Saturday, January 25, 2020

Marketisation of Education Analysis

Marketisation of Education Analysis Marketization of education refers to privatization of the education industry in the process of providing educative services. Economic advantage is the main driving force for the emergence of this style of education. An instance involves the period 1998, where the government published a report comparing the GCSE and Standard Assessment Tests of Schools giving parents a choice between different competing schools (Bates, 2011; Friedman, 2003). This meant that Schools performing well attracted high number of parents, resulting to increased revenues from fees. In analyzing this aspect of education, my key concern is if this process meets the objective of providing the best educative services, and an equal opportunity for students. To answer this question, we need to identify and analyze the concerns of this aspect of the education system, and inclusion is economic revolution. Economic revolution came as a result of industrial revolution in Europe, and it brought changes in the systems of governance making economic gains an issue in evolution of education. Friedman (2003) in his analysis of Marketization of education agrees with this notion. He argues that the evolution of this style of education is as a result of the liberalization of the structures of government including economic structures (Friedman, 2003). Liberalism is an aspect of governance which Karl Marx, many centuries ago predicted will limit the interference of government in the provision of education services. The concepts of economics as a motivator to marketization of education are highly criticized by Lauder (2006). In Lauderà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s analysis, he argues that economic factors have replaced the learning aspects of education to more material oriented learning processes, whereby schools concentrate on how they can achieve customer satisfaction as opposed to impartation of knowledge and skills (Lauder, 2006). This happened because of decentralization of the structures of government, and less regulation of the education system due to liberalization of the economy where organizations are allowed to offer services without regulation from the government (Dewey, 1998). Lauder further argues that marketization of education arose due to the emergence of the class system. Parents from rich backgrounds saw the need of taking their children to special schools, because they offered quality education than state schools (Lauder et al, 1999). This aspect caused rift between the rich and the poor in the educative process in terms of acquisition of knowledge. Bates et al (2011) and Kishan (2008) observe that parents with low income struggle to take their children to state schools, and this accelerates the process of social segregation. In socialist states, education is controlled by the government and it develops school curriculums which are strictly followed. This is as opposed to the liberalized states such as America and Britain. The European Research institute of education conducted a research on marketization of education in Europe. They found that the state had lost its ability to regulate the education system in Europe (Kishan, 2008). This proves that governance and politics are the main motivators of this approach to education, and not economics. Another aspect of marketization of education is the changing needs of the society that the education system needed to address. This issue is vague in its description, because education is age old, and issues affecting the society are the same. Lauder (2006) agrees with this notion and notes that the education system concerns itself with impartation of skills necessary for an individual to survive in the world. This was the objectives of the education system in the former centuries, the needs of the society is always the same, but how to solve such needs differ. The main needs of the society are survival in a fierce competitive environment, and an education system that offers mechanisms and skills to survive in such an environment is welcome. Government schools also offer such skills and those who argue that this style of education emerged due to changes in the needs of the populace are misguided. The schooling system has evolved to an extent that business organizations make a commercial presence in schools, and this is evidenced by the commercial advertisements on teaching materials. On this notion, educative services are seen as a business opportunity. To Friedman, marketization of education arose due to the need of allowing free flow of education. Friedman notes that the combination of marketization, liberalization and privatization in the education sector ensures that the development prosperity and cooperation is achieved in the world, because information is shared freely. Without marketization of education, Friedman argues that government institutions can interfere with the process of free flow of information (Friedman, 2003; Bates, 2011). Lauder (2006), argues against this system of education and maintains that marketization of education is a replacement of instructive thoughts to economic thoughts. He argues that instead of preparing students for social and personal development, the education system concerns itself with aspects of client satisfaction, cost effectiveness and competitiveness. Bridgehouse (2011) asserts that marketization of education has resulted into the neglect of children with special needs for schools and focuses on