accurate enumeration of the census takers of 1850. According to their report the Southern States had an illiteracy ratio among the native white population over twenty years of age of 20. 30 per cent, the Middle States 3 per cent, and New England . 42 per cent. Superintendent De Bow pointed out that so excellent was the New England school system that only one person over twenty years of age in four hundred of the native white population could not read and write, as compared with one in twelve for the slaveholding states, and one in forty for the free states as a whole. Many reasons have been advanced to explain this widespread illiteracy of the South. The aristocratic attitude, inherited from England, that it was not necessary to educate the masses, changed slowly in sections of the older South like Virginia and South Carolina. Certainly the isolation characteristic of Southern life with its scattered homes and indescribably bad roads did much to hinder the diffusion of education. Fully as important as these factors was the reluctance of the people to tax themselves. Governor Swain in his message to the legislature of North Carolina in 1835 said that the legislature was in the habit of imposing taxes on the people amounting to less than one hundred thousand dollars annually. Of this sum, half was spent in rewarding the legislators for their services, while the remainder was employed in paying the administrative officers of the state government. The individualism of the Southern people was also a hindrance to the establishment of a comprehensive system of public education. It was regarded as the duty of the individual and not of the state to see that his children were educated. When Governor Gilmer of Georgia wrote letters to the most distinguished men of his state for their opinions on public education, he stated his own position in the words: â€Å"The policy of making appropriations by the Government to effect objects which are within the means of individuals has always appeared to me to be extremely questionable. † Joseph Henry Lumpkin, later to become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia, replied that he opposed scattering the state educational funds of twenty thousand dollars for common schools, but that they should be used in developing the university. The most promising youths from each county should be sent to the university; and â€Å"soon every foreigner will be dislodged from our academies. â€Å" The mental attitude of the various classes of Southern society toward education was admirably analyzed by Joseph Caldwell, President of the University of North Carolina, in a series of Letters on Popular Education published in 1832. He pointed out that so invincible was the aversion of North Carolinians to taxation, even to provide for the education of poor children, that any proposal to establish a public school system supported solely by taxation would be doomed to failure. He also described the position of many of the illiterate or semi-illiterate as proud of their ignorance of â€Å"book learning. † From another angle, he portrayed the attitude of the rural communities toward â€Å"book learning† by showing their contemptuous disparagement of the profession of teaching school. With bitter satire he described the unfit type of men who had been recruited by the profession in North Carolina: â€Å"Is a man constitutionally and habitually indolent, a burden upon all from whom he can extract a support? Then there is a way of shaking him off, let us make him a schoolmaster. To teach a school is in the opinion of many little else than sitting still and doing nothing. Has any man wasted all his property, or ended in debt by indiscretion and misconduct? The business of school keeping stands wide-open for his reception and here he sinks to the bottom, for want of capacity to support himself. † Apathy toward education on the part of the lower classes was undoubtedly due to physical illness and to a false sense of pride. Travelers in the ante-bellum South often referred to the sallow, unhealthy appearance of the â€Å"poor whites† and to their addiction to eating clay. These â€Å"clayeaters,† â€Å"sand-hillers,† and â€Å"crackers† were in many cases the victims of hookworm, which sapped their energy and deprived them of ambition. In the lowland regions and in river valleys malaria and the ague wrought great havoc in the health of the poorer classes, who remained in their habitations throughout the year. Furthermore, many destitute farmers were deterred from sending their children to such public schools as were provided because of their repugnance to make the required declaration of poverty. The mountain whites who looked upon all outsiders as â€Å"furriners,† preferred to remain in ignorance and to cling to their more primitive ways of life The educational needs of the upper classes were fairly well met by the private academies and old field schools. A group of neighbors would form a board of trustees for the proposed school and apply to the legislature for an act of incorporation. They would then build a log or frame schoolhouse and hire a teacher, frequently a Northerner who had recently graduated from college. Some of these academies attained a wide and well-deserved reputation for training eminent men From a selfish point of view, the upper classes, who could send their sons to exclusive Northern schools, or at least to private academies and old field schools in the South, had little incentive to support a movement to educate the common people by voting taxes for that end. From 1840 to 1860, however, the Southern States were slowly awakening to the need of free public schools. One of the most eloquent and influential voices for popular education during these years was that of Henry A. Wise, Congressman from the Accomac district of Virginia. In 1844, shortly after his retirement from Congress to become Minister to Brazil, he delivered an earnest speech to his constituents advising them to tax themselves to educate every child at public cost. He showed that more than one fourth of the adult whites in Accomac district (consisting of twelve counties) could not read and write, and that the number o

Gun Control Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Gun Control - Assignment Example The constitution provides for the right to bear arms under the Second Amendment (Lott, 2013). However, this should not be used as a gateway to allow the public to run out of control in regard to ownership and use of guns. Regulation and monitoring of guns is essential to ensure that the right to bear arms does not jeopardize personal and public security. Uncontrolled gun ownership and use could extend to encompass national threats, an aspect that the legal structure should address. Enforcing gun laws does not constitute any measures, processes, or practices that infringe the Second Amendment. Personally, I feel that gun control will promote responsible handling of guns. For instance, as much as the constitution allows the people to bear arms, it does not condone criminal acts like the shooting which occurred at Sandy Hook School. In this respect, gun control is important in ensuring coherent interactions and relations between members of the public (Fisanick,

