Academic Success Essays (Examples)

The School and Demographic Data
Alonzo & Tracy Mourning Senior High, Biscayne Bay Campus is part of the Miami-Dade County Public School system and has a total of over 1500 students enrolled in grades 9 through 12. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2018), the demographic breakdown of the Alonzo & Tracy Mourning Senior High School student body is 831 Hispanic, 415 White, 292 Black, 20 Asian, and 7 identifying as “two or more races.” The school serves a suburban region of Miami-Dade County. Of the 1565 students, 862 are eligible for free lunches and 105 for reduced-price lunches, indicating that more than half the students come from families requiring some financial assistance. Since it opened in 2009, Alonzo & Tracey Mourning Senior High has performed consistently well on national achievement measures, receiving an “A” school ranking from 2012-2016, an honor by The Washington Post for being “America’s…

References
Alonzo & Tracey Mourning Senior High Biscayne Bay Campus (2018). http://atmourningsharks.org/
Benner, A.D., Boyle, A.E. & Sadler, S. (2016). Parental involvement and adolescents’ educational success. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 45(6): 1053-1064.
Garcia, L.E. & Thornton, O. (2014). The enduring importance of parental involvement. NEA Today. Nov 18, 2014. http://neatoday.org/2014/11/18/the-enduring-importance-of-parental-involvement-2/
National Center for Education Statistics (2018). Search for public schools. https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&DistrictID=1200390&ID=120039007635
Neihaus, K., Adelson, J.L. Neihaus, K., et al. (2014). School support, parental involvement, and academic and social-emotional outcomes for English language learners. American Educational Research Journal 51(4): 810-844.

How Grit is a Positive Predictor of Academic Success among College StudentsIntroductionCollege can be a trying time for students due to the weight of new responsibilities and the increase in personal accountability. There are no parents looming over ones shoulder, the subjects and classes are more difficult and require more study, and the pressures can build. One quality of successful students that has been identified by researchers is grita toughness of character that helps a person to be resilient when facing obstacles so as to overcome them (Crede, 2018). This paper will conduct a literature review of the relevant material related to grit as a positive predictor of academic successful among the college student population. It will look at both qualitative and quantitative findings. It will also identify a need for an intervention at the macro level and explain why this population is in need of a targeted intervention based…

References

Boerma, M., & Neill, J. (2020). The Role of Grit and Self-Control in University Student Academic Achievement and Satisfaction. College Student Journal, 54(4), 431-442.

Buzzetto-Hollywood, N., Quinn, K., Wang, W., & Hill, A. (2019). Grit in online education. Journal of Education, Society and Behavioural Science, 1-11.

Crede, M. (2018). What shall we do about grit? A critical review of what we know and what we don’t know. Educational Researcher, 47(9), 606-611.

Fong, C. J., & Kim, Y. W. (2019). A clash of constructs? Re-examining grit in light of academic buoyancy and future time perspective. Current Psychology, 1-14.

Academic Profile of Home Schooling - a Case Study

Home Schooling vs. Traditional Educational Methods

Home Schooling Methodology

Focus of the Practicum

Culture

Area of Inquiry

Subject/Topic Areas

Home Schooling as an Alternative

Curricula and Materials Used for Home Schooling

The Success of Home Schooling

Evaluation Design

Conditions for Change

Timeline

Chronology

Legislative Information:

Maryland: A Legal Analysis

State Laws and Regulations - Maryland

Goulart and Travers vs. Calvert County

Home-schooled Kids Find Social Growth"

Home Schoolers in the Trenches"

Home School Academic Advantage Increases Over Time"

Home Schooling." ERIC Digest, Number 95.

Abstract

The Academic Profile of Home Schoolers

Case Study

The focus of this applied dissertation proposal is to examine and analyze home school families' academic environment, the institutional materials they use, and to gain an understanding of their academic success.

Prince George's County Public School System is the nineteenth largest school system in the nation with a…

Bibliography

Monticello, IL.

Buchanan, Jim (1984). Home Instruction: A Growing Alternative to Public Schools. Monticello, IL.

Lande, Nancy (2000). Home school Open House: Interviews with 55 Home schooling Families. Bozeman, MT

Waring, Bill and Diane (1999). Emerald Books: A look back on what they learned along the way by veteran home schooling parents of varying approaches.

move from a movie! my gymnastics coach told me, his eyes agape. "That was a mean tumbling pass!" I blushed. It had been a long time goal for me to become a police officer so that I would be able to apply my physical strength to a challenging career. While I always loved playing and watching sports like football and baseball, I didn't see professional athletics in my future. And while I enjoyed and excelled at the sciences in high school enough to make lab work my chosen major, I also didn't want to delve into hard science as a potential future career. I realized quite a long time ago that working for the police force would enable me to combine my talents and strengths while helping others and contributing something to my community. Furthermore, as a native New Yorker, my desire to be a cop is made all the…

The importance of a strong opening and closing, practicing, staying organized and focused and taking the stage with confidence are skills that I continue to apply in my class presentations.

At times my classes, especially the General Education classes, have been quite challenging. Having proven to myself that I have the intellectual capacity, discipline and drive to pass these classes, I am inspired and encouraged when presented with some of the challenges of life. A significant aspect of a college education is developing critical reasoning. It is not so much to memorize facts and figures, but to be able to penetrate ideas and concepts and extract their essence. Understanding the way mechanisms work is a sine-qua-non condition of gaining the ability to deconstruct ideas and theories and applying them to one's personal and professional life. It is through this kind of individualized approach, I believe, that higher education is particularly…

(McGannon, Carey and Dimmitt, 2005)

To address this need in the field of school counseling, the CSCOR has developed the National Panel for School Counseling Evidence-ased Practice, which is composed of school counseling educators and practitioners who have been identified as experts in the field. Panel members are currently evaluating existing methods of evidence-based practice by reviewing the research literature so that they may establish rules of evidence to determine whether a practice can be identified as evidence-based. The panel is identifying rules for judging strong evidence, identifying needed research, and communicating their findings to other practitioners and researchers. (McGannon, Carey, and Dimmitt, 2005)

The work of Jeremy M. Linton entitled: "Perceived Therapeutic Qualities of Counselor Trainees with Disabilities" states that a learning disability (LD) is present when the person's achievement in a specific academic area is significantly below the level expected for age, schooling, and level of intelligence. In…

Bibliography

Carey, John; Dimmitt, Carey McGannon, and Carey, Wendy (2005) the Current Status of School Counseling Outcome Research. School of Education - University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Research Monograph, Number 2, May 2005.

Problem Solving and RTI: New Roles for School Psychologists by Andrea Canter, 2006, February, Communique, 34(5). Available from www.nasponline.org

Linton, Jeremy M. (1999) Perceived Therapeutic Qualities of Counselor Trainees with Disabilities. Journal of Instructional Psychology March 1999.

