Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas Biography

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas Biography Arguably the most conservative justice in recent U.S. Supreme Court history, Clarence Thomas is well-known for his conservative/libertarian leanings. He strongly supports states rights and takes a strict constructivist approach to interpreting the U.S. Constitution. He has consistently taken political conservative positions in decisions dealing with executive power, free speech, the death penalty and affirmative action. Thomas is unafraid of voicing his dissent with the majority, even when it is politically unpopular. Early Life Thomas was born June 23, 1948, in the small, impoverished town of Pin Point, Ga., the second of three children born to M.C. Thomas and Leola Williams. Thomas was abandoned by his father at the age of two and left to the care of his mother, who raised him as a Roman Catholic. When he was seven, Thomas mother remarried and sent him and his younger brother to live with his grandfather. At his grandfathers request, Thomas left his all-black high school to attend seminary school, where he was the only African American on campus. Despite experiencing extensive racism, Thomas nevertheless graduated with honors. Formative Years Thomas had considered becoming a priest, which was one reason he chose to attend St. John Vianneys Minor Seminary in Savannah, where he was one of just four Black students. Thomas was still on track to be a priest when he attended Conception Seminary College, but he left after hearing a student utter a racist comment in response to the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Thomas transferred to the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, where he founded the Black Student Union. After graduation, Thomas failed a military medical exam, which excluded him from being drafted. He then enrolled in Yale Law School. Early Career Immediately after graduating from law school, Thomas found it difficult to obtain a job. Many employers falsely believed that he received his law degree due only to affirmative action programs. Nevertheless, Thomas landed a job as an assistant US attorney for Missouri under John Danforth. When Danforth was elected to the U.S. Senate, Thomas worked as a private attorney for an agriculture firm from 1976 to 1979. In 1979, he returned to work for Danforth as his legislative assistant. When Ronald Reagan was elected in 1981, he offered Thomas a job as Assistant Secretary of Education in the Office of Civil Rights. Thomas accepted. Political Life Not long after his appointment, the president promoted Thomas to head the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. As director of the EEOC, Thomas angered civil rights groups when he shifted the focus of the agency from filing class-action discrimination lawsuits. Instead, he concentrated on reducing discrimination in the workplace, and emphasizing his philosophy of self-reliance for African Americans, chose to pursue individual discrimination suits. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush appointed Thomas to the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington DC. Supreme Court Nomination Less than a year after Thomas was appointed to the appeals court, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall- the nations first African American Justice- announced his retirement. Bush, impressed with Thomas conservative positions, nominated him to fill the position. Facing a Democrat-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee and the wrath of civil rights groups, Thomas faced stiff opposition. Recalling how conservative Judge Robert Bork had doomed his nomination by providing detailed answers at his confirmation hearings, Thomas was hesitant to provide lengthy answers to interrogatories. Anita Hill Just before the end of his hearings, an FBI investigation was leaked to the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding sexual harassment allegations leveled at Thomas by former EEOC staff worker Anita Hill. Hill was aggressively questioned by the committee and offered shocking details of Thomas alleged sexual misconduct. Hill was the only witness to testify against Thomas, although  another staffer offered similar allegations in a written statement.   Confirmation Although Hills testimony had transfixed the nation, preempted soap operas and competed for airtime with the World Series, Thomas never lost is composure, maintaining his innocence throughout the proceedings, yet expressing his outrage at the circus the hearings had become. In the end, the judiciary committee was deadlocked at 7-7, and the confirmation was sent to the full Senate for a floor vote with no recommendation being made. Thomas was confirmed 52-48 along partisan lines in one of the narrowest margins in Supreme Court history. Service to the Court Once his nomination was secured and he took his seat on the High Court, Thomas quickly asserted himself as a conservative justice. Aligned primarily with conservative justices William Rehnquist and Antonin Scalia, Thomas is nonetheless his own man. He has offered lone dissenting opinions, and at times, has been the sole conservative voice on the Court.

Answers to More Questions About Usage

Answers to More Questions About Usage Answers to More Questions About Usage Answers to More Questions About Usage By Mark Nichol Confusion about words or phrases with similar connotations or constructions is common; here are several questions from DailyWritingTips.com readers about usage, and my responses. 1. What is the difference between remuneration and emolument? The words have essentially the same meaning – â€Å"compensation or payment† though remuneration also pertains to payment by a customer or client, and emolument also refers to perquisites, or perks (privileges or offers for employees such as one’s own parking space or free use of a fitness center.) 2. I wish to know when and where to use toward or towards, and what is the difference? The words are variations with identical meanings. Towards is British English, though many Americans use it, especially in conversation. Toward is preferable in formal US English. 3. In my country, bottled, aerated drinks like Coca-Cola and Pepsi are called â€Å"cold drinks† universally. But a sizable community calls them â€Å"cool drinks.† How do I convince and let them know the difference between cool and cold? Also, many people use the term action in place of acting when it comes to describing someone’s performance in a film or a play. â€Å"Cold drink† (and â€Å"cool drink†) may be universal in your country, but there are many terms for carbonated beverages, so I think any effort to try to control usage in this case is futile. As for action used as you describe, English usage evolves, and what may seem like an aberration now will often become standard vocabulary in the future. Even if action never becomes formally acceptable as a synonym for acting, its persistence as a variant is probably inevitable. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Regarding Re:Among vs. Amongst25 Idioms with Clean