The decisions made by the Bush administration, for the first time in Essay

The decisions made by the Bush administration, for the first time in American history, approving extraordinary procedures of investigation, questioning, and punishment to use in the War on Terror - Essay Example A UN panel formed on November 2004, defined terrorism as any act aimed to cause bodily harm to civilians for compelling the government to do any act (Allen). Even though America declared war against terror after the September 11 attacks, it conducted anti terrorist operations since the early 1990’s. From this period the US Government was operating anti terror programmes. One such programme was forcible capturing or seizing suspected terrorists from foreign countries and transferring them to a 3rd country. This programme came to be known as Extraordinary rendition. It was expanded by the Bush administration after the 2001 attacks. Latest records reveal that up to 1245 flights have been operated for transporting terror suspects from undisclosed locations to detention centers operated by CIA also called as Black sites. This action by the US government has created tensions between its European allies, namely the Council of Europe, Congressional committees and Human rights organizations. They have questioned the legality of the programme even though forgetting the ill effects of terror attacks suffered by US and many other foreign countries. This programme of Extraordinary rendition was formed after the 1993 attacks on US. It was a way for the CIA for keeping the terror suspects out from the American court system because they feared that the intelligence system could be jeopardized. This programme got approval from the Presidential Decision Directive 39 issued by President Bill Clinton. This directive gave suggestions regarding procedures to be used for forcible abduction of terrorists without the permission of the host governments. Actually this act was a blatant encroachment against the sovereignty of other nations on the grounds of fight against terror. This programme was extensively used after the September 11 attacks by the US government. The programme of Extraordinary rendition was promoted first by Richard

Paintings by Peter Paul Ruben and Nicolas Poussin Essay

Paintings by Peter Paul Ruben and Nicolas Poussin - Essay Example The essay "Paintings by Peter Paul Ruben and Nicolas Poussin" analyzes two painting by Peter Paul Ruben and Nicolas Poussin.Both of the women in Ruben’s picture are also of a higher social class, which is evident by their well-kempt hairstyles and the flowing, silky fabrics which lie at feet of one of the daughters. From the painted image, both young women look to be somewhat naive as if they were taken by surprise by their raping captors during what might have been a leisurely picnic or stroll through the countryside. Clearly, by the expression on both of the young women’s faces, they are not delighted by being chosen for this activity and likely have no previous experience with being the objects of desire by men who are not of their higher social class. The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus also seems to illustrate that Rubens sees women as a lesser being than men, in terms of physical strength and in the expression of personal desires. It seems that Rubens, perhaps based on the social culture of the time, views women as merely objects of desire who have no rights to defend themselves and should be recognized as extremely inferior to the yearnings of warrior men. This is evident by the look of crazed passion on the faces of the women’s captors and the expressions of dissatisfaction on the faces of the daughters. Clearly, in this picture, the sexual power hierarchy favors the male persona and the rapists hold all of the power over their lesser female victims. It is also evident.

Darden's Global Supply Chains Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Darden's Global Supply Chains - Case Study Example Furthermore, the livelihoods of millions of individuals all over the globe are determined by facilitating the provision and production of services and goods bought by the company. Recently, some of Darden’s primary fields of emphasis has been to manage and understand supply chain sustainability well and know how they can impact a positive transformation. Shi and Liao, (2013) state that the company has also recognized prospects for and frequently engages its suppliers on a variety of sustainability problems. From the labour and human rights to seafood and animal welfare sustainability. Their approach is based on building a longstanding, mutually beneficial affiliation with their suppliers and also work with them cooperatively and constructively in order to increase their sustainability enactment when required. By being involved with suppliers to reduce the volume of packaging, the company decreases the fuel amount required to transport goods while decreasing the waste packaging that can be produced downstream. Darden has four different supply chains. To start with, we have Small ware, this is a term in the restaurant industry for things like silverware, kitchenware and tableware, linens and dishes. According to Flint, (2004), the benefit of small ware is that if reduces the price of shipping these minor items this is because all of them do come from a similar region in Orlando, Florida. Additionally, it aids to harmonize all their restaurants in an organized manner. Hence, providing them with small wares of the same quality. By everything being available in a single location, it becomes simple to manage, costs are lowered, and bookkeeping is easy. Therefore, the company can purchase inexpensive unpackaged quantities of products. The second supply chain is frozen and canned food products. The benefit of this supply chain is that it is cheap to operate with the eleven centres of distribution. Also, the distribution centres

Meso-American civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Meso-American civilization - Essay Example when the Sumerians arrived in this region. Chinese civilization is among the oldest, dating back to before 3000 B.C. Early Indian civilization was highly developed as evidenced through the civilizations of Mohenjo Daro and Harappa that develop din the region of the valley of the river Indus and its tributaries. Egyptian civilization was one of the earliest to develop the system of writing through hieroglyphics (www. projectshum.org). Mesopotamian writing in the form of hieroglyphs also ranks among the earliest known in the world, with some Sumerian writing even older than the Egyptian. Writing among the Meso American civilizations developed later, also in the form of hieroglyphs with some phonetic elements, which were written in numerous columns or stelae. The ancient Indian scripts were in the form of the Indus script which has not yet been deciphered. The art of the Meso American period comprised massive stone sculptures more than two metres in height, of square jawed flat lipped warriors. This was similar to Mesopotamian art, which was also characterized by sculptures of gods in human forms, assuming a highly decorative aspect. Humans were also combined with animals to produce fantastic sculptures.(www.huntfor.com). The best known art work of the Chinese period is that which developed during the Ming dynasty, comprising vases and other decorative objects. One of the best known art works of the Egyptian period are the great pyramids of Giza and monumental statutes of the Pharoah. The first American monuments as constructed during the Meso American period are also pyramids which have religious significance and where pilgrims climb to the top, unlike the smooth sided pyramids of Egypt. Early Indian civilizations demonstrated well planned cities built of brick with wide streets, public and private bathing platforms and reservoirs.

