Send in the Drones Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Send in the Drones - Essay Example A look at the coverage of the Lamont Lieberman senate race in Connecticut will confirm that pack journalism is alive and well and even more void of any creativity, insight, adjectives, or shame. Both Reuters and The Associated Press ran several stories in the hours after the election. The stories echoed the same adjectives and scenarios as they spoke of the anger, anti-war sentiment, and Lieberman's closeness with Bush. The wire services had indeed taken the stand that the vote in the Democratic primary in the land of steady habits was a referendum on the President. The major papers in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago echoed this story. Yet, as reported by Murray on August 9, 2006 in The Washington Post there were other issues on the minds of Connecticut voters such as labor unions, free trade, and women's rights. The mob mentality had left these issues behind because the story that had the legs was the story on the war. Sometimes you can see the mob move by just looking at the sheer volume of coverage on an event. By the first week of August 2006 the major news outlets had the nation riveted on the Democratic primary and focused on the race between Lieberman and Lamont. The Associated Press was pumping out 10 stories a day covering the race and the major dailies were following suit. The NY Times was contributing about 4 a day and the Washington Post was adding another 2 (LexisNexis). By the first week of October 2006 the AP had dropped to less than 10 stories for the entire week. That week, the Washington Post did not even cover the non-event. The last week of October 2006, with the election drawing near, had again seen a modest increase in coverage by both the AP and the New York Times (LexisNexis). By the beginning of September the news of Lieberman and Lamont was already getting scarce. It was often hard to locate the source of the story, but it was certainly getting incestual. Similar stories from Chicago and New York indicate that the news was being drawn from a common pool. The New York Times led a story on September 2, 2006 with, "An independent group, Vets for Freedom, will begin sponsoring television commercials [...] thanking him (Lieberman) for his support of the war in Iraq" (Medina, 5). On September 6, 2006 the Chicago Sun Times relayed the same story that led off with, "Vets for Freedom, an independent group [...] will air an ad in Connecticut [...] thank the incumbent for backing the conflict" (Miga). It's obvious that both papers were drinking from the same well. A September 9, 2006 AP story begins, "[...] Ned Lamont, who recently denounced Sen. Joe Lieberman for his public scolding of President Clinton over the Monica Lewinsky affair, lauded the senator at the time for his eloquence and moral authority" (Reitz). The New York Times of the same date worded it this way, "Ned Lamont, who this week chastised Senator Joseph I. Lieberman for his public rebuke of President Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, wrote to Mr. Lieberman at the time praising the eloquence of his speech on the Senate floor" (Medina, 4). The NY Times took full credit for the story with no acknowledgment for the AP material. The majors had run out of wire stories and the Times was lost for words, but they hadn't lost their thesaurus. Unfortunately, the chain of evidence is not well

Food sec Essay Example for Free

Food sec Essay Our aim is that all people (regardless of race, religion, gender or age) have access to safe and nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life (World Bank, 1986) There are four main components to ensuring food security: 1. Food availability good agricultural productions and marketing to provide enough food in all climates and seasons. 2. Food access – having the money to pay for or the ability to acquire the food; being able to get good†¦ 3. Food use- proper preparation and storage of the food; maintaining the nutritional integrity of the food; fair distribution of the food (gender, food, ethnicity, religion, etc. ) 4. Asset creation –designing ways to maintain the food supply, in case of natural disaster, wars and/or conflicts etc. ; stockpiling, donations, etc. Solutions to Fighting Hunger 1. Improving nutritional status-e. g. Adding palm oil (contains Vitamin A) to food, fortifying milk with Vitamin D encouraging breast-feeding. 2. Policy changes (worldwide) –e. g. universal declaration of human rights, universal rights of the child. 3. Food Security – focusing on the four main courses of hunger and working with communities to improve availability of quality of food. Issues associated with food security: 1. Natural disaster 2. Cash cropping 3. Lack of education 4. Unequal Distribution of Resources 5. Disease 6. Government 7. War/Conflict Food Security Our aim is that all people (regardless of race, religion, gender or age) have access to safe and nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life (World Bank, 1986) There are four main components to ensuring food security: 5. Food availability good agricultural productions and marketing to provide enough food in all climates and seasons. 6. Food access – having the money to pay for or the ability to acquire the food; being able to get good†¦ 7. Food use- proper preparation and storage of the food; maintaining the nutritional integrity of the food; fair distribution of the food (gender, food, ethnicity, religion, etc. ) 8. Asset creation –designing ways to maintain the food supply, in case of natural disaster, wars and/or conflicts etc. ; stockpiling, donations, etc. Solutions to Fighting Hunger 4. Improving nutritional status-e. g. Adding palm oil (contains Vitamin A) to food, fortifying milk with Vitamin D encouraging breast-feeding. 5. Policy changes (worldwide) –e. g. universal declaration of human rights, universal rights of the child. 6. Food Security – focusing on the four main courses of hunger and working with communities to improve availability of quality of food. Issues associated with food security: 8. Natural disaster 9. Cash cropping 10. Lack of education 11. Unequal Distribution of Resources 12. Disease 13. Government 14. War/Conflict Food Security Our aim is that all people (regardless of race, religion, gender or age) have access to safe and nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life (World Bank, 1986) There are four main components to ensuring food security: 9. Food availability good agricultural productions and marketing to provide enough food in all climates and seasons. 