how to minimize costs (p.32). This is because schools aim at profit making and see the need of hiring specialized staff as costly. In conclusion, Marketization of education is the emerging trend of education system in the world but it does not provide equity in the provision of educative services. The poor are disadvantaged and due to lack of economic might, their children do not have an access to high cost schools which have superior teaching resources as compared to state schools where majority of economically disadvantaged parents take their children. This inequality in the education system develops the class system brought about by industrial revolution. Schools do not concentrate in imparting skills to their students instead; they are concerned with profit making and client satisfaction at the expense of offering knowledge. Government should regulate the education system and ensure quality education is offered at all levels of the education system by state and private schools. Bibliography: Bates, J,.Lewis, Sue and Pickard, Andy.(2011). Education Policy, Practice and Professional.Continuum: Continuum International Publishers. Friedman, M. I. (2003). Educators handbook on effective testing. Columbia, SC: InstituteforEvidence-Based Decision-Making in Education. Bridgehouse, H. ( 2007). On Education.United States of America: Routledge Publishers. Kishan, N. R. (2008). Privatization of education. New Delhi: A.P.H Pub. Corp.. Lauder, H. (2006).Education, globalization, and social change. Oxford: Oxford UniversityPress. Lauder, H and Hughes, D ., eds ( 1999). Trading in Futures, Why Markets in Education Donà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t Work.Buckingham: Open University Press. Ozmon, H., Craver, S. M. (1986).Philosophical foundations of education (3rd ed.). Columbus: Merrill Pub. Co.. SAMPLE PAPER 2 Experiential Learning Name: Course Code: Professor: Date of Submission: Many learning institutions have introduced the concept of learning through experience, referred to as experiential learning. This process of learning can either be dramatic or open and it was advocated by scholars such as Aristotle and Kolb. To Aristotle, learning to do things through experience is better than learning through teaching (Curren, 2000). While, Kolb defines experiential learning as a process that involves real life experience in acquisition of knowledge and skills, its elements are experience, observation, reflection and experimentation (Ozmon and Craver, 1986). In Experiential learning, the question is, does it require the guidance of a practioner for learning to take place? Practioners are always necessary in any process of learning, and experiential learning is not an exception. To acquire new knowledge from experience, an individual has to have problem solving skills which enable him/ her to make decisions. This skill is essential to enable a student to apply skills gained through the experience undergone while learning (Maxwell, 2011). Experience as an issue in experiential learning is not the main factor that a student can acquire knowledge from. To Aristotle, passing through experience, acquiring skills and inability to implement the skills gained is not the objective of education. By learning, a student has to acquire the ability to apply skills gained in real life situations and challenges (Curren, 2000). The applicative part of skill acquisition is the problem and for a student to implement a skill, he/she needs guidance and this normally comes from the practitioners. The idea of learning through experience has a long historical perspective and it is John Dewey who proposed it. Dewey (1998) states that experience is an integral part of learning; and practitioners play an important role in this process, to ensure students are able to apply knowledge gained from an experience in different perspectives of their lives. This notion of Dewey, clearly agrees with my views of experimentation as an aspect of experiential learning. It is necessary for practitioners to introduce the curriculum when students are taken to the outdoor learning with supervision from educators; this would allow students to learn from a series of real life adventures. Dewey (1998) in his analysis of experiential learning observes that reflection must occur in this process. Students must engage actively in the learning, and reflect on the experience to grasp the new ideas instilled. Its only after effective reflection that skills are acquired. Reflection as an issue of experiential learning is not beneficial without supervision. There are many aspects of reflective tendencies during the process of experiential learning. However, it has some drawback (Palmer and Cooper, 2003); student will not think deeper into the meaning of the experience passed as he/she might take it as play attained. It might involve lack of concentration from the student. According to Kolb, learning is a multidimensional process (Palmer and Cooper, 2003) and it involves four stages that are to experience, observe, reflect and experiment. Kolb advocates for supervision of a learner during the process of reflection. After a period of time, learning will have taken place as students had gained an educative experience with useful guides given from the practitioners. The reason is that constantly, the student will reflect on the experience he/she has just gained and consider the advice given from the practitioners (Maxwell et al, 2011).This process of experiential learning requires a practitioner at all stage to facilitate