Educational quality Essay Example

Educational quality Essay 1. Should educational quality be allowed to differ based on family income? Should vouchers be allowed to supplement a tuition payment at a private school, with the result that some children’s quality of education would differ from other children’s? Discuss. In an ideal world, all children would have the same opportunities for high-quality education. In much the same way that children do not choose the race and religion of their parents, children do not choose the income level of the family they are born into. Thus, it would only be fair that all minors would have equal opportunities for quality education regardless of family income. A main dilemma is that between choice and equality. It can be argued that families should be able to choose where their children are educated; however, it can also be argued that everyone should have equal quality education, and that private schools undermine this ideal. One important consideration is that members of the public who can avail themselves of vouchers will no longer be interested in the quality of public education. A voucher system would create a dilution of public interest, which results in the deteriorating quality of public education. This creates a feedback loop, where the deteriorating quality of public education makes private schools (and vouchers) the preferred option, and where the availability of vouchers contributes to the deterioration of public education. Vouchers should thus not be allowed to supplement tuition payments at private schools. We will write a custom essay sample on Educational quality specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Educational quality specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Educational quality specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer 2. Myra: I think voucher amounts should vary with household income. The more income, the less help-it’s only fair. Fred: I think education should be free for everyone. Your income shouldn`t have any thing to do with how much voucher power you have. Evaluate Myra`s and Fred`s ideas. If a voucher plan is to be used,should the voucher amount depend upon a person`s income? Myra alludes to fairness in her argument. However, fairness can be viewed from another perspective—it can be argued that giving unvarying voucher amounts would be more fair, in the same way that the public school system, which is free for everyone (and not partially free when it comes to richer families), is presumably considered fair by the general public. In a sense, vouchers are simply an extension of the public school system. Ideally, the â€Å"voucher system,† in effect, should make private schools a part of the public school system, which means that vouchers (assuming that they are to be used) should be distributed in unvarying amounts. Thus, household income should not be a factor for the determination of voucher amounts to be received, in the same way that the religion and race of a child’s parents are not considered.

The U.S Entering World War ll essays

The U.S Entering World War ll essays The U.S Entering World War ll"A date that will live in infamy," (Snyder 33) was what President Franklin Delano Roosevelt called December 7, 1941. It was a calm Sunday morning at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu. Then two U.S. soldiers saw an oscilloscope signal on their mobile radars. They immediately called this in to their commanding officer but he told them to ignore it because the base was expecting a squadron of friendly B-17's to be coming from the mainland. Thirty minutes later the first bomb fell and almost killed a courier boy who was trying to deliver a message to Pearl Harbor Naval Base that the Japanese Imperial Navy was going to attack them. The Japanese bombers caught the base by surprise due to the Americans' tradition of not working on Sunday's. As the bombs fell, so did all the chances of the United States not joining the Allies in the second world war that was raging in Europe and the western Pacific. Up to that point the U.S. had just been supporting the Allies but they weren't technically at war with the Axis powers. All throughout the first two years of the war, President Roosevelt focused on making life difficult for the Japanese. One way he did this was by creating various policies that would deter the Axis powers from being able to maintain the needs necessary to wage war on the Allies. One of these policies was the American financial and economic embargo, which supported China in its fight against Japan. It also, somewhat, forced neutral countries to side with the U.S. because it threatened that if any country would aid one of the Axis countries then that country would no longer be given aid packages from the United States. A second policy imposed by Roosevelt was the "moral embargo" of July 1938. This banned neutral countries from exporting planes and equipment to countries that engaged in the bombing of civilians. This made the U.S. look like the good guys because they were protecting the i...

Computer H Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Computer H - Essay Example The statutes and charters in these industries do not distinguish the variations in such technologies. This advocates for the frequent lawsuits between companies and transnational organizations. Moreover, the patent laws in the industry emphasis on flexibility due to the vast growth and development of new technologies (Jordan, 2012). Competition is always a significant element in all industries but in computer technology production sharing ideas on areas such as graphic user interface and operating systems is not a major issue because novelty and innovation are the key determinants of success in such an industry. Relatively, the flexibility aspect of the patent laws and system in general only give protection on a neutral perspective hence making it easy for a company such as Apple to sue Samsung (Grandoni, 2013). Due to the constant lawsuit in the last decade, some of the recent advancements in the computer industry entailed the expansion of a wide scope of the patent laws in different technologies. A good example is on software development where firms like Apple, Microsoft or even Google have no idea on the patents they overstep because they operate at an international level (Goldman, 2012). The patent laws in the United States might not be the same in places like India or Japan. Currently, statistics show that software patents are in hundreds of thousands especially with over 30,000 new ones developed in 2014 alone. With such as wide scope, most of the infringement companies involve in is usually unintentional (Jordan, 2012). Additionally, the multi-billion dollar companies such as Google, IBM and Microsoft have their own patents based on their products; not software development. This patents or charters act as a threat towards their competitors and it is the duty of all these companies to know the regulations/ patents set by competing rivals in the industry or else it can lead to lawsuits (Megan, 2012). For instance, Yahoo has around a thousand patents

