Zero Tolerance Policy

The zero tolerance policy strives to reduce violence in schools and make schools a safer place for students. Anne Atkinson, a member of the Virginia Board of Education defines zero tolerance as a â€Å"policy that mandates predetermined consequences or punishments for specified offenses. † The policy first became effective in 1989, but grew most rapidly in 1994 when the Gun- Free Schools Act was passed (1). There are many controversies about the zero tolerance policy including whether or not the policy is effective in reducing violence in schools, whether or not schools are trying to handle disciplinary actions in a fair manner, and whether or not all students are treated equally when punishments are determined. While many supporters, such as school administration, believe that the zero tolerance policy is necessary in schools, those who oppose the policy, such as parents, believe that the policy is unfair and ineffective in schools. Those who support the zero tolerance policy believe that the policy is effective in reducing violence in school. Atkinson argues that â€Å"strict policies are needed to send a clear message and are designed to protect students† (2). Agreeing with Atkinson, Richard Curwin and Allen Mendler, scholars on the zero tolerance policy, believe that by using the zero tolerance policies, it is evident to students that aggressive behavior is unacceptable. By allowing the students to realize that misbehavior will not be tolerated, students become more likely to obey the rules and cooperate with schools (1). According to the National Center for Children Exposed to Violence (NCCEV), 17. 1% of students carried weapons at school and 71% of elementary and secondary schools have experienced at least one violent crime by a student. A nationwide survey suggested that 15% of students have been involved in a physical fight on school grounds. By using the zero tolerance policy, those students who are violent in school are expelled or suspended, resulting in schools becoming a safer environment for students and teachers (3). Although defenders of the zero tolerance policy agree that they policies are effective, those who oppose the policy do not believe that the policies are effective in reducing school violence. People who are against the zero tolerance policy agree that the policy is ineffective in reducing school violence. Members of the American Psychological Association (APA), the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States, agree that schools are no safer and more effective in teaching discipline that before the zero tolerance policy in the 1980s. They also agree that school violence is not out of control, so zero tolerance policies are not necessary (1). Russell Skiba, chairman of the Indiana Education Policy Center and Reece Peterson, a scholar on the zero tolerance policy, conducted statistics that show â€Å"violent crimes occurred at an annual rate of fifty-three per one hundred thousand students. Because evidence shows that violence rates are not out of control, critics argue that there are many other alternatives that can be used to promote a safer environment for students and teachers (2). According to the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), some alternatives that reduce violence in schools include a prevention curriculum, help from school workers, counselors, and psychologists, and parental/family involvement (3). Whether the policy is effective or ineffective is only one aspect of the controversy; there are many other controversies that occur within the policy. Whether schools are handling disciplinary action in a fair manner is a main controversy when discussing the zero tolerance policy. Russell Skiba believes that the way in which schools punish students is fair. He thinks that rash punishments improve overall student behavior and discipline. Skiba acknowledges the fact that harsh disciplinary actions are determined by the degree of the student’s violent actions (29). While some people agree that schools are just when using the zero tolerance policy, others disagree and believe that schools are extremely unfair. Those who oppose the zero tolerance policy believe that the way in which schools use the zero tolerance policy to punish students is very rash and unfair. Those against the zero tolerance policy, such as Skiba, believe that rash suspensions and expulsions, rather than improving student behavior, forces students to misbehave more frequently. He also believes that rash suspensions and expulsions lead to an increased number of school dropouts and failure to graduate on time (28). A personal example of zero tolerance proves schools to be rash and unfair when punishing students. My ten-year-old cousin went to a public school where he was a part of the minority group. He found a pocketknife at home and thought it was the coolest thing he had ever seen. Being an immature, unknowing child, my cousin brought the pocketknife to school to show his friends, not intending on using it in any dangerous way possible. As he took the knife out of his pocket to show is closest friends, a teacher spotted him and immediately jerked him away from his friends and into the principal’s office. The principal, being the one to decide punishment, automatically expelled my ten-year-old cousin for bringing a pocketknife to school, even though he did not harming anyone or anything with the knife. Because my cousin was expelled from school, he is no longer in school this year and now has to repeat the grade. This is a perfect example of how the zero tolerance policy leads to school dropout and failure to graduate on time. Not only is the process of punishment a controversy, but whether or not racism is used to punish is also an issue concerning the zero tolerance policy. An important controversy when debating on the zero tolerance policy is whether or not racism is involved when schools are punishing students. Russell Skiba and Allen Mendler argue that schools are completely just and equal when determining punishments for violence in schools. They agree that no matter race, ethnicity, language, or abilities, if you portray a violent action, rash punishments will result (1). Although supporters agree that the policy treats all people equal, those who oppose the policy agree that racism occurs when punishing students using the zero tolerance policy. According to those that oppose the policy, zero tolerance is an unjust policy that does not treat all students equally. The American Psychological Association (APA) agrees that the disproportionate discipline of students of color is and continues to be a concern when discussing the zero tolerance policy. They believe that most expulsions and suspensions are punishments that result from African Americans or Latinos that are violent in schools. Another target group of schools that use the zero tolerance policy are those people with disabilities, especially with emotional and behavioral disorders (2). There are many important controversies dealing with the zero tolerance policy, and many people either support the controversy or are opposed to the controversy. Zero tolerance attempts to prevent violence in schools and create a safer environment for the school community. It is viewed as a policy that that tries to teach students wrong from right, and gives students a sense of discipline. Although some believe that the policy has good intentions, there are many controversies that aroused, causing many debates that challenge the effectiveness of the policy. While many people who believe that the policy creates a safer environment for students and teachers support the zero tolerance policy, there are many who oppose the zero tolerance policy, arguing that it is unfair and ineffective in reducing violence in schools.