Elbaum, Batya; and Vaughn, Sharon (2008) Can School-Based Interventions Enhance the Self-Concept of Students with Learning Disabilities? National Center for Learning Disabilities. 2008. online available at  http://www.ncld.org/content/view/518/

block included success O achievement O dropout*, with the second block included distance learn* O distance education O distance learning*, and the third block included distance learners* O distance education*. The findings from this search activity form the foundation of this analysis.

eview of Three Library Articles

The first of the three articles that were found while completing this analysis is

Academic success among students at risk for school failure (Finn, ock, 1997) asks the question via research hypothesis what subsegments or audiences of monitory students succeed in high school and graduate while other students with comparable backgrounds do not. The survey methodology included interviews with 1,803 minority students, across a broad spectrum of ethnic and family backgrounders. The study also sought to isolate demographic and psychographic factors that could have potentially influenced the longevity of students staying in school and graduating. Secondary hypotheses were designed to quantify the specific…

References

Callaway, S., & Alflayyeh, S.. (2011). Understanding Critical Distance Learning Issues: Toward a Comprehensive Model Predicting Student Satisfaction. Information Resources Management Journal, 24(4), 61.

Jeremy D. Finn, & Donald A Rock. (1997). Academic success among students at risk for school failure. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82(2), 221-234.

Kanev, K., Kimura, S., & Orr, T.. (2009). A Framework for Collaborative Learning in Dynamic Group Environments. International Journal of Distance Education Technologies, 7(1), 58-77.

Karen Kovacs. (1998). Preventing failure at school. Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The OECD Observer,(214), 8-10.

Athletics and Academics

In the current economic climate of the United States, public institutions are finding themselves having to make harsher and harsher budget cuts. Teaching positions are minimized, class sizes are increased, and fees are rising to nearly unaffordable regions. The English Department at a certain university or high school may drop from twenty-five professors to a dozen or so. It is the harsh reality of living in an era of economic downturn. However, even as the college school would lose more and more financial assistance from the government, athletic programs at schools continue to expand and provide more and more incentives for prospective recruits. This is symptomatic of a flawed philosophy in college institutions: the ability to perform athletic skills has more importance than the ability to think. This perspective not only jades the graduating classes but teaches the wrong principles for when a student needs to learn…

Works Cited:

Larimore, David (2007). "Non-Economic Societal Impacts of Intercollegiate Athletics." The

Sport Journal. United States Sports Academy.

Meier, K.J., Eller, W.S., Marchbanks III, M.P., Robinson, S., Polinard, J.L., Wrinkle, R.D.

(2004). "A Lingering Question of Priorities: Athletic Budgets and Academic Performance Revisited. Review of Policy Research," 21(6), 799 -- 807. Retrieved from Academic Search Premier.

I am writing this appeal with the main purpose of explaining the circumstances that influenced my academic performance. At the outset, please consider the trying conditions under which I completed the academic work, rather than as an excuse for the dismal grades.

I had a very challenging time in the preceding semester, and as a result, my grades suffered. My mother, a sickle cell patient became very ill in the middle of the first semester, which sadly led to her demise. Whilst my mother was ill, I found it very difficult to find ample time to work. I was forced to take breaks and head home during the weekend, and during school days to make certain that my siblings were taken care of in terms of meals and clean clothing. I had to attend home routines and domestic tasks. These forced undertakings left me with little time for studying and…

Parental Involvement and Student Success: Article Review

Although parental involvement is usually encouraged by schools, its precise effects upon student achievement remains controversial. In the article, “A New Framework for Understanding Parental Involvement: Setting the Stage for Academic Success,” published in the RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences, Harris and Robinson (2016) offer a new framework for understanding parental involvement to permit greater systematization in comparisons of studies; their framework is called stage setting, based upon the premise that, “Stage-setters create a life space—the parameters within which the actor’s performance occurs—that corresponds with the intended action” (Harris and Robinson, 2016, p.189). This article reflects the focus of the journal, which is to solicit peer-reviewed articles from academics from fields across multiple disciplines in the social sciences. According to the journal’s published guidelines, all academics within all fields can submit research, and multidisciplinary studies which incorporate multiple…

brazenly 'sampled' from a book, the dictionary, and 'remixed' into a news story," writes Julian Sanchez in an annoyed response to court rulings on sampling in the music industry. His phrasing, however, perfectly encapsulates the real problems in defining and avoiding plagiarism. In the attempt to express my own personal understanding and interpretation of plagiarism, I quickly found that despite the most sincere attempt to develop such an interpretation was bound to failure. In a moment of sarcasm, I might express a fear of plagiarizing from the honor codes of universities across the nation if I were to merely parrot back the description of plagiarism which involves not only "using another writer's words without proper citation" (CACCAS) but also "using another writer's ideas without proper citation." (CACCAS), definitions which are used verbatim in student handbooks wherever English is spoken. The problem is more significant, however, than this flippancy might make…

Bibliography

Alberta U. "Why Students Plagiarize." Learning Services. University of Alberta. 2004.  http://www.library.ualberta.ca/guides/plagiarism/why/index.cfm 

Budge, E.A. Wallis. "The Book of the Dead." New York: Gramercy Books, 1999.

CACCAS. "Academic Honesty: Cheating and Plagiarism." Academic Honestly. Faculty Resource On Grading. 2004. http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm

Critical Art Ensemble. "Utopian Plagiarism, Hypertextuality, and Electronic Cultural Production." Critical Issues in Electronic Media. Penny, Simon, ed. New York: Suny Press, 1994, 105-118.

This raises the question of the extent to which this particular qualitative methodology is successful in terms of large generalizations.

In general, the qualitative method of data acquisition and research has many advantages over the more restrictive and rigid quantitative methodologies. Qualitative research seeks a more in-depth and holistic view of the subject and is particularly well suited in terms of taking account of the plethora of variables that may occur in the process of investigation. Quantitative research on the other hand is usually bounded by questions of measurement and invariably starts with a predetermined set of parameters about the research and is therefore restricted in terms of its contextual and investigative potential. Qualitative research is therefore more successful in education research and the social sciences; where the subjective element and the participation of the data sample group are also taken into account. Many researchers prefer this methods as they…

References

Hubbard L. 'The role of gender in academic achievement '(2005) International

Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education Vol. 18, No. 5, September-October 2005, pp. 605-623

Myers M.D. Qualitative Research in Information Systems. Retrieved June 22, 2007 at http://www.qual.auckland.ac.nz/

Qualitative Research Methods. Retrieved June 22, 2007 at  http://www.orau.gov/cdcynergy/soc2web/Content/activeinformation/tools/toolscontent/qualitativemethods.htm

twist on the usual American success story that looks at success from another angle and, contrary to the usual tale, seems to consider its achievement a form of wastage. Very much Tolstoyan in implications, the author tells about straining to reach the pinnacle of academic success, achieving that, and then finding himself regretting the huge chasm that resulted between himself and his boyhood past, between himself and his culture, and between himself and his family. Ultimately, as Tolstoy's stories indicate, simple peasant and untutored existence gives the greatest joy. The climb up the academic ladder becomes increasingly lonely until one ends up in a "quiet reading room in the British museum" in this case writing a dissertation on some remote theme that will never be read by others and surrounded by equally dour and seemingly frustrated individuals.