10. Food access – having the money to pay for or the ability to acquire the food; being able to get good†¦ 11. Food use- proper preparation and storage of the food; maintaining the nutritional integrity of the food; fair distribution of the food (gender, food, ethnicity, religion, etc. ) 12. Asset creation –designing ways to maintain the food supply, in case of natural disaster, wars and/or conflicts etc. ; stockpiling, donations, etc. Solutions to Fighting Hunger 7. Improving nutritional status-e. g. Adding palm oil (contains Vitamin A) to food, fortifying milk with Vitamin D encouraging breast-feeding. 8. Policy changes (worldwide) –e. g. universal declaration of human rights, universal rights of the child. 9. Food Security – focusing on the four main courses of hunger and working with communities to improve availability of quality of food. Issues associated with food security: 15. Natural disaster 16. Cash cropping 17. Lack of education 18. Unequal Distribution of Resources 19. Disease 20. Government 21. War/Conflict Food Security Our aim is that all people (regardless of race, religion, gender or age) have access to safe and nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life (World Bank, 1986) There are four main components to ensuring food security: 13. Food availability good agricultural productions and marketing to provide enough food in all climates and seasons. 14. Food access – having the money to pay for or the ability to acquire the food; being able to get good†¦ 15. Food use- proper preparation and storage of the food; maintaining the nutritional integrity of the food; fair distribution of the food (gender, food, ethnicity, religion, etc. ) 16. Asset creation –designing ways to maintain the food supply, in case of natural disaster, wars and/or conflicts etc. ; stockpiling, donations, etc. Solutions to Fighting Hunger. 10. Improving nutritional status-e. g. Adding palm oil (contains Vitamin A) to food, fortifying milk with Vitamin D encouraging breast-feeding. 11. Policy changes (worldwide) –e. g. universal declaration of human rights, universal rights of the child. 12. Food Security – focusing on the four main courses of hunger and working with communities to improve availability of quality of food. Issues associated with food security: 22. Natural disaster 23. Cash cropping 24. Lack of education 25. Unequal Distribution of Resources 26. Disease 27. Government 28. War/Conflict.

Benefits Of Distributed Leadership Education Essay

Benefits Of Distributed Leadership Education Essay Leadership is not all down to the Head teacher, the head of department or, in the classroom the teacher. If it is, nobody is learning anything at all about leadership. The first rule about leadership is that it is shared. (Brighouse and Woods, 1999:45) Most often administrative leadership is viewed as different from any kinds of leadership in school. The roles might be different since most managerial roles are completed outside the classrooms while teachers leadership is exercised within the classroom. Nevertheless in school, teachers, administrators, Learning Support Assistants (LSAs), parents and students can all work together towards the improvement of Distributed Leadership (DL). That is why Sergiovanni states that, If leadership is a practice shared by many then it must be distributed among those who are in the right place at the right time and among those who have the ability. (2006:189-190) In this section, literature will be organised and focused round the following questions: What are the benefits of distributed leadership in a secondary school? To what extent is leadership shared among all stakeholders in Sunflower School? How far can distributed leadership facilitate learning? How effective to the schools improvement and success can distributed leadership be? What are the benefits of distributed leadership in a secondary school? A successful leader is classified as such, when s/he manages to involve others in the process of leadership. According to Sergiovanni, when principals share leadership, they get more power in return (2006:185). DL also enables those involved to develop their own leadership skills. With DL, Principals are helping their colleagues by boosting their self-confidence, and to make their own decisions (Nicholls, 2000). Recently, Mifsud found that Maltese Heads practise shared decision-making to ensure widespread ownership (2008:7). Thus all teaching-staff (Teachers and LSAs) will become more autonomous, while abiding with the School Development Plan (SDP) and curriculum. Sharing leadership with all stakeholders involves dedicating time to achieve good results (Brighouse and Woods, 1999). The pure type of collegiality (Bush, 1995:52) works its best, when the institution is formed by a small number of staff. Having a large number of teaching-staff will surely make DL difficult. Although in our schools context we have a large number of staff, DL can still work since the teaching-staff is divided into smaller groups. Likewise, Brighouse and Woods say that, The smaller the school or teaching unit, the more leadership, as well as work, can be shared (1999:45). According to Leithwood et al DL helps teachers to be satisfied with their work, increases their sense of professionalism, stimulates organisational change, increases efficiency and encourages cross-interactions between teaching-staff (1999:115). Although, Blase and Blase argue that entrusting teachers with self-autonomy and empowerment makes them feel satisfied, motivated and confident and they are likely to give their utmost in their job (1994:29); this sometimes may also lead the teaching-staff to overpower the Principal like it happens in our school. Yet, Blase and Kirby (1992) found that when teachers are empowered through autonomy, their attitudes and performance will get better. Moreover, even when leadership is shared among teaching-staff and students, this creates an attitude of respect between them, especially when they are so directly involved. Having a democratic leader helps gain attentive listening from subordinates, which in turn will also help improve relationships. When teachers working in democratic schools but had previous experiences in other schools which have authoritarian leaders were interviewed Blase and Blase (1994) concluded that teachers classroom autonomy enable them to have class control. An autocratic style called by Brighouse and Woods north pole-north pole leadership will lead teachers to work to rule and nothing more (1999:51). In contrast having a democratic style called north pole-south pole where leadership is shared among all stakeholders, will unlock enormous surges of energy and effort among professionals (Brighouse and