Property law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Property law - Essay Example Therefore, for purposes of this brief essay, this author will attempt to engage and analyze the level to which property rights play a defined and equitable part of our current society as well as seeking to define and comment on the issues associated with the recent problems regarding the understanding of â€Å"eminent domain†. The United States was founded upon a free market economy which has doubtless served to make it the wealthiest nation on earth. Whether or not one can completely agree with the way in which capitalism works, it is inarguable that the benefits of such a system have worked to raise a standard of living and overall economic power within the United States that is not represented elsewhere in the global system. Naturally, one of the prime determinants of this success is the strong belief in and adherence to the concept of â€Å"personal property†. After breaking away from the British Empire, the colonies sought to differentiate themselves from the exces ses that the British had visited upon them. One of the main reasons in the Declaration of Independence was the fact that the British Crown could commandeer and control any colonial asset in the name of the King for any reason at any time. This served as a very strong sore spot within the colonial shareholders and was no doubt a prime reason why the rebellion began as well as a prime reason that each of the states as well as the loosely confederated government above them sought to rigidly define property rights in terms that would be most beneficial to the owner. Fundamental changes to property rights began to be effected in and around the dawn of the 20th century as jurisdictions began to tax these properties as a way to generate revenue for the requisite entity in question. Although opposed by many, this form of tax became more or less standardized throughout the United States by the middle of the century. Although not all citizens appreciated this new trend, the taxes went to supp ort the economic development of an increasingly advanced society. To such an end, the revenues from taxable land have been primarily used for infrastructure improvement, support and development of key community services (to include fire, police and EMS), and providing useful shareholder investment into a region’s educational development. Some have argued that the existence of such a form of taxation necessarily reduces the overall level of ownership that the individual is able to enjoy. However, it is the belief of this author that taxation of land and other real investments, although taking a degree of ultimate ownership away from the individual, serves an extraordinarily important role in seeking to develop key infrastructure assets that necessarily add to the net value of the property in question. Lastly, the right of â€Å"eminent domain† is an issue that has dominated many news headlines of late. Broken down to its purest form, â€Å"eminent domain† refers to a subset of property laws that state that if requisition by a given public entity is in the best benefits of a broader group then such can be accomplished with or without the agreement of the ultimate property owner providing that notice is given (Blake 12). This is naturally a bit of a deviation from the original understanding and intention of personal property; however, such an interpretation is needed in extreme cases where infrastructure improvements hinge upon the sacrifices of a few key shareholders. Like any

Rise and Fall of Medieval Chinese Empire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Rise and Fall of Medieval Chinese Empire - Essay Example Consequently, it occurred that the ruling class gradually became alienated from the population, and became deprived of their support during such crisis. In the imperial history of the world, religion has played an important role to hold the people of different races and ethnicities within one empire as Charles Issawi says, "the most important single factor holding India together, and enabling it to survive repeated conquests, has been the Hindu religion. Likewise, the conversion to Roman Catholicism of the native populations"1 Even if the religious belief played a significant role to unite the fragmented Chinese demography, as Issawi says, "Confucianism and Taoism helped China recover its unity after the breakdown of the Han Empire in the third century A.D. and the fragmentation and retrogression caused by the barbarian invasions"2, religion was not the one and only tool that contributed to the unity of the population. The role of religion in empire building during the Tang dynasty w as such that no prevalence of one religion was allowed to suppress another religion. Rather religions were treated and manipulated equally to create the sentiment -of the people- that is committed to the stability and solidarity of the empire. Such religious policy of the Tang Empire was in complete concordance with the 'divergent people in one state' policy of Tang Daizong.3 Therefore, the following factors can be held responsible behind the rise and fall of the Chinese empire during the Tang Dynasty: 1. Culture committed to the solidarity of the Empire4 2. Religions ensuring social stability and at the same time, nourishing the freaks among the population5 3. Effective administrative policies and politics Nature of Rise and Fall throughout the Chinese Imperial Era Throughout the passage of time, the rise and the fall of the medieval Chinese Empire were associated with each other in such a way that the rise of the empire during one dynasty was embedded in the fall of its preceding one and at the same time, the empire collapsed due to its failure to manipulate the variables that contributed its rise. One of the most common factors that contributed to the rise and the fall of the medieval Chinese empire is that the empire, in the first place, was able to unify the population of a vast area either with the consent of the people or by subjugating them with the power, culture, and religion. The role of religions in making the ancient Chinese Empire was not as significant as it was in the making of the medieval Chinese Empire. The less significant role of religion lies in the fact that religions with plural gods and goddesses were not strong enough to play a role in the making of the Chinese. Even if any religion played a role, it was mainly because of the humanistic zeal of the religion that inspired both the Chinese population and empire builders to adopt it as a means to social peace and harmony. Simply religion

PE analysis of performance Essay Example for Free

PE analysis of performance Essay When playing rugby, my position is flanker. I have some obvious strengths and weaknesses when I am playing, and this piece of writing will consider these and evaluate ways to improve my performance.  I think that one of my main strengths as a flanker is pressurising the scrum half a lot. At scrums and rucks I am quick to move around the side to rush the scrum half into passing, possibly forcing an error, or just tackling the scrum half, enabling a turnover or if not it slows down the oppositions ball. This is a main strength required when playing flanker and I think that I use it well most of the time, but I have to be careful to stay onside so as not to give away any penalties. I think that a second strength in my game is that I am aggressive when making tackles or running with the ball. I have more agility because I run in a position where I can side-step relatively easily. I tend to tackle low, and run low when I am carrying the ball so it is more difficult to be tackled. I think that when we are playing I stay positive even if we are losing and try to motivate the team. I need to get a bit lower when I am running with the ball, if I want to get further, but I run low enough to gain a reasonable distance and I am able to shrug off tackles when running if I am aggressive. I think a main weakness in my game is that although I sometimes take a good crash ball, I tend to hang off the rucks too often and I need to get more stuck in because I might sometimes stand in the channel between the scrum half and fly half, which is getting in the way of a pass, and a phase of play in the backs may be better than one in the forwards. I need to stay in the rucks and mauls more often that I stand in the line. Also I think I need to improve my reaction time, especially when reacting to the stimulus, often being the referees whistle. This would suggest that I was concentrating wholly on the game, but if I was more aware of the stimulus then I would give away fewer penalties and infringements, but also, my game would be more disciplined. I could sprint rather than jog to the breakdowns sometimes, so that I could spoil more opposition ball or even turn it over. Improving Performance Over time I will take actions which will increase my strengths and decrease or totally get rid of my weaknesses. This section will help to prioritise the areas for improvement and the areas where my performance is at its optimum level.  I think that the most important of my weaknesses to work on is reaction to the stimulus. I am fairly disciplined, but if I could improve my reaction time then I would become much more disciplined and not make as many errors. I need to focus more on the game as a team sport and think of what effect my actions may have on the game and rest of the team E.g. giving away a penalty. The reason for my strength in putting the scrum half under a lot of pressure is the combination of strength and speed used to get around the breakdown quickly and hit him low and hard. Power enables this to be done with relative ease.  The reason for my main weakness is that I concentrate on one separate thing in the game, such as the man I am marking or the tackle I am about to make, rather than the whole game itself, such as offside and overlaps. I think that the target of giving away less that one penalty each game is easy to fulfil, and it should progressively lower to one per every two games and so on. Also taking training seriously as if it was a match and putting in all the tackles and looking for options instead of taking the first one that comes into my head. Assess the whole situation, not just one small part of it.  I could possibly keep a tally of how many infringements I make in match situations in training, and then aim to make less than this amount in a match. I could record the number I make in a match and aim to concede less in the next match that I played in.  To monitor the progress of my strengths I could record how many turnovers I make and how many times I force an error on the scrum half due to applying a lot of pressure. In training match situations I need to concentrate on the game and the teams performance, not just my own. Increasing my levels of fitness would allow me o get to breakdowns more quickly, thus making me less likely to stand out and possibly get in the scrum half and fly halfs channel. An exercise that would help to increase my strengths and at the same time help to diminish my weaknesses would be practising a rush defence from the triple threat position as it would help me to advance with the line and stay onside at all times possible.