studentà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s learning. Therefore practitioners play an important role and their input should not be neglected. Experiential learning was formally recognized as a field of education in 1970s and a great achievement for advocators of experiential learning was made in 1977 when the association of experiential education was established (Palmer and Cooper, 2003). It is in the 20th Century that educating through experience has been appreciated as a vital foundation of the learning process and it was precipitated by the work of John Dewey in 1998.The ideas of experiential learning are relevant to the concepts of adult learning. David Kolb (Palmer and Cooper, 2003) argue that experiential learning is a four stage process and he identifies Dewey as the main pioneer of this learning system. Kolb (Palmer and Cooper, 2003) discusses experience and reflection as issues in experiential learning. He gives an analysis of the steps of experiential learning which are experience; observation, reflection and experimentation. To Kolb, experience and reflection are necessary for learning to take place but with guidance of a practitioner while to Dewey, the guidance of a practioner is not necessary (Dewey, 1998).However, Rousseau Palmer et al, 2003) state experiential learning is an important aspect of education and notes that education comes from nature, men and environmental surroundings thus everything plays an important role in the impartation of knowledge. Rousseau argues a child obtains passivity by being taught and resent from punishment and therefore the best way for a child to learn is through experience which allows him to see the consequences of his actions. To Rousseau, experience coupled with tutorship is the best form of education since passivity in learning will be removed and therefore leaning becomes a process of mutual understanding and consent (Ozmon and Craver, 1986). Experiential learning has been adopted in the curriculum in many schools across the country. The new curriculum emphasizes the importance of children learning through experience and thereby developing skills from out of class activities. It is used to denote various models and due to the differences of value and thoughts, educators develop curriculums and programs that fit their understanding of experiential learning. To gain knowledge and skills in the process of experiential leaning, guidance given from practitioners to student is necessary. Practitioners must be trained in all aspects of education in order to be skillful in applying knowledge acquired through experiences in their practice.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Employee Compensation and Benefits Essay

Companies today should mirror their compensation and benefit programs with their long- term business strategy and organizational culture. According to Casio (2010), â€Å"Pay systems are designed to attract, retain, and motivate employees† (p.421). The most important objective is fairness or to achieve internal, external, and individual equity; and maintain a balance in relationships between direct and indirect forms of compensation, and between the pay rates of supervisory and nonsupervisory employees. Employers must perform job analysis, develop job descriptions, evaluate the value of job/position in the organization, develop pay structure and pay levels to create competitive employee compensation and benefits (Cascio, 2010). Components of Employee Compensation and Benefits Employers must gain their workers’ trust, loyalty, and motivation to ensure organizational goals are achieved. There are three major components of the benefits package: security and health (e.g. health insurance, disability insurance, hospitalization, surgical, maternity coverage, pension plans, etc.), payments for time not worked (e.g. vacations, holidays, personal excused absences, grievances and negotiations, sabbatical leaves, etc.), and employee services (e.g. tuition aid, credit unions, auto insurance, fitness and wellness programs, moving and transfer allowances, stock-purchase plans, referral awards, flex work schedules, etc.). Factors such as the following are important strategic considerations in the design of benefits programs: the long-term plans of a business, its stage of development, its projected rate of growth or downsizing, characteristics of its workforce, legal requirements, the competitiveness of its benefits package, and its total compensation strategy (C asio, 2010). Organizational Data to Conduct Human Capital Management Functions Organizations consider human capital management as a function of the human  resources department in managing organizations’ most important asset, their employees. By creating a competitive compensation and benefits package, management puts emphasis on the economic value of their personnel. Because of today’s competitive environment, developing incentives that constantly improve employee performance, job satisfaction, and encourage motivation of every individual employed is essential to effectively achieve the organizations vision, mission, and goals. When the organizations human capital management functions and policies inspire employees to excel, as a result of the compensation, benefits, and incentives provided to them, everyone wins (Casio, 2010)! References: Cascio, W. F. (2010). Managing human resources: Productivity, quality of work life, profits (8th ed.) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace against Women - 1569 Words

