In Class - Discuss current events: BP oil spill, General Stanley McCrystal, Afghanistan, SB 1070, education. Small group discussion: Discuss one teacher (positive or negative) that has made an impact on you. Share with the class. Continue our discussion on education. Watch "2 Million Minutes," a documentary discussing the comparisons and contrasts of education systems in the United States, India, and China. On a sheet of paper, divide it into three columns and write observations you notice concerning the differences and similarities between the three countries. Why is the United States behind in terms of global education? What separates our culture of academia to other nations? What are the economic implications of global education. Class discussion: education. Continue to present arguments and research based on the articles given to you and the articles you have researched in class. Ask yourself, evaluate your education, why is it this way, and what can you do to change it? We will continue this discussion tomorrow. I highly suggest that some of you come prepared to participate.
Question of the Day: Considering what we have studied in our short time together, I would like for you to choose a topic that has some relevant significance to you. After you select this topic, do some research, and write two solid paragraphs with citations and works cited that responds to the following prompt: How does your topic relate to the study of economics? Be sure to include specific evidence to support your arguments. I am not going to give you any suggestions for topics because I really want for you to make this your own. This is due by Tuesday, June 29 by 11:59 pm. This is the last question of the day, so make it count!
Homework - Tomorrow, bring in a stamp and an envelope. We will take care of the rest in class. Finish strong!!!
21 comments:
Mr, palo. am i dropped from your class? i am sorry i missed but i was extremely sick. will i have to take another semester of your class?
Mr. Palo, my mom is only allowing me 10 minutes on the computer which I am sure we all know is no where near enough time to do my research and write my answer. Please let me turn it in tomorrow in class. It will be neatly written and I will turn it in first thing tomorrow morning. I hope this is alright. Thank you.
Adriana Verdusco
Education is the single most important thing in any government, or rather it should be. Then why is it often times the first thing to be cut in government spending? However the government is attempting to do its job by providing recovery funds for the different states educational systems. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Mississippi is receiving more than 129 million dollar, /south Dakota is receiving more than 34 million dollars and Maryland is receiving more than 237 million dollars for the funding of 5,400 jobs. Hopefully the newly created jobs will supply some relief for the many Americans who are currently unemployed due to the downturn of the national economy. Education can help the future of the country, therefore it should be the item on which we invest the most because it could help us out of our current situation.
The economic crisis however is not just effecting the United States however, it is a global issue. The financial crisis threatens to destroy all progress made in recent years for providing an education to all children all over the world. Because of the lack of funding UNESCO won’t be able to afford the costs of keeping up the different schools they have around the world. There is a whole generation of children who are losing the opportunity to be able to advance in life. What needs to be done in order to reach the goal of achieving the goal of universal primary education by 2015 would be that low income countries increase their domestic resources and give more to education much like other nations should. Some would make the argument that the interference of the government in economics is why it currently is the way it is. If the government weren’t involved in the education of its citizens then would anyone actually become educated?
The Senate Bill 1070, is not only affecting the illegal immigrants, and their love ones, but its also affecting the economy. Currently, the bill, has cause states like California, to boycott trading, visiting, and more with Arizona, which has caused tourism, and business, to decreased. For example, with musicians/bands/comedians/etc such as: Café Tacvba, Pitbull, Cypress Hill, Rage against the Machine, Chris Rock, Conor Oberst, Kanye West,
Rise Against, Michael Moore, -and now added on the list, Maroon 5, and Nine Inch Nails- and many more, are boycotting by not performing in Arizona. The current release says, "For musicians and artists, the choice to boycott is not a simple one. But the reality has become clear that to perform in Arizona, with this divisive and unjust law on the books, is no longer a neutral act. It is Governor Jan Brewer and the Arizona state legislature that has created the climate under which the normal commercial interaction between fans and artists can be converted into the means to apply racist legislation like SB 1070. For artists of The Sound Strike, the boycott is the most effective form of non-compliance with a law that threatens the civil and human rights of everyday people living within the state, including the fans of our music, whom we cherish and respect." (Masley, 2010)
Not only, is this bill affecting Arizona’s economy, but it is also affecting The US’ economy. One of the main problems, is that the Arizona Bill is now “Anchor Babies”, the term refers to “the tots that supposedly increase the chances that mommy and daddy can stay in the United States even if mommy and daddy can stay in the United States even if mommy and daddy are in the country illegally…” (Navarrette, 2010).