Underachievement: African Carribean

Underachievement: African Carribean Underachievement African Caribbean Abstract This study discusses various issues related to under achievement of African-Caribbean or Black boys in British schools. The study highlights the fact that there is a denial in the British educational system of race and racism and that this is reflected in the in-flexibility of many schools to consider the differential positioning of Black boys in the UK and the effect of their experiences in the school system and opportunities gained thereafter in the workplace. In sum the study shows that there is clear evidence that African-Caribbean pupils have not shared or have been received equally in the increasing rates of average educational performance at various academic platforms. Chapter 1: Introduction Boys’ underachievement has been a major concern within academic circles and among government bodies (Gorard, Gillborn) for quite a while. Ofsted 1996 highlighted the gap between the performance of boys and girls as the attainment continued to lower for boys as they move along the key stages. Coard explores some of the issues that black children faced three decades ago. Some of the abysmal failure of black children within the British school system includes: Racist policies and practices of the education authorities in the past Racism within the curriculum itself Low teacher expectation and how destructive a force this could be Inadequate black parental knowledge of and involvement in what was happening to their children (Coard 1971). According to Coard, black children were deemed as Educationally Sub-Normal (ESN) and were excluded from mainstream. This issue coupled with racist policies and curriculum and low teacher expectation caused most of these children to encounter emotional disturbances which in the long run affected their overall performance of black children in Britain. Despite the odds, in the late 1960s and 1970s some black children were able to make it academically but the majority were not so lucky (Coard 1971). Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study is to investigate the educational experiences of African-Caribbean boys in the UK. The main focus will be to identify the factors that have contributed to the poor academic performance of Black Boys over the years. Furthermore, this work would investigate the claim that there is a denial in the British educational system of race and racism and that this is reflected in the inflexibilityof many schools to consider the differential positioning ofBlack boys in the UK and the effect of their experiences in the school system and opportunities gained thereafter in the workplace. This work will draw on a study in which various stakeholders voice e.g. (Tony Sewell) their experiences of why Black Boys in Britain perform poorly in schools and alsoseek to identify alternative visionsof schooling to re-engage Black males thereby increasing their prospect for a successful future. Research Questions What is the relationship between under achievement and social exclusion of black boys studying in UK schools? How are schools dealing with the issue of student underachievement of black students studying in UK institutions? Are all black boys underachieving? Significance of the Study This study is quite significant as it shows that high under-achievement rates are not just an issue for black pupils. In 2005-2006 the permanent under-achievement rate for special schools was 0.54% compared with 0.34% for secondary and 0.04% for primary schools; overall, pupils with statements of special educational need were seven times more likely to be excluded from school than pupils without statements (DCSF, 2007). Other groups who are over-represented in the statistics include children looked after by local authorities and children from Gypsy and traveller families, despite the behaviour of travelling pupils being generally good (OFSTED, 2006b). Links have been made between school under-achievement and long-term social under-achievement (Blyth Milner, 2003), as have links between school under-achievement and juvenile crime (Graham Bowling, 2005; Gilbertson, 2005); these links are also recognised by government as a policy issue (Social Under-achievement Unit, 2005). For many pupils permanent under-achievement from school marks the end of their formal education: a recent report by the Audit Commission (2006) suggests that only 15% of permanently excluded secondary pupils return to mainstream schooling. Chapter 2: Literature Review A review of the literature on student under achievement highlights the fact that ethnic monitoring of under-achievement was first introduced by the DCSF in the 2004-2005 national schools census. Data from that census indicates that although `Black Caribbean pupils form only 1.1% of the school population they represented 7.3% of those excluded from school and were around six times more likely to be excluded than their White peers. The disproportionate under-achievement of black boys is a particularly serious problem because overall many more males than females are excluded: official statistics show the ratio to be 4.3 boys for each excluded girl. Nevertheless, within the female school population, girls identified as `Black Caribbean are also particularly vulnerable to under-achievement: the school census shows they accounted for 8.8% of excluded girls in 2004-2005 (DCSF, 2006) and are thus eight times more likely to be excluded than might be suggested by the ethnic composition of schools. There is also evidence that African-Caribbean pupils have not shared equally in the increasing rates of average educational performance at GCSE. An OFSTED-commissioned review of research on the achievements of ethnic minority pupils over a 10 year period up to 2005 concludes that the relatively lower exam achievements of Caribbean pupils, especially boys in a wide range of academic and LEA research studies is a cause for concern. The research evidence suggests that ‘A combination of gender and racial stereotypes may make it more difficult for young black men to avoid being caught up in cycles of increasingly severe criticism and control’ (Gillborn Gipps, 2006, pp. 29 and 58). For black families rising under-achievement rates, combined with boys relatively low levels of achievement in public examinations, amount to an educational crisis. Under-achievement and Special Educational Needs It has been suggested (for example, Norwich, 2004; Parffrey, 2004) that in some schools children may be excluded when it is required as assessment and provision for special educational needs (SEN). Analysis of permanent under-achievement from Birmingham schools during the 2006-2007 school year indicated that 53% of those excluded were on the schools special needs register. The Code of Practice relating to special educational needs (DfE, 2004a) requires schools to draw up an individual education plan (IEP) for a child identified as having SEN and outlines a series of stages in which the school is responsible, in co-operation with support agencies, for meeting these needs. It can be argued from a personal experience and evidence from an interview with a teacher that most of the black boys that are underachieving are SEN children who comes under social emotional and behavioural difficulties and probably that is why they are underachieving because the have not been diagnosed for IEP to be made on them yet. These are pupils whose learning and/or behavioural difficulties may be placing stress on teachers but for whom the amount of additional support is limited. It is possible that some of these childrens needs might have been met and under-achievement avoided if the school had been able to access appropriate additional support at an earlier stage. Although