Monetary Policy and the Economy essays

Monetary Policy and the Economy essays Using the tools of monetary policy, the Federal Reserve can affect the volume of money and credit and their price-interest rates. In this way, it influences employment, output, and the general level of prices. THE FEDERAL RESERVE ACT LAYS OUT the goals of monetary policy. It specifies that, in conducting monetary policy, the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Open Market Committee should seek to promote effectively the goals of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates. Many analysts believe that the central bank should focus primarily on achieving price stability. A stable level of prices appears to be the condition most conducive to maximum sustained output and employment and to moderate long-term interest rates; in such circumstances, the prices of goods, materials, and services are undistorted by inflation and thus can serve as clearer signals and guides for the efficient allocation of resources. Also, a background of stable prices is thought to encourage saving and, indirectly, capital formation because it prevents the erosion of asset values by unanticipated inflation. However, policymakers must consider the long- and short-term effects of achieving any one goal. For example, in the long run, price stability complements efforts to achieve maximum output and employment; but in the short run, some tension can arise between efforts to reduce inflation and efforts to maximize employment and output. At times, the economy is faced with adverse supply shocks, such as a bad agricultural harvest or a disruption in the supply of oil, which put upward pressure on prices and downward pressure on output and employment. In these circum-stances, makers of monetary policy must decide the extent to which they should focus on defusing price pressures or on cushioning the loss of output and employment. At other times, policymakers may be concerned that the publics expectation of more infl...

Introduction to Modern Art and Visual Culture of France Essay

Introduction to Modern Art and Visual Culture of France - Essay Example The essay "Introduction to Modern Art and Visual Culture of France" discovers modern art in France during 18th-19th century. Some of the works that were so famous during the 18 th and 19 th century France would be the interpretation of Roger Fry on Bloomsbury. You can see that in his work he depicted leisure in such a way that would tell greatly of the influences of the post impressionism movement where it was full of passion towards advanced and avant-garde French art that was centered on analysis of sensation and consciousness. His art was known for as subjects for passionate contemplation and communion which translates to aesthetic experience and pursuit of knowledge. This is because of the fact that during â€Å"Post Impressionism† people have already reached advanced knowledge. Aside from that, his art also has a lot of influence from the social class he belonged to as he was one of the prominent members of the Bloomsbury group thus, his life was all about limitless enjoy ment of modern life and enjoyment of utmost knowledge and technology. Another popular art that portrayed leisure in the 18 th and 19 th century France would be â€Å"Madame Matisse† by Henri Matisse. This was the painting he used to portray his wife where you can see the influences of what social class they belonged to in society, and at the same time reflecting political and social environment. In this painting, you will see how his wife was portrayed as a rich woman having full of contrasts of different colors.