-Kathy Alvarado
Masley, Ed. “Nine Inch Nails, Maroon 5 join Arizona boycott“ . 28 June 2010. Arizona Republic.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2010/06/28/20100628sound-strike-protest-arizona-immigration-law.html#ixzz0sI6OGD3P
Navarrette, Ruben Jr. “Arizona citizenship bill targets children.” CNN. 17 June 2010
Gas prices affecting us
It has grabbed my attention and i have realized that the upper class are becoming middle class and the rich are becoming upper and the really rich are just causing trouble. For the most part can anyone below the upper class afford $3.09 a gallon? The rise has come from those that have money and starting to invest it again in the futures markets. This in turn raises fuel prices that raise groceries and so on until people lose their jobs and can't afford to pay their mortgage's. Why the government doesn't see this is beyond comprehension. Or is it that the Oil Companies pay to keep this all a hushed??? I am not sure if economists are afraid to tell the truth or what. All i know is that at $2.00 a gallon i could save some money to buy something...like clothes or a movie night once in a while. If i have to pay that extra $5 or $10 a week on gas then i can't spent it. So I am dumbfounded as to why the government doesn't do something. Because if they truly want me to spend my money they shouldn't allow the prices to raise!
Who should we share the blame with?
American oil companies and oil producing countries get the most blame for rising gas and oil prices, whit two in five Americans placing a lot of blame on them. But many also blame President Bush and the Iraq war. Just under one-third place a lot of blame on bush and the war in Iraq, and an additional two in five blame them some. Additionally, Three in then say a lot of the blame is due to waste by consumers for the high prices, and half place some blame on consumer waste. For the first time in years, concerns about gas and oil prices now rank among the top concerns when Americans are asked to volunteer the most important problem facing the country. It is now the number two issue, after the war in Iraq and head of the economy. Rising oil prices have already had a broad impact across America. Nearly nine in 10 Americans say the higher prices have affected them, including 62 % who say they have been affected a lot.
-Claudia Ramirez :)
http://www.newcarbuyingguide.com/index.php/news/main/3941/event=view
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/01/opinion/polls/main812533.shtml
http://www.aphids.com/stan/blog/2008/06/how_are_high_ga_1.html
http://zfacts.com/p/35.html
I feel that outsourcing overseas has greatly impacted our economy in a negative way. Manufacturing goods overseas has recently become popular with original American industrialized companies. It is cheaper to work with these foreign Countries. China for example does not have a minimum wage policy; they mass produce our American goods at lower quality through sweat shops etc. The way our economy is now, businesses will take any shortcut necessary to spend less on the making of the product. That may be good for the company but that puts millions of Americans out of work, closing down large factories (which puts a lot of smaller business out ), yet by doing this we are investing in a great profit to these foreign countries.
If Americans want a change, there focus should be on targeting these huge companies to keep business within our Country. If words have no effect then maybe a boycott would have a huge impact. Why should Americans waste their money when it is technically putting them in debt in the end? If we as Americans do not act now the downfall will be greater than it is now, and we will no longer be the leading Country that everyone envies, and there will be nobody to blame but ourselves.
- Sabrina Prieto
Illegal Immigration (continued)
Illegal immigration continues to be an even more controversial subject ever since Governor Jan Brewer signed SB 1070. I practically here about it every day and many times it irritates me. I continually here people talk out of ignorance and hate towards the immigrant population of the United States. The main argument is, “They don’t contribute to the economy they just take.” To this I say “Get your facts straight.” What people don’t realize is that these immigrants make and enhance great economies. As Stephen Colbert said, “…immigrants make up $29 million of Arizona’s economy alone.”(The Colbert Report. June 2010) This statement speaks for itself because if it is that much in Arizona, imagine what it is in California. Another issue is taxes, which people claim that immigrants don’t pay. Well, let me ask you this, do you think that when they (immigrants) buy something at the store do you think the clerk tells them “Oh you’re an illegal immigrant so you don’t pay taxes”? No. Immigrants pay just as much taxes as anyone else.