â€Å"In 1996, Theresa Vince, a Sears’s training administrator in Ontario, was shot and killed by her supervisor, Russell Davis. Vince, 54 was slated to take early retirement mere days after the shooting. Davis’ fixation on his senior staffer was well known and the source of the office’s sexual jokes (Women’s Rights).† The main cause here is that supervisors are often perpetrators, and often are not qualified for their job title as they appear to be. â€Å"Sexual harassment in the workplace is only there because the people at the top condone it and maybe practice it themselves (Jim Vince).† There are two types of sexual harassment in the workplace. One type is Quid pro quo: Sexual harassment that occurs when a job benefit is linked to whether an employee agrees to any unwelcome sexual advances. That means agreeing to go on a date with your boss, just to be granted a higher position or even to get a raise. The second type is: Hostile work environment harassment, which is more frequent, and usually harder to pinpoint — this harassment happens when employees feel â€Å"uncomfortable† in the workplace due to sexually offensive behavior or comments. This includes treating one gender differently than the other, displaying sexual images or objects, or sexually derogatory comments. â€Å"According to Conference Board of Canada’s June 2001 report, one third of female senior executives left their last job because of sexual harassment (Women’s Rights).†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexualShow MoreRelatedSexual Harassment Within The Workplace1382 Words   |  6 PagesNovember 2015 SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORKPLACE Sexual harassment is any form of unprecedented sexual conduct in which the offender uses inappropriate language and actions that humiliate the sexuality of the offended. 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Wednesday, January 1, 2020

Food Insecurity Within the US What Now - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1458 Downloads: 1 Date added: 2019/02/15 Category Health Essay Level High school Tags: Food Insecurity Essay Did you like this example? The nation’s food supply impacts each and every person living within the United States to a significant degree. Though we have plenty to be grateful for, there are many issues surrounding the need for this food to reach to entire US population efficiently. The grocery stores so frequently visited by typical Americans are full of ample and fresh products yet something is lacking. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Food Insecurity Within the US: What Now?" essay for you Create order Communities all throughout the US house families struggling to feed their loved ones while at home, at work, or at school. Some people are faced with the choice between eating and paying the bills or meeting other daily needs. This Issue not only address the fact that people need enough to eat. This issue addresses the process that happens between the food being grown and it reaching the dinner table through a multitude of solutions. Currently, there are three main federal food-assistance programs in actions that people nationally can benefit from. â€Å"Women, Infants, Children† (WIC) supplemental Nutrition program supports roughly 7.7 million people in the US alone. WIC grants low-income mothers with healthy food, advising, breastfeeding aid, and health-care support. Another program taking place currently is the â€Å"National School Lunch Program† which grants about 22 million students in grades K-12 with free or reduced lunch. Lastly and known by most is the â€Å"Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program† (SNAP), formally known as food stamps. SNAP provides people and families, according to income, with money they can spend on groceries (US Department of Agriculture [USDA], 2018). As a solution to the food insecurity faced throughout the US, there are three main things capable of being done. The first thing to do would be to ensure that people have adequate access to food within their community whether it be through a program like SNAP or be it through more grocery stores and better quality food. The second thing would be to educate people so that they know the availability they have to food and the options they have when it comes to caring for and possibly growing their own food on occasion. It is crucial that people are well-versed in where their food comes from and where their next meal is coming from. The third thing in this proposal would be to work on conserving the food already cycling through the system. From the moment food is grown whether it be plants of livestock, many things happen to it. The food is produced, processed into the food that we recognize it as, distributed to stores and restaurants, and lastly it is prepared to be served. So much of the food within the US either never makes it to a plate because it goes bad or, it is thrown out and wasted at restaurants, at home, and at grocery stores. A lot of the food that isn’t bought after a day’s work is thrown out when it could easily be redistributed or repurposed for those who truly need it. According to a study titled â€Å"Household Food Security in 2015† done by the USDA, roughly 15.8 million households within the US alone experience a lack of food. About one in every eight homes suffers from food insecurity meaning they lack stable access to a proper food supply. In an effort to combat this, policy change needs to take place on a federal and/or state level. While the cost of food may seem miniscule, a substantial portion of