Rationalism (Rene Descartes) and Empiricism (David Hume) Essay

Rationalism (Rene Descartes) and Empiricism (David Hume) - Essay Example According to the research findings there are two contrastive schools of thought; while one gives premium to reason, the other gives premium to experience. The first school of thought that gives premium to reason is the rationalist school of thought. The second school of thought is the empiricist school. While the major proponent for rationalism is Rene Descartes, the major proponent of empiricism is David Hume. Lacey states that rationalism is â€Å"any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification.† Instead of appealing to emotions and their sensory organs, rationalists appeal to the intellect. Like all things, there are extremes in rationalism. While the opinion of some rationalists tends to fall largely in line with empiricism, meaning that they share many links with empiricism; the opinion of others see no reasons with empiricism at all. The former category of rationalists is not absolute in the beliefs they hold about the power of reason. The latter c ategory of rationalists is of those that may safely be described as extreme rationalist. They are the ones that believe that all things can be resolved through reasoning. Although, empiricism as a philosophy has already been broached in this essay, it is yet important to explain further. Unlike rationalism which states that most truths and ideas can be attained mainly through reason, empiricism states that all ideas, knowledge and truths can be attained through experience and what can be sensed by using human senses. The typical empiricist will ask 'How do you believe what you've not experienced?' So, for the empiricist, experience is all. It is through experience that one gets evidence to substantiate whatever opinion one clings to. Empiricists believe that there is no just reason to believe a thing or an opinion which one is not able to test. They do not see reasons why anyone would rely solely on abstract reasoning without applying sense-based experiments (Markie 233). To such em piricist who questions why anyone would trust what they have not seen, rationalists would argue that before that which is seen and witnessed (experience and experiments) came to being, there was that which was not seen (reasoning). Asides David Hume, other philosophers that can be categorized as empiricists are Francis Bacon, John Stuart Mill and Thomas Hobbes. Before one assumes any stance in philosophy, one must have premises that back up the point one makes. One must also be sure to know that all those who have held one opinion or the other about any issue have reasons, most times cogent, for sticking to their opinion. Yet, based on arguments that have been advanced overtime, it won't be wrong to assume that rationalsim carries the day. In putting up a paper like this together, it is important that one lends credence to objectivity. By some yardsticks, one may say that empiricists are right. This is because when rationalists carry out what they believe is the key thing—rea soning, one must note that they do not think in abstract, they almost certainly think about things that have been

