Educational Reform Essay Example for Free

Educational Reform Essay The educational institutes today are more focused on academics pay less attention to the physical attributes of the students. Physical educators along with academic teachers play an important part in promoting good health through regular physical activities. The number of obese children is increasing around the world. Research depicts that one in every ten; six years old child in England is obese. It is estimated that by the year 2020, 50% of the children would be obese. (BBC. co, 2004,) Lack of physical activity is said to be a cause for lowers academic achievements as well as overweight obese individuals. The reason being, when the fundamental dietary fitness needs are not met, the students show a decline in academics by giving a poor performance. A study in New York asserted that students’ intelligence academic performance was affected by the slightest of malnutrition signs. Schools play a major role in developing the young minds grooming them for a bright future, it must be kept in mind that physical education too is an imperative aspect of an individual’s life. Along with the P. E. courses the students should be advised about a proper diet intake. Children with poor nutritional habits, especially in the early years usually score low in vocabulary, reading calculation. (Athletics Campus Life, 2007) It is calculated that 40% of American population is inactive only 20% are slightly active. Mostly 50% of individuals drop out of exercise programs without even completing six months. The fact is that habits are developed at an early age. If the students are not facilitated with physical exercise courses at school, they will never form healthy workout habits. The schools these days are struggling to increase the student success rates, the children are over burdened with homework extra classes, leaving no time for extracurricular activities. The Buffalo City School District in New York has decided to incorporate a physical education department starting from the very initial stage; the aim is to achieve better student grades, attendance improved health. The students’ nutrition, active lifestyle accomplishments are all interrelated. If the child is happy healthy, he will perform well in every step he takes. Reducing 240 minutes per week in class time in favor of physical activity resulted in higher math scores. (Action for Healthy Kids, 2004) Students with the highest fitness scores scored the highest in their SAT exam. Being physically active also fortifies the student’s cognitive learning abilities lowers anxiety depression levels. It is derived from extensive research that the intake of oxygen during exercise benefits the neurons increases the mind power. Overweight children are susceptible to develop physical ailments like blood pressure diabetes in later life, not to mention the psychological effects by being teased in school causing a reclusive feeling, low self esteem presently depression. The Cambridge Public Schools, in Massachusetts, discovered that almost 14% of children from the age group 9-13 were overweight due to sedentary routines. These students were being targeted for jokes bullying. In order to facilitate the energy of hyperactive sedentary students, at the same time improving their physical social wellbeing; increased the activity programs at school targeting every student’s individual needs. This act may produce desirable results in the meantime confronting issues like obesity bullying. But focus should be kept on the physical wellbeing of students; therefore it’s a better option to minimize competing activities. Sports recreational competitions are a good way to realize one’s potential but may induce negative feelings in the losing opponent. Every school attempts to reach the highest target of excellence; this goals should set concern for the physical mental growth of the students thus, expanding time for the physical extracurricular activities for the children to indulge in. summer winter breaks can also be utilized for such programs. Participating in such activities help the children to discover their strengths uniqueness creating a feeling of achievement. They realize their interests then design their future goals accordingly. A number of funds are use for the betterment of academic departments in schools. Some steps should be taken for designing the physical education department in order to achieve a positive impact on the confidence, self esteem motivation of all the students. Each student should be dealt separately, so as to meet individual demands improve their over all personality. A policy taken up by the Michigan State Board of Education Policy in September 2003 on Quality Physical Education confirms that well planned physical activities play a pivotal role in the student learning capabilities. They learn to incorporate their skills abilities to the fullest in every field. They started a 150 minutes/week program for the elementary students 225 minutes/week. (Michigan State- Resource Guide) Some of the ideas that can be incorporated for the betterment of students overall capabilities are:†¢ All students should be entitled to join the physical activity groups. Each age group should be handled separately so they can enhance their confidence, identify their personal. The physical education curriculum should be based on a rationally researched content. The proper equipment tools should be provided by the school a professional trainer should be hired to train the students. The individual strengths abilities of students should be catered. Tests should be conducted to find out their endurance levels body strengths then target the problem areas for achieving a healthy active student body. †¢ Athletics are very effective in the over all growth of children.  Basic levels of athletics should be coached to every student advance courses available to those who are interested. †¢ The P. E. group can hold study groups workshops to help the students with their weakness provide them with proper nutritional guides. Several activities can be introduces involving interaction with friends families of the students. For example few schools arrange sport days, running tracks family fitness nights. After school activities can play a major role in inducing physical fitness in the students. The points to keep in mind are that †¢ the activities are convenient for the students †¢ the program contains enough intensity to make it challenging †¢ Variety of programs should be introduced so that the children are keen to partake in them. †¢ The weather conditions should be kept in mind indoor gyms recreational rooms should be set up in case of a rainy day. †¢ The parents teachers should be encouraged to get involved with the students so they can help the children to live up to the best of their abilities.