This is the author's one argument: that academic success may not bring the…

Reference

Rodriguez, M. (2009) "The achievement of desire" In Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle (Eds.) Rereading America (pp. 541-554) Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press

Exploiting the Interrelation Between Creativity, Intelligence, Memory and Learning to Promote Academic Achievement

One of the more mysterious aspects of the human condition concerns how some people are enormously creative throughout their lives while others appear mired in a pattern that precludes any creative thought. In many cases, high levels of creativity are also characterized by correspondingly high levels of intelligence, memory and learning abilities. While more research in this area is needed, a growing body of evidence, indicates that creativity, intelligence, memory, and learning are interrelated. To determine how with specificity, this paper provides an exploration of the interrelations of these ideas and predicts how they can best be harnessed to enhance student outcomes. Finally, a summary of the research and important findings concerning creativity, intelligence, memory and learning are presented in the conclusion.

Analysis of the interrelation of creativity, intelligence, memory, and learning

At first blush, the interrelation…

References

Bouchard, T. J. (2014, March 7). Genes, evolution and intelligence. Behavioral Genetics. DOI 10.1007/s10519-014-9646-x.

DeLellis, A. J. (1999, November). Tapping creativity in others. Training & Development, 45(11), 48-53.

Eyster, L. (2010, September). Encouraging creativity in the science lab: A series of activities designed to help students think outside the box. The Science Teacher, 77(6), 32.

Galagan, P. (2009, June). Creativity and work. Training & Development Journal, 43(6), 23-25.

I am amused when I remember my first dance lesson, and the pressure I felt until then because I was practically afraid of interacting with people I did not know. Gradually I learnt that my fear had not been justified and I even became a very sociable person thanks to the fact that I entered the world of break dancing. Not only did I learn how to dance consequent to having become accustomed with this new style of living, but I have also learnt how motivation can be a great helper in any situation. In addition to constantly improving my dance techniques, I also began to get better grades and to become more interested in accumulating information.

It is very probable that break dancing has also gotten me to apply and to be accepted at the University of California San Diego's California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS).…

academic environment students are under extreme pressure to turn assignments in on time as well and to get good grades on those assignments. Under these conditions students will often choose the path of least resistance or the easy way out and plagiarize from some document. In this essay we will briefly examine what plagiarism is and the challenges students face when attempting to avoid plagiarism. Ultimately it will be apparent that the majority of students plagiarize unintentionally and often to their great distress. While plagiarism is a serious concern, stemming the tide will require student education combined with institutional vigilance. Consequently, it is very difficult for untrained students to avoid plagiarism.

While there are many technical definitions of plagiarism, Academic Integrity (2011) suggests that plagiarism involves many variant and diverse types of behaviors. These behaviors range from the actual copying of text from another location for use in the students…

References

Academic Integrity for Students (2011). Retrieved from  http://guides.library.ualberta.ca/content.php?pid=62200&sid=457755 

Davis, S.F., Grover, C.A., Becker, A.H., & McGregor, L. N (1992). ' Academic Dishonesty',

Teaching of Psychology, 19 (1):16-20.

I see myself, either working for a company, or perhaps embarking upon my own new business and making diversity education a critical part of the workplace environment. Continuing international education must be a cornerstone of every competitive company. To do business with the world, it is necessary to be fluent in a variety of languages, cultural assumptions, and issues that transcend borders.

Given the environmental concern that has risen in the past decade, making ethical treatment of the environment by industry must also be a priority of an organization. This is sound business sense as well as ethics, as is evident by the success of companies such as Toyota. Toyota's use of hybrid technology has enabled it to gain an edge on its competition. Thinking outside the box, thinking about what the world will look like in the future, a maintaining a balance between self-interest, shareholder profits and sustainability will…

Instructional Strategy

Sam

The Encouraging Appropriate Behavior Specific Praise strategy is based on delivering positive reinforcement in the form of either verbal or written praise. It can help to foster desirable and appropriate relationships between students and instructors, and requires pedagogues to utilize a number of timely plaudits that are related to specific actions and academic behaviors for students. This strategy would be of immense benefit to Sam since he has a lengthy history of underachieving, and it would behoove him to gain attention in a classroom setting that is rewarding and for positive, on-task behaviors. Implementing this strategy with Sam would likely require utilizing a variation of types of praise with "other forms of behavior and reinforcement strategies" (Curran and the Iris Center, 2003, p. 6) since he is not used to approbation.

Criterion specific rewards serve as a preemptive means of "managing classroom behavior" ( Curran and the…

References

Curran, C and the Iris Center. (2003). Encouraging appropriate behavior. The Iris Center.  http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdf_case_studies/ics_encappbeh.pdf

Django Unchained

As a screenwriter and filmmaker, Quentin Tarantino has long been considered the ultimate auteur. His style and content are uniquely his own and are marked by edgy, graphic content along with fast, memorable dialogue. There is a rapt attention paid to pop culture and popular slang that all of Tarantino's films bear, and of late his films have paid attention to dark historical events. Inglourious Basterds (2011) focused on World War II and the multiple forms of carnage that this event encompassed. Django Unchained marks yet another foray of Tarantino into one of America's blackest historical marks: slavery. Like Basterds, Tarantino puts his unique stamp on this dreary historical subject by couching it from a unique and meaningful perspective: he portrays the events of slavery with the imprint of a slave who becomes a type of bounty hunter, and kills white men. This is strongly evocative of the…

References

Denby, D. (2013, January 22). "Django Unchained": PUT-ON, REVENGE, AND THE AESTHETICS OF TRASH. Retrieved from Newyorker.com:  http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/01/django-unchained-reviewed-tarantinos-crap-masterpiece.html 

Foster, G. (2004, May). Intersectionality, Worldwide and Other Pages. Retrieved from Udayton.edu:  http://academic.udayton.edu/race/02rights/slavery06a.htm 

Tarantino, Q. (Director). (2012). Django Unchained [Motion Picture].

Academic and Professional Development

A scholar-practitioner in clinical research administration is someone who can actively apply academic research to his or her mindful practice in the field and affect the lives of patients in a positive way and who can also use clinical knowledge, experience, and wisdom to inform his or her academic practice. In other words, he or she can enjoy 'the best of both worlds' and merge practice and theory. The practice of medicine is ultimately designed to help people in the real world, so there should always be a dialogue or permeable relationship between scholarship and research. The clinical research administrator embodies this ideal. I see this in my own work and also the work of others. One of the strengths of master's level research is that it enables a nurse to function both as a scholar and also to continue to work effectively in the field…

Academic Outcomes of Children With ADHD

ADHD Literature eview

Improving the Academic Outcomes of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Improving the Academic Outcomes of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2014) Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition recognizable by attention deficits, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that manifest across multiple settings. The most recent version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V) describes ADHD as consisting of inattention, and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity, severe enough to interfere with day-to-day functioning and development. Common symptoms of inattention include poor listening skills, frequent mistakes, disorganized, avoidance of mentally challenging tasks, distracted, and forgetful. Hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms include fidgeting, inappropriate physical activity, excessive talking, interrupting others, and an inability to play quietly. Children suffering from ADHD would therefore have a difficult time succeeding academically.