Womens Suffrage Movement in United States Research Paper

Womens Suffrage Movement in United States - Research Paper Example Change touched several issues for instance the entire social system of the United State faced some change, the political arena and duty sharing on the ground of sex. Basically, women were fighting to rescue themselves from what they termed as oppressions from the male. With the desire and positive attitude, they had, plus the strong personality of the leaders, the movement â€Å"women suffrage in United States†, witnessed a success that would be thought to be a difficult phenomenon for women. However, today women in the federal government of the United States are enjoying the struggle of other women, who pioneered for their freedom. The bill concerning the right to vote is a proof. In this essay, the struggle for the women suffrage movement is analyzed to a certain considerable degree. Introduction The fight for women reforms commenced in the year 1848. This occurred prior to the women rights convention, which took place in Seneca Falls near New York. According to the article (women suffrage in America) by Curry, it is pertinent to note that the supporters of women suffrage decided to educate the public about the validation of women suffrage. This was a fifty-year plan for knowledge instillation in women. Having illustrated that it is right to illustrate that this essay will outlines the impact of women movement on political, cultural, and economical aspects of the United States on its society (Han 71). A bit of history affirms that the movement had to climb some huddles in achieving their goals. First, as any other movement, this women movement faced several challenges, and since their effort was to move ahead, they formulated a way out. One of their challenges was that, the movement faced was opposition from the politicians, where according to the article (women movement), they faced unwillingness from the politicians. Thus,  they had to navigate and make their ends meet by creating the means of countering it (Rosenfeld and Kathryn 258). They fought to win the right to vote (Knappman and Kathryn 130). Due to this reason, suffrage became a mass movement. It follows that the movement had a broad spectrum of goals. However, they thought it better to narrow down on solely securing the franchise for women. Thus, they geared up their fight by the use of political influence. They went ahead to empower or rather to equip the women with political knowledge, form those who were the early pioneers. It is for this reason that up to date; this movement is still in existence. They understand the political path of the United States, and this is what made them attain their goals. According to history, it is wise to note that the pioneer gathering whose aim was to devote women rights in the U S occurred in 1848. Here, the principle organizers were Quaker who was an abolitionist and Elizabeth Candy who at that time was a mother of four from the upstate. With two thirds being women, the gathering declared their sentiments, resolutions, and grieva nces that pointed on the independent declaration. It is pertinent from the above that this movement had a big influence on the political aspects of the United States. In addition, the women reformers also addressed the phenomenon of institutional as well as social barriers, which was a limitation to women (Willis 123). Some of the addressed issue touched the aspects of family responsibilities, lack of economic and educational opportunities, and they need to have said in the political debates. In doing this, they strove to challenge their male counterparts in order to gain access to various opportunities equitably. It is noted today that, this movement has so far played a

Business Financing and the Capital Structure Research Paper

Business Financing and the Capital Structure - Research Paper Example Concept of working capital management Working capital management is fundamentally described as a managerial technique to preserve the financial health of a company in repaying its short-term debts and simultaneously, sufficing the need for short-term operating expenses. Advantages of working capital management can be viewed in terms of increased earnings of a company. Contradictorily, the conceptual framework is often criticised to offer only short-term financial planning assistances to the users. Notably, working-capital ratio and inventory-turnover ratio can be regarded as the two vital instruments to assess the viability of working capital management strategies applied by a company (Rehn, 2012). Financial instruments that are used as marketable securities to park excess cash Marketable securities are mostly favored by investors owing to their high liquidity benefits. In this regard, Treasury bills, commercial papers, bankers’ acceptances and other forms of government bonds as well as common stocks can be noted as the financial instruments used as marketable securities by investors to park excess cash (Chudson, 1945). Question 2 Selection of equities and debts to raise business capital depend on diverse factors, which mainly include the micro-economic performance of the economy and the liquidity position along with the risk taking ability of the company. Equities raise the liability of the company to repay investors, but only if the total liabilities of the company are accounted to be inferior to the assets held, i.e. when profit is obtained. Another advantage of using equities is that the interests paid by the company to its equity shareholders are accounted as an organizational expense, which further allows a certain percentage of tax leverage to the company. However, concerning the shareholders’ interests to invest in equities, various factors can be identified as disruptive (Komaromi, 2006). For instance, the purchase decision of equities of ten depends on the probability of business earning profits, and hence, investors tend to purchase equities when businesses are at their growth stage. Again, current fluctuations may also be identified to impose significant effects on the investors’ behavior towards purchasing equities. Concerning the current market scenario in the US, fluctuations can be apparently observed in the equities market, owing to its macro-economic volatility (Reuters, 2013). Therefore, a company must ensure its growth phase as well as preserve good liquidity position to market its equities and obtain adequate capital. On the other hand, debts do not involve uncertainty on the basis of investors’ decisions and behaviors. Therefore, businesses may not be required to ensure a growth phase while obtaining debts through short-term or long-term modes. It is worth mentioning in this context that although a business need not face the risk of uncertainty in capital allocation, it might require ensuri ng healthy liquidity ratio (Komaromi, 2006). Additionally, interest rate fluctuations observed in the current performance of the US may also have a negative implication for a company to opt for fund raising through debts. To be precise, the interest rates in the US are observed currently as rising and are further expected to rise in the near future, which might increase liabilities of the company deciding upon raising funds through debts (Conerly, 2013). Apparently, both the fund raising options have certain