annual incomes coming from low-incomes families (about 1/3 of their income) is funneled into the food that they eat which is typically cheap and unhealthy (US Department of Agriculture [USDA], 2018). Although there are many great and beneficial policies in place that work to provide assistance to these families, it isn’t enough. People should not have to worry about where their next meals are coming from, especially within such a successful nation fully capable of providing for its citizens. As a solution, there could be higher benefit levels granted to SNAP and WIC participants and better public transportation to and from grocery stores. This transportation would take away any additional hurdles many people may be having to jump over – especially in rurally based, low-incomes areas. According to the USDA, 2.1 million people in the US live farther than a mile away from a grocery store (2018). This distance may be manageable short term but it becomes incredibly impractical and somewhat impossible for one to carry a family’s weeks’ worth of food home with them with no car. Farmers and local grocery store could also develop a small-scale traveling store that brings the food to these poorer areas providing convenience and relieving stress from the families. Some may oppose the idea of giving more money to government programs like SNAP or WIC primarily due to its cost. Some may ask, â€Å"How can the government put more money into something like SNAP or WIC when it already supports so many other people?† Also, many people may oppose being taxed more in order to pay for others’ expenses, or in this case, food. Although these funds may seem unwarranted and excessive, it’s important to recognize the extreme benefits that would come from it. With more people working and less people spending their incomes on food, they can focus their finances on other, more important things that would still put money back into the economy. Another solution that could work to combat this issue would be to better educate all people within the US on what they can do to make this problem smaller. People could take classes on how to grow their own food. Around the US there are ton of organizations that will teach people and provide them with the resources they need to successfully grow their own food. â€Å"Grow Appalachia† is an organization that within it’ first 6 years, produced over 1.8 million pounds of organic, ready to eat food. Other groups like churches, farmers’ markets, boy/girl scouts, etc. could be of large benefit in this area as well. In order for these kinds of organizations to thrive, people also need to be educated in why these foods are superior to cheap and convenient fast food chains. It’s a known fact that you can provide people with plenty of resources and tools they need to succeed yet they might still choose their own way of living. This could possibly pertain to the idea of expending time and money into growing healthy food when many people might not accept it or be open to it despite their current situation. As a way to fight this, many local governments work to encourage healthy habits and attitudes by up charging or taxing the readily unhealthy options. Another issue some may find with these proposals may be cost. The last thing that people need to be aware of is their ability to conserve resources. Tons of food is thrown out and wasted constantly. According to the USDA, 40% of the food processed each year is never eaten, resulting in about 130 billion pounds of food wasted, costing roughly $160 billion. When food has been deemed unfit to be purchased and it about to be wasted, there are many things that can be done. First is to consider the hungry. This food could be donated to food banks, soup kitchen, shelters, etc. Next is to consider animals shelters; any animal would gladly take some leftover food over no food at all. After consumption would come industrial uses like oil into fuel and scraps into energy. Lastly would be composting. Composting turns rotten and older food into soil nutrients. As an absolute last resort – the landfill should be used (See Fig. 1) (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], 2017). Fig. 1 (EPA, 2017) – Hierarchy developed by the EPA explaining the multiple ways food can be repurposed as opposed to wasted and in what order of significance. Though the idea and issue of food insecurity may seem small and negligible, it affects tons of people daily – even close friends. Many people may find it shocking that such an issue could arise within such a developed country like the US. It’s because of the US success that these issues should be dealt with appropriately, efficiently, and timely. In order to do this it’s crucial that people remember to 1. Rethink the policies currently in place, 2. Educate themselves and their families on what they can do and to 3. Conserve and much as possible! ? References: Coleman-Jensen, A. (2018, September). Overview. Retrieved from https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/food-nutrition-assistance/food-security-in-the-us.aspx International Efforts on Wasted Food Recovery. (2018, March 12). Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/international-cooperation/international-efforts-wasted-food- recovery The Nourishing Effect. (2018, April 10). Retrieved from https://www.bread.org/library/nourishing-effect Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.secondharvestmetrolina.org/about-us?gclid=Cj0KCQiA6JjgBRDbARIsANfu58FAheBxDjtW2uoHm-4EUkkm_X5P4dT9sIGjdGwDPC-nsExCyQlIhLAaAnLwEALw_wcB