State and Federal Aid Essay Example for Free

State and Federal Aid Essay There are many past and rising issues involving public school finance. The public schools system is funded through federal, state and local taxes. Each state has different formulas to distribute funding from state and local taxes. Federal funding does contribute to the rising cost of education for each state. State and local taxes is allocated to cover the majority of educational costs. Student achievement depends upon the available funding allotted to each district. This author will attempt to discuss equalization of federal, state and local funding. Also, this author will attempt to describe fair, equitable and adequate tax systems. Federal, state and local funding are all important to the funding formula for public education in Texas. A large chunk of funding for Texas schools comes from sales tax. Every item that is purchased, with the exception of food, has a sales tax added on. Ultimately, all consumers contribute to the public education system. Every other week in the news, there are stories covering the rising costs of oil and gas. Every time we fill our gas tanks, we are paying taxes that go towards local funding of education. Many districts in Texas are filled with low economic status students, and are Title I campuses. Title I campuses provide free and reduced breakfast and lunch for students. These free and reduced meals are provided each school day. Title I campuses in Texas receive federal funding for the free and reduced lunch program. Each parent, every school year, is encouraged to complete paperwork for each student to qualify for the program. Throughout the history of public education the big question has been, â€Å"How can the funding of public education be equal and equitable?† Each state receives federal funding with the intent of the federal government to provide equal and equitable education to all children. The federal funding received by each state is allocated towards the basic necessities that are needed for education. Additional funding is needed for the many resources and developmental trainings that are also needed to provide adequate education. This is when state and local funding are important and added to the equation. This is also the reason given by many school districts on the importance of increasing state and local taxes. Each year school districts receive reports on accountability from the state. With these reports school boards have decisions to make. These decisions all deal with what is needed  to improve and increase accountability. In turn, discussions of where funding should be allocated and how to generate more funding. To increase local taxes would be a source of increased funding. Then, parents as well as community members would have to vote on the decision to increase taxes. Usually, members of the community are not eager to support a vote of increased taxes. The rising cost of education is not something that general community members are concerned with. There are also parents of students in the public education system that are not aware of the increasing cost of quality education. The task of increasing the funding for public education becomes harder each school year. One alternative to increasing taxes to gain more educational funding would be to enlist the support of local and state corporations. Local corporations could be included when sponsoring extracurricular school events. These extracurricular events should not be designated to only sporting events. Corporate support should be solicited to sponsor fine arts, sporting, community as well as back to school events. Corporations could use these opportunities as advertising and a source of generating revenue. In turn, these corporations would have relative concern for the success of the district’s students. This relationship would also generate funds to support equitable and adequate public education. There have been attempts made to change the way education in Texas is funded. Previous proposals included increasing sales tax instead of including property taxes. This proposal was rejected because citizens desire more local control. While this proposal would hand over more control of public education to the state. As stated by Lavine (2007), by allowing the state to provide more funding, the link between local taxpayers and public schools would be broken. Community members have more stake in school districts when their tax monies fund local schools. A fair, equitable and adequate tax system would share the wealth of local taxes. Is it possible to have a fair distribution of funding for public education? Each year when income taxes are filed and people pay taxes on wages earned and property owned. There is a standard tax bracket that is followed to determine the amount of taxes paid by each citizen. Public education funding and our students would benefit from a similar bracket. The bracket should be utilized by the state. The districts with the higher numbers of economically disadvantaged students should receive more funding from the state. This method would provide equal  funding from the state. Local funding would allow for continued support from community members and businesses. Another alternative method of generating funds for education would be to re-establish district zones. Some may argue that in re-establishing district lines, some districts may lose funding while others would gain. The re-establishment of lines would support the equality of education that is described in No Child Left Behind. As stated by McCown (2006), consolidating smaller districts is not the problem but more financially supported, larger districts should be re-zoned. By re-establishing district lines, the wealth and funding for public education would be shared. If federal, state and local funding was equal for every district; would that be equal and fair funding for education? Conclusion Our public school system in Texas is operated through the use of federal, state and local funding. Local funding is generated from property taxes levied from commercial and public property. Educational funding from the state is generated from taxes such as oil, gas and also sales taxes. Federal funding is specifically allocated towards free and reduced breakfast and lunch programs, bilingual and special education and also technology. The education system of today requires more funding than what was needed fifty years ago. The funding generated from federal, state and local governments is not adequate enough to support the changing system of education. The idea that public education I both equitable and adequate is becoming harder to believe. There is a need to increase local funding but community members are not in support of tax increase. We need to enlist the use of alternative methods to generate funds for public education. Children of Texas depend on the public education system to provide them with opportunities to create better futures and successful citizens. Every child should have access to equitable and adequate education. As described by Thompson (1972), adult success is not the difference, but improving a child’s life for the better. References McCown, F. Scott., 2006. The Texas public education challenge Texas trilogy on public education and taxes, Center for Public Policy Priorities. Thompson, Marjorie., 1972. Paying for our schools: is there a better way, National Center for Educational Communication. Lavine, Dick, 2007. Replacing property taxes with sales taxes would be bad for Texas businesses, families and public education. Center for Public Policy Priorities.