They pay taxes for everything including their home and everything else they buy. And the interesting thing is that many of them don’t even claim their income tax return which means that the money that they should’ve received is kept by the state and probably given to someone else, but this is money that they contribute but that they don’t redeem later. Also, just the other day farm workers responded to the cries of “They’re taking our jobs” by giving up some jobs for Americans to take. And guess what, only about 1400 people applied out of the entire population of California. (NPR 2010) More importantly this is causing people to be stripped of their right to come and work in the United States because many Americans are forgetting that this great nation was founded by immigrants who came from across the ocean not across the border. It seems that we as Americans are forgetting the principles by which this country was established. What happened to “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?” What happened to “The Land of the Free, the Home of the Brave?” What happened to “Give us your poor in huddled masses?” I don’t know if Americans are forgetting that or just ignoring it for the time being. But, we mustn’t forget what our founding fathers wanted this country to be like, we must put an end to this injustice.
-Miguel De La Torre
Colbert, Stephen. “The Colbert Report”. June 2010
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/281867/april-21-2010/the-word---no-problemo
Stewart, Jon. “The Daily Show” June 2010.
http://www.in.com/videos/watchvideo-the-daily-show-law-border-7385513.html
Mandalit Del Barco, NPR News, Bakersfield, California.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5334790
The topic I've chosen relates to education and English learning students in California. Growing up in a family whose primary language was Spanish, I was obliged to enroll in some type of English learning program, beginning as early as kindergarten. By the middle of first grade, I had reached proficiency, a level that almost all my other classmates had as well. My topic can be analyzed economically. For example, how much do these specific programs cost to the state?
According to the San Bernardino County Sun newspaper, " one in five kindergarten through 12th grade students in the county public school system is an English learner." It can be argued that our tax dollars are being put in good use, while others contradict that. I believe that putting money into the schools specifically into these programs is a good investment for our future. At a young age, it is easier to absorb something so complex as like the English language, rather than later in life. Those who oppose my opinion might say, " We have to have so many of these classes that it takes away from the core classes that I'd like to fund." ( Assemblyman Steve Knight ) Now back to answering my earlier question of how much it will cost, depends on various things. It would mean having a variety of books in school libraries, ensuring that schools have the teachers who can teach the second language, and maybe even going to the extreme of extending school hours. ( according to the UCLA newsroom) In reality though, education is being targeted by ridiculous cuts in funds to make this all possible. And things aren't looking better for these English learners in the near future.
San bernandino County Sun " Cost of teaching English learning students.." San Bernardino CA Jan 30 2010
UCLA newsroom "Needs of English Learners in California schools" Shauna Engle March 15 2007 newsroom.ucla.edu
unemployment
Unemployment rate has increased tremendously in the past year or so, so much that this past January eight counties in California topped 20% in unemployment rates (Semuels 2010). California's state overall jobless rate was 12.5% in January 2010 and increasing which made it the fifth worst in the nation (Semuels 2010). I think many people hear all these facts and perhaps put a moment of thought into it but than forget the importance of it and move on unless they have personally been affected because of it (by personal affect i mean someone in their family member has gone unemployed and they have seen themselves affected by it as well). What a lot of people don't realize or take the moment to think about is the problems that families are encountering because of unemployment; parents are out of work and kids are always in necessity of things but where are they to get money from if they're not getting any income and bills are always coming in?
My dad has been unemployed for an entire year already with seven people living at home, a college student, and a wife who is also unemployed. He used to work in construction and even his twenty four years of service with the same company didn't do it for him when 13.3 percent of construction jobs were lost, including his own (Stewart Ain 2010). My whole family was affected by this due to the fact that our spending in anything and everything was limited and stress levels increased in both of my parents for fear of how the house bills and other bills were going to be payed. Thankfully, my dad now receives unemployment money and although it is nothing compared to the income he used to receive, it has surely gotten him out of some troubles. My main concern though is the amount of money i am limited to use on college spending. As a senior, college has to be on my mind now but with financial issues, a variety in options of schools may decrease.I am well aware that scholarships and Financial Aid exist but even with that I'm sure my parents will have to do some spending, so my question is how are other families handling this?
The nations economy overall is being affected by unemployment all through the country because businesses are closed out which leads to people without jobs which means people without income, which leads to people not being able to make payments, which leads to the loss of homes which all in all, makes the economy only worsen. It's a big cycle in which every area of the nations economy is being affected and until unemployment rates decrease, the entire nation will see the negative affects of unemployment.