Contemporary Social Structures Essay Example for Free

Contemporary Social Structures Essay Define and explain the concept ‘Contemporary Social structures’ and the role of such structures and the role of such structures in regulating life and beliefs. Structures are both the medium and the outcome of the practices which constitutes social systems- Anthony Giddens (1938) in simpler terms people shape structure, but structure determines what people do. Contemporary Social structures are restraints that affect the lives all members of society. Whether we are aware of it or not, we live in societies that consist of social structures, every society has its own set of social structures such as religion, class, gender and ethnicity. We also have the social structures that interlink such as the educational political social structure as public schools, colleges and universities depend on the government for their funds. social structures are embodied in our everyday actions, thoughts and beliefs as human beings, there are effective in controlling as well as organizing the behaviour of an individual or individuals as the main purpose of a social structure is to maintain a co-operative regime for all members of society, however there are consequences for certain groups in society. Every society has its own set of contemporary social constructions for an example class; gender and ethnicity are all constraints that all societies experience. An example of a social structure is class, a class structure is found in most if not all societies, it is one of the main sources of economic inequality, certain individuals would identify there being to classes in society: the Bourgeoisie who own all the means of production and the Proletariat who are exploited by the Bourgeoisie. As mentioned above Gender is also a constraint when regarding social structures, the term ‘gender roles’ has been commonly used to describe the prescribed roles of a male and female in society. In the past females have struggled to be accepted in to the workforce, even though this has changed dramatically during recent years equal opportunities are not the same for men and women due to the social structures and the way they regulate our life and beliefs, for an example a man is given 6 weeks maternal leave as society believes it is the males role to the ‘breadwinner’ while the female receives a years maternal leave as she is seen as the ‘homemaker’ that stays home taking responsibility for the children and all the homely duties. Although this may not apply to all societies some would describe Ethnicity as playing a part on what we as individuals can achieve in life by affecting our positions in the labour market. A social structure is formed by the distribution of wealth, power and prestige. They consists of beliefs about the world and both compel and regulate our actions, as mentioned previously religion , gender and ethnicity are social structures, they are all created within society itself , each and every group share common attitudes , views, values, social norms, lifestyle and in some cases material goods. Individuals in society stay within the prescribed guidelines of the social structures they were born and socialised into, that refers to being rich or poor, male or female or being young middle aged and old. Class structure determines our life chances and is the basic structure for all modern societies. According to McGregor (1989) class is the main cause of inequality. He explains that different clas s groups begin their lives with unequal opportunities which effects the type of education an individual will receive , the social connections an individual will make and the way that individual will speak ad behave. He also argues that the class that an individual belongs to is determined by various factors such as power, family background, wealth, lifestyle, mannerisms, social interactions, and employment; he also describes class as being separated in to three different groups which are the upper class, middle class and lower class. Abercrombie (2000), states that the upper-class is distinguished from others, by their wealth and power. In contrast to the other classes the upper class only consists of a few people, the individuals included in this group are employers who own large amounts of land and others who are self-employed, have careers as managers or professionals. Wealth is distributed among the wealth in many ways such as inheritance, with wealth individuals are given the opportunity to live the life they will lead. The educational system reinforces many inequalities insuring that those of the highest class have access to better opportunities and better chances of reaching success. Memb ers of the upper class attend private school together. From sharing educational experiences the upper class learn how to interact with each other; form long lasting relationships with each other which gives them an advantage, a series of events are created meaning that when their children go to private school their lives will follow the same path. From these important contacts the upper class make simply by going to school they have formed very powerful contacts who have the potential to enhance their career prospects and greater opportunities of success in which ever career they wish to pursue. In most societies there is a clear division of labour between men and woman and in general women are always in the inferior position. Gender plays a role in the way we are treated by other members of society. We are also taught to behave in certain ways depending on whether we are male or female. Males are typically expected to feel, think and behave in a ‘masculine way’ and females in a ‘feminine’ way. Some examples of this are girls playing with dolls, preparing for when they will be mothers and boys playing with action figures, learning the male traits such as aggression and dominance. In some societies a woman is born into a certain social structure that includes a life of housework, cooking and child rearing. Women are less likely to be offered positions in the labour market in comparison to men and are unable to attain positions of power with a high income such as men do. Women are employment but in some cases will still earn a lower income than the male dominated position. Conclusion: As explained in the essay, social structures are restraints that affect that will affect all members of society. Class is a basic contributing factor of all social structures to the unequal economy and affects the life of all members of society. Those who are at the top of the economy ladder come from wealthy family backgrounds. These people benefit in many ways such as promotional opportunities and job security. Migrants with non-English speaking backgrounds have difficulty in finding quality employment however its far more difficult for the women in this group, As gender is a factor in employment opportunities, women who are from an ethnic group of the minority have the least opportunity in the labour market, the limited education and training, poor health and nutrition, lack of freedom and denied access to resources are all factors that reduce the quality of life and hinder economic efficiency and growth for women, people of diverse ethnic groups and people with poor family backgrounds. Social structures unquestionably have an impact on our lives and depending on the circumstances the impact for some is usually one that is undesirable. Society cannot be blamed for the social structures that it has created, it is a gradual process, it has taken many years to create these constraints and it will take many more to break them down. References /Bibliography Fulcher,C . J.,Scott, 2007, Sociology,3RD ed, Oxford Abercrombie, N., 2000, The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology, 4TH ed, Penguin Books, London McGregor, C., 1989, `Class, in Four Dimensional Social Space, Jatenburg P.DAlton, Harper Row, Sydney Webb,W. Westergaard,H. Trobe.K Steele.L ,2008,AS SOCIOLOGY,2ND ed,Napier Press,Brentwood