official national statistics recognise the over-representation of children with SEN among those excluded from school, these statistics only count excluded pupils with a statement of special education need and thus record pupils with SEN as a minority (17%) of all under-achievements (DCSF, 2007). Analysis of the Birmingham data, which allows us to consider all pupils on the special needs register, indicates that over half the children permanently excluded from Birmingham schools have identified special educational needs. If this pattern is replicated across the country, then it seems likely that the extent to which unmet special educational needs may be contributing to the problem of under-achievement has been under-estimated. It is possible that some LEAs with low proportions of children assessed as having special educational needs, both overall and from particular ethnic groups, may not be identifying children in need of SEN support. Where this correlates with high under-achievement rates, there is reason to suspect that neglected learning difficulties may lie behind some of the disciplinary problems. Ethnicity and Reducing Under-achievement An analysis of the number of groups under-achieving per secondary school over the three year period 2001-2003 with the number of under-achievement in the three years 2004-2006, in order to identify schools which had reduced the number of pupils permanently excluded in Birmingham, show a reduction in the number of pupils excluded over this period, from an average of 11 to an average of seven per school. Those secondary schools which had reduced their use of permanent exclusion had, overall, cut under-achievement by nearly half for all ethnic groups. This suggests that where schools had developed policies for reducing under-achievement, these had been equally effective for all ethnic groups. Nevertheless, this still left black pupils to be over-represented among the under-achievement from these schools. The evidence suggests that if the problem of over-representation of black pupils is to be addressed and racial equality achieved then strategies which specifically address the needs of these children are important. Since African-Caribbean pupils formed some 28% of excluded pupils and only 8% of the school population in Birmingham, I wished to argue whether this might be because African-Caribbean pupils are more likely to attend schools with high under-achievement rates. A total of 14 schools with high under-achievement rates, i.e. schools which had permanently excluded 30 or more pupils in the 6 year period 2001-2006, were identified (two of them grant maintained schools). Of these, 11 had an African-Caribbean population of 8% or less and the other three had higher proportions of African-Caribbean children than for the city as a whole, ranging from 11 to 33%. Sewell (1998), mentions that African-Caribbean boys were six times more likely to be excluded from school as compared to the other group. Furthermore there are argument that these black boys were seen to be conformists in that they were seen to be accepting both the means and goals of schooling but they are most likely to be excluded. There is evidence of an interview with a black boy on page 113 which goes further to prove that not all boys are the same. This particular point is important to my research as there seems to be the assertion that all black boys are underachieving and this is what this research seeks to address. Sewell unpacks some of the oversimplification that exists in the current debate about boys’ underachievement. He goes further to describe boys as ‘a tip of the iceberg in a doomsday scenario within the school’. There seems to be a link between gender identity and anti-school attitude which makes peer group pressure which is sensitive in boys to allow the generalization to be made about boys as unified lumps, in this content as underachieving academically Identifying Good Practice The study sought to understand teachers and head teachers attitudes and approaches to under-achievement and to equal opportunities. Previous research studies have tended to ignore teachers perspectives and the ways in which under-achievement merge into the lives of schools (Gillborn Gipps, 2006), although Haydens (2007) study of children excluded from primary schools does consider the perspectives of both head teachers and class teachers of excluded pupils. My study addressed schools with low or declining under-achievement rates with the aim of identifying good practice in minimising the practice of under-achievement. In particular, I wished to establish whether teachers in the case study schools felt supported in managing difficult or challenging pupil behaviour or whether a low under-achievement rate might be masking other problems and causing stress to individuals working in these schools. Where schools are able to avoid under-achievement we wished to identify the alternative strategies they adopt. Teachers Explanations of Rising Under-Achievement Rates Teachers and head teachers in the case study schools were not asked about the impact of recent educational reforms, but as they reflected on pupil behaviour and their own attitudes to excluding pupils they made regular reference to the changing social policy context in which they are working. They referred frequently to the impact which market forces in education have made on school discipline, increased teacher workloads, changed parental expectations and to how the National Curriculum had limited the scope for schools to meet individual needs and address pupils personal and social behaviour. They broadly agree with Charlton David (2003), Blyth Milner (2004), and Hevey (2004) and Hayden (2007) that increased competition between schools for pupils’ and resources is a key underlying reason for a general rise in under-achievement. As Parffrey (2004) argues, Naughty children are bad news in the market economy. No one wants them. They are bad for the image of the school, they are bad for the league tables, they are difficult and time-consuming, and they upset and stress the teachers. The teachers believed that although schools were all experiencing similar conditions, some had resisted excluding pupils who presented problems. In that have lower excluding rate such as their own, when teachers were working with numbers of children with behavioural difficulties, they argued that the costs of maintaining higher thresholds of tolerance were felt by teachers themselves, in terms of teacher stress and fatigue. Many teachers in the study, notably those in primary schools who have responsibility for the whole curriculum, believed that the National Curriculum has led schools to accept a narrow view of education and, as Gray et al. (2004) have suggested, that it has diminished the importance of personal and social education. They indicated that curriculum pressures and demands for additional record keeping leave them with little time to support a disruptive child or to develop appropriate alternative materials for children with learning difficulties. This in turn can lead to frustration and consequent disruption among such children if they are unable to succeed in the tasks set. Teachers set these difficulties within the context of wider social problems facing childrens families, notably unemployment and poverty. They suggested that pressures faced by children in school, allied to difficulties which a number of them were experiencing out of school and young peoples belief that schooling might not support them in finding future work, were having an impact on their motivation, even at primary level: We are into the second generation of children whose parents have not worked. A lot of the original reasons why people toed the line are not there any longer