National Curriculum for USA

Since the early 1980†³s, the issue of America†s faltering public school system has become a serious concern. The crisis in K-12 education is one of the biggest challenges facing the nation. Should there be set standardized tests given to students, and furthermore, should the United States adopt a national curriculum to keep up with the standards of other countries? Lynn Davey and Monty Neill suggest in their essay entitled, â€Å"The Case against a National Test† that, â€Å"U. S. olicymakers and the public have been deluged with proposals for national testing†, because the failure of the nation to adequately educate the students of America has an endless list of negative effects. The pathetically low results of American students through international test scores in the United States suggests that with the lack of proper education, generations of children are growing up without the basic, essential knowledge needed to be able to compete in the workplace. Lynn Davey also states, â€Å"But because the United States has no national system of achievement testing, we cannot validly compare students† performance across the nation†, in her essay entitled â€Å"The Case for a National Test†. Albert Shanker, who was president of the American Federation of Teachers claims in his essay entitled, â€Å"Are American Schools Too Easy? † that, â€Å"In countries where there is a national curriculum, fewer students are lost, and fewer teachers are lost because they know what the students who walk into their classroom have already studied†(122). This is a good point, but in the United States students and teachers are allowed to express their ideas creatively. Not all teachers in the U. S. teach in the same manner, and for this reason it would be hard to establish a national curriculum in which all teachers taught the same things at the same time. In his essay entitled, â€Å"The Tyranny of a National Curriculum† Marc Bernstein suggests that, â€Å"People that support a national testing program believe that too many students are failing to perform to their potential and that drastic steps need to be taken to improve their education†. But what American students need is school reform, not more testing. â€Å"More test scores will not magically produce educational improvement† (Davey & Neill). The people that support national testing should slow down for a moment and realize that testing is not the first step in learning, and start focusing on helping students in rural towns as opposed to larger cities. While there are real differences in the educational opportunities of poor and rich students, standardized tests exaggerate these differences by their biases and confuse lack of ability with lack of exposure† (Davey & Neill). â€Å"France and Japan, for instance, have strict national curriculums† (Davey). â€Å"Since a government agency decides educational content, if the agency makes a mistake, all schools are forced to go along with it. Such a risk can be avoided if the power to decide educational content is transferred to state and local governments† (Chapter 3). The American educational system operates in this way, leaving the choices for educational content up to the 50 state and local governments. This is beneficial to the United States because with such a diverse population it leaves the door open to adjust content if needed to suit certain schools in different towns and cities. Freedom is the trademark of America, and people of other countries because of this admire Americans. The American educational system tries to develop freedom and creativity among its students. It allows students to explore their ideas freely and teaches them to believe they can do anything they put their minds to. One can say that the American educational system is different from other countries educational systems. However, one cannot express the idea that the American system is worse than any other educational system. Sure the system does need some reform, but to drastically say we need a national curriculum, I think not.

Articles of Confederatin vs. US Constitution

Articles of Confederatin vs. US Constitution The United States has had two constitutions in its history. The first of the two was the Articles of Confederation, otherwise known as simply the Articles. The Articles were a weak form of central government that barely unified the thirteen United States. The almost immediate failure of the Articles of Confederation led to the Constitutional Convention, where our nations new constitution, the United States Constitution, was born. The Constitution is a much stronger and more structured form of central government. It contains some of the same things as the Articles, but it also addresses the weaknesses of them. This is what makes the document so powerful.Although the Articles of Confederation were not all bad, its weaknesses most definitely out shined its strengths. The only branch that the Articles created was the legislative branch, simply known as Congress. Congress carried out the jobs and duties of todays legislative and executive branches.The Articles of Conferderation, ratified in 1781. ...States could choose however many representatives that wanted to send to Congress. The problem was that each state had only one vote in Congress no matter how many people they sent. This became a major issue since it was hard for the members of the same state to agree on a number of issues. Another huge problem was that a passage of any measure required not a simple 7 vote majority, but instead it required 9 out of 13 votes. Also, the Articles could not be amended unless all 13 states approved the amendment. These two setbacks made it very hard for Congress to get many things accomplished. Another problem with the Articles was that Congress had no power to collect taxes in order to raise money. This was a huge blow to the nations economy since they were in so much debt after the closing of...