Woods: 1999:51). They also argue, that sharing leadership will relieve Heads form some leadership stress. Thus DL, leads to sharing of responsibility which will not remain a burden on the Heads shoulders. Until recently, according to Cauchi Cuschieri (2007), leadership in Maltese Church Secondary Schools was seen as the Head teachers job. However, the style used nowadays is much more DL amongst stakeholder s. In our school this is not the case, since from its founding, it was believed that DL enables sharing ideas and responsibility which finally leads to the schools improvement. Duke et al, (1980) established, that the school is democratic one when the teaching-staff, is involved in the process of decision making. Likewise, Blase and Blase argue that increasing teacher access to decision making is essential to empowering teachers (1994:33). Also, Churchfields secondary school study shows, that teachers feel the need to participate in the schools management as it gives better results in the decision making process (Bush, 1995). Finally, when a decision is taken, it is the teaching-staffs responsibility to put it into action. So, being involved leads the staff to make a decision (Bush, 1995). Rivalland (1989 cited in Wolfendale 1992:57) presents a number of benefits that can be achieved from parental involvement in schools: They work for a better learning environment since it is for their own childs interest; Whatever is needed to be done in school, and whatever parents are able to do, they do it and they offer themselves as human resources to the school; They create the learning connection between schools and students respective homes; With their presence in school, they will become aware of what the school needs from time to time. Although, Wolfendale (1992) argues, that having parents involved in the study and formulation of schools behaviour and discipline policy will give a good result; this may not be applicable in our school since it seems that the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) tackles only social issues and personal concerns of parents. However, this will be investigated later on in this study. King states that students leadership is mostly exercised in the prefectorial system (1973:141). However, this does not seem to be the only solution for our school, since leadership is also exercised through the students council. It is true that the ultimate responsibility of decision-making in schools is in the hands of the Principal. Nonetheless, as Frost claims Schools can also be enriched by students contributions to decision-making and curriculum development (2008:356). Moreover, when students are consulted in certain matters such as finance they are taught some of the hard lessons of democracy (Colgate, 1976:123). Prefects and councillors are students particularly chosen to help in school control and decision making. If their appointment is successful they may also serve as role models for other students (King, 1973). Contrary to all the benefits of involving all stakeholders, one has to say that collegiality is an intense activity since it entails work after school hours. Likewise, Smylie and Denny (1990) argue that the involvement of the teaching-staff in leadership may be time consuming and may have an effect on the students needs. The time for training and the funding allocated for these functions are not enough, argues White (1992). These problems make DL more difficult to succeed. However since all teaching-staff in our school have free periods during the day, this may not be a problem. Adding to this, having a large number of participants might create problems in communication, even when having a wide range of different views from all participants (Bush, 1995). To what extent is leadership shared among all stakeholders in Sunflower School? Leadership is not a one man job, because to be successful this must be shared. Moyo writes that: The concept of distributed leadership is the idea of sharing leadership amongst all stakeholders. These stakeholders, as stated earlier include head teachers, middle leaders, teachers, parents and students. (2010:25) It is not leadership if a person orders, requires, seduces, or threatens anothers compliance, (Sergiovanni, 2006:192). So true leadership is when it is shared among all those having the ability to be involved in it. Similarly, Brighouse and Woods emphasise that: One person may be key but leadership is shared among pupils, teachers and other staff and members of the community (1999:48). Likewise, Leithwood et al (1999) refers to DL as a key element of many SDPs. Until recently the Head teacher in Maltese schools was seen as the schools ultimate authority (Mifsud, 2008). Rather than having an autocratic school, having a democratic one entails having a DL (Bush, 1995). With collaboration, and exchange of ideas, problems can be solved collegially, while individual qualities are developed further (Leithwood et al, 1999). This is what Bush calls collegiality (1995:52), and claims that there are two different types of collegiality, one is the restricted, meaning that a number from the staff are chosen to participate in the process of decision making, while the other called pure is the process which involves everyone equally (Bush, 1995:52). Teachers, LSAs, parents and students who are enormously committed to children and school life (Brighouse and Woods, 1999:49) are perfect for participating in DL, because they are more approachable, more trusted, and their main goal is school improvement. In one of the interviews carried out in Blase and Blases (1994) study, a teacher describes best what a shared governance principals attitude should be like, that is, to guide not to dictate. Teachers interviewed could make comparisons of past and present principals. Although its ideal to involve everyone in the process of decision making, in the context of our school, there should be a person that leads both the discussion, and assumes responsibility for taking the final decisions, which should be the Principal or a delegate. About this, Blase and Blase state that principals are compelled to assume full responsibility over all school matters (1994:78). Dunford et al also maintain that whilst the Head will remain the leader, others will need to add a leadership role to their management responsibilities (2000:5). Weick (1976, cited in Blase and Blase 1994:135) claims that now schools have developed into organisations, in which administrators and teachers work separately and independently. This does not appear to be our schools situation, as the stakeholders all seemed to be involved in teamwork. In contrast, Blase and Blase (1994) research