and I think that a lot of the children in our school are living in situations where there does not seem an awful lot of point [to education]. Everyone wants to achieve in some form, but I feel at home and at school they are not seeing opportunities for themselves as individuals. Some of the traditional motivations are not there. So weve got to look at alternatives. Where we become negative its because of tiredness, its because of workload, its because of the amount of curriculum we have to cover. Weve lost sight of making it interesting. (Primary teacher) Interestingly, none of the teachers suggested that the removal of corporal punishment as a possible disciplinary option had contributed to discipline problems, and ultimately to the increasing use of under-achievement as a sanction, as did a number of the teachers and parents in Haydens (2007) study of excluded children. Teachers Understandings of Racial Equality Some teachers also argued that pressures to meet the demands of the National Curriculum had led to an approach where teachers often fail to consider whether or not the content of lessons builds upon particular childrens experiences and cultures. This would lead some children to feel neglected or marginalised and thus more likely to become disaffected. One teacher argued that an inappropriate curriculum was part of the solution, as was inadequate teacher training, but felt that teacher expectations played a central role: The over-representation of African-Caribbeanboys (among those excluded) is a very complicated issue. However, I think expectations make a big difference, and I think we do tend, however well intentioned, to see a black boy and think they are going to be trouble. A lot of this is down to the media and how they over emphasise issues about black boys, the society in general as well as other research findings. I think that one of the problems is that after a long period of dependency (on National Curriculum requirements) and considering new teachers now, there is a whole generation of teachers who are sent into schools without the grounding of making decisions about what is appropriate for example SEN issues in the class (experience from supply teaching) These teachers comments about a generation of teachers being inadequately prepared to make decisions about appropriate curriculum content within the context of a culturally diverse classroom was supported by a number of newly qualified teachers. Such teachers reported that they wished to develop multicultural approaches but lacked training in this area and were unaware as to where they might find suitable materials. (Birmingham report 2004) Head teachers generally showed themselves to be more aware of issues relating to cultural diversity and racial equality than class teachers. Parffrey (2004) points out that schools in Canada and the USA do not exclude children since schooling is recognised as the means by which children realise their basic human right to education. According to research studies on teachers understating of racial equality none of the teachers or head teachers interviewed in the case study schools supported the abolition of permanent under-achievement, although all heads saw it as a last resort. A number characterised it as a failure on the part of the school: `I would say permanent under-achievement is a defeat (secondary head teacher). Some head teachers recalled their personal sense of failure and distress as they recounted the experience of permanently excluding a pupil. Nevertheless, all the head teachers, including the two primary headsone of whom had never excluded and the other who had excluded only two pupils in 20 years as head teacheradvocated retaining permanent under-achievement as an ultimate sanction: Behaviour Policies Most school had developed its own system of rewards and sanctions which were generally explicit in the behavioural code. The aim is to provide a structure of support for difficult pupils, with a system of rewards and a full range of lesser sanctions so that permanent under-achievement was, where possible, avoided: There is some evidence (for example, Holland Hamerton, 2004) that even within schools there can be inconsistency in the types of offence for which pupils are, and are not, excluded. Such inconsistency might, in certain circumstances, allow sanctions to be applied in a discriminatory way. However, it could be argued that policies listing particular offences as leading to under-achievement should be avoided, as they could place heads in the position of having to exclude a pupil when mitigating circumstances might make under-achievement inappropriate. While this might mean treating the same offence differently when committed by different pupils or groups of pupils, it could also reduce the rate of under-achievement. It is essential that clear explanations of school policy are made to both pupils and parents, so they can see the justice of a schools approach. In some cases of under-achievement from school, teacher inexperience or lack of skills or training in managing difficult pupil behaviour may play a part (OFSTED, 2006a). A lot of the behavioural problems that exist , and I do not think there are many, are due to the fact that the whole staff have not got together to go over the approach to aspects of misbehaviour in real depth. So what I think is happening for example, if a member of staff does something inappropriate-this is not criticise a kid gets into the situation where the school has to send them home. But I think if we could change the approach in the classroom more, this would happen less. At the moment we have to react to situations and also we are trying to send a message to the students about the standards that are required of them. Pastoral Care and Mentoring In a case study of schools, (Birmingham city council 2004) particularly in the secondary schools, they felt that school discipline was directly related to the degree of respect which was shown to them by teachers and also to the level of support they received from teachers. A number stressed the importance of giving pupils occasional opportunities for individual tutorials with a teacher at which they might raise personal or academic concerns. Effective pastoral care systems were also highlighted by a number of head teachers as contributing to good discipline and self-discipline among pupils. At some schools the behaviour policy was incorporated within the schools pastoral policy: Managing difficult behaviour and developing discipline is to do with the whole school ethos. We are in the business of caring and supporting; therefore we do whatever we can. We are in the business of being fair. Another thing looked at was how to reinforce positive behaviour. (Head teacher, secondary school) Some schools had worked hard to ensure that their Personal and Social Education curriculum allowed all pupils to reflect on issues of their personal conduct. For example, some had introduced a mentoring programme for pupils who were presenting problems or who were disaffected. In one secondary school, a group of African-Caribbean boys who had been regularly in trouble and were perceived as vulnerable to under-achievement were being informally mentored by the (white male) head teacher. On the other hand, an African-Caribbean man could be invited to lead weekly sessions with African-Caribbean boys. Another aim was to raise self-esteem, and we be bring in consultants to work with the pupils on half-day conferences, to get them thinking about Where do I want to be in three or four or five years time?. (Head teacher, Birmingham school) Equal Opportunities Policy and Practice One explanation for the over-representation of African-Caribbean pupils within the under-achievement statistics is racism. The suggestion is