Trusts and Equity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Trusts and Equity - Essay Example Though since the Judicature Act came into force in 1875 the rules of Common Law and Equity are recognized and administered in the same court, yet they still remain distinct bodies of law, governed largely by different principles. Like the Common Law, the rules of Equity are judicial law, i.e. to find them we must look in the first instances to the decisions of the judges who have administered Equity. But some branches of Equity, like some branches of the Common Law, have been restated with amendments and additions in codifying Acts, such as the Partnership Act 1890.Meanwhile, Equity is adding new fields of jurisdiction. In the sixteenth century and the beginning of the seventeenth, fraud and accident especially the accidental loss of a document are regarded as matters peculiarly appropriate for relief in a Court of Equity matters which a Common Law Court cannot sufficiently deal with. Mortgages form a special subject, which the Chancellor deals with. A man borrows money and transfers his land to the creditor, making the creditor legally owner. He promises to pay on a definite date. If he keeps his promise, his land is to be returned to him; if not, it is to belong to the creditor forever. Suppose by mistake or accident he fails to repay on the day named, is it fair that he should be held to the terms of the deed? Equity says no and soon goes so far as to lay down a rule that a mortgage is a mere security for money, and something quite different from a genuine transfer of the ownership.... (Polloczek, 1999, p. 9) Though since the Judicature Act came into force in 1875 the rules of Common Law and Equity are recognised and administered in the same court, yet they still remain distinct bodies of law, governed largely by different principles. Like the Common Law, the rules of Equity are judicial law, i.e. to find them we must look in the first instances to the decisions of the judges who have administered Equity. But some branches of Equity, like some branches of the Common Law, have been restated with amendments and additions in codifying Acts, such as the Partnership Act 1890. (Geldart, 1995, p.21) Meanwhile Equity is adding new fields of jurisdiction. In the sixteenth century and the beginning of the seventeenth, fraud and accident especially the accidental loss of a document are regarded as matters peculiarly appropriate for relief in a Court of Equity matters which a Common Law Court cannot sufficiently deal with. Mortgages form a special subject, which the Chancellor deals with. A man borrows money and transfers his land to the creditor, making the creditor legally owner. He promises to pay on a definite date. If he keeps his promise, his land is to be returned to him; if not, it is to belong to the creditor forever. Suppose by mistake or accident he fails to repay on the day named, is it fair that he should be held to the terms of the deed Equity says no, and soon goes so far as to lay down a rule that a mortgage is a mere security for money, and something quite different from a genuine transfer of the ownership. (Geldart, 1995, p.31) We have the rules about the assignment of rights under contract. A owes money to B. Common Law regards this as purely a relation between A and B. B agrees with C that C shall have the right to