presents principals under study as being open to others opinions, collegiality and DL. When this issue of DL was introduced, most Senior Management Team (SMT) members were being involved. Arguing this Dunford et al (2000) say that particularly having more SMT members in a secondary school, leads to the shared responsibility and the establishment of different roles. Leithwood et al (1999:121) in their study found that teachers were most likely involved in school planning and school structure and organisation while the principals leadership is more focused to management issues. In our school this is not the case as in school planning the Principal is the Chairperson. Normally, people think that teacher leadership is exercised only within the classroom. However, in democratic schools like ours, teachers are involved in all aspects of the school, even when taking decisions. Blase and Blase also state that, Successful shared governance principals show trust in teachers capacity for responsible involvement in both school-level and classroom-level decision making. (1994:27) Similarly Leithwood et al argued that there are two forms of teacher leadership; one is the formal style for leadership of class control, or an informal one: By sharing their expertise, volunteering for new projects and bringing new ideas to the school helping their colleagues to carry out their classroom duties, and by assisting in the improvement of classroom practice, (1999:117). Brighouse and Woods (1999) concluded that because teachers are leaders in classes they dont like to be followers, and so expect to participate more in school leadership. Moreover, they also say that: Successful Headsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ are men and women with ideals and the ability to share those ideals with those whom they lead. (1999:54). Therefore, through the sharing and openness of ideas, leadership is shared and decisions taken will hold much more. However, in the context of our school, if leadership is to be shared and if teachers are to work in different groups, they are to be monitored either by the Principal or assistant principal. Moreover Leithwood et al, (2000) claim that the number of people involved in DL varies according to different tasks. Most effective distribution of leadership functions would vary the numbers of people providing leadership in response to the complexity of the tasks to be performed-more in the case of complex tasks and fewer in response to simple tasks (2007:58). Research shows that in Malta, Practically all schools have teachers involved in one team or another (LIE, 2009:176). The benefits of DL indicate that Maltese schools are trying to work hard on it. Since 1980, the Education Act in England ensured parental representation on school governing bodies (Wolfendale, 1992:62). Likewise, the Maltese Education Act that was reformed in 2006 states that the Maltese Directorate for Educational Services, Should promote, encourage and monitor the democratic governance of schools through School Councils with the active participation of parents, teachers and students. (GOM, 2006:7) Thus the PTA and Students Council were introduced in Maltese Schools so that they may participate actively in school leadership and decision making. As Wolfendale (1992) said, the aim for parents participation is to represent other parents, to discuss common interest issues and to inform other parents of decisions taken through written circulars or school meetings. It is also described as a forum for teachers and parents to meet and engage in social and perhaps fundraising activities (Wolfendale, 1992:74). Furthermore, research in Malta confirms that parents are indeed involved in policy decision making and practice (LIE, 2009). Parents are always keen to participate in school leadership for the benefits of their own children and for the schools improvement (Wolfendale, 1992). In our school, this may not be the situation, since there are those who are passive and do not participate in any activities or meetings even if it regards their own childs interests. In most of the Maltese schools or colleges, only a small percentage of parents are involved through the PTA committee, while others get involved only through activities organized by the school or the PTA. Some parents are called upon by the schools to offer their expertise where necessary (LIE, 2009:175). However, Wolfendale (1992) notes, that sometimes teachers do not feel the benefit of parental involvement in school. Harding and Pike (1988 cited in Wolfendale, 1992:59) suggest ways in which parents can be directly involved in the school. This can be done through: Personal contact with the school and staff; Written communication; PTA or other parental groups within the school; Their involvement in school matters and learning. In contrast, in primary schools the rate of parental involvement in the PTA is higher than in the secondary. This most probably happens because secondary schools are much larger in number and more teachers are involved, so the rapport between parents and teachers may not be that strong. These issues have been called by Wolfendale as difficulties to set up and maintain teacher-parent initiatives in secondary schools (1992:58). The development of the School Development Plan was one of the main activities where DL was exercised in Maltese schools with the intention of including all stakeholders in planning and discussion. As the aim was for the schools improvement and improved learning for all students, it was noticed that students were not included in any of the discussion. This issue was later tackled firstly by a students school council (LIE, 2009) and then by an Ekoskola committee, which takes care of the environment (Bezzina, 2007). Since, students are the final achievers of the educational institution, they should have space and opportunities to share their views and talk about their needs. Bell and Harrison (1998) state that it is of mutual importance for the school to work in collaboration with students and encourage them in teamwork. Likewise, Brighouse and Woods (1999) stress the importance of involving children in leadership roles within the school, to make them more responsible and prepare them for the world of work. However, there are two types of student leaders and these must be clearly distinguished. There are those called bullies, who use their power to intimidate others and as a result push away all other students. The other group is called unofficial leaders (Brighouse and Woods, 1999:48), who somehow always attract others. Moreover, they may be trusted and given a number of leadership duties to carry out