Staffing Technologies in Chern's Company Case Study

Staffing Technologies in Chern's Company - Case Study Example This paper will give recommendations on how to improve Chern’s staffing systems and later give some reflections on the entire Chern’s case study. Chern should employ additional technologies in order to ensure that human resource management personnel concentrate on the essential and critical tasks only. The organization should consider utilizing such technologies in the entire human resources management process (Philips & Gully, 2009). Chern can use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), automated employee training system and a human resource information system. The three above will basically automated various human resource management functions and bring in efficiency and save time. The ATS is a system mainly used for recruiting purposes and it can handle the entire hiring process depending on its level of sophistication. An ATS will be used to post online vacancy advertisements, screen candidates for the required qualifications and perform online interviews with shortlisted candidates. The different scores for the different candidates can then be put on a dashboard for easier and quicker decision making (Philips & Gully, 2009). An ATS will make hiring easier and will make it possible for Chern to interview as many candidates as possible and increase chances of hiring the best and talented candidate for any position (Philips & Gully, 2009). The employee training system is application or system that is used to induct new employees into their roles as well as monitor their performance. This system is commonly referred to as learning management system can be used to develop employees’ skills and competencies by facilitating training. This system can be a great asset to Chern as it will determine the training needs of individual candidates, recommend training materials and generate a training schedule for the new staffs (Schuler &Jackson, 2008). Chern should also adopt a human resource information system that will assist  the human resource manager in performance evaluation as well as carrying out some tasks such as payroll production and determining hours worked daily. This system can be used as a decision-making tool in planning for promotions and successions.

Investigate a criminal prevention program Research Paper

Investigate a criminal prevention program - Research Paper Example There are several crime prevention strategies and programs that use specific approaches to recognize, anticipate, appraise and address crimes or factors that contribute to crime. Crime prevention could be targeted at different levels starting with the individual, family as well as the community (Briggs, 2013). At individual level, crime prevention aims at avoidance of crime and the factors constituting to crime. This means preventing an individual from ever committing a crime. The term crime prevention is used to refer to programs designed in an effort to prevent individuals from committing a subsequent crime. The crime prevention strategies focused on the community target changes in the infrastructure, culture or the physical nature to prevent or reduce crime. Community based crime prevention programs include: Comprehensive programs which encourage involvement of local and state government, the private sector as well as the community to respond to violent crimes, drug abuse and improve the standards of living in the community by incorporating multiple approaches. This is a crime prevention theory that was developed by George Kelling and James Wilson that seems to suggest that preventing minor crimes such as vandalism and public disorderliness is the gateway to preventing crimes that are considered major and life threatening (Neubauer, 2013). As such, if the police were to crack down on minor offenders involved in minor crimes, it would lead to less serious crimes on the streets. The proponents of this theory assert that if left unchecked, street corners will gradually degenerate in to crime infested areas where bullies would take over taking alcohol and drugs openly intimidating citizens and making excessive noises. The broken window is a metaphorical broken window in a building which they argue if left unattended will attract more vandalism in the building. Therefore, broken windows should be fixed as it