If ADHD were rare this would not be a significant…

References

CDC. (2013). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Data & statistics. Retrieved from  http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html .

CDC. (2014). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Symptoms and diagnosis. Retrieved from  http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/diagnosis.html .

Dang, M.T., Warrington, D., Tung, T., Baker, D., & Pan, R.J. (2007). A school-based approach to early identification and management of students with ADHD. Journal of School Nursing, 23(1), 2-12.

DuPaul, G., & Power, T.J. (2008). Improving school outcomes for students with ADHD: Using the right strategies in the context of the right relationships. Journal of Attention Disorders, 11(5), 519-21.

Marital Success

The high divorce rates in First World nations have encouraged researchers, family counselors, and religious advocates to investigate the core foundations for the creation of a successful marriage. Starting in the 1960s, evolving social context ultimately shifted the rationale in why individuals choose to marry, and over time, divorce has come to be viewed as the preferred alternative to an unhappy marriage. One main fundamental principle to achieve marital success is to recognize women desire love, while men simultaneously need respect to feel fulfilled within the relationship. Emotional intelligence within a relationship and acknowledging various marital myths also contribute to the fundamental elements of marital success. Dissociating from marital myths and misconceptions is an essential part to understanding the true foundations for a happy and successful marriage. Appreciating and understanding how attachment styles affect marital relationships is also essential. These beliefs and attachment styles contribute to the marital…

References

Eggerichs, E. (2004). Love and Respect: The Love She Desires, The Respect He Desperately

Needs. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

Gottman, J. (1993). A Theory of Marital Dissolution and Stability. Journal of Family

Psychology, 7(1), p. 57-75.

Team Plan Strategy for Program Implementation

Success University (SU) a medium sized undergraduate institution located Southern California. SU offers Associates Bachelors programs Business, Psychology Education San Moreno campus online. SU decided launch programs Fall.

Strategies for as unified team

The members of the task force team will be selected internally to maintain the university culture and ensure that the team does not need training on the values, mission and vision of the university.

Strategies for as unified team

Including an already existing employee base will also boost their morale and ensure commitment to projects needs. The need for recruiting internally is because the ability of the faculty members is known and one can easily target them for an ideal position. The proposed members of staff to form the task force will also go through a vetting process from their colleagues. This will further go to advice the leader on the…

References

Balmer, J.M.T. (2001). Corporate Identity, Corporate Branding and corporate marketing European Journal of Marketing 34(4), 248-291.

Barney J.B., & Hesely W.S. (2008). strategic management and competitive advantage concepts and cases second eds. upper saddle river: pearson prentice-hall.

Lorenzen M. (2006). Strategic Planning for Academic Library Instructional Programming. Illinois West Publishing.

Michael A., & Jude K. (2005). Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations. Second Edition. . Australia: John Wiley and Sons.

Academic Success for Children

hat are some best practices that can improve the academic performance of children? This journal entry reviews scholarly literature that presents ideas for best practices regarding how children can achieve academic success. Also, the reasons for the statistical diversity within the diverse student population -- what causes the gap between achievers and those who struggle?

Is it Nature or Nurture?

There is no shortage of opinions when it comes to this issue, but an article in the New Scientist suggests it is more nature than nurture. Journalist Andy Coghlan reports on a study of twins conducted by the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College in the UK that claims academic success is based more on a child's genetic makeup than the environment the child is growing up in. The researchers tested 5,474 sets of twins -- 2,008 of those sets were identical -- and determined that…

Works Cited

Coghlan, A. (2013). Nature more than nurture determines exam success. New Scientist,

Retrieved April 27, 2014, from  http://www.newscientist.com .

Jensen, E. (2009). Chapter 2: How Poverty Affects Behavior and Academic Performance.

ASCD. Retrieved April 27, 2014, from  http://www.ascd.org .

(p. 88) Boys and girls also respond differently to stress, threat and confrontation, as girls are more likely to shy away from confrontation while boys seem to at times be motivated by it. (p. 88-89) Lastly, one of the most important issues of gender differences that effect education is in relation to social interactive differences, boys feel less of a need to connect with others in a social way while girls are driven by friendships and social engagement. In school this fact effects relationships with teachers and others to such a degree that it challenges their ability to learn in the current system, yet this is not something that should be altered the system needs to be altered to meet this different need. (p. 84) (Lundy & Firebaugh, 2005, p. 233) one suggestion, easily implemented that will alter the dynamic of the success of boys in a situation where peer…

References

Abboud, S.K. & Kim, J.Y. (2005) Top of the Class: How Asian Parents Raise High Acheivers and How you can too. Berkley, CA: Berkley Trade.

Barnett, R. Rivers, C. (2005) Same Differences. New York: basic Books.

A www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=108418001

Connolly, P. (2004). Boys and Schooling in the Early Years. New York: RoutledgeFalmer.

It needs to be well understood because just like knowledge, ingorance cannot be talked about without basing on some individual or group. It should therfore be negotiated soically because it is socially constructed. Ignorance is treated indiscriminately and unitary whereby terms like uncertainity, ambiguity and vagueness are considered synonymous by most writing on disaster.Turner together with several other writers in the fields of disasters and hazards refer to about three ignorance senses consisting of distortion which he also calls misinformation, incompleteness and irrelevance whereby relevant information is discounted and overlooked. In order to prevent disasters, there are various ways in information which would be need is classified. The things which are not known; what is known but not entirely appreciated; something which someone knows but does not present it collectively with other information in a timely manner when there will be realization of its significance and action of its message…

References

Auf der Heide, E. (1989). Disaster Response: Principles of Preparation and Coordination. St.

Louis: C.R. Mosely.

Britton, N. (1999). Whither the emergency manager?" International Journal of Mass

Emergencies and Disaster, 17(3), 223-36.

Interscholastic Sports & Academics

hat effect if any do interscholastic sports have on a young person's academic achievements? A great deal of the literature indicates that playing interscholastic sports can help a student become more proficient and successful in his or her academic pursuits. This paper references studies that present the facts regarding the mainly positive effects that interscholastic sports can have on a middle school or high school student's success in the classroom.

An article in Kappa Delta PI Record (Lumpkin, et al., 2010, p. 124) references the National Federation of State High School Associations' (NFHS) data that shows "…more than 7,000,000 interscholastic athletes in the United States" are doing better academically than students that are not out for sports. Lumpkin refers to NFHS data that shows: a) those seven million students overall "have higher grade-point averages"; b) they also have "lower dropout rates, better daily attendance, and fewer…

Works Cited

Din, Feng S. (2006). Sport Activities vs. Academic Achievement for Rural High School

Students. National Forum of Applied Educational Research Journal-Electronic, 19(3E),

1-10.