as they are seen by teachers as capable and responsible pupils. To distinguish between these kinds of leaders, the school can organise a socio-gram test at the beginning or at the end of the scholastic year. How far can distributed leadership facilitate learning? Leithwood et al (1999) argue that there is a challenge between leadership practice, and the research that points out ways in which leadership affects students and their learning. In contrast, Spillane claims that: What matters for instructional improvement and student achievement is not that leadership is distributed, but how it is distributed (2005:149). However, Leithwood et al (2006b) maintain that after classroom teaching, leadership is next to influence students learning. Lately, Leithwood and Massey emphasised that Leadership is a major cause for the improvements in student achievement. (2010:79) Principals and other SMT members are encouraged to work hard towards creating a better environment for better learning. This means that they are to ensure that the school atmosphere is good both for teachers to work in and for students to learn. This does not refer only to the physical environment, but also to the distribution of leadership and teachers autonomy. Principals acceptance of trust and DL within their school means that they let the teaching-staff choose their ways and means of teaching that is best applicable for the students under their responsibility (Blase and Blase, 1994). This also can be done through encouraging teamwork between teachers and LSAs. Similarly, Bezzina claims that Only by involving all stakeholders and respecting differences can we give birth to new ideas (2006:86) and thus create a better atmosphere for better learning. Moreover, Brighouse and Woods highlight that DL and collaboration among all staff will result in: raising the achievement of pupils (1999:83). Christopher Bezzina conducted a case study in one of the Maltese Church schools, where the academic achievement was not so high. The schools Head, having had experiences in different schools introduced the issue of DL for better learning. Teaching-staff, parents and students were encouraged to participate in the schools matters and decision making programmes. The result was successful concluding that quality improvement initiatives placed a great emphasis on the leadership of the organisation (Bezzina 2008:23). Thus, one can conclude that having DL in a school has a great impact on learning. According to Moyo, DL has an effect on students learning through teachers, who are the closest leaders in contact with students and their learning; But in order to achieve this, teachers need to be involved and motivated by the leadership, (2010:23). Teachers having a personal view of DL, help children to learn more. This is done by involving them in leadership practice inside and outside the classroom. Brighouse and Woods (1999) note that even the type of teacher-student relationship has an influence on students learning. Moreover, having autocratic leadership style in class does not help in creating a learning atmosphere for students. The teacher with good student relationship encourages pupils to never give up, and aim high in life for the future. As stated by Blase and Blase (1994), teachers autonomy is when they are free to decide their own ways and means, to carry out their work. In Malta, teachers autonomy is mostly linked with the classroom; where they are free to design their lesson plans, with their own resources, while also having autonomy to students control, which Blase and Blase (1994:73) call it disciplinary matters. This kind of DL will also influence students learning. Besides this type of autonomy in the classroom, new methods and techniques should be tried and encouraged. This so called innovation facilitates learning for all students, as education becomes not just one size fits all, but adapted especially to the pupils needs (Blase and Blase 1994:75) through the organisation of differentiated learning. In school, this entails teamwork, reinforces collegiality and sharing of the resources within. For teachers to improve students learning, they must first share their ideals with others and then work together towards that ideal. It is the job of the management to bring those ideals together into common set of objectives, (Brighouse and Woods, 1999:54). Parents are considered as the first educators, great contributors of all aspects of learning, and always interested in helping their children to learn better. Wolfendale (1992:60) argues that, parents as educators, can make a significant contribution to childrens acquisition of reading and literacy skills. Moreover, Leithwood et al argue that: No matter what the student population, involving parents primarily in the teaching of their own children is most likely to contribute to childrens learning (2006a:102). The study by HMI (Her Majestys Inspectors) showed that Parents involvement in schools, lead to students success (1991, cited in Wolfendale, 1992:56). Its interesting to study ways in which parents can help both teachers and students in relation to learning. However, one must also take note of the relationship that exists between parents and teachers and not cause any job meddling. Usually, we only think of academic results when it comes to students learning. However, research shows that through their participation in leadership, students gain more knowledge and acquire new skills. These skills are needed for their future in society. Frost claims that students participation in leadership also helps them acquire other non-academic achievements; greater self-esteem, heightened self-confidence, interpersonal and political skills, and self-efficacy when students have opportunities to exercise responsibility (2008:356). When given certain leadership roles, students set their own targets for learning through that experience (Brighouse and Woods, 1999), which might also be of help to other students. Brighouse and Woods (1999) argue that a teacher can give responsibility to students to help those in need in a certain matter. Through each others support, those that have less academic abilities will achieve and learn more. Research shows that pupils have so much to say about their learning, and as such they should be consulted for the benefit of their learning, and the methodology used by teachers in class (Morgan, 2011). How effective to the schools improvement and success can distributed leadership be? Fink sees schools as living systems where: Leadership is distributed across the various cells that affect a school such as students, teachers, parents, unions, social services, County Hall, and