Contact And Exchange Between Peoples And Cultures Essay Example for Free

Contact And Exchange Between Peoples And Cultures Essay Occupation is not a victory, yet, discrimination and oppression evoke acrimony among the native people, which impedes European imperialists from conquering the native people. The Metis, a native group originally scattered across Canada as well as parts of the northern United States such as Montana, North Dakota and Northwest Minnesota. However, the Metis and other aboriginal groups suffered injustice in European colonialism, which is the main focus of this paper. The Aboriginal peoples were the original residents of Canada. It is a collective word for the diversity of the indigenous people. The word was incorporated in the Canadian Constitution Act of 1982 and concerns to the Inuit and the Metis people. The term aboriginal has provided a sense of unity among the indigenous peoples and also served the role of erasing the different historical, cultural practice, sovereignty and languages of over fifty countries that lived in Canada preceding to European colonization. It is believed that the Metis fatherly ancestry originated from different nationalities; Irish, French, English and Scottish while the mothers came from the Native Indian. So the Merits are of mixed blood. Nevertheless, the Metis were able to adopt both the European and the Indian culture through utilizing what was suitable to their necessities. However, the European colonization led to their suffering and injustice. During this time the Metis suffered prejudice, racism and injustice. The Relationship of the Metis To their Land and the Manitoba Treaty The Metis practiced the concept of communism, meaning personal ownership of land were prohibited. They resisted external pressures to abandon this concept. However, with the European colonization, the Metis was denied the freedom to live the way they wanted, thus, they were forced to abandon the communism concept. As a matter of fact, the Metis who had occupied the lands in North America for decades before the European colonization were deprived during the European colonization, which in turn is still today whereby the political and legal approached deprive Metis societies of fundamental human rights The European solidified their attitudes towards race in their experience with the Metis. The clash between England and Ireland went beyond rivalries between the two developing nations. This was a clash between the semi-nomadic pastoralist and those who were settled on the land as farmers and grew a sedentary culture. The treatment of the Metis people in Cnanda was extremely similar to the treatment of the other Aboriginal peoples. As a matter of fact, the European established a hierarchical view of the earth where the value of other communities was judged against the image of their own, whereby human beings were viewed as continuing through different regular and specific stages of growth ranging from savagery to civilization. Furthermore, it was not only a social philosophy, but a moral Christian obligation placed on the European to guide the Metis who was regarded as uncivilized beings to the pinnacle of civilization. The European presented the capital structure, which embroiled racial segregation. This was opposite to what the Metis and other Aboriginal groups practiced. As a result, this concept led legitimacy to the undertaking of the dominant power whereby the European dominated the Metis. Through racial segregation, the Europeans were able to push the Metis out of their land, and exert control over all the aboriginal groups in North America. Indeed, race became a social norm and an unquestioned reason to privilege. It was one employed with great insight against the Metis people in Canada. Thus, although most of the treaties had different positive effects in the aboriginals, most of them caused these communities a devastating effect. The treaties cost the Aboriginals a lot, including their land. Besides being forced to give up their culture, they ended up with a much smaller tract of land as a result of improper negotiations. Also, though the provision of education and health care has been cru cial in maintaining the Aboriginal cultures, other benefits such as farm implements and the right to utilize land were much smaller compared to the tracts of lands given in their exchange. Furthermore, the implications resulting in the signing of treaties caused a large number of deaths among them. According to Miller (2000), prior to 1870, the Aboriginal population decreased by about 75percent under the hands of the European settlers. The Fur Trade Canada expanded in a unique manner whereby it traded fur with other countries. Fur trade played a significant role in creating boundaries, which still exist today because borders are grounded on its dissimilar resilience in the North America. As a matter of fact, the importance of the fur trade lies in its commitment of the geographic platform. Through this trade, the development of the Metis emerged with their own language and culture. Indeed, the trade depended on the productive skill and the organizational capabilities in the Metis people. Therefore, the Metis and the Indians regulated the fur trade and only traded when it was convenient for them to do so. Moreover, the Metis were sought to travel through canoe into the interior to carry out trade with the Indian community. The fur trade helped the European to penetrate to Canada, and as a result, they started assimilating the Metis community. They disregarded their culture, beliefs and norms and waged to change their culture as w ell as their behavior. The Metis were culturally undistinguished from other Canadainas. The Land Scrip During the 18th century in Canada, the government gave out scrip certificate giving the right holder to either a certain acreage of land or an amount of money that could be used to the buy on land. These certificates were given out to individual Metis to fulfill their claim to land ownership. However, most people did not get the scrip who eventually was the original inhabitants of the land, meaning that the entire Metis communities who had stayed on the land for decades were sidelined of their rightful heritage. Moreover, it was not only the manner in which the Metis was deprived of their original land. Likewise, the Juvenile Act of Manitoba was modified to permit Metis minors to sell or dispose of their script, thus creating an opportunity for abuse. The government also opposed to a powerful Metis constituency and enterprise interests desiring to gather vast tracts of land colluded to ensure that the Metis of the West of forlorn become landless people. The Metis was not included, fr ightened, swindled or made to kill of the land consisting rudimentary way that consecutive Canadians would follow to open up Canada. As a result, the Metis were forced to live on unutilized parts of the land, which is the reason that they were referred to as the â€Å"Road Allowance People† meaning that they were bound to make their geographical area on the government land on either side of the road. Louis Riel and the Manitoba Drawing from Louis Riel who was the founder of Manitoba and a Metis leader, it is clear that the Metis were harassed unjustly. Riel was murdered by the government for treason. He had united the Metis community and led to a famous Metis government that was central in taking Manitoba into Confederation, but his aim was to preserve the Metis community from the Canadian authority. Riel also led the Metis at the Red River whereby the Canadian government had appointed McDougall as the governor whose mission was to re-stake the Metis land. The Metis opposed him through Riel so as to preserve their cultural, social and political status of the Metis in the Red River as well as the Northwest. As a matter of fact, intermarriages between the Europeans and the Metis or the aboriginals was prohibited. Riel was considered a hero because he defended the Catholic faith and the French culture in Manitoba. It is for this reason that went back to North America after being in exile for four months in the United States. The British and the Canadian government did not support the Metis beliefs and wanted to establish the Protestant beliefs. Nevertheless, the opposition from the Metis through the influence of Riel did not last long when he was captured and executed. Riel was executed without any trial with British or Canadian law for his section in the Red River resistance. The Residential Schools Just like other Aboriginal peoples, the Metis were placed in residential schools over the course of a hundred years. These schools stripped children of their languages and culture so as to eliminate the Metis problem and assimilate them into the society. The Metis in residential schools survived sexual as well as physical abuses, loss of identity as well as language. As a result, many of the Metis children as well as other Aboriginal people’s did not survive at all. Indeed, there are still unrequited questions about how some kids vanished. Nevertheless, the current dispute resolution program in North America, especially Canada does not address the fundamentals harms suffered by Aboriginal peoples as a result of the Indian Residential Schools system that was expressly introduced to remove Aboriginal languages and culture, and to murder the Indian in the child. The government’s strategy for accomplishing its policy aim concerned removing children from their families, puni shing them for speaking their aboriginal language and denying them the right to follow their spiritual teachings and traditional celebrations and failing to give them adequate education. In conclusion, from the above discussion, it is clear that the Metis as well as other Aboriginal communities in North America suffered injustices. They were killed because of their language and beliefs, disregarded because of their culture and mixed blood, they were racially segregated and denied their right to own land. As a result, they ended up in the Manitoba reserve with small parts of land and some none. Neither were their appreciated in residential schools whereby their kids were physically and sexually abused. And though all these things are known by the government, nothing much has improved in Canada for the Metis as well as other aboriginals. References Brown, D., Kingston, O. (1992). Aboriginal governments and power sharing in Canada. Kingston, Ont.: Institute of Intergovernmental Relations, Queens University. First Nations in Canada. (1997). Ottawa: Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. Howe, P., Bedford, D. (2007). Electoral participation of Aboriginals in Canada.Noble, T. (2008). Western civilization: Beyond boundaries (5th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Rambaut, T. (1987). The Hudsons Bay Half-Breeds and Louis Riels Rebellions. Political Science Quarterly, 135-135. Source document