Lumpkin, Angela, and Stokowski, Sarah. (2011). Interscholastic Sports: A Character-Building

The relevant system administrator will gain an understanding of the client needs and be able to re-orient the system facility to accommodate the different need of use. Frustration emanating from use incapability can be dealt with appropriately through the trainings. Faculty members and students can learn from experts how to face up with the challenge of access.

When using virtual access point to library document, it is essential that the experience appear similar to physical access to library document. The relevance in this is to make the use preferred owing to it flexibility. E-resources need to offer the end user flexibility not to visit the physical library to access the information. The web-based resource makes multiple accesses to similar resource possible and this reduces the congestion in the physical library facilities. The ease of congestion will serve to improve the learners experience as-well-as reduce the workload to source moderators.

Available…

long-term success in your specific area of interest. How have your previous experiences prepared you for this professional career? What areas of specialization within the Carroll School of Management do you believe will be most valuable in achieving your goals? What specific short-term career objectives have you set to assist you in achieving your long-term career plans?

I will never feel successful if success means putting up my feet and feeling satisfied. I don't work that way. I will only feel successful for small moments, like when I solve a huge problem in my company or when we avert trouble: when we can turn around a failing operation or stay afloat in spite of falling stock prices. Personally, I could be working in a behind-the-scenes managerial position in a company that I cared about and even if my salary was not great I would be successful because every day I…

In managing a multinational company in the food products industry, it is essential to implement a solid knowledge management system to ensure that as much relevant information as possible is handled in the most effective manner. Issues that must be addressed to ensure the safety of the product and that optimum delivery to consumers is possible include: sanitation, where workers may eat and drink, conflict resolution, how in-house teams will conduct business, how online teams will facilitate the organization, security, and emergency evacuation procedures. This paper will discuss the key benefits of creating a best practice policy on each of these described issues and will speculate on the major ramifications if such policies are not created. This paper will also predict the significant ways in which the best practices policy created here will contribute towards the long-term sustainability of the company. Finally this paper will determine whether or not the…

successfully navigate throughout the academic processes of today's educational system, it is very important to determine value within the sources of information that higher education needs and promotes. It is important to examine not only the information contained within articles, but their sense of argument and their direction should also be included in determining qualitative value and utility. The purpose of this essay is to examine a scholarly article to determine its value. In addition this exercise will be useful in sharpening observation skills and honing necessary skepticism that is necessary for any good scholar or scientist.

International marketing is a more recent study of knowledge then mathematics or chemistry. It can therefore be understood as a relatively new and fresh idea. It is important to keep this in mind when analyzing scholarly articles to add certain context and historical value to the evaluation process. The article I've chosen to…

Works Cited

De Mooij, Hofstede, G. Cross-Cultural Consumer Behavior: A Reviewof Research Findings.

Journal of International Marketing, 2011. Received from:

 http://mariekedemooij.com/articles/demooij_2011_int_journal_cons_marketing.pdf

Determining the ranking of mutually exclusive projects is another step used by firms in the decision making process. Investments are determined on an annual basis by a business's board in agreement with and limited by the company's spending budget for the year. Once the capital budgeting and sensitivity analysis reports are complete on all projects, the projects are then reviewed on additional factors such as overall purpose within the company, and are ranked from best to worst (Bacon, 1977). Those projects that fail to meet certain numerical hurdles are simply eliminated from the list and not considered by an investment board. Some decisions may be close to certain numerical hurdles but also have other overarching reasons for acceptance. Some examples may include investments for improvements in compliance with legislation. These investments must be done regardless of their overall worth, and typically are more beneficial to a company if done sooner…

References

Bacon, Peter (1977). The Evaluation of Mutually Exclusive Investments. Financial Management. Vol 6.2, 55-58.

Barney, Dwayne; Danielson, Morris (2004). Ranking Mutally Exclusive Projects: The Role of Duration. The Engineering Economist. Vol 49.1, 43-61.

Mills, Geofrey (1996). The Impact of Inflation on Capital Budgeting and Working Capital. Journal of Financial and Strategic Decisions. Vol 9.1, 79-87.

Pannell, D.J. (1997). Sensitivity analysis of normative economic models: Theoretical framework and practical strategies. Agricultural Economics. 16, 139-152.

education essential to my success. Since returning to school at XXX College of XXX, I have worked very hard to not only learn all I could from the courses, but to apply my knowledge to my professional life. Because my profession is in the financial industry, I believe that the degree program in Management Studies will be very helpful.

Unfortunately, I had to leave school because I was no longer able to afford tuition. I went into the workforce so that I could earn money for college and reflect on what I wanted from my university experience. I was very shy and reserved in my early college years and found it difficult to find my way in large universities. Because I came from a small private all girls' school, I was out of my comfort zone while attending a large university.

The working world taught me some lessons. I learned…

Mora and Lim's Success And Failures In Defining American Identity

People from different, cultures, countries, and ethnicities have long viewed America as the land of opportunity. Pat Mora and Shirley Geok-Lin Lim offer differing views of what it means to be an American and how they define being an American. Because of their differing ethnic and cultural backgrounds, Mora and Lim conflict in their definitions of American identity. In "Immigrants," Mora explores American stereotypes of identity while simultaneously examining immigrant fears of assimilation and acceptance. In "Learning to Love America," Lim analyzes what America represents and how she views herself within American culture and society. Through a comparison of tone, theme, and definition of identity, Lim's poem and how she views herself is much more successful than Mora's poem and formation of identity.

Tone plays a major role in establishing Mora and Lim's perspective of America. Mora's "Immigrants" is reflective…

Works Cited

Lim, Shirley Goek-Lin. "Learning to Love America." from Exploring Literature. Ed. Frank

Madden. 5th Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: AB Longman, 2012. pp 958.

Mora, Pat. "Immigrants." from Exploring Literature. Ed. Frank Madden. 5th Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: AB Longman, 2012. pp 959.