local communities. (2010:44) Bezzinas study carried out in a Maltese Church School revealed, that when teachers were involved in DL the majority of staff felt responsible for determining the way forward (2008:24). He then concluded that school improvement and success can be achieved, with hard work, sacrifice and commitment expressed by the Head teacher, the senior leadership team, pupils, parents and teachers, (Bezzina, 2008:26). LIE maintains that when a policys decision making process involves all stakeholders in a school including, SMT, teachers, students and parents; Then the values which are held dear by the school will be on the road to success because they would have been owned by all (2009:176) Brighouse and Woods (1999:45) confirm that research done in the past and again lately by OFSTED shows that, leadership in schools is the key factor in improvement and success. They also argue that, A key ingredient to school success is the extent to which the values of school life are shared among all the members of the community, (Brighouse and Woods, 1999:55) According to Telford (1995) collaboration between all stakeholders within a school brings about school improvement. She argues that the following points which lead to school improvement affect both the individuals within the school and the institution itself; Development of the educational potential of students, professional development of teachers, good organizational health, institutionalization of vision (Telford, 1995, cited in Bell and Harrison 1998:14). It is interesting to note that it is much easier for principals to control goals rather than humans. To gain control for the accomplishment of a goal, leadership must be shared (Sergiovanni, 2006). Little (1981, cited in Sergiovanni, 2006:186) found that when principals work through collegiality with teachers, the school will improve. It is of importance to equalize the principal and teachers opinions in a discussion, since no one should be preferred to the others as everyone is sharing from his/her own knowledge, for the schools best interest (Blase and Blase, 1994). Similarly, Nicholls (2000) argue that leadership is best carried out when a number of people having the same values and aims challenge each other for getting better results. In other words, one can say that school leadership is best fulfilled when all those involved in the institution, share their thoughts without being considered as superior to one another. Thus, including group activity liberates leadership and provid es the framework we need for widespread involvement in improving schools (Sergiovanni, 2006:186). In successful schools, when a debate crops up on school improvement, the staff should work on: Involving pupils, parents and governors (Brighouse and Woods, 1999:83). Likewise, Davies and Davies (2010) also claim that it is crucial to involve others in school leadership as it leads to school improvement and success. Moreover, they say that: Engaging all the staff in discussions about where the school is, where it needs to go and hence the skills and knowledge we need to learn to achieve progress is a uniting factor. (Davies and Davies, 2010:15) Shared leadership might bring about changes which are required for school improvement to take place. The best change is usually one generated from something or someone within the school because it Recharges energy in participants and embraces the greatest likelihood of improvement in teaching and learning styles, simply because it is so localised, (Brighouse and Woods, 1999:60). Changes for school improvement are gained faster, when teachers are involved in the process of decision making (Bush, 1995). Furthermore, Brighouse and Woods, (1999) argue that when change for school improvement is required, time has to be allocated in the schools diary, since the staff needs time to work on the implementation process. In their study Leithwood et al concluded that teachers consider their participation in leadership, as a step for the school to be more effective and innovative (1999:121). Moreover, when teachers are involved in the decision making they are less likely to have adverse reactions to principals expectations. According to Dunford et al (2000) when the decision making process involves those who are closest to its impact it gives a positive attitude towards school improvement. In addition, they say that if secondary schools want to be effective, leadership must be shared at least among senior staff. Furthermore, Sergiovanni (2006) emphasises that in schools where power is shared among principals, teachers, parents and others, work is done autonomously towards schools aims for school improvement. Likewise, Nicholls (2000) claims, that a shared vision is indispensable for school improvement. Trusting teachers through empowerment may lead principals to achieve their desired goals without imposing them. Building trust is critical to empowering teachers, (Blase and Blase, 1994:29). They also claim that this shows that the principal demonstrated great faith in them and valued them as experts and professionals, (Blase and Blase, 1994:77). Teachers involved in different leadership roles are expected to work for the improvement of the decision-making process (Leithwood et al, 1999). This collegial process of involving others in the decision making process is exercised through discussion and shared power in the institution. In a collegial, collaborative environment, principals consistently concentrate on enabling others to examine and redesign schools for improved learning, and teachers learn to share power and work as a team. (Blase and Blase, 1994:33) Leithwood et al (2007) concluded that when DL is implemented and when opportunities are offered, staff will be much more motivated to work towards school improvement. From their research Leithwood et al established that: Informal leaders had more involvement with creating high-performance expectations and motivating others than formal school leaders, while formal leaders had more to do with identifying and articulating a vision. (2007:57) With informal leaders we can include both parents and pupils. When students are at home most of them speak about their school experience with their siblings and through this parents get to know their thoughts and feelings. Hence, parents might be another link between schools and children. Parental involvement in schools may bring about changes which will finally lead to school improvement. Similarly, Wolfendale argues that, parental opinion can be mobilized to bring about significant changes (1992:63). Conclusion Schools success lies in the skills and attitudes of the professional staff, not merely within the leadership capabilities of the principal. (Blase and Blase, 1994:28) Thus DL is needed for growth and development because the Principal sometimes is in need of other staff members to solve certain problems. According to Bezzina, DL calls for an extension of that power vertically downwards to involve all members of staff, (2000:305). Moreover, the final result of school success is a job that belon