The topic I want to bring up is education I stongly fill that we need beter teachers in the education filled.I also fill that we need to get back to the basics like reading writing and arithmatic. Sens the material has become so standerd based driven students have been taken away from a true learning environment. The enviroment that I am talking about is the one where students where able to think and learn outside the box instead of having their education placed on a narrow path. That narrow path is standards. Instead of teaching standards based matireals. I also belive that techers should get paid by the way the achivments of students not by tenure.
Sens the induction of NCLB there has been sevearl issues brought about. The most important one would be that students have an idea that if we don't learn or pass the class we still move on. This by far has affected the way students think about education. It seems that most studenst have an I don't care attiude because they know they will still pass. So therefor NCLB needs to have improments made with in it. Not all of NCLB is bad there are some good points about NCLB example 1-20 ratio just fix the part that is broken.
In conclusion, the educatinal world needs some revaping in order to make learning more intrasting for students.
Our country deals with many problems every day, from the oil spill in the gulf to protest of the new senate bill 1070. My main interest is in how well our education system is functioned. The student dropout rate is 58% in the United States and concerning UPI the united states is ranked 18th academically in the world. My question is how come we are one of the richest countries in the world, then why are we ranked 18th, shouldn’t we be in the top 5 at least or better yet number 1? Watching the documentary “2 million minutes” showed me how in China and India take how important education is and how much time students study to make sure they do well in school. Yet India is a country full of poverty and they still did better than the students here in the United States. So are we spending our money right on education?
Learning about other education systems around the world, money seems to not be the problem. Congress included $100 billion dollars in the stimulus law last year and yet how was the money used? A study shows 11 states that receive funding raging from $234 million to $2.5 million spent their money in one school year leaving over a third or less of the money left. Our problem is we are not using the money right. This past year we receive a list of 187 low test performing high schools throughout California, this is telling us money is simply not the problem. It has to do with more on how society takes education seriously, the government needs to find a way where the students who do care about their education receive the best of it, and not spending so much money at the same time. Though this maybe asking for a lot, just think how the children are taught will affect the future of their lives and country.
"U.S. Slipping in Education Rankings." Latest News, Latest News Headlines, News Articles, News Video, News Photos - UPI.com. United Press International, 19 Nov. 2008. Web. 30 June 2010. .
Dillon, Sam. "With Ferderal Stimulus Money Gone, Many Schools Face Budget Gaps." The New York Times [New York] 8 Feb. 2010, East Coast ed. Print.
http://www.takepart.com/issues/high-school-dropout-rates/13784
Immigration reform, securing borders and SB 1070 are all issues that fall under the category of one of the most controversial topics in America; immigration. However, one of the less talked about immigration issues, which has now begun to surface, deals with whether or not children of illegal immigrants should be granted citizenship. “Anchor babies”, as they are now being called, are children who were born in the United States to illegal parents. While the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution clearly states that anyone who is born in the United States is considered a citizen, several anti-immigration activists have shown their disapproval and have even begun to challenge the amendment. For example, those against legalizing the children of illegal immigrants argue that granting citizenship to “anchor babies” is only bringing down the economy by causing a dramatic increase in our population. John Reiniers from Hernando Today, a local newspaper from Hernando County, Florida, stated that the percentage of illegal immigrant mothers having their children in a Dallas hospital , “added up to 11,200 babies for which Medicaid kicked in $34.5 million to deliver these babies, the feds another $9.5 million and Dallas taxpayers tossed in $31.3 million… By law, illegal immigrants cannot be denied medical care based on their inability to pay or their immigration status. These women also receive free prenatal care, medication, car seats, bottles, diapers and formula” (Reiniers, Hernando Today). It takes an immense amount of money to help raise and educate a child, and part of this money comes from tax payers who are already having a difficult time trying to pay their debts.