Higher education is the foundation for growth within our global economy. Students who properly utilized the system to its fullest extent, garner life altering skills and abilities. These skills, which are often transferable from industry to industry further, enhance the quality of life for society (Jacks, 1932). Academic advising is critical to this process, facilitating the development of talent for organizations. These organizations, in turn, create goods and services that provide a compelling value proposition for the consumer. Without the aid of higher education, and the subsequent benefits derived from participation, many of these individuals would not have made the significant contributions to society that they have. It is therefore logical to continue to preserve the higher education system so that the next generation of students can further enhance the quality of life for society. Education is now becoming paramount to individual economic success. The need for companies to hire…

References:

1. Broadbridge, A (1996). "Academic advising -- traditional or developmental approaches?." British Journal of Guidance & Counseling 24 (1): 97-111

2. Butler, S., Marsh, H., & Sheppard, J. (1985). Seven-year longitudinal study of the early prediction of reading achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 77, 349-361

3. Crookston, B.B. (2009). "A Developmental View of Academic Advising as Teaching." NACADA Journal 29 (1): 78-82.

4. Drake, J.K. (2011). "The role of academic advising in student retention and persistence.." About Campus 16 (3): 8-12

Success: Make College Easier, Fire Up Your Dreams, and Get a Great Job & #8230; by Patrick Combs and Jack Canfield

In the first ten chapters of their book, Combs and Canfield emphasize the importance of entering and completing college, but stress that the process is not sufficiently rewarding unless students take advantage of this opportunity and actively seek out the knowledge they need to succeed in the workplace. Although opportunities in the United States may be limited by family background or intelligence, the authors point out that the ability to master a skill is not. The distinguishing ability to master a skill is an overwhelming desire that characterizes those with extraordinary drive. In other words, Combs and Canfield encourage their readers to pursue a career field for which they have a passion. For instance, in chapter one, Combs and Canfield write, "Working in a career you love is ESSENTIAL…

Learning and Motivation Strategies for Success in College

This reflection essay relates to the learning and the goal-setting theory coupled with the insights I gained while attending my nursing classes. I have begun my study by detailing how my career in nursing has evolved while participating in various learning activities. The subsequent sections present a description of motivational attributes of an effective teaching strategy implemented in classroom setting. The study also offers a summary of the strategies that can be adopted in order to make a successful learning experience in college.

I attended an educational system where schooling was based on traditional teaching systems. Teaching approaches were similar to the approach of a "banking model." The school's procedure depicted the teachers' roles as depositing correct information to the learners to a point that it was needed. I began preparing for an end or term exam in my first year in…

References

Blerkom, D., (2011). College Study Skills: Becoming a Strategic Learner. New York: Cengage Learning

Intercollegiate Athletics Program Guarantee the Success of a College?

Intercollegiate athletics programs are a common feature in most colleges, and many of these programs have been shown to contribute to the education and development of the young people who participate in them. Moreover, intercollegiate athletics programs, especially men's football and basketball, are major revenue generators through ticket sales for many educational institutions. In many cases, colleges that feature high-profile intercollegiate athletics programs enjoy the benefits of these programs through increased revenues and publicity. Even the best intercollegiate athletics program, though, cannot guarantee the success of a college for the reasons identified through a review of the relevant peer-reviewed and scholarly literature which is provided below, followed by a summary of the research and important findings in the conclusion.

Review and Discussion

Intercollegiate athletics programs in the United States are divided into various divisions (i.e., Division 1A and 1AA), with the…

Works Cited

Enoch, Jessica and Glenn, Cheryl. Making Sense, 3rd ed. Bedford/St. Martin's.

Fizel, J. And Fort, Rodney. Economics of College Sports. Westport, CT: Praeger.

Jones, A. (2009). "Athletics, Applications & Yields." College and University 85(2): 10-12.

Losco, Joseph and Fife, Brian L. Higher Education in Transition: The Challenges of the New

Extra-Curricular Activities in elation to Career Success

EXTA-CUICULA ACTIVITIES ELATION CAEE SUCCESS

Over the last one decade, employers have changed from the conventional interviews of the potential employees to a more complex and viable recruitment process. Initially, employers would only consider the academic qualifications of candidates against the job requirement. This mode of recruitment neglected very many viable skills in candidates that were not available in their academic certificates and result slips. Employment entails good interpersonal relationships with the clients as well as revealing high levels of expertise on the job performance. Following the revolution in the world of employment, most organizations have not based their recruitment process on not only examining candidates' academic qualifications against job requirement, but also the soft skills of a candidate. Soft skills refer to the personality traits of an individual. This discussion aims at establishing the importance of extra-curriculum activities in building one's career…

References

Erin Massoni. (2011). Positive Effects of Extra Curriculum Activities on Students: Vol 9. College of Dupage

Salovey, P., Brackett, M. A., & Mayer, J. D. (2004). Emotional intelligence: Key readings on the Mayer and Salovey model. Port Chester, NY: Dude Pub.

Vermeulen, L. (2008). learning environment, learning process, academic outcomes, and career success in university graduates. Netherlands: Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Yew ming chia. (2003). Job offers of multinational accounting firms. UK: University of Eidinburgh.

Preschool Is Essential to Success

Many people intuitively believe that preschool is not an essential prerequisite for children to be successful. It is often perceived as something that is nice for the parents and fun for the children. Often these perceptions will also include a socializing value to preschool but not necessarily an academic value. For example, a common perception is that children at this age will benefit from socializing with their peers but will receive less in academic benefits that will propel and young child's academic career. At this age the material covered is relatively simple material that is often viewed as non-essential or something that can easily be learned later in the child's education. Although this perception is quiet common, there are several studies that suggest that early education is in fact valuable to the child's development; both socially and academically.

One popular study that is often cited…

Works Cited

High Scope. (2005). HighScope Perry Preschool Study. Retrieved from High Scope:  http://www.highscope.org/Content.asp?ContentId=219 

The Carolina Abecedarian Project. (N.d.). Major Findings. Retrieved from The Carolina Abecedarian Project:  http://abc.fpg.unc.edu/ major-findings

The Carolina Abecedarian Project. (N.d.). The Abecedarian Project. Retrieved from The Carolina Abecedarian Project:

social modeling and academic self-Efficacy: The moderating role of academic motivation.

Within the learning environment, the student is required to engage in variant levels of personal responsibility to ensure success. Academic self-efficacy consequently is an important consideration for the improvement of student performance at multiple levels. This study considers the relationship between social modeling and academic self-efficacy. This relationship is moderated by academic motivation. Using an experimental design a sample of 100 undergraduate students were exposed to the treatment. The data were collected using questionnaires using the Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) and the College Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (CASES). t is anticipated that the students who received the treatment will demonstrate significantly higher levels of self-efficacy. Additionally, students who were intrinsically motivated demonstrated significantly higher levels of self-efficacy. The learning experience therefore requires an understanding of what is occurring within the mind of the student. Personal factors are critical to improving…

Implications for Education

Education can be said to be the foundation of our society, as it molds children and adolescents for life after school, and provides them with the necessary skills and tools to survive in that life. Knowing more about the psychology influencing how students learn could improve our education system by giving us the tools to change curricula and policies to facilitate better and faster learning. It might help us to understand both under- and over-achievers so that we may better serve their specific needs, in addition to an overall better understanding of learning. As an important part of our society as a whole, education deserves much more scrutiny than we afford it, particularly in the realm of educational psychology.