not that most teachers operate in overly racist ways but that deep-seated stereotypes held by teachers and school governors may lead to black children being seen as having behavioural difficulties. Bridges (2004) suggests that with additional pressures on black families from high levels of unemployment, cuts in social spending, racial harassment and social dislocation imposed on their family and community life it is hardly surprising that some black children present themselves as aggressive in school, as this is a stance that society outside has taught them is necessary for survival. Stifling (2003), in her research into the causes of under-achievement , found that race often featured as a background issue and that although schools think they treat all their pupils the same and do not exclude black pupils unfairly, they do not take into account the factors which have caused the unacceptable behaviour, particularly racial harassment by other pupils. She concludes: Throughout the course of my research I have found evidence of open racism demonstrated by staff in schools to be uncommon. Far more common is the racial harassment of a black child by a white peer group. A government-commissioned study to establish why some schools appear more effective in managing pupil behaviour and avoiding under-achievement also highlighted racism, in the area if not in the school, as one of the problems likely to be experienced by excluded pupils (OFSTED, 2006a). Community and Support Services Previous research has suggested that in many cases of under-achievement , support from outside the school has been lacking, while the support provided within school has been to help the teacher cope, rather than to help pupils overcome their problems (Abbotts Parsons, 2003). A case study schools drew on a wide range of outside support agencies, including voluntary agencies, independent consultants and LEA support services. However, they noted that resources for LEA services were often limited and that they may not always be available for all pupils who need them. One community-based initiative which has been welcomed by a number of Birmingham schools is the KWESI project (Klein, 2006), a mentoring project run by black men which targets black boys judged to be vulnerable to under-achievement . The mentors enter into a partnership with schools to support individual children and KWESI asks its volunteers and participating schools to adopt a no blame approach, so that both parties work for the best interests of the child. Although none of the case study schools was working directly with KWESI, evidence suggests that the scheme has been influential beyond the schools where volunteers are working. It has made head teachers aware of the need to address the disproportionate under-achievement of African-Caribbean boys and may have contributed to a change in the climate of opinion. The Role of the LEA There is a clear role for LEAs in providing feedback to schools on the patterns and trends in exclusions and the impact on under-achievement. Monitoring of exclusions varied considerably among schools. Some head teachers, for example, did not have the data to discuss numbers of fixed term exclusions in relation to permanent exclusions nor any evidence as to whether fixed term exclusions helped to prevent permanent exclusions. The desirability of recording and monitoring action taken to support vulnerable pupils was also stressed by a number of schools. Birmingham LEA currently provides support for schools own monitoring by analysing their records to highlight any patterns in under-achievement by ethnic group and sex. A school wishing to monitor under-achievement thoroughly would need to collect and analyse data for both fixed term and permanent exclusions by sex, ethnic group, special educational needs, socio-economic background (for example, by entitlement to free school meals) and year group. Schools can record additional data which might indicate a need for changes in practice or school policies; for example, noting the pupil’s and teachers who are involved in incidents leading to under-achievement. LEAs might provide guidance in such matters and put schools in touch with schools in similar circumstances who have found solutions to particular difficulties. Head teachers of schools with low under-achievement rates often feel penalised if they are asked to accept pupils excluded from other schools. Head teachers also suggested that the LEA might impose a ceiling on the number of previously excluded pupils a school should be expected to take within a given period, thus protecting the support and resources available for difficult pupils within any one school. According to a research a school had received a small grant from the LEA to assist with the integration of excluded pupils. Although the head argued the money had not stretched far, this was seen as a gesture of goodwill. Such funds can support an induction programme which might include additional supervision and support from outside agencies. Other support for reintegration might include allocation of a special teacher-tutor and the development of a peer group mentoring scheme. Within LEAs there is also a need for greater collaboration between those who address the needs of vulnerable children and curriculum and advisory services which have particular expertise regarding equal opportunities and race equality issues. In many LEAs responsibility for under-achievements rests with an individual or service responsible for special educational needs; in such a situation questions of structural or unintended racism or possible racial discrimination are likely to have low priority if they are on the agenda at all. The West Midlands Under-achievement Forum, set up to bring together representatives from nine LEAs to share expertise and develop policies and strategies to minimise school under-achievement, is a good example of inter-LEA co-operation. It is not just at the level of policy development that such co-operation is important. For children living in one area but attending school in a neighbouring LEA there are sometimes difficulties in the co-ordinated provision of services. Chapter 3: Methodology Research Method For this study I have utilised the qualitative research approach. Qualitative research is much more subjective than quantitative research and uses very different methods of collecting information, mainly individual, in-depth interviews and focus groups. However, since this research study is a secondary qualitative research the data that has been collected for qualitative analysis has been through an extensive review of literature that has been published in the field in the past few years. Secondary research is often less costly than surveys and is extremely effective in acquiring information about peoples communication needs and their responses to and views about specific communication. It is often the method of choice in instances where quantitative measurement is not required. For the purpose of this project the qualitative interview is the perfect approach to take using semi structured interviews. Quantitative research involves counting and measuring of events and performing the statistical analysis of a numerical data (Smith, 1988). The assumption behind this is that there is an objective truth existing that can be measured and explained significantly. The main concerns of the quantitative approach are that, their measurement is reliable, valid and generalisable in its clear prediction of cause and effect (Cassell and Symon, 1994). Primary Data was collected first through interviews. Merriam (1994) said that; Interviews are the best form of collecting evidence if the researcher wants to find out facts that cannot be observed. The student used semi-structured int