Equal Partnership Rights for America :: Gay Marriage Essays

Equal Partnership Rights for America The president has often indicated that he would support a constitutional amendment against gay marriages. The Supreme Court has not yet seen a case dealing with marriage rights of homosexuals, and therefore the constitutionality of laws banning gay marriage have not yet come into question. Homosexuals would argue that they are seeking marriage rights equal with that of heterosexual marriage under the eyes of the law. Some people feel very strongly about this issue and see support for gay marriage as a governmental intrusion on a religious practice. Others see no correlation between mandates on marriages and religious freedoms. All opinions aside, this is an issue that the public simply isn’t very well informed about because there are other issues that have been seen as much more important, because they affect a greater amount of people. Despite other issues being in the public’s attention, the problems aroused by the prospect of gay marriage will soon make their presence known. The forefathers of our country inserted a clause into the Constitution known as the â€Å"full faith and credit† clause. Said clause (Article IV, Section 1, United States Constitution) insures that â€Å"full faith and credit† be given to the laws and judicial proceedings of all the states by all other states. That is, if a contract is signed in Arizona, one cannot simply move to Texas and the contract become null and void. The reason this clause can be a problem for those opposed to gay marriages is that some states are pushing to legalize or have legalized same-sex marriages or civil unions. The reason the national government cannot simply declare gay marriage illegal and thereby prevent the states from legalizing it is: 1. No authority is given to the national government (legislative branch) to make such a law; and 2. The legislation would likely not pass in the house and the senate. If any state were to pass a law declaring same-sex marriage legal in that state, all other states would have to recognize the legality of that contract and the rights that went along with it. So thousands of homosexuals would flock to that state (be it Hawaii, or Vermont) to be married, then be legally married everywhere in the United States.

Jack Ryan and Palisades Produce Essay

The workplace is littered with ethical dilemmas no matter where you work. For Pacific Trust the primary ethical issues that need attention are Jack Ryan’s negligent behavior toward his work with the Palisades Produce contract. His negligence caused him to be faced with lying to his superior or taking responsibility for his mistakes. The necessity for a course of action to help Jack comes partly from the underlying issue of Stephen Wood’s misconduct within the Middle-market Group. Jack Ryan had been closely working with Palisades Produce for over a year and in his excitement over finally landing them as a client, Jack did not closely read over the stipulations in the contract set forth by Gretchen Marks, Senior Banker in Risk Management. These stipulations were that Jack would obtain monthly Borrowing base reports from Palisades Produce. The Borrowing base reports show the bank how much collateral a company has to cover how much they are requesting to borrow from the bank. Without these reports, a bank could lend out money to companies that could not pay it back. Jack’s first step was to inform his boss, Stephen Wood, of the mistake he made. The response from Wood was for Jack to lie to Gretchen Marks by obtaining and submitting Borrowing base reports of the last four months at the current time as if Jack had always had them. This is clearly an unethical and unwise course of action for anyone to do. Since Jack has not seen the Borrowing base reports, he does not know if Palisades Produce has any flaws in their records or insufficient collateral. Such flaws would cause Pacific Trust to get into trouble by lending out money they could not get back. After leaving Wood’s office, Jack should have reported to Gretchen Marks to inform her about his mistake in not obtaining the Borrowing base reports. If Jack decides to follow the advice of Stephen Wood in order to maybe save his job, then he will most likely lose his job along with Stephen Wood. Covering up a mistake made in the business world can have dire consequences for any parties involved. The Borrowing base reports could be flawless; however, if there is an inconsistency at all with the reports, Gretchen Marks will inquire as to why Jack never brought such inconsistencies to her attention in the month they arose. This would immediately indicate that Jack had lied about when he obtained the Borrowing base reports, putting Pacific Trust and himself in a bad situation. Pacific Trust could not only fire but also sue Jack for his negligence if it did cause harm to the bank. In this case Palisades Produce would most likely leave Pacific Trust since Jack, the person responsible for courting the company, would no longer be with the bank. This course of action is definitely risky for Jack Ryan; he may lose his job either way. However, this is the only course of action likely to allow Jack to keep his job. Gretchen Marks could respect the honesty and responsibility of Jack and help him with the reports, allowing him to keep his job. The person partially responsible for Jacks ethically dilemma is Stephen Wood. Wood has been known to behave inappropriately in the workplace. Wood plays favorites and helps only those employees who do things his way. His use of derogatory language toward female employees on top of his temper issues should have been reported to a higher-up already. The attitude displayed by Wood shows that he is willing to make unethical decisions and having someone like this in your company is a liability. Jack does not have to reveal that Wood was going to help him with a cover-up, but Jack or one of the other subordinates of Wood should have filed a formal complaint on Stephen Wood’s behavior. Since Jack is a rising star within the company and Wood is highly regarded within the company, a complaint coming from Jack might carry more weight and consideration with the senior bank managers. This could sever the close relationship Jack has with Wood; however it would lead to a more effective and peaceful work environment. The reason Wood should be reported instead of being left alone is that since Wood was willing to do unethical things with Jack, he would probably attempt to do other unethical things if he has not already done so. These courses of action for the ethical dilemmas present in this case have the least negative impact. Jack taking responsibility will either hurt himself or hurt nothing at all if the Borrowing base reports are flawless. If they are not, Jack’s career and possibly Palisades Produce’s involvement with Pacific Trust will be damaged. Filing a report against Stephen Wood for workplace misconduct would allow all of the subordinates to work together in a more peaceful and effective environment because there would not be division amongst the employees based on loyalty.