Theme of Racial Prejudice in Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird Essay

How Does Harper Lee Develop the Theme of Racial Prejudice in the Novel â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird†? â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird† by Harper Lee is a novel set in the 1930s in a racially prejudice town called Maycomb County. A black man is accused of raping a white girl, and although it’s clear that he did not do it, the all white jury refuse to take a black man’s word over a white girl’s. Through the innocent eyes of an eight year old girl, the theme of racial prejudice is developed throughout the novel, although at times she is oblivious to it. In this essay I am going to discuss how Lee develops the theme of racial prejudice in the novel â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird†. From the start of the novel, the reader gets the impression that Maycomb County hasn’t changed its views for many years. In chapter one, the narrator makes the comment, â€Å"Maycomb’s ways: closed doors meant illness and cold weather only.† The word â€Å"ways† suggests that the town is quite rigid in their habits and â€Å"closed doors meant illness and cold weather† implies that their habits are old fashioned, as only allowing closed doors in certain circumstances is rather old fashioned thinking. In addition to the town having time-honoured habits, they are also very stuck in their ways when making accusations. For example, when people’s chickens and pets were found mutilated, the culprit Crazy Addie eventually drowned himself, but people â€Å"still looked at the Radley Place, unwilling to discard their initial suspicions.† This indicates that the town’s people are stubborn in their beliefs and refuse to acknowledge the tru th if it’s not what they initially assumed. This would encourage discrimination against individuals. Maycomb County’s beliefs are provoked by the social structure in... ...ps deliberate because mockingbirds are a type of finch and this promotes the idea that Atticus sees the mockingbird of the novel (Tom Robinson) as part of the family to be protected. An example of further symbolism used in the novel is when Scout and Jem build a snowman made up of mostly mud rather than snow. He continued to add more snow and mud to it thus making the snowman change colour. This represents how irrelevant the skin colour of a person is in contrast to the beliefs of the people of Maycomb County. In conclusion, Lee uses various techniques to develop the theme of racial prejudice in the novel â€Å"To Kill A Mockingbird† such as the personalities of characters, the racist comments made by the characters, and symbolism. Lee effectively highlights racism to the reader and successfully encourages the reader to sympathise with the victims of discrimination.