Currently our educational model measures academic performance via assigned work and tests designed to demonstrate subject mastery. It is, however, an indirect measure of subject mastery because simply testing a few choice facts or skills does not necessarily give one a comprehensive view of the individual's true understanding of the concept. Studies suggest that performance demonstration oriented learning environments stifle intrinsic academic motivation (the inner desire to learn),and promotes extrinsic academic motivation, which is the opposite -- seeing education as merely a means to an end (Deci, 1985).For example, to a student who is extrinsically motivated, getting a good grade on the

Perception, Success Rates and Barriers that Face E-Learning in Saudi Arabia

Analysis Based on Response

Below is a table showing the comparative analysis of two UAE universities, King Saud University and Tabouk University. The comparisons are done on a Likert scale (based on the scale formations agree, disagree, neither, strongly agree and strongly disagree) on the respondents views on whether or not E-Learning is a Useful Addition to the academic structure

E-learning is a useful addition

Row Labels

King Saud

Tabouk

Grand Total

Agree

Disagree

Neither agree nor diagree

Strongly agree

Strongly disagree

Grand Total

Below is a graphical representation showing the comparative analysis of two UAE universities, King Saud University and Tabouk University. The comparisons are done on a Likert scale (based on the scale formations agree, disagree, neither, strongly agree and strongly disagree) on the respondents views on whether or not E-Learning is a Useful Addition to the…

The most successful training programs are concentrating on the cognitive side of emotions, specifically evaluating how leaders can provide individualized attention and support to help subordinates prioritize tasks, focus their efforts, organize their time and resources and attain a higher level of performance. The transition of managers into leaders is also determined by the level of trust the latter is able to create and sustain through greater authenticity and genuineness of interaction with subordinates. No longer directing activities in the short-term, a leader with a sufficiently high level of EI interprets acts on and promotes the vision the organization is attempting to accomplish by taking a much focused path to their fulfillment. This can only happen when a leader has a strong focus on the needs of the team while also underscoring the urgency to focus on and achieve goals. Transactionally-oriented leaders struggle with this trade-off of task orientation to…

References:

Antonakis, J., & House, R.J. (2002). The full-Range Leadership Theory: The Way Forward. In B.J. Avolio & F.J. Yammarino (Eds.) Transformational and Charismatic Leadership, Volume 2, p. 3 -- 33. Boston: JAI Press.

Avolio, B.J., & Yammarino, F.J. (2002). Introduction to, and Overview of, Transformational and Charismatic Leadership. In B.J. Avolio & F.J. Yammarino (Eds.) Transformational and Charismatic Leadership, Volume 2, p. xvii -- xxiii. Boston: JAI Press.

Bar-on, R. (1997). The Emotional Intelligence Inventory (EQ-I): Technical manual. Toronto: Multi-Health Systems.

Bass, B.M. (1985). Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectations. New York: The Free Press.

"Reponses given were on a 5-point Likert scale anchored at the extremes by strongly disagree and strongly agree." (Marcos, Miguel, Oliva, and Calvo. 2009, p.1) the results reported "show a significant relationship between team members' perceptions of efficacy and each of the four sociogram factors, with correlations exceeding .30 in each case and in the hypothesized direction." (Marcos, Miguel, Oliva, and Calvo. 2009, p.1) Individual self-efficacy in relation to the link with cohesion factors resulted in findings as follows:

"…individual level self-efficacy was significantly correlated with each of the cohesion dimensions except for unity of purpose. Self-efficacy by itself was only significantly related to positive social relations, and to the two cohesion dimensions of teamwork and attraction to group." (Marcos, Miguel, Oliva, and Calvo. 2009, p.1)

Also found to be among the cohesion factors were relationships and teamwork is reported to have had "a significant relationship with the rest of…

Bibliography

Bandura, a. (1997) Self-efficacy: the exercise of control. Freeman, New York.

Bandura, a. (2006) Guide to the construction of self-efficacy scales. in: Self-efficacy beliefs of adolescents. Eds: Pajares, F. And Urdan, T. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing. 5, 307-337.

Carron, a.V. And Brawley, L.R. (2000) Cohesion: Conceptual and measurement issues. Small Group Research331, 89-106.

Carron, a.V., Colman, M.M., Wheeler, J. And Stevens, D. (2002) Cohesion and performance in sport: A meta analysis. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology 224, 168-188.

FIBA world championship

Factors Determining Success in the FIBA orld Championship

Since the last decade basketball has become a popular sport and it has gained growing amount of interest from the general public, fans, scientists, media and academic researchers as well. It is a sport that provides the people with elevating amount of excitement and entertainment. (Koh and John et al. 1-12)

Basketball can be regarded as one of the most popular games in the world. It is regarded as a game in which the most number of things occur per second as compared to any of the other games. It is indicated by a number of studies that more than 70 million people play basketball and about 210 countries are members of FIBA. (Kamble and Daulatabad et al. 1404-1406)

It has, however, been observed by a number of researchers that the physical and psychological characteristics of successful players and…

Works cited

Deshaies, P. Mental Preparation: A Key to Success in Officiating. Mies: FIBA: International Basketball Federation, 2003. 40-43.

Fattorini, I. Body Composition and Vertical Jump Performance in Junior Players. Mies: FIBA: International Basketball Federation, 2005. 57-58.

FIBA: International Basketball Federation. "Fcom - About FIBA - history - Quick facts." FIBA.COM, 2013. Web. 6 Dec 2013. .

Foran, B. Conditioning: The Key to Success. Mies: FIBA: International Basketball Federation, 2003. 59-60.

ecruitment and Selection Techniques contribute to the Success of an Organization

ecruitment is a form of business contest and it is fiercely competitive. Organizations have to be strategic in order to attract and retain top talent to positions in the company. Competition between companies have become even more fierce and companies are doing all that they can to get the best talent for their organizations. Hence, it is important to have a well-defined recruitment policy in place, which can be executed effectively to get the best fits for the vacant positions. Selecting the wrong candidate or rejecting the right candidate could turn out to be costly mistakes for the organization. Companies understand that having the right people will definitely be difference between success and failure. ecruitment and selection is an ongoing process (Wilson, 2013). Businesses determine the present and future requirement of the organization and increase the success rate of…

References

Alder, M. (2011). Redefining Social Recruiting for 2011.

Blizzard, D. (2013). Honing your hiring. Journal of Accountancy, December (2013).

Bowen, D.E., Ledford, G.E., & Nathan, B.R. (1991). Hiring for the organization, not the job. The Executive, 5(4), 35-51. doi: 10.5465/ame.1991.4274747

Brundage, H., & Koziel, M. (2010). Retaining top talent. Journal of Accountancy, May (2010), 38-44.

ECM Strategies

The Age of Marketing has undergone a profound paradigm change over the last few decades. Instead of advertising and product driving the market, globalism has both shrunk the borders of economics and made products far more available worldwide. With this availability of production and shipping comes the inevitable -- hyper competition. What then, are organizations to do to keep their sales and marketing edge? Because of the number of choices today's consumers have, the organization must differentiate itself in some manner that appeals to a specific customer base -- and to hope that base is large enough to fulfill its internet profit needs. The answer for many organizations has been the development of enhanced customer management systems, collectively known as e-CM (electronic customer relations management). This powerful tool organizes the individual organization's customers, uses appropriate contact and data manning protocols, and amasses information in a way that allows…

References

1. Chen, Q & Chen, H 2004, 'Exploring the success factors of eCRM strategies in practice', Journal of Database Marketing and Customer Strategy Management, vol 11, no. 4, pp. 333-43.