Satire :: essays research papers

Country vs. Court There are many different ways to reveal one's perception of society. In art for instance, the reflection may be revealed in the form of a sculpture, a song or a picture. Satire is one the ways that the reaction or perception of life is expressed. People look at life from different stand points, as matter of fact, they naturally perceive it in numerous ways. As a result of the variety in perception, the way of revealing the effects or reflections of these perceptions also shows variety. In the satiric work of Jonathan Swift’s â€Å"Gulliver’s Travels† and George Orwell’s â€Å"Animal Farm† both authors make a distinction between country vs. court or in Orwell’s case, country (people) vs. government. Gulliver's first adventure takes place in Lilliput. Gulliver gets shipwrecked and finds himself tied down by a considerable number of little people called Lilliputians. The Lilliputians stood only six inches high. During this time Swift recognized that England was also small in stature but was dominant force and had a great influence in Europe. England, despite its small size, had the potential to defeat any nation that might try to conquer them. Swift relates this situation with the Lilliputians. They only stood six inches tall but had the power to take on the, "Man-Mountain", Gulliver. The ability of the Lilliputians to capture someone ten times their size can be seen as reinforcing their strength as a small nation, such as England. Thus becoming and remaining a great and powerful country. Swift further illustrates satire of the country vs. court distinction by comparing English government to Lilliput. In the early eighteenth century, the English government was under the Whig's political party. Swift represented himself as Gulliver as being a Tory, and the Lilliputians as being power-hungry Whigs. Their heels of their shoes identified these parties. In Lilliput the High-Heels represented the Tories and the Low-Heels represented the Whigs. George I favored the Whigs, so the Lilliputian emperor favored the Low-Heals. But the Prince of Whales favored both parties, and thus the Lilliputian heir to the throne wore one High-Heel and one Low. When Gulliver started learning about the Lilliputians government he noticed that their government officials were chosen by rope dancing. To Gulliver and the reader these practices seem ridiculous and idiotic, but to the Lilliputians they see these practices as normal. Swift uses this scene to satire the British government at this time.