Free Essays on Queensland, Australia

Queensland Australia is known to be the lowest, flattest, and the driest of all the continents. Australia’s shape comes from a long period of earth’s movements, caused by plate tectonics. The river erosion has made many of the details in its shape. Queensland is the second largest state in Australia. Its exact location is 25 º S, 141 º E. The population is 3,757,300. Brisbane is its capital city. Another city is Cairns, which is the tropical capital of Queensland. The Atherton Tablelands border it. MacKay is a city just north of Brisbane. It contains twenty-five percent of Australia’s sugar yields. Climate Queensland is famous for its sun, but the climate does vary from coastal plain and the inland. Even though Queensland is referred to as the â€Å"holiday state† it is subject to monsoon rains. Its wet seasons are from December to March. The annual rainfall in the northern part of Queensland can exceed 4000 mm. Brisbane can high rainfall month is March. The annual rainfall for March can get as high as 141 mm. In 1974 a severe flood hit Queensland, because of Cyclone Wanda. It was the nation’s worst city flood. It killed sixteen people. There was another flood in 1990 that happened in Queensland and in New South Wales, which is south of Queensland. During this flood seven people were killed. Many of the floods that happen in Queensland are results of tropical cyclones. Cyclone Mahina had the greatest death toll of any natural disaster. It killed over 400 people. The cyclone hit in March of 1899, taking the fleet at Bathurst Bay. One of the most recent cyclones was Cyclone Steve. It was not a severe cyclone, but is know for the longevity that it had. It traveled through Queensland, the Northern Territory of Australia, and Western Australian. The cyclone never intensified further than Category one. The way the cyclone category system works is there are five categories. Category one means there will be negligible house damage, t... Free Essays on Queensland, Australia Free Essays on Queensland, Australia Queensland Australia is known to be the lowest, flattest, and the driest of all the continents. Australia’s shape comes from a long period of earth’s movements, caused by plate tectonics. The river erosion has made many of the details in its shape. Queensland is the second largest state in Australia. Its exact location is 25 º S, 141 º E. The population is 3,757,300. Brisbane is its capital city. Another city is Cairns, which is the tropical capital of Queensland. The Atherton Tablelands border it. MacKay is a city just north of Brisbane. It contains twenty-five percent of Australia’s sugar yields. Climate Queensland is famous for its sun, but the climate does vary from coastal plain and the inland. Even though Queensland is referred to as the â€Å"holiday state† it is subject to monsoon rains. Its wet seasons are from December to March. The annual rainfall in the northern part of Queensland can exceed 4000 mm. Brisbane can high rainfall month is March. The annual rainfall for March can get as high as 141 mm. In 1974 a severe flood hit Queensland, because of Cyclone Wanda. It was the nation’s worst city flood. It killed sixteen people. There was another flood in 1990 that happened in Queensland and in New South Wales, which is south of Queensland. During this flood seven people were killed. Many of the floods that happen in Queensland are results of tropical cyclones. Cyclone Mahina had the greatest death toll of any natural disaster. It killed over 400 people. The cyclone hit in March of 1899, taking the fleet at Bathurst Bay. One of the most recent cyclones was Cyclone Steve. It was not a severe cyclone, but is know for the longevity that it had. It traveled through Queensland, the Northern Territory of Australia, and Western Australian. The cyclone never intensified further than Category one. The way the cyclone category system works is there are five categories. Category one means there will be negligible house damage, t...