Discrimination Essay

The desire towards improvements and changes is stimulated by a particular event or scenario. It motivates and inspires us to persevere and change the outcome for the better. For my part, it started in August 2002 when two teenaged transgender teenagers were brutally murdered in the District of Columbia. The murders occurred in the Southeast section of DC – an area plagued by random violence, extreme poverty, and often defeated residents. This instigated my passion for service and creating ways to fight for these peoples’ rights.It is through this that I want to express my intention to pursue a degree in public interest law. As a DC native, to some extent, I’ve been desensitized to violence. Local news stations advertise violence almost hourly. I listen to â€Å"Breaking News† having to do with multiple killings and robberies daily as a marketing tool used to increase ratings, and ultimately ad revenues. However, this case was the one that strike me the mos t because of my encounter with the victims a few hours before the incident. I had acquainted with these people during a popular event.While I made it home safely, I didn’t know that the victims were being shot multiple times; a terrible massacre and execution at the dark streets of Southeast Washington. Realizing the gravity of the issue, I went to AU’s GLBTA Resource and convinced the director to conduct a campus candle vigil to commemorate the victims. The vigil was attended by over 500 AU students and residents of the DC Maryland and Virginia areas. The culmination of the event was a speech given by Brett Pearsons – DC Police Chief of the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit.However, I felt that this action was inadequate to address the issue; I needed to be involved more. Also, my research showed that there is an alarming increase in the number of hate crimes happening in Washington D. C. This applies to individuals who identify themselves as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender. Moreover, there is a shocking trend wherein majority of victims are people of color (black or latino), under 30, usually impoverished, and most of these crimes are not investigated as hate crimes. With these I made an important decision in my life; I wanted to take law and prosecute people who engage in such actions.With my Juris Doctorate degree I plan to practice law with the sole purpose of eradicating discrimination and violence such as this. Both inside institutions like the US Military who prescribe discrimination through legislative means and in larger society where discrimination and hate exist as a result of stereotypes, lack of education, and non-exposure. Similarly, I wish to create equal opportunities among workers in the institutional level while at the same time clamoring for the removal of societal standards that are prejudicial in nature. I can accomplish this by legal work and cases I work into.I believe attorneys can be the engineers of social chang e if each one is willing to meet the challenges; a fact I am determined to accept. In the future, I wish to participate and be associated with a federal or local government agency helping to prosecute criminals who engage in such crimes. Likewise, if possible, I wish to be contributing my efforts for a watchdog organization such the National gay & lesbian task force, Human Rights Campaign, or the ACLU I believe. These institutions are vital in the process of creating accountability and justice among these minorities within American society.Without these types of organizations, there won’t be a check and balance in the societal system which can help legitimize the actions of individuals to pursue violent acts of discrimination and prejudice. In the end, with your acceptance, I can be able to make a difference in society as well as these groups. I know that the incident in DC was no coincidence. It was my calling to be of service to these people. With this degree, I can be able to exercise the notion that â€Å"everyone is under the law†. I feel that this is my legacy; my own imprint in effecting social change.