“Girl” Jamaica Kincaid Essay

The short story of â€Å"Girl† by Jamaica Kincaid is about a mother and her relationship with her daughter. It is a harsh one sided conversation between the narrator and her mother, with the mother doing all the talking. The story gives a rich description of what her mother expects from her in all aspects of her life, from chores, to how she plays, to what she sings in church. From each line you see the viewpoint of how her mother sees the world, what is proper in her eyes and her expectations for her daughter. Throughout the story the symbolism gives deeper meaner to every verse and shows deeper insight to their realsonship. One of the first symbols is in the first line is the color white. The use of the color white is foreshadowing the tone for the whole short story. White represents pure, virgin, and clean. The mother is reprimanding her child for the way she walks â€Å"on Sundays try to walk like a lady and not like the slut you so bent on becoming† (380). The narrator’s mother already has concerns of her daughter becoming sexually promiscuous and tarnishing her reputation. The mother’s tone is harsh throughout the whole short story. She is demanding her daughter does these things as she dictates. This is not a sweet moment between a mother and her daughter. The conversation is laced with insults and fears. The mother also warns her daughter about eating on the street â€Å"don’t eat fruit on the street-flies will follow you† (380). Flies are seen as bottom feeders, dirty and irritating and when flies are surrounding an animal it is seen as filthy. She is telling he r daughter that she will be seen as dirty if her fruits are out for everyone to see. This has to do with being covered and not letting everyone stare at you. This supports her idea that her daughter will become promiscuous and not respectable. Another symbol example is the importance on clothing. The mother cautions â€Å"when buying cotton to make yourself a nice blouse, be sure that it doesn’t have gum on it, because that way it won’t hold up after a wash† (380). The mother’s emphasis on clothing highlights her view of how  you dress is a reflection of you as a person. Its gives insight to your character and personality that you take pride in how you look. Clothing is used cover your body, when you are covered you are seen as respectable in her community. In the conversation â€Å"this is how to hem a dress when you see the hem coming and so to prevent yourself from looking like the slut I know you are so bent on becoming† (380) This is the second time that her mother accuses her of turning in a slut. The hemming of the dress is no longer a lesson in how to sew, but the act itself has tuned into being seen as respectable and that reinforces her mother’s view. In addition, â€Å"Benna† is also a symbol in the text. The word benna is one of the cultural symbols she uses. It gives insight to where the story is taking place. It also gives the reader the first response to her mother who has been talking the whole time. â€Å"I don’t sing benna on Sundays at all and never in Sunday School† (Kincaid 380). Why did the narrator feel compelled to finally speak up for herself in this moment? What did her mother mean by accusing her of this that the narrator feel she had to defend herself? From this short sentence the reader can assume that something that has changed culturally. If the daughter is implying that singing Calypso music is frowned upon and considered taboo that means singing it i n Sunday school would be a grave disrespect. The other aspect of the sentence is the use of Sunday school, the introduction of Christianity has added to the mother’s fears of her daughter being respectable. The mother is also going through changes culturally and that has influence her concerns for her daughter. Another example of cultural symbolism is the â€Å"this how you set a table for tea† (381). This line in the story shows a reference to Britain through tea. The reader can accept that what has been going on culturally is in reference to Britain. There are foreigners in her country who could be judging the country as they interact with the natives. Her constant fear of her daughter becoming a slut is stemming from what the mother now views as proper behavior. They are many symbols that come from food. The use of food in this short story has a small number of layers. There is the superficial layer that acts as a cultural symbol in her use of her native dishes in the text. It also adds depth to the short story and shows the reader where the narrator and her mother are living â€Å"this is how to make bread pudding, this is how to make doukona, this is how to make pepper potà ¢â‚¬  (381). The reader  has only seen the mother in the fierce, menacing tone. Upon further analysis of the symbolism, it shows that her mother doesn’t want her to forget her cultural heritage among all the changes going on currently in her life with Sunday school and the British being in her country. She wants her daughter to learn how to cook these native dishes as a way of passing down her legacy. Another layer is the mother finds cooking to being part of being a respectable women. Cooking is something the mother puts value on. She believes that a woman who can cook is valuable to their society. Over the course of the text she come back to instructing on how to cook. The reader is also able to see it in the beginning, middle and end of the short story. It is not just being able to make these dishes, but the whole act itself â€Å"cook pumpkin fritters in very hot sweet oil† (380). The mother believes that cooking strengths the bond her daughter will have with her family and with the community. The last symbol in food is the when the mother tell her how to she is to squeeze the bread â€Å"always squeeze bread to make sure it’s fresh; but what if the baker won’t let me feel the bread?; you mean to say that after all you are really going to be the kind of woman who the baker won’t let near the bread† (381) This goes back to the overall theme of the entire story. Her mother wants her be the kind of lady that the baker lets squeeze the bread. The word squeeze is suggestive in a way that the mother doesn’t want her daughter to allow anyone to â€Å"squeeze† her. It also reinforces that her daughter should not become a slut or she will be not be a functioning member of society. Sluts and wharf-rat boys are not part of their society; her mother warns â€Å"you mustn’t speak to wharf-rat boys† (380). They are outcast, if she becomes a slut the baker will not allow her to touch the bread and she will be an outcast like the wharf-rat boys. The final symbol is housework; the importance of it is seen throughout the short story. The narrator’s mother makes many references toward housework, â€Å"Wash the white clothes on Monday and put them on the stone heap; wash the color clothes on Tuesday and put them on the clothesline to dry† (380). She sees housework as a way of keeping busy so her daughter doesn’t become promiscuous. It also establishes her role as women taking care of her house. In their culture this seen a respectable and earns them respect from their community. This short story looks like a simple stern lecture from a mother to daughter. When you look at each sentence in-depth, you see mother has  fears that are based not in anger but in reality due to all the changes going on in their culture. These fears are expressed sometimes harshly by calling daughter a slut, and her tone throughout the story. At the end it is just a mother being concerned with her daughter and wanting the best life possible for. The symbolism gives more insight than what the reader can read just on the surface. It shows a whole different character for the mother and sheds light as to why the mother has these expectations and fears. What people fear shapes them and their relationships Works Cited Kincaid, Jamica. Literature A Portable Anthology. 3rd ed. Boston, MA: Bedford St Martins, 2013.