Mechanical Mammals :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One day I went to buy a brand new Ford Mustang. The reason I wanted a new car is because I saw this commercial about a new kind of car that had instincts like an animal. I thought it would be really strange to have one of those. As soon as I saw that commercial I knew I had to get that car. I thought that it would be cool to have a car with those instincts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I went to the car dealership I found that car on sale with a 30 day money back guarantee only because it was a new kind of car. It was a 2008 model it was painted dark blue with white racing strips. I drove it home and it was a real comfortable ride. The next day I woke up and heard a honking noise I got dressed real quick, and went to see what the noise was and it was my new car! So I called the dealership and asked what was going on. They said that the cars get lonely and they can’t be alone for more than 12 hours. I also asked them if there is anything else I should know about this new kind of car. They said, â€Å"Yes, if its not clean it gets mad and gives you a very rough ride.† So right after I hung up the phone I started to clean my car. When I was cleaning it, it made a sound like a cat like it was purring because it was happy. Right after the first month all I could think about was why didn’t I trade it back in for a full refund. The reason why I wanted to trade it in was because it was very hard to keep up with and in good shape. But as the months past I started getting used to it and I guess you could say it was getting used to me also.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I asked the dealership how long it would last.

Operations Management: Quadruples Restaurant Case Essay

Can these kinds of customer response data be obtained reliably, systematically, and cheaply enough for a restaurant? If so, how? This type of data could be gotten by adding survey questions to a receipt given to a customer with a few questions relating to the Pareto chart (Ex B). This can also be done by observation of host (ess) when times are not busy noting customers body language. Also managers can go around to tables and ask how their meal was, and if anything was unsatisfactory. The important thing is to have a log of this data, which can be analyzed, at the end of each week and solutions implemented at the beginning of each week to try and resolve problems quickly as they develop. One type of bias the restaurant may have to worry about is the concept of â€Å"self-selection†, where a person who has a bad experience is more likely to voice their opinion than one who has not. Another great example of how this data can be obtained is through benchmarking and competitive analysis, looking at how other competitors deal with their problems and applying the best solution to a given case. Benchmarking can easily help provide better service to customers by applying the â€Å"best practices† found in leading restaurants. Which of the Exhibit B complaints are natural targets for continuous improvement in the restaurant (or any enlightened firm), thus, perhaps, not requiring solicitation of customer inputs to reveal the target for problem solving? The of course obvious and most logical answer would be all elements could be improved upon. As we’ve discussed in class, â€Å"if you aren’t improving your product/service your loosing ground.† However I choose ones that could immediately be implemented through better training of the servers/busboys. In referencing the Pareto Chart of Complaints: Room too drafty, Table not clean, Buffet table not well organized, Missing utensil at place setting, no ashtray on table, and had to wait too long for coffee could all be elements of continuous improvement. An example of how a problem could be solved is  (G), simply setting up a smoking section where ashtrays are a mainstay at the table, if this cannot be implemented simply having the host(ess) after asking smoking/non bring a ashtray to the table, or after determining the size of the party have the host (ess) gather the utensils (the basket under the greeting table) before showing them to their table. The one I said could not be immediately improved upon is the room being too drafty, this may require a more physical solution such as adding another set of doors to the entrance thus alleviating draft cause through the entranceway. The solutions can be developed through training the staff, (i.e. busboys, servers, host (ess)) to have a mental checklist of what needs to go on a table before it is ready to be sat, and having the host (ess) make sure they are seating people in the appropriate section (i.e. enough utensils, ashtrays, etc). All of the complaints in Exhibit B clearly are things customers would notice. If restaurant staff, instead of customers, were asked to express their complaints, suggest at least five complaints that would probably come forth. To what extent could the staff’s mind-set be altered so that they would worry about the same things as customers? How could this change occur? 1) Angry/disgruntled customers – low tips, not due to service 2) Too many tables designated at a time for one person 3) Too many hours – better scheduling 4) Managers who don’t consider the individual – not concerned about your problems 5) Kitchen not staffed adequately during peak times – customers are angry and take it out on servers A way of getting staff’s mindset to change is remind them of all their bad experiences in restaurants, getting the staff to own the problem. This can  be done in a monthly training sessions where customer complaints are voiced to all the staff showing them that there is a problem. Even showing how better service can mean more money to them is a high motivator. Show that you are going to make changes to better both the customer and the staff to make the workplace an environment where information is freely shared and solutions can be brought â€Å"in house† before going for outside the restaurant (i.e. corporate). Most importantly market each improvement, boast to your staff about how quickly problems are resolved, make your restaurant the one others are trying to benchmark for your best practices.