But are these children truly weighing down our economy? While the cost of raising them may be high, so is the cost of raising other children. To begin with, we must keep in mind that the free parental care, car seats and baby supplies, are for anyone, not just illegal immigrants. For example, Woman, Infants, and Children (WIC) is a program designed to provide ederal grants to States for supplemental foods, health care referrals, and nutrition education for “low-income pregnant, breastfeeding, and non-breastfeeding postpartum women, and to infants and children up to age five who are found to be at nutritional risk” (WIC). As you can see, programs such as WIC are designed in order to help low income families raise their children, and their sole purpose is to be there for the children. Also, while several people may see “anchor babies” as a waste of tax money, some may see it as more of an investment. Think of the long term effects that these children could have on the community. They will grow up with better health, education and opportunities to become successful in life. Although my parents are legal citizens now, that story was completely different when I was born. Growing up, they made sure to provide me with the proper inspiration to help me want to do better in life. They want me to have what they themselves couldn’t have, and that’s a fact for several other “anchor babies” out there. While raising them may seem like a huge amount of money now, their success will help open new opportunities which will pull this country forward in front of the rest, and in the end, provides us with a good and stable economy.
-Jazmin Lopez
Bibliography:
Hernando Today: law, and illegal immigrants. "Anchor Babies Weigh Down Economy." Hernando Today, 26 Jan. 2008. Web. 30 June 2010. .
United States Constitution: States:, The United. "The United States Constitution - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net." Index Page - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net. Web. 29 June 2010. http://www.usconstitution.net
WIC: "WIC." Home Page. N.p., 3 Nov. 2009. Web. 30 June 2010. .
The topic I've chosen to write about is on the "Glass Ceiling" theory. Women have reached glass ceilings in their careers since they were allowed to enter a "man's" workplace. This suggests that there is a very basic distinction how men perceive women in the work environment. Most men believe women are inferior, less educated, or less experienced in comparison to their male co-workers. I believe that the glass ceiling is something that eventually will hinder me in my career therefore affecting my economic stability. Being a woman, minority, and from low-income, I have quite a few struggles ahead of me, in order to prove myself in whatever career I choose. Studies have shown that women who in fact pursue a career and hold a university degree, on average, have an effective income little more than that of a man with comparable years of work experience without a high school diploma. Women are usually perceived as the foundation of a family since we are the ones who bare children and for the most part are primary caretakers of our children. The concept that women belong in the home is one that lies in the back of many people's minds. People usually disconnect from their personal and family lives at their workplace and play a roll in their employment atmosphere. However, seeing a pregnant woman clashes the two environments together sometimes seen as a debilitating circumstance on the woman's part.
Male stereotyping and preconceptions of women, prevent women from reaching the upper rungs of management. Women have been subject to stereotyping and have been denied access to networking. Also exclusion from informal networks of communication contribute to a lack of advancement in our careers. For example, let's say I was to consider a career in law. It would probably be a long time before I could reach an upper status position, considering that the Supreme Court was established in 1789 and the first woman to be appointed was Sandra Day O'Connor and she did not come into the picture until 1981. Almost 200 years. I also take into consideration that our society has evolved in a sense that some men are seeing women as equals. But, I feel as though, the glass ceiling will be one of the last social economic issues to be broken through.
Clark,Hannah."Are Women Happy Under The Glass Ceiling?" 03.08.06 Forbes Magazine
Frederick,Candice. "Women, Ethics And the Workplace. Publisher: Praeger. Place of Publication: Westport, CT. Publication Year: 1997.
Rosenberg McKay, Dawn.
"Women Face Glass Ceiling in Hiring". 2010 About.com Guide
The topic of my choice would have to be education. Everyday we attend school neglecting to see the reason behind all the changes occurring before us. What does education do for us? It helps us grow and learn material that can help us out in “the real world”. Although for most of us, our parents drop us off at school everyday, how many are truly concerned with how their child is doing in class or what they’re learning? Very few. And see that’s the problem! No one seems to give a flying hoot about education really. Education is the first thing to be cut by our government. Yes there are some programs like the ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) working to give some money back to teachers but really, they don’t make that big of a difference.
Why is that that a school is willing to spend around 13 million dollars to renovate an old football/track field but they can't use funding to go towards better working computers in their libraries. We being brought up in a higher class of life tend to neglect all around us. We fail to actually try hard in classes. We lack motivation thinking everything will settle on its on. We confide on the idea of at least having more advantages than those in China or India.
Also, teachers play a huge role in our education. Clearly, if you have a teacher who fails to interact or actually help you when you need it, you're in trouble. Truth is, we all know that one teacher who is only at school today because they need a job. I really believe that enorcing regular teacher evaluations would help this conflict a lot. The more the teacher gets evaluated, the more they try to impress and actually teach. Maybe at first the whole thing will be fake but in the end, after they've gotten use to it,it'll make a difference.