Crime and Punishment :: essays research papers fc

The Websters Dictionary defines degradation as a fall from higher to lower rank or degree(Websters, 205). Fyodor Dostoyevsky illustrates degradation of morals for several characters in Crime and Punishment. He links the quality of money or lack thereof to the their moral degradation to design complex characters. Dostoyevsky draws a picture of society that is similar to the society depicted in Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables. The poor become greedy and the rich become greedier. And, good moral decision making can be greatly overpowered by the need or want of more money.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The degradation of society and lack of money cause Raskolnikov to kill the greedy pawnbroker, Alyona Ivanovna and her sister Lizaveta. Raskolnikov believes that killing them for their money will be a great conquest for himself and society. After fighting with himself about whether or not he should commit the crime, he overhears someone talking about the same plan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hundreds, perhaps thousands of lives could be put on the right path, dozens of   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  families rescued from poverty, from ruin, from collapse, from decay, from venereal   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  wards of the hospitals-- all this with her money! Kill her, take her money, dedicate   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  it to serving mankind, to the general welfare. Well --what do you think -- isn’t   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  this petty little crime effaced by thousands of good deeds? (63, part 1) Raskolnikov decides he must go against his good judgment and commit murder for the good of society and himself.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dostoyevsky also takes the character of Raskolnikov to the opposite extreme. After his mother sends him money, he uses it to help out the Marmeladov family in an act of pure charity. He comes across Marmeladov injured by a carriage and without hesitation offers to help.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I know him!† and he pushed all the way forward. â€Å"It’s the clerk, the retired titular   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  councilor, Marmeladov! He lives near here, in Kozel’s house....Somebody get a   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  doctor! I’ll pay. Here!† he fished money out of his pocket and showed it to the   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  policeman. (170, part 2) Dostoyevsky is showing how Raskolnikov’s decision making is effected by money or lack thereof.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Svidrigailov is a character who was poor and in jail. He was bought by Marfa Perovna and lived a good life off of her money. Unlike Raskolnikov, Svidrigailov’s moral degradation becomes worse with his increase of wealth. He cheats on his wife, causing her to eventually kill herself, and gets a fifteen year old pregnant. He then admits to Raskolnikov that he was in love with his sister, Dunya, but now just wants to sleep with her. â€Å"Secondly, I fancy you won’t refuse me a little help in a certain project of mine that

Choosing A Car Essay example -- essays research papers

Choosing the Right Vehicle Choosing a car these days can be a hassle. There are so many advertisements in the automobile industry trying to get you to but their vehicle. You end up choosing a vehicle with a catchy advertising jingle or phrase. Then later come to realize you are not satisfied with your decision, because of your lack of patience and lack to do any type of research on the vehicles of interest. Many times you end up limiting yourself to only a few selections. Then make your decision based on a familiar vehicle name rather than what type of vehicle suits you best. You should never make a decision based on a familiar name. There is too much information to be concerned with, for you to choose a vehicle based on a name you are familiar with. Purchasing a vehicle is a major expense. It is something that should be carefully though about. Your vehicle is your shield to protect you from other bad drivers. You should choose a vehicle that is safe. Thanks to technology automobiles are becoming more and more safe each year, with the emergence of air bags. Safety is just one of the many aspects you should look into when choosing a vehicle. Avilez 2 Perhaps the most important aspect you should look into when choosing a vehicle is the cost. You want a vehicle that will fit your budget, as well as something that is economical. When you do research on an automobile you can get an idea of what amount the vehicle you want usually sells for, making it easier to negotiate a pric...

Essay example --

Free radicals play an important role in several biological processes such as cell signaling and redox regulation. However, prolonged exposure to free radicals leads to oxidative damage. Subsequently, it has been implicated in the progression of several diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological disease, pulmonary disease, rheumatoid arthritis, nephropathy, ocular disease and pre-eclampsia. The antioxidant defense system within the body may confer protection to oxidative damage by scavenging free radicals. Antioxidants also may be obtained from dietary sources/ supplements. The efficacy of antioxidant intake on initiation and progression of chronic diseases will be reviewed. Introduction Oxygen is an element that is crucial for the sustenance of life on earth. It is paradoxical that this indispensable element can cause harmful effects in humans under certain circumstances. Much of the detrimental consequences of oxygen are attributed to its ability to form free radicals (1) . A free radical is a reactive molecule that contains at least one unpaired electron in its outer orbit, and is capable of independent existence (2).Accumulation of these molecules in the body results in oxidative stress, a process by which physiologically important molecules such as carbohydrates, proteins and lipids are damaged (3). However, the body can employ antioxidants to impede the threat of free radical attack (4).Antioxidants are potent scavengers of free radicals (1). They function by donating an electron to a free radical or by eliminating initiators of free radicals (5). Antioxidants may be classified as endogenous or exogenous depending on their mode of acquisition by the body (1). E ndogenous antioxidants are naturally produced by t... ...ment dosage and duration of treatment. Moreover, a host of lifestyle behaviors are responsible for determining the health of individuals. Antioxidant intake in combination with physical activity, and alcohol and tobacco moderation may yield profound benefits in disease management. Thus, multifactorial interventions may serve as alternative strategies in disease management. Finally, investigations on the effects of nutrients in isolation may provide valuable information regarding its mode of action, but do not elucidate the phenomenon of total diet. The intrinsic nature of diet is characterized by several interactions between bioactive dietary components, some of which still remain unexplained. Hence, antioxidant supplements must be prescribed with caution and the use of antioxidant rich foods as disease prevention agents may hold promise in future clinical trials.