About the Vice President of the United States

About the Vice President of the United States Sometimes, the Vice President of the United States is remembered more for things they say wrong than for things they do right. If we do everything right, if we do it with absolute certainty, theres still a 30% chance were going to get it wrong, said Vice President Joe Biden. Or as Vice President Dan Quayle put it, If we dont succeed, we run the risk of failure. Thomas R. Marshall, 28th Vice President, said of his office, Once there were two brothers. One went away to sea; the other was elected vice president. And nothing was heard of either of them again. All verbal gaffes and disparaging remarks aside, the vice president remains our second highest federal government official and a single heartbeat away from ascending to the presidency. Electing the Vice President The office of Vice President of the United States is established along with the office of President of the United States in Article II, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution, which also creates and designates the Electoral College system as the method by which both offices are to be elected. Before enactment of the 12th Amendment in 1804, there were no separately nominated candidates for vice president. Instead, as required by Article II, Section 1, the presidential candidate receiving the second-highest number of electoral votes was awarded the vice presidency. In essence, the vice presidency was treated as a consolation prize. It took only three elections for the weakness of that system of choosing the vice president to become obvious. In the 1796 election, Founding Fathers and bitter political rivals John Adams - a Federalist - and Thomas Jefferson - a Republican - ended up as president and vice president. To say the least, the two did not play well together. Fortunately, the government of then was quicker to fix its mistakes than the government of now, so by 1804, the 12th Amendment had revised the electoral process so that candidates ran specifically for either president or vice president. Today, when you vote for a presidential candidate, you are also voting for his or her vice presidential running mate. Unlike the president, there is no constitutional limitation on the number of times a person can be elected vice president. However, constitutional scholars and lawyers disagree whether a twice-elected former president can be elected vice president. Since no former presidents have ever tried running for vice president, the issue has never been tested in court. Qualifications to Serve The 12th Amendment also specifies that the qualifications required to serve as vice president are the same as those required to serve as president, which are briefly: be a natural born U.S. citizen; be at least 35 years old, and have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years. My mother believed and my father believed that if I wanted to be President of the United States, I could be, I could be Vice President! said Vice President Joe Biden. Duties and Responsibilities of the Vice President Having been kept in the dark about the existence of the atomic bomb by President Roosevelt, Vice President Harry Truman, after taking over as president, remarked that the vice presidents job is to go to weddings and funerals. However, the vice president does have some significant responsibilities and duties. A Heartbeat from the Presidency Certainly, the responsibility most on the mind of vice presidents is that under the order of presidential succession, they are required to take over the duties of the President of the United States at any time the president becomes, for any reason, unable to serve, including death, resignation, impeachment, or physical incapacitation. As Vice President Dan Quayle said, One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president, and that one word is to be prepared. President of the Senate Under Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution, the vice president serves as president of the Senate and is allowed to vote on legislation when necessary to break a tie. While the Senates supermajority vote rules have reduced the impact of this power, the vice president can still influence legislation. As president of the Senate, the vice president is assigned by the 12th Amendment to preside over the joint session of Congress in which the votes of the Electoral College are counted and reported. In this capacity, three vice presidents John Breckinridge, Richard Nixon, and Al Gore have had the distasteful duty of announcing that they had lost the presidential election. On the brighter side, four vice presidents John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Van Buren, and George H. W. Bush - were able to announce that they had been elected president. Despite the vice presidents constitutionally assigned status in the Senate, the office is generally considered to be a part of the Executive Branch, rather than the Legislative Branch of the government. Informal and Political Duties While certainly not required by the Constitution, which wisely includes no mention of politics, the vice president is traditionally expected to support and advance the policies and legislative agenda of the president. For example, the vice president might be called on by the president to draft legislation favored by the administration and talk it up in an effort to gain the support of members of Congress. The vice president might then be asked to help shepherd the bill through the legislative process. The vice president typically attends all Presidential Cabinet meetings and may be called on to act as an adviser the president on a wide variety of issues. The vice president might stand in for the president at meetings with foreign leaders or state funerals abroad. In addition, the vice president sometimes represents the president in showing the administrations concern at sites of natural disasters. Stepping Stone to the Presidency Serving as vice president is sometimes considered a political stepping stone to being elected president. History, however, shows that of the 14 vice presidents who became president, 8 did so because of the death of the sitting president. The likelihood that a vice president will run for and be elected to the presidency depends largely on his or her own political aspirations and energy, and the success and popularity of the president with which he or she served. A vice president who served under a successful and popular president is likely to be seen by the public as a party-loyal sidekick, worthy of advancement. On the other hand, a vice president who served under a failed and unpopular president may be considered as more of a willing accomplice, worthy only of being put out to pasture.