Global Business . Article Summary Example

Global Business . Article Summary Example Global Business . Article Summary – Article Example The article A new architecture for global financial regulation discusses ways to achieve global growth. The setting of the article takes place at theG20 summit. The diplomats that attended the summit believed that the best way to achieve global growth is through the development of new global regulations for the financial markets. According to the authors of the article the only way to achieve new regulation is by starting from scratch and developing a brand new global architecture for the regulation of finance and banking. The new architecture must include the following three elements: broad representation in the rule-making process, proper monitoring, and systematic enforcement. The current rule making mechanism occurs through a committee called the Basel Committee on Banking Regulation. There are only 13 countries represented by officials in the committee. The members of the committee are easily corrupted and influenced by powerful players in the banking industry, thus real change never occurs. There is resistance to change to any initiative that may hurt the profits of bankers. The rule making process requires greater participation of other countries and diverse stakeholders. There needs to be better monitoring of banks, financial institutions, and of the regulatory bodies in order to ensure the accountability of their actions. During the G20 summit there was a proposal for the establishment of international supervisory colleges for all major cross-border financial institutions. The third element of the plan to create actual change in the system is the creation of a special international judicial institution that will be responsible for enforcing the new rules and regulations.1. What is the reason why change has been so hard to come by in the banking and finance industry?2. Do you think the creation of new architecture for global financial regulation is needed? Why?ReferencesMattli, W., Woods, N. (2008). A new architecture for global financial regulation. F inancial Times.