Clash Of Civilizations Essay examples - 1587 Words

The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order by Samuel P. Huntington is an extremely well written and insightful book. Samuel P. Huntington is the Albert J. Weatherhead III University Professor at Harvard University, director of the John M. Olin Institute for Strategic Studies, the chairman of the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, and the president of the American Political Science Association. During the Carter administration, Huntington was the director of security planning for the National Security Council. He is also the founder and coeditor of the highly regarded international affairs publication, Foreign Policy. In 1993 Samuel P. Huntington wrote an article for the respected journal Foreign Affairs†¦show more content†¦He emphasizes that although the West is still strong and growing in many areas, other civilizations are growing at a faster rate. Asian civilizations are booming both economically and in their military strength and the Muslim culture is spreading demographically, while the West is becoming increasingly preoccupied with its own internal problems such as crime, government deficits, drug abuse, and a declining work ethic. Huntington uses graphs and charts very effectively in this section of his book to visually depict the decline of the West’s population, territory, and economic influence. Also in this section, the concept of modernization vs. Westernization is discussed. Many cultures desire to become modern, but without the negative trappings of Western civilization such as the perceived lack of morals and weak work ethic of Westerners, and the primarily Western concept of the separation between church and state. Modernization was once equated with Westernization but, according to Huntington, this is now not always the case. His examples include the Japanese and Islamic cultures. In Japan there has been a return to traditional Asian culture due to the prevailing belief that their economic prosperity is directly linked to their traditional culture and that the problems of the U.S. are linked to our Western culture. Islamic leaders have expressed similar attitudes as well, and Huntington goes into great detailShow MoreRelatedThe Clash Of Civilizations By Samuel Huntington Essay1448 Words   |  6 PagesSamuel Huntington’s controversial article â€Å"The Clash of Civilizations?† was first published in Foreign Affairs in 1993 and was subsequently turned into a book in 1996 titled The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. As this paper will show Huntington’s work can be seen as a product of the post-Cold War context it was written in. Huntington’s article takes a new perspective on the new world order and outlines a different way a thinking about how future world conflicts will unfoldRead More A Theological Perspective of the Clash of Civilizations Essay7154 Words   |  29 Pagesthe United States of America as a manifestation of a â€Å"clash of civilizations.† At the center of this way of looking at these unprecedented events has been an article and book both authored by the noted Harvard professor of political science, Samuel P. In the summer 1993 edition of the journal Foreign Affairs, Huntington argued that world politics was entering a new phase after the end of the Cold War, and that tensions between civilizations, as the highest cultural groupings of people, would dominateRead MoreThe Clash of Civilization (Samuel Huntington Article Review) Essay945 Words   |  4 Pagestitled the Clash of Civilization written by Samuel Huntington tries to analyze the world after the cold war. Huntington in his thesis clearly states that the new era of world politics will not be based on conflicts occurring due to ideological or economic clashes amongst states, but rather the dominating source of conflict will be cultural. Huntington proposes that instead of classifying countries into first, second or third worlds, one should classify countries in terms of their civilization. He definesRead MoreCommentary and Analysis of Samuel Huntington’s paper â€Å"The clash of civilizations1196 Words   |  5 Pagesdifference in Civilizations is another issue that may cause a conflict. Starting from World War I the arguments raised by nations were over an ideology: fascism vs. communism, communism vs. democracy. Some people believe that the next step would be a war based on a cultural sense and religion. Such war would unite people with similar beliefs, views on the world, language, tradition and history. They believe the conflict of the future will occur along the cultural fault lines separating civilizations [1].Read MoreClash Of Civilizations Summary780 Words   |  4 Pageswritten by Samuel Huntington, called Clash of civilizations. The article Clash of Civilizations is Huntingtons take on how violen ce will be caused post Cold War. . He argues that the cause of violence after the Cold War will be due to differences within cultural and religious identities. However, this article was written in 1993, and surely times have changed from then. Theres been quite a few articles written critiquing Huntingtons, Clash of Civilization since it was written. Of those critiquesRead MoreThe Cold War Was Easy : Capitalism Vs. Communism1402 Words   |  6 PagesUniversal Civilization.† Although he stated that, â€Å"you need to start with a certain kind of sensibility† he admitted, â€Å"I have no unifying theory of things† as well as, â€Å"I am not going to attempt to define this civilization.† Not accepting Naipaul’s theory that, â€Å"in general, the cultural coming together of humanity and the increasing acceptance of common values, beliefs, orientations, practices and institutions by peoples throughout the world†¦Ã¢â‚¬  would create this †Å"Universal Civilization,† Samuel PRead MoreThe Battle Of Civilizations By Samuel P. Huntington1302 Words   |  6 PagesThere came the competition of global dominance in the modern era, over four hundred years of Western civilizations interacting, competing, and fighting. The Cold War which lasted over forty years of the Twentieth Century changed the course of the world and in the end, ushered in a new world order. In his article â€Å"The Clash of Civilizations†, Samuel P. Huntington captured what the world was like at the end of the Cold War. The question during the Cold War was â€Å"What side are you on?† became now â€Å"WhoRead MoreA Summary Of The Clash Of Civilization1608 Words   |  7 Pageseconomic lifestyles of multiple civilizations created with are two of the greatest theories on the future of the world. First, Huntington P. Samuel writing the â€Å"Clash of Civilizations: And the Remaking of World Order, then Edward Said writing a scholarly es say on his theory known as Orientalism. These two theories both established in the same era refer to issues within economies like the Women in the Middle World. Clash of Civilization The Clash of Civilizations is a theory or hypothesis that cameRead MoreThe New World Of The United States1011 Words   |  5 Pagesmigration of millions of illegal aliens a year from Mexico.† An influx of immigrants, who bring their culture, customs and religion with them, could begin to create a clash in Huntington’s own country. Living in a time when the political discourse revolves around anti-immigration helps Huntington to argue that civilizations will clash along cultural lines. If immigrants with different backgrounds and ideals cannot live peacefully within the United States then they will not be able to live peacefullyRead MoreClash And Crash Of Civilizations777 Words   |  4 Pages1. What is in REAL Cosmology Terms Human Brain Indeed? 2. Clash Crash of Civilizations in The Vision of Cosmology? 3. The Parenthood Principle. Natural Unnatural Parents Upbringing Children, Cosmic Rules? Behind Parenting Principle? (last from ‘Logic’ #28, Livets Bog II #291) 4. What Are The Essential Cosmic ‘Messages’ of Christmas and Easter? 5. Why are some people Mental ‘Elevators’? 6. What is indeed ‘Doomsday’? 7. How to achieve TOLERANCE towards Self and Others? 8. What Are Spiritual Bodies