Can Robots Really Be Used For Childcare Young People Essay

Can Robots Really Be Used For Childcare Young People Essay 1. Introduction What do you think of when the word robots come to your mind? If you think they are the machines that you see in a movie or read about in a science fiction novel, think again. Robots are the largest growing technological devices in the world. They perform many functions ranging from space exploration to entertainment. According to scientist, in the future, robots will be doing our yard work, taking over some of our jobs, and monitoring our health on a daily basis. Does it sound unbelievable? This might just be the kind of world our descendents will grow up in. Its hard not to think about having our lives changed by the introduction of these new robots. As for the household aspect, computers will make our daily drudgery of housework dramatically more interesting. In the next decade robots should be cleaning our floors, mowing our lawns, and even taking care of our children while we are away at work. Robots will be an integral part of our lives. 2. What are Child-care robots? A babysitter or companion on call round the clock to supervise and entertain the kids is the dream of many working parents. Now, robot manufacturers in Japan and South Korea are racing to fulfil those parents dreams with affordable robots which will act as nannies to their children. These robots will be equipped with game playing, quizzes, speech recognition, face recognition and limited conversation to capture the preschool childs interest and attention. Their mobility and semi-autonomous function combined with facilities for visual and auditory monitoring are designed to keep the child from harm. Parents would be able to use these robots as means to keep a look out for their children while they are away at work. These robots will also be a means in which parents will communicate with their kids as the robots will be equipped with a mobile phone where parents would be able to call and speak directly to their children through the robot or send short messages which would be read out by the robot to their children. 3. Technologies involved in Child-care robots Child-care robots will be equipped with cameras for parents to be able to monitor their children at all time and to make sure that they are safe and are interacting well with the robot. There will also be a mobile phone installed into the robot for parents to keep in voice contact with their children. Other than the more visible technological elements of the robots, it is what is behind the plastic outer shell of the robot which matters. The Artificial Intelligence of these robots would be of a very high level and they will be equipped with face recognition technology and the robot will be able to form a bond with the person in which it has continually come in contact with on a daily basis. The functions that the nanny robots would be able to perform are only limited to ones imagination and as long as technology continues to improve; the boundaries of the tasks that they will be able to carry out will continually be pushed. 4. Issues Child-care robots may bring about Although child-care robots will be able to substitute the role of a parent for the time that parents are away from home, would there be any implications on the wellbeing of the child due to the presence of these robots. I will now analyze the various issues child-care robots may bring about. 4.1 Safety of children An extremely important factor for consumers is that they trust child-care robots to keep their children safe from harm. The main way that parents could ensure this is through mobile monitoring, where they can watch their children at all times. An additional way to increase supervision of their children from the office, parents would be able to upload a customized map of their homes to the robot so that it can recognize danger areas where it would try to restrict the child from going to. If the robot is programmed to identify dangerous situations, it would most probably also be programmed to take steps to avoid the child from getting into the situation. In other words, the robot would be restraining the child from committing an act deemed harmful by the robot, because of the way it was programmed, even though it would not be deemed harmful by the parent itself. Imagine a robot taking a sweet away from a child because it deems that sweets will eventually cause diabetes. Maintaining the safety of a child must be done but the robot must not be an authoritarian who stops children from expressing themselves or doing what they want to do. A line must be drawn somewhere, maybe parents would be able to program how strict their robots must be but we have to keep in mind that we cannot plan for every single scenario and program the robot in certain way. Sometimes, we must wait for a situation to arise before we will be able to see how the robot and child reacts to it. 4.2 Robot Child Relationship Another extremely important factor in the use of child-care robots is how receptive children will be to the robots as well as whether the child would be able to form a bond with the robot. Studies have shown that children from a very young age would form a very close bond to their toys. In some cases, they would not go to sleep without their favourite teddy or will not play with any other toy except for their favourite ones. Now, with the robot being able to listen and speak to them and feel their touch, children would regard their robots as their friends and they would feel that they would have formed relationships with their robots. However, the issue will arise with children whom from a very young age grow up to think that the relationship they had with their robots are genuine human relations. These children would have been drawn into the false relationship by their parents and there could possibly be harmful effects on the child either psychologically or emotionally. 4.3 Emotional Psychological Risks It is possible that children who are brought up fully or partially by the care of a robot will be affected in their social and emotional development. It is understood that a baby has a very close relationship with his/her mother when the baby is born till the baby is quite old. There will be a special emotional connection between the child and the mother and no robot would be able to substitute the mother of the child and have that same emotional relationship When the baby is brought up by its care giving robot, it would not feel the same emotional bond towards the robot and thus will not have a strong emotional feeling toward the robot which would hinder the childs emotional growth as the child grows up. Another factor which may drive the child into a shell is that robots, unlike humans, will not be able to read expressions on our faces. They rely on the tone of our voices or feel our touch. They would not be able to process tears from the childs eyes and would not be able to identify if anything is wrong and would really hurt the child emotionally as well as psychologically. 5. Conclusion The technology for a child-care robot is not very far from being achieved. Companies are working doubly hard to try to come out with a robot which will really change the face of Artificial Intelligence out there in the market today. These robots would be able to interact with humans much more than anything before. However, there are many worrying factors that point to not being over reliant on these robots if they ever do hit the shelves. I feel that robots, even though programmed to handle any scenario which it comes across in bringing up a child, will never be able to substitute the human touch aspect of bringing up a child. A human being is far more superior to a robot in bringing up a child. Even though people may argue that child-care robot will only take care of the child when parents are away at work, that period of time is enough to affect the growth of the child and being at a child care centre, interacting with other children their age as well as having someone to look after them at the centres would be more beneficial to them. No matter how many people resist the usage of the child-care robots, it would most likely be that the majority of people will see more benefits than harm in it and by using these child-care robots it would be the dawn of the time of Artificial Intelligence in households.