British Wildlife Essay Example for Free

British Wildlife Essay Outline of species along with related anatomy, handling considerations and rehabilitation, release requirements Although the deer’s skeletal system is very similar to a dog or cat’s in terms of its basic structure, although there are some adaptations that they require in order to survive the wild. Deer have long necks which enable them to crane it so they can feed off low lying grass and other vegetation. Stefoff, R. (2007) Deer are prey animals and so they require adaptations that enable them to run fast and this is why they are ‘ugulates’, (hoofed mammals). Ungulates walk on their ‘ungulis’ which is a tough outer plate of a hoof or toenail. When ungulates walk, their feet or digits do not come into contact with the ground but their hooves. Stefoff, R. (2007). This clever evolutionary asset is essential for speed. This is down to the biomechanics of how bodies move- the smaller the area that touches the ground with each stride, the greater the stride is which results in faster movement. Hooves are an extremely strong version of human fingernails strong enough not to break when under immense pressure i.e. when the deer is running. Stefoff, R. (2007).The strength of the hooves comes from the keratin which exists in thick sheets and keratin fibres which run in all directions Stefoff, R. (2007) Deer have a total of four toes on each foot. The middle two toes touch the ground and the outer two are elevated at the back, just above the hoof and are called dewclaws Stefoff, R. (2007). Metapodials in deer are elongated and form the lower part of the deer’s legs. In a deer, the femur and the humerus are short and thick in order to be able to anchor the large mass of muscle needed to propel them forward when running at high speed. Stefoff, R. (2007) Seven glands are located on the body of a deer, scattered from head to toe to assist with communication amongst the herd and is how deer differentiate between one another (interspecies communication) Nickens, E. (2009). Deer scent is made up of scent glands and their urine. Stefoff, R. (2007) Deer use a technique called ‘flehmen’; this is the act of curling back their upper lip and sucking in air. This is used to detect scents from other deer. Stefoff, R. (2007) Antler growth is an interesting area of study which provokes questioning as to why antler growth is delayed until the start of puberty and secondly, mammalian organ regeneration. Antler growth only occurs in male deer and is delayed until the start of puberty at 5 – 7 months old. No other mammal can regenerate an organ. The antlers of a 200-kg adult red deer may weigh as much 30 kg but take only 3 months to grow. Antlers are formed from pedicles; permanent bony horns on the frontal bone of the skull. Periosteal cells (Antlerogenic Periosteum) are collected in the distal parts of the cristae externae of the frontal bones. These are activated by rising androgen levels in the blood. Testosterone binds to specific sites on the AP which leads to trabecular bone being formed beneath the periosteum and a pedicle develops. There are four ossification stages in the formation of antlers in deer starting with ‘Intramembranous ossification’; this is the proliferation of antlerogenic cells and differentiation into osteoblasts. Osteoblasts form trabecular in the cellular periosteum. This then leads to ‘transitional ossification’, this initiates when pedicle reaches 5-10mm in height. Osseocartilaginous tissue is formed by the antlerogenic cells at the apical surface, which have undergone a change in differentiation pathway to form chondrocytes. The third stage is ‘pedicle endochondral ossification’ when chrondrogenesis takes place in the pedicle alone. The final ossification stage is ‘antler endochondral ossification’- antlerogenic cells maintain their chrondrogenic differentiation pathway until the very first antler has fully formed. Shiny velvet skin covering the distal end of the pedicle coincidences with antler formation. Un-branched antlers described as ‘spikers’ elongate as a result of an endochondral process in the distal tip. (Deer antlers: a zoological curiosity or the key to understanding organ regeneration in mammals?) The first antler continues growing until the autumn rutting season where testosterone levels are increased once again. Cessation in longitudinal growth causes this endocrine change. Antler bone becomes fully mineralized and the overlying velvet sheds to reveal bare bone. A single unbranched antler is left attached to the pedicle until it is cast the following spring Deer antlers: a zoological curiosity or the key to understanding organ regeneration in mammals? The safest method of restraining/handling deer is to try to pull head to its flank, cover their head, hold the leg at the front and push the deer down onto the ground. This technique requires mastering so a well-trained person should only be allowed to do this. Deer bones are fragile so need to be cautious. When it comes to releasing deer, a few things need to be kept in mind when choosing a location to release them. Deer need as much woodland cover as possible, especially with a male deer as they are very much territorial creatures. It is preferred to release a deer exactly where it was found. If this is not possible i.e. the deer was found in the middle of a road then it must be released no more than 1km from where it was found. Outline of condition, clinical signs and recommended treatment Roundworm is a condition commonly seen in deer. These are internal parasites that are found in the intestines and soak up nutrients from the animal’s diet which results in the sufferer becoming malnourished and weak because they are not getting the nutrients they require. The clinical signs of a deer with worms are very hard to detect because they are prey animals and must not show signs of weakness otherwise it would make them a target for predators. Often they won’t show any signs until they are close to death. Should they show signs they would be lethargic, losing weight, scowering (lowering their head) and producing fluid faecal matter. Deer get stressed very easily and it would be unethical to try and capture them for treatment as it would be putting the person capturing the deer at risk as well as the deer as their skeletal systems are very fragile and is liable to shatter. Deer antlers are extremely dangerous because they are strong as well as being full of bacteria; deer use their antlers to fight and they also urinate on their antlers so it could infect a human quite severely. To treat worms in deer, Ivermectin â€Å"spot on† is used and is placed on the back of the deer’s neck. It is applied at 2 week intervals and, once cleared it can then be applied monthly to prevent it recurring. What are the nursing needs of this patient and condition etc Deer, ideally should be nursed in a barn or large enclosure and not kept in a veterinary practice. This is purely because they are dangerous animals and are likely to lash out or charge at humans when they feel provoked. Isolating the deer is ideal to prevent the worms passing onto other animals nearby and to avoid having to treat the others. Deer should not be isolated for too long as they can get stressed and this would not be an ethical thing to do. Discussion of legal and ethical considerations What legislation and ethical considerations are relevant Wildlife and countryside act 1981 Wildlife and natural environment (Scotland) Act 2011 http://www.nyantler-outdoors.com/deer-anatomy.html British Wildlife. (2017, Jan 06). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE DISPUTES SETTLEMENT PROCEDURE UNDER WTO Dissertation