Alan Greenspan :: Essays Papers

Alan Greenspan Since Alan Greenspan became chairman of the FED, the country's economy has reflected many positive results. He has done a terrific job. Allan is a very bright man who is always thinking of ways to prevent problems before they happen in the economic sector of the nation. All economists have been very content with his job just until now. In a recent Time magazine article called Is That Really You, Allan?disapproval about some new rules that this man has suggested for the economy have been highly critized. The first new rule that Alan proposed was to keep down with producivity. In the article he responds to this new rule by saying that too much efficiency pushes demand and becomes inflationary. This meaning that too much is produced and stock prices are getting higher. When this happens people begin to feel very wealthy and start to buy and buy like crazy. This is something that can cause major inflation in a future. Alan's second rule is to keep stock market prices not rising more than 5% to 6%. Greenspan comments that this has to be done because shares should rise only as fast as the rest of the economy. These two new rules proposed by Alan are mainly to protect the country from inflation and many economists and other people don't understand it. The article also reflects that many people think that Alan is doing the wrong thing. This is mainly because they are not getting the economic benefits they wish and are not thinking about the country's economic future. A very clear example is given in this article as well. The chief economist of the Deutsche Bank, Edward Yardeni states that, "If the wealth effect continues to boost demand, then why can't productivity continue to boost supply?" I really think that this comment was really said in an angry and ambitious way. This is an economist of a bank and should really try to understand that what Alan is trying to do is right. I also think this man is seeking only his own benefits. The chairman's decisions have brought many investors to worry. But just as Edward Yardeni, all these people are only thinking about the harm these rules will bring to their own selves. They are not aware that what Alan is doing is taking precautions so inflation will not invade the economy in the coming years.

Literature Review Global Financial Crisis Regulation

â€Å"Global Financial Crisis: Regulatory Arbitrage and Paradigm Shifts† In early 2008, the economy ground to an almost complete halt. As the stock indexes were overwhelmed by a virtual tsunami of never relenting red digits, it became clear that the financial markets had been hit by a crisis the scope and scale of which had not been witnessed since the Wall Street Crash of the 1930’s. Over time the causes became more clear, and as the dust settled, the world was left with several important questions to answer. First of all, there was the question of whether or not the global financial crisis was actually caused by flawed regulations and financial institutions or whether it is the fundamental behaviour of the financial market that is flawed, as caused by behavioural issues such as moral hazard and principle agent problems. As an extension of this, the second question involves whether or not financial regulation will be sufficient in realizing a stable and sustainable financial system or if a true paradigmal and behavioural shift is required. Finally and more practically, the third question is how such a change may be brought about in practice, and which exact aspects of the financial paradigm should be altered in order to realize sustainable financial markets. As we look more closely at the following questions and the appropriate literature, one can discern several issues, which may form the basis for further academic inquiry. First of all, it is clear that despite far reaching efforts of scholars, governments and other institutions to develop and introduce financial regulation in response to the financial crisis, recent evidence suggests that these measures fail to recognize fundamental flaws in the paradigms and values Freewriting exercise – Skills 3: Academic Writing S. N. Geesing – 342570 2010-2011 underlying actions of main financial institutions and firms, which need to be addressed in order to realise a sustainable financial process in the long term. From this main statement, we can now look into several direct causes of the crisis that can be related to the incentives that underlie these markets. One of these causes, as it appears, is the fact that Wall Street managed to lure the brightest minds in economics and mathematics with promises of wealth and fame, thus managing to consistently outsmart governmental institutions. By exploiting loop holes in regulatory frameworks, often done by developing complex financial derivates, the bulge bracket firms that set the tone in investment banking gained access to nearly limitless profits, foregoing issues of ethics and risk minimization in favour of short term and often personal gain. After recognizing this pattern, one may conclude that simply increasing bank reserves or bailing out mortgages (as many governments have done so far) will not allow for long term sustainability within financial markets. Other measures, such as increased transparency, caps on bonuses and reinvented incentive reward systems are more effective, but have proven difficult to practically implement. Introducing new regulation is always troublesome and this type of regulations has been met by heavy resistance, especially in the US, the place where new regulation is especially necessary. For this reason and more, a more indirect way of changing values and paradigms must be sought. Scholars have suggested that such measures are most likely to be found in economic theory and, more specifically, in forms of game theoretical applications, in which the government and the financial institutions act as â€Å"players† in a game that can be described as the general economy and financial markets.

Voltaire s Candide The Enlightenment Principle Of Reason

Within the hundred or so pages of Voltaire’s Candide resides proof of all four values of the Enlightenment: hope, progress, natural law, and reason. Being a man of the enlightenment, it makes sense for Voltaire’s novel to include these values. Using ironic humor and satire, Voltaire managed to say what he needed to say without being directly responsible for having said it. As Candide reads like an adventure story, there is a lot of dialogue between characters. Through these conversations and stories, Voltaire’s Candide shows support for the enlightenment principle of reason (critical, rational thought) with regards to organized religion but shows very little support for the enlightenment principle of progress (change for the better) with regards to female tropes and sexism. Reason, to enlightened thinkers in the eighteenth century, was another way of saying critical, rational thought- to be able to look at something and see its flaws or benefits, or to see how on e thing works in relation to another thing. While Candide includes most enlightenment principles, reason seems to be the base of the story since a reader must have reason to understand the book’s nuances. This essay will partly focus on how Voltaire’s support of reason showed through his mockery of certain aspects of organized religion. One instance of Voltaire supporting reason is when he refered to religious toleration. In Candide, the main character Candide and his footman Cacambo managed to find their way intoShow MoreRelatedVoltaire s View Of Candide1511 Words   |  7 Pages Voltaire s Candide is a satirical work written in 1759 as a commentary during the Enlightenment. One of Voltaire s most famous works, it also functioned to reflect Voltaire s opinions. 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The scholars and writers, or philosophes as they were called, of the Enlightenment Age seized these teachings and ideologies and used them to criticize and attack the medieval ruling establishment and to unseat the religious ruling class from their vaulted theological perch. This criticism of the theological sect loosened religions grip