2. Holmen, E 2010, CRM: Customer Relationship Mobile, viewed August 2011,  http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol9/issue4/lawson_body.html .

3. Lawson-Body, A & Limayem, M 2004, The Impact of Customer Relationship Management on Customer Loyalty, viewed August 2011,

Parent Involvement and Student Achievement

Parental Involvement and Student Academic Achievement

TA administration and staff believe schools are seeing a decrease in parental involvement as students enter high school. Research conducted by the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Dropout Prevention Resource Guide (2008) has demonstrated the positive effects of parental involvement in schools.

Parental involvement in the eighth grade had a strong positive effect on the grade point average of 10th graders (Keith, T.Z., Keith, Quirk, Sperduto, Santillo, & Killings, 1998). In contrast, Balen and Moles (1994) and Hurst (2002) suggest when parents have a positive attitude regarding education and demonstrate trust that their children can do well, children perform better in school. However, parental involvement tends to decrease as students become older (p. 3).

Problem Statement

Historical and current studies have investigated the impact of parental involvement and student achievement. Diverse studies have considered how well students perform academically…

On a much larger sample of children (6,400 Americans, 14-18 years old) (Steinberg, 1992) conducted within the same two years that the previous researchers had started their study (1987-1988), Steinberg et al. (1992) found that parental involvement is more likely to promote adolescent school success as long as this academic involvement occurred in the context of an authoritative home environment.

This study was structured so as to examine long-term parenting style, including parental academic involvement with school performance in a sample of high school youth. Nine high schools from Wisconsin and North California were used in this study (Steinberg, 1992). Diversity was achieved as far as possible between different communities, ethnic population, family structures, and socioeconomic status levels. Self-report surveys were filled out by the students on two days of survey administration during the schools years of 1987-1988 and of 1988-1989 (Hill, 2004). In this case, I agree with the emphasis on self-reporting but the analytical framework, again, needs to be much stronger for truly measuring student perceptions as that is where the core of the mechanisms emerges.

The standard active consent form for ethical procedures was not used here since studies have shown that it would screen out individuals with possibly disengaged parents and it was precisely these individuals whom the researchers wished to include. Their procedure, therefore, was to request active consent from adolescents and passive consent from parents

Eliot, L. (2009, Septmber 8). Girl Brain, Boy Brain? Retrieved November 2010, from Scientific American: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=girl-brain-boy-brain&page=3

This article takes a number of academic studies and syntheizes into a more popular explanation and format. The author acknowledges that there are verified physical and morphiological differences between the male and female brain, but also strongly suggests that these are predispositions, and it is the experience and social/cultural expectations that help male and female behaviors become dominant.

urphy and Gipps. (1996). Equity in the Classroom: Towards Effective Pedagogy for Girls and Boys. London: Falmer Press.

This book takes a global perspective in assessing gender difference in the school system, finding that traditionally, girls have more limited opportunities, but tend to outperform boys both socially and intellectually. Because this is global in scope, it has a broader socio-cultural approach and shows how traditional values within a culture often contribute to a widening of the…

Murphy and Gipps. (1996). Equity in the Classroom: Towards Effective Pedagogy for Girls and Boys. London: Falmer Press.

Sadker, S. (1994). Failing at Fairness: How Our Schools Cheat Girls. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Wood, Murko and Nopoulos. (2008). Ventral Frontal Cortex in Children. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 3(2), 168-76.

Optimal Individualized Education Program for a Special Needs Student

Special education leaders today are required to fully understand the optimal approaches to developing individualized education programs (IEPs) in general and IEPs for special needs students in particular. Developing optimal IEPs also requires a comprehension of the team operation, eligibility criteria, assessment procedures, and community support systems. To determine the facts about these issues, this paper reviews the relevant literature as it applies to a young learner in a middle school who is struggling to overcome his behavioral and learning deficits. This review is followed by a summary of the research and important findings concerning IEP development in the conclusion.

Discussion concerning the student, current placement, and the school

Like a growing number of other young learners, 12-year-old Johnny Morris, a sixth-grade student, is experiencing behavioral and learning problems that have required special accommodations in the classroom. To date, though, these…

References

Bernas, K. (2015, January 3). Plan to cut poverty unveiled. Winnipeg Free Press, 9.

Darden, E. C. (2013, March). What's so special about an IEP? Phi Delta Kappan, 94(6), 66-71.

Houston Independent School District (HISD) v. Bobby R., Joyce R., & Caius R., 200 F.3d 341 No. 98-20546 (5th Cir. 2000).

McBride, G. & Dumont, R. (2011). Essentials of IDEA for assessment professionals. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Amato & Baca (1989) note that throughout history bilingual education has shifted multiple times, from "nonbiased native-language assessments" to specific services directly related to a student's special needs and bilingual ability (168). Many consider the field of bilingual special education one that is emerging and growing. Baca & Cervantes (1989) note a need for a bilingual special education "interface" exists that incorporates training for special education students and teachers (168). Amato & Baca (1989) observe that certain teacher competencies are clearly necessary for bilingual special education teachers, competencies that must be more clearly defined. Neuman & oskos (1997) and other researchers including Gonzalez-Bueno (2003) suggest promoting literacy among bilingual special education students should be a primary concern for educators. They suggest use of a bilingual alphabet will help facilitate this process.

Jackson-Maldonado (1999) suggests that multiple factors may impact bilingual special education student's ability to excel including student's socio-economic status…

References

Amato, C. & Baca, L. 1989. Bilingual Special Education: Training Issues. Exceptional Children, 56.2, 168.

Correa, V.I., Figueroa, R.A. & Fradd, S.H. 1989. Bilingual special education and this special issue. Exceptional Children, 56.2, 174+

Gonzalez-Bueno. 2003. Literacy activities for Spanish-English bilingual children. The Reading Teacher, 57(2); 180

Jackson-Maldonado. 1999. Early language assessment for Spanish-speaking children.

Outliers

People are fascinated by success stories, especially the rags-to-riches stories wherein someone starts from nothing and, through a combination of hard work and extraordinary luck, becomes famous and rich. In his book Outliers: The Story of Success, author Malcolm Gladwell profiles a number of individuals who have been tremendously successful. Some of the names are well-known: Bill Gates, the Beatles, obert Oppenheimer. The stories of their success are much more complex and interesting than one could ever imagine. Gladwell also provides plenty of examples of people for whom success has been elusive. They appear to have much in their favor and yet circumstances such as culture, class, family and even date of birth relegated them to an existence of missed opportunities and mediocrity. Talent, hard work and luck are certainly components of success but, as Gladwell shows, the back story is often richer and more complicated.

In the beginning…

References

Gladwell's Outliers: Timing is almost everything. (2008). BusinessWeek 11/20/08. Retrieved from  http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_48/b4110110545672.htm 

Gladwell, M. (2008). Outliers: The story of success. New York: Little, Brown.