HOW EFFECTIVE IS THE DISPUTES SETTLEMENT PROCEDURE UNDER WTO - Dissertation Example Criticism levied at the dispute settlement procedures under the WTO suggests that a need exists for trying to ensure speedy decisions, enhanced transparency, improvements in prospects for implementation and minimisation of costs associated with dispute settlement etc. Developing nations continue to lament about the previously mentioned inadequacies, but WTO Members have not met with much success in the form of a consensus to decide about how best to improve on dispute settlement under the WTO. Critics suggest that it is not possible to fix something that functions reasonably well and gradually all WTO Members have leaned towards presenting a greater trust in dispute settlement under the WTO. This dissertation presents a study to decide about the effectiveness of dispute settlement procedures under the WTO. Declaration I certify that, except where cited in the text, this work is the result of research carried out by the author of this study. ___________________________________________ __ Name and Signature of Author May 2011 This write - up is for a dissertation on Dispute Settlement Procedure for the World Trade Organisation. ... r WTO 24 2.3 Shortcomings of the Rules Based Approach in the Case of Dispute between United States of America and Antigua and Barbuda 27 2.4 WTO Panels and Panel Dynamics in the WTO Panel Review Stage 28 2.5 The WTO Appellate Body 36 2.6 DSB Review 37 2.7 Criticism and Concerns presented by Developing Nations 37 2.8 Retaliation as an Implementation Measure for WTO Rulings 47 2.9 Efforts directed towards improving the DSU and the WTO Dispute Settlement Procedures 49 2.10 Prospects for the Future 50 Chapter 3 Methodology 52 Chapter 4 Findings that Emerge from Research and Case Studies 58 4.1 The Sardines Case 66 4.2 The EC-Hormones Case 70 Chapter 5 Conclusions, Recommendations and Suggestions for Further Work 77 5.1 Limitations 65 5.2 Further Work 79 Bibliography/ References 81 List of Figures Figure 1: The WTO Dispute Settlement Process 8 (This page intentionally left blank) Chapter 1 – Introduction The Dispute Settlement Mechanism (DSM) of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), officially known as the Dispute Settlement Understanding (DSU), is the procedure for settling trade disputes between member states that join the WTO. 1 The DSM, hailed as a victory of law over politics at the time of its introduction on January 1, 1995, has nevertheless received its share of criticism and critics cite a need for enhancing third party rights, the introduction of an interim review stage, with less developed nations calling for less expensive dispute settlement that offers them fair protection. 2 The more controversial set of proposals presented for enhancing the DSU include proposals to enhance the judicial nature of the WTO dispute settlement by creating a permanent Panel body and proposals for enhancing member control over dispute settlement procedures. 3 In addition, proposals

POST TRAUMATIC STRESS AFTER TRAUMATIC INJURY Essay

POST TRAUMATIC STRESS AFTER TRAUMATIC INJURY - Essay Example This article aimed at investigating the history and tendency of PTSD after traumatic injury. The research stated null hypothesis as: Ho= â€Å"patients who develop PTSD after traumatic  brain injury would suffer the symptoms of trauma† where as the alternative hypothesis stated: Ha= â€Å"patients who develop PTSD after traumatic brain injury would not suffer from the symptoms of trauma†. Traumatic injury is taken as independent variable whereas post traumatic disorder is studied as dependent variable. Sampling procedure employed to gather data is probability sampling in which structured interview of the patients suffering form traumatic disorder were conducted. A sample of 96  patients was included in the study. The mean value  for posttraumatic amnesia was 36.97 days (SD=30.65) as established by use of â€Å"Westmead Posttraumatic Amnesia Scale†. The mean â€Å"Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS)†Ã‚  score  was 8.00 (SD=3.78). Mean posttraumatic amnesia and GCS  scores indicated that the average level of traumatic brain injury  was very severe. The 96 patients who participated in the 6-month assessment had (mean=8.00,  SD=3.78) (t=2.96, df=124, p