Impact of political ideologies on education policy Essay

Introduction Political parties with widely divergent views have a serious impact on government policies. If the government changes from extreme right to extreme left policies with every election, it would be impossible to make long lasting policies. A left-wing government may like to keep major resources in public hands while the right wing government may have a policy of promoting privatization. Fortunately, while this often is the case in emerging democracies, the countries of developed world have managed to establish certain common policies accepted by all major parties and a change of government does not mean political upheaval any more. In United Kingdom, policies of two main parties, the Labour and the Conservatives had considerable differences in their perception of how the country should be governed. Conservative party believes in market economy while the Labour party was considered a left of center party with socialist leaning. Both of these parties have elements, which have; extreme right views in the case of Conservative Party and extreme left wing view in the case of Labour party. Over the years these difference have narrowed considerably and the present Blair’s government policies of ‘New Labour’ are a far cry from the leftwing policies of the past. United Kingdom is a social welfare state and the public policy dealing with the social issues and programs plays an important role in the administration of government functions. The important elements of UK social policy are Social Security, Health, Housing, Education and Personal Social Services (welfare and children) [Alcock, 1996]. Both major political parties have their own views on the direction social policy should take and while maintaining the basic structure, both parties try to implement their own political ideology in reforming/modifying the social policies. As an example, when Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government was in power, it favoured private ownership of housing and privately rented housing, while the Labour government before her promoted public sector housing under the local councils. The social policy in the education sector has also been affected by the political ideologies of the ruling parties, For example, grant maintained schools set up by Conservatives Government under the 1988 Education Act were abolished by the 1997 Labour Government. Government policies have an immense effect on education involving huge resources. This essay reviews the impact of political ideologies of the ruling party on education policies since 1945. Butler’s Act Implementation Begins after 1945 The 1944 Education Act also known as Butler Act laid the foundation of the present system of education policy. The Act basically replaced all previous legislation and became the basis of post World War Education Policy. The implementation of the policy began with the first post World War Elections in 1946, when Clement Attlee’s government came into power. Attlee’s cabinet had Ellen Wilkinson as the Minister of Education as the Act had abolished the previous control by the Boards of Education and introduced a Ministry of Education. The new policy introduced compulsory education from the age of 5-15 with support services, such as milk, transport and medical support for children in the age group. Religious education was made compulsory but parents were given the right to withdraw their children from religious education. Local Education Authorities were to govern the system on a local level and managed by a Chief Education Officer appointed by the LEAs. The secondary education from 1946 onwards was said to be based on a ‘tripartite system’, Grammar Schools for the most able students selected based on a placement test at age 11, Secondary Modern Schools for the rest. The third category of Secondary Technical Schools was specified in the new Education Policy but very few schools of this type were actually opened. Until the end of World War 2, a national unity government (Coalition government headed by Conservative Winston Churchill) ruled the country and education was considered a non-partisan issue. However the differences in the education for ordinary people in congested, large class rooms in old buildings on one hand and high class English private education for the privileged elite was producing two very different category of citizens. This kind of education could not be a part of Labour politics. In the first election after the Second World War, the Labour party won a landslide victory and had the task of implementing the 1944 Education Act. Governments 1946 – To date In order to study the impact of political ideologies on education we need to compare the education policy with the government in power to monitor the effect of party politics on education policy. This information is presented below [Gillard, 2004a]: Period Prime Minister Political Party/Parties July 45- Oct 51 Clement Attlee Labour Oct 51 – Apr 55 Winston Churchill Conservative Apr 55- Jan 57 Anthony Eden Conservative Jan 57- Oct 63 Harold McMillan Conservative Oct 63 – Oct 64 Alex Hume Conservative Oct 64 – June 70 Harold Wilson Labour. June 70 – Mar 74 Edward Heath Conservative Mar 74 – Apr 76 Harold Wilson Labour Apr 76 – May 79 James Callaghan Labour May 79 – Nov 90 Margaret Thatcher Conservative Nov 90 – May 97 John Major Conservative May 97- To date Tony Blair Labour As we see from the above Table, during the last 60 years the two main parties in power have been Conservative party who believe in far-right to right of center politics [The Right Approach, 1976], and the Labour party which believes in socialist, left-of- center politics. The present Labour government can be considered as a Centrist party with its slogan of ‘New Labour’. The third major political party is the Liberal Democrats, which has a major influence in the country but has not been in power during the last 60 years. The nearest taste of power the Liberals had was in the Callaghan Government when the Labour party needed to form an alliance with them. Political Ideology & Education Policy Playing Politics with Education The governments in power have always used education to promote their political objectives. It is said that the reason behind the mass education plan of 1880 was not a concern to promote equality and education among the masses but due to a fear of civil disorder. When the unemployment became high in 1960s, the government fearing further unemployment as new 15 years old coming out of school will flood the market decided to raise the school leaving age to 16. The proposal of raising the school leaving age was originally made in the 1944 Butler Act but not acted upon by any government since 1946 [Chitty, 2004]. In the Education Act 1993, schools were made more accountable for the levels of performance of their pupils When the problem children in schools started impacting the school results, the idea of segregating â€Å"pupils with problems† was introduced to remove this source of embarrassment from the schools [Department of Education,1994]. The political ideologies and diverting the impact of political consequences of other factors have thus affected the education policy. Intelligence Tests Debate The placement examination in educational institutions consider the IQ at least a part of the assessment process. The assumption that IQ is a true measure of a person has been often questioned as children with social disadvantage often have a lower IQ compared to the children of wealthy, educated and socially established families. The IQ test gives an undue advantage to children who receive attention from early childhood while children living in poor, uneducated families appear to be at a disadvantage in these tests. The IQ tests have often been disputed, as they appear to have a class and racial bias. The selection at 11 years for Grammar schools was seen as biased as research in 1960s had questioned the theory of inherited intelligence. The Labour party, being a party of trade unions and the poor questioned the validity of IQ tests while Conservatives advocated the validity of IQ tests as based on precise science. Neutralizing Local Education Authority The post 1945 Education policy empowered Local Education Authorities (LEAs) to administer education at the local level. The local authorities of some regions are traditionally not pro Conservative Party and often were a source of embarrassment for the Central Government. The 1988 Education Act brought by the Conservative party attempted to take away the powers of LEAs. The Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher and John Major passed 1988 and 1993 Education Acts to have central control while neutralizing the LEAs. [Garner, 1998] pointing to the lack of discussions and building of consensus in drafting the education policy states, â€Å"The 1988 Education Act contained 238 clauses and took more than 360 hours of parliamentary time to debate. Its enactment gave the Secretary of State 415 new powers across the spectrum of educational provision. None of these were without controversy, resistance being most notable at local levels. â€Å"[Garner, 1998]. The Education Act 1986 reduced the powers of local government in administering education. The representation of local authorities on school boards was reduced and political indoctrination in local education was forbidden. The powers of local authorities were further reduced by creating city technology colleges and by giving Manpower Services Commission more powers in educational activities. Through these changes, the Conservative government succeeded in â€Å"stripping power from LEAs, thereby largely ridding itself of what had become, during the post-war period, a major source of dissent and criticism of central government action. † [Garner, 1998]. However, LEAs continued to have many of the old responsibilities such as education for children excluded from schools due to behavioural problems but the 1988 Act stripped their powers and resources to meet their responsibilities. â€Å" Opponents of the legislation have argued that, in bringing the ruthlessness of the marketplace into education, the first groups of children to feel the effects have been the disadvantaged and those children who have learning difficulties† [Garner, 1998]. The Conservative political ideology had a major impact on the education policy during the Thatcher and John Major rule. Comprehensive Schools When Labour Government (1964-70) decided to reorganize secondary education by introducing comprehensive education, many local Conservative Councils opposed the move. The proposed measure could not be implemented during this government and remained shelved until 1974 during the Conservative rule of 1970-74. When Labour came to power in 1974 the comprehensive school plan was revived and despite many disputes with the local Conservative Councils (Tameside dispute) was made compulsory in 1976. Introduction of Comprehensive schools improved the quality of normal school at the expense of Grammar schools and affected the quality of education. Grant Maintained School The market based education policy of the Conservative party had a major impact on education policy. The grant-maintained school created under the Education Reform Act 1988 allowed schools to opt-out of the LEA system to gain control over their finances and admission policy. Provisions of 1988 and 1993 Act were further modified in Education Act 1996 [Grant maintained Schools, 2007]. The number of these schools was small in comparison to LEA maintained schools, 1196 schools (5% of total) of all types (primary, secondary, special) opted for Grant maintained school while 21912 stayed under LEAs. The Labour party was opposed to the grant-maintained schools, as it would have created different standard of education while being maintained by the government grants. Labour Government abolished the grant-maintained school in 1998 under the School Standard and Framework Act 1998 and returned the control to LEA. The New Labour ‘Education Policies’ Labour party remained out of power for almost 18 years (May 79-May 97). The New Labour had to modify its policies of left of center to become acceptable to the electorate. This policy has worked and the Labour Party with its modified centrist policy has remained in power since May 97. The effect of the centrist policies on education has been more or less a continuation of the Conservative policies and it appears that finally a change of government will mean only minor policy changes in education. The comprehensive school and uniform education for all so vigorously advocated by Labour politics of the past is not under favour now. The new Labour policy now is ‘standards not structures’ meant continuing with selection policies of Grammar, secondary modern and comprehensive were continued by new Labour [Benn & Chitty, 1996]. Comprehensive schools, a symbol of uniform education are gradually being dismantled as the Government has announced conversion of many of these schools to specialist colleges; schools could win special status by wining business sponsorship. Under the new Labour policies, schools will be allowed to 10% of their pupils through competitive selection, grants based on performance and ‘name and shame practice of under performing schools were all the policies of the past Conservative governments. It appears that the two main parties have now found a common ground in social policy for education and finally the changes in education policies expected with change of government due to political ideologies will become history. Discussions & Conclusions The political ideologies of the left and right have had a major influence on the education policy during the last 50-60 years. The Labour party policy on education advocated a uniform standard of education for all to allow all sections of society an equal chance to develop their abilities. The Conservative policy advocated selective education for the more intelligent, market based reform of education system and parents to educating their children in private schools. The political ideologies of the political parties in power since 1946 had a major impact on the education system of the country. Changes such as comprehensive schools, selection of people for schooling of differing standards, grant based education system, empowering LEAs by one government and removing most powers of LEA by the next government have not been in the interest of education. The Labour party now in power has recognized that their voters are not prepared for the left of center government policies and it now appears that both parties will be following similar policies in education and the changes of the past will become less common. Bibliography 1. Alcock, P. , (1996), Social Policy in Britain : Themes and Issues, Macmillan 2. An introduction to Social Policy, [Online] retrieved from Internet on February 1, 2007, http://www2. rgu. ac. uk/publicpolicy/introduction/uk. htm 3. Benn C and Chitty C (1996) Thirty Years On – is comprehensive education alive and well or struggling to survive? London: David Fulton Publishers 4. Chitty C (2004) Education Policy in Britain Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan 5. Department for Education, (1994), Pupils with problems: Circulars 8/94 – 13/94, London: DfE 6. Garner, P. , (1998), Vision or Revision? Conflicting Ideologies in the English Education System, [Online] retrieved from. Internet on February 1, 2007, http://policy. uark.edu/ritter/edfd5323-GarnerUKpart2. html 7. Gillard D. , (2004) Education in England: a brief history, [Online] retrieved from Internet on February 1, 2007, http://www. dg. dial. pipex. com/history/index. shtml 8. Gillard D. , (2004a). Education in England: a Timeline, [Online] retrieved from Internet on February 1, 2007, http://www. dg. dial. pipex. com/history/timeline. shtml 9. Grant Maintained School, (2007), [Online] retrieved from Internet on February 1, 2007, http://www. ndad. nationalarchives. gov. uk/CRDA/36/detail. html 10. The Right Approach-A Statement of Conservative Aim, (1976), Conservative Central Office, London, October 1976.