One past time of Americans is to go and to watch movies especially in times of low economic times. Movies are being seen throughout America and in the world in which America is a main producer of movies being released in the thearte. They produce most of the movies in the world. This is a great economic advantage to the rest of the world's movie indrustries. The average US ticket price according to(NATO) in 2009 was $7.50 from 2000 $5.39. Even in the year 1948th eaverage movie ticket cost .36 cents which shows how inflation has rose in movie tickets pricees. Also movies are distrubutred in major indrustries like Disney, Dream Works, MGM,Paramount, etc.. Which are all multi billionare companies that contribute to the economy. Also economy has to do with capitalism which has much competition like all the movie producers in existence.
Since watching movies is not only an American past time but something that alll countries enjoy doing. For example, there is FilmAid International which is "projecting hope and changing lives through the power of film". They screen movies in refugee camps which Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General, UN "makes a significant difference in the daily lives of refugees." Movies changes lives economically and socially films provide a way to reach to the people who are lacking motivation. Movies has a big utility and its consumers appreciate it greatly.
citations:
National Association of Theatre Owners(NATO)."Ticket prices."www.natooline.org.2009
FilmAid International."The Power of Film: Bringing Essential Information to People in Need."www.filmaid.org.2009
In regards to the topic of [our] education the faltering elementary, intermediate, and high schools, are big issues that effect education and the economy. What’s even worse are the tuition hikes being put on the private universities that students strive for for their post-high school education. Even with the latest hike being “among the lowest increases in nearly 40 years” the tuition fees could eventually be too much to handle for the oncoming scholars and may divert them from pursuing these higher paths (Damast, 2010). Most students (and families) rely on financial aid to “offset the cost of college, and [it] has accelerated in the last few years as students and families struggle to pay for college” (Damast, 2010). This affects me so because my goal is not to go to a typical university just cause of a greater school’s price tag. Even with these tuition hikes bringing down funding gaps in the millions, if the expense of education is too costly to overcome, then the economy would go down a great percent because of fewer people being able to attain higher job opportunities, which isn’t so great (Rivera, 2010).
A possible detour around these tuition hikes are increases in grants and scholarship programs, along with the 9 percent increase in institutional student aid this past year. Starting with an average tuition of $26,273, it can be cut down to $11,870 with the help of grant aid and federal tax benefits. The National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU) President, David Warren, has stated that “Over the last two years, some institutions have frozen tuition, launched three-year degree programs, and introduced other cost-saving measures” (Damast, 2010). These are the extremes being taken in order to make those colleges more affordable for students. With the economic status we are in today, money will always affect and effect our options in education. One example that I relate to are my options of summer courses. If finances were not a problem, my desired medical science courses at Brown University, Stanford University’s EPGY program, Texas Christian University, or the Oxbridge Prep Experience, all of which are wonderful schools/programs that I would’ve immensely enjoyed attending, would have been fulfilled. Sadly enough, finances for such things are costly and are a big factor of education.
Resources:
Damast, Alison. “Private College Tuition Continues Upward Climb.” Bloomberg BusinessWeek 29 June 2010: n. pag.
Rivera, Carla. “Cal State OKs 5% hike in Undergraduate fees.” The Los Angeles Times 19 June 2010: n. pag.
The topic I chose was on Education. This is a topic that I really think that I can get into. As a student I’m looking back on my education and I think I could have learned more. Education in the United States is provided mainly by government, it has control of funding coming from three levels which are federal, state, and local. School attendance is how schools get their funding, it is mandatory and nearly universal at the elementary and high school levels. This is related to economics in many ways. In the United States we have a great education system but many don’t take advantage of it, evening if funding is insignificant.
Education in Mexico is the same they have the federal government is responsible for all nominative and policy-making functions in education and they also have all the funds for schools in Mexico. Their funds might be lower than ours, they take advantage of what they got. These students wish they could have what we got, it’s the same for India they want better education they give it all they got to learn as much as they can. Education is everything we want it and we need it.