Organization Development vs. Organization Change Essays

Organization Development vs. Organization Change Essays Organization Development vs. Organization Change Essay Organization Development vs. Organization Change Essay According to the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, â€Å"There is nothing permanent but change. † By that he meant that everything is always in flux, including in an organization. In a social unit of people, systematically arranged and managed to meet a need or to pursue collective goals on a continuing basis. All organizations have a management structure that determines relationships between functions and positions, and subdivides and delegates roles, responsibilities, and authority to carry out defined tasks. Organizations are open systems in that they affect and are affected by the environment beyond their boundaries. Any organization, being a living organism, is in the process of continuous change. Nobody can stop this process. No specific action is needed for changes to happen. Organization Development is a response to change, a complex educational strategy intended to change the beliefs, attitudes, values, and structure of organizations so that they can better adapt to new technologies, markets, and challenges, and the dizzying rate of change itself (Bennis, 1969). It is a system-wide and values-based collaborative process of applying behavioral science knowledge to the adaptive development, improvement and reinforcement of such organizational features as the strategies, structures, processes, people, and cultures that lead to organization effectiveness. Furthermore, Organization Development focuses on assuring healthy inter- and intra-unit relationships and helping groups initiate and manage change. Organization Development’s primary emphasis is on relationships and processes between and among individuals and groups. Its primary intervention is influence on the relationship of individuals and groups to affect an impact on the organization as a system. Unlike Organization Development, Organization Change is much broader. It is about the significant change in the organization, such as adding or removal of a product or service, reorganization of a certain department, or implementation of a new process of services. Organizational Change is more broadly focused and can apply to any kind of change, although, these changes may or may not be directed at making the organization more developed in the sense implied by Organizational Development. In Organization Development, everyone in an organization who is affected by change should have an opportunity to contribute to- and accept responsibility for- the continuous improvement process or the transformation. Organizational effectiveness and humanistic values meet as employee ownership increases in change processes and outcomes.

What Santa Claus can teach you about your careerÂÂ

What Santa Claus can teach you about your career   Many of us look towards role models when figuring out how we want to live our lives, and having a professional role model is no exception. When choosing a person to help us shape our own career paths, we often look to mentors or successful individuals in our chosen fields, celebrities, or even famous athletes. But since it’s the holiday season, why not turn to someone iconic and accomplished in his field- have you ever thought about looking at Santa Claus? It’s not a joke- Santa may be a fictional character who rarely gets discussed until wintertime rolls around each year, but perhaps thinking about how he handles his job can teach us all a valuable lesson about how we can best handle our own.We’re not alone here- others agree that we can learn a lot from the work ethic of Santa Claus: â€Å"The Santa Claus work ethic has also conquered time. He, the reindeer and them elves are going at 10X levels all year long in preparation for one single night.   If you can duplicate the work ethic of Santa Claus you too can create a success that will go down in history.†Let’s take a closer look at some of the best-known work habits of jolly old St. Nick and what they can teach you about your career and professional journey.Santa is a great manager.Think about it, every year Santa is able to motivate and inspire the loyal elves, reindeer, and all the other employees at the North Pole to rally together and do the impossible- deliver gifts to all the good children in the entire world in just one night. If you thought your job was stressful and driven by intense deadlines, think of the beehive of activity that occurs in Santa’s workshop each year! Yet despite it all, Santa is able to get his team to get the job done. If you find yourself in a position of leadership, overseeing a team on a challenging project and a tough deadline, just ask yourself â€Å"What would Santa do?† in order to get through it successfully.Santa is task -focused.Santa never wavers or strays from his important role on Christmas Eve, year after year. He doesn’t even let the pressure of being a celebrity deter him from his critical responsibilities. He stays focused, goal-oriented, and on task- and so should you with every project that you are a part of in your career journey.Santa puts others first.Do we ever hear a bad word about Santa losing his cool, or griping about his job, or having an insane list of demands that must be met before he gets to work each year? Nope, and perhaps that’s part of what makes him so successful. Santa puts the needs of all the good children of the world before his own. That’s both an inspiring attribute to have at work and a good way to not get derailed from your professional responsibilities- regardless of what field you’re in.Santa has a great attitude at work.Despite long hours, brutal weather, and a seemingly impossible schedule, Santa always manages to stay jolly- and wh o among us wouldn’t like the idea of working alongside him? His great attitude helps keep his staff motivated and the proof is in the pudding- do you ever hear about high levels of staff turnover amongst the elves and reindeers on Santa’s payroll? No, they stick around year after year for a good reason. Try being the person with the great attitude at work- no matter how tough or stressful or exhausting things are- and you may be surprised at how far it can take you.Santa has unparalleled dedication.Do you ever hear about Santa showing up late, or being a few days behind on his appointed rounds, or taking a year off? You don’t, and chances are you never will because his dedication to his job is second to none. The truth is, people who remain dedicated to their jobs often find career success and best position themselves to achieve their professional goals.Santa does his homework.Think about all the research and preparation Santa has to do each year to determine wh o was naughty and who was nice among all of the children in the entire world, figure out which child wants which gift, and then make sure his inventory and delivery strategy will keep him on schedule. After thinking about what’s on Santa’s work plate, maybe your job doesn’t seem as harrowing as it did before. Whenever you’re working on a project, approach it like Santa would: do your homework, research carefully, and plan diligently. Santa’s secret for project success can work for anyone.There you have it- some of the reasons why Santa is a great boss who’s happy and successful at his job year after year. Consider adopting some of his best work habits and you’ll be setting yourself up for success in whatever career path you set your sights on.

Job Safety Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Job Safety Response - Essay Example Jerry must understand that the field notes belong to the federal agency provided there is an advance knowledge that that data belongs to the agency. First, Jerry acquired a job from the federal agency implying that the area of research is not his own doing and will be considered as unethical to use it for his personal work. Second, the participants in the interviews and observations during the survey would not have presented themselves to him without identifying that he is working with the Federal Agency which they could identify with because of its projects or proposed projects amongst them. His presentation to participants as working on behalf of the agency makes the information gathered from the interview the agency’s property unconditionally. Being a representative of the agency means that no participant provided any information to belong to him but to the agency hence eliminating any breach of information security and confidentiality. Although it is unethical for the agen cy to manipulate survey findings to suit its expectations, it is ethical to request the opinion of a different consultant for comparison. Vaughn should be expected to turn over all the interview materials, notes, and photographs despite their sensitive information on with any binding terms on data ownership. Since there was no binding stipulation concerning data ownership, and by arguing that his work was conducted in good faith makes him eligible for full salary without any threats or turning over the materials, notes, and photos to the agency.