-Reggie Pitones
The topic about the U.S. education system was the one most intrigued me the most because it was the one I could connect the best with. I was astonished at the fact that “The percent of students earning a standard diploma in four years…68.8 percent in 2007…” (Khadaroo, 2010) All along I always thought that in first world and technologically advanced country like the U.S. graduation rate would be somewhere around a respectable 85%. I found out that the highest high school graduation had ever been was in 1969 at 77%.(Khadaroo, 2010) You would expect that in the strongest and richest country in the world, over the course of 40 years that number would gradually increase with minor slumps here and there. Unfortunately that is not the case nationwide, were in 2001 Iowa had an exceptional graduation rate of 93%. (Civic Report,2001) So what seems to be the problem? Is it money or bad teachers or is it simply government with its “one-size fits all” education system. Dropout rates also contribute to the downfall of the economy. If dropout rates were cut in half in important cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, etc. graduate’s income would see an increase of $4.1 billion annually. (Khadaroo, 2010)
Whatever be the problem, I believe students should have a greater say in what takes part around them because, as many would agree, current students are being robbed of a better education due to low standards. Personally I have been a very dedicated student, but I have failed in some ways to take action to improve the education I say I’ve been robbed of. Just listening to fellow students and hear what’s going on at neighboring Norte Vista High School has inspired me to take a more vital role. I am keen to take part in a district board meeting as soon as I can. In a matter of days in this class I managed to observe things I had never noticed. A nation’s prosperity begins with education and without education one becomes ignorant. That is why the government priority should be improving our education system. So in the long run, maybe not now but in five or ten years, this country starts to see a huge rise again. On my final note I would like to thank Mr. Palo who has been one in just a handful of my teachers who have gone beyond their job of teaching to try to open student’s minds and encourage them to push for a higher education.
-Daniel Quiroz
Khadaroo, Stacy Teicher. "Graduation Rate for US High-schoolers Falls for Second Straight Year - CSMonitor.com." The Christian Science Monitor - CSMonitor.com. 10 June 2010. Web. 30 June 2010. .
Civic Report. "High School Graduation Rates in the United States | Table 1." Manhattan Institute. Nov. 2001. Web. 30 June 2010. .
Throughout this we have discussed many topics. Such that include the BP Oil Spill, immigration bill SB 1070, and the flaws in American Education. All three of these subjects are very controversial and touchy topics. They have definitely created a big problem for the Americans. I believe that the most harmful current event to our economy is the BP Oil Spill. Even though it has slowly faded away behind the curtains of politics, it remains a major problem for America. The spill has not stopped since it started on April 20, 2010. Today, it is June 29, 2010 and the oil is still leaking with no signs of slowing down. There was an estimate that seventy thousand barrels of oil were being spilled each day (Maestas, 2010 ). Billions of dollars of oil have been wasted, the whole Gulf Coast is contaminated with oil, and the people that lived and worked in or along the Gulf Coast have lost almost all of their business. It is a very horrendous scene. I believe that this disaster has the whole country angry because it has been approximately three months, and there has been nothing done to stop the leakage.
There are those out there that blame our President, Barrack Obama for not being able to stop the oil spill. Well, to those people I would like to say, “He is our President, not Superman!” I believe that Mr. Obama is doing the best he can to possibly stop this disaster. I don’t believe that he is enjoying seeing this oil spill taking over the waters of the Gulf Coast. He is taking the necessary procedures to help maintain the spill. The President has also talked to the BP officials and he has made it clear that they need to figure out the how to secure this spill (Jones, 2010)
If anyone should be held responsible, it should be BP. They were deep water drilling and they knew the consequences of it, but they continued to drill, even though they did not have the proper technology to use in case something was to happen to the drilling rig. This clearly shows the irresponsibility of BP. What the despicable part about this is that BP said that it has twenty billion dollars set aside to compensate those who were hurt by the spill, but the residents that were near it haven’t received the money that they deserved. If BP can not run their company with right morals and integrity, then maybe they should be shut down because all they have done so far is hurt Americans.
Jones, Jeffery. "Obama, Cameron to Discuss BP Oil Spill Crisis - Yahoo! News." The Top News Headlines on Current Events from Yahoo! News - Yahoo! News. 12 June 2010. Web. 29 June 2010. .
Maestas, Aislinn. "BP Oil Spill - One Month and Counting - National Wildlife Federation." Home - National Wildlife Federation. 20 May 2010. Web. 29 June 2010. .
- Ali Raza
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