Modern Philosophies and School Voucher Programs

In February 2017, for the first time since the presidency of George H. W. Bush, the Vice President had to cast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate (Reilly, 2017). The issue that caused such division in the Senate was the confirmation of Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Voted as the least liked member of Trump’s cabinet, Secretary DeVos continues to generate controversy (Reilly, 2017). From the time that President Trump announced his nomination of Betsy DeVos, DeVos’s educational beliefs have created controversies. One of her controversial stances is that school choice should be increased through voucher programs. Voucher programs allow parents to send their students to private schools using government money. Often, vouchers are only offered to families from low incomes. DeVos claims that the test scores of the United States have continued to be average compared to other countries. To fix this, parents must have the ability to choose a school that serves their children most effectively. However, some parents cannot choose because of socioeconomic status and need a voucher to have that choice (Stahl, 2018). However, others point out that schools are not improving, especially in Michigan, where DeVos’s ideas have begun to take root (Stahl, 2018). In short, DeVos argues that vouchers will increase students’ performance in comparison with other countries; others say that vouchers are not working in Michigan. These are arguments about practical results. However, the underlying arguments for and against vouchers are not about the pros and cons but the purpose of education. If educators continue to argue about statistics and theories without examining the underlying philosophies, they will continue to argue past each other. Arguments for and against vouchers are rooted in the purpose of school defined by three different philosophies: neoliberalism, communitarianism, and liberalism

A World of Apologies

A World of Apologies is a music video that was created in order to promote multiculturalism and foreign culture education. Within this video, twelve different languages are showcased to the tune of the world-wide pop music hit “Sorry” by Justin Bieber. The video includes multiple important aspects of culture such as music, language, art, and dance. The video was made in hopes to bring about culture appreciation and to bring people around the world together, especially since the current political and social climate in many countries nowadays are in turmoil. Not only does the video itself speak to this message, but so does the process behind the making of this video, which will be revealed within this paper. Also throughout this paper, I will discuss the music video that I have made that stresses the critical role of language and art in culture, the importance of understanding these different cultures, and examples of artists who have created pieces with a similar message to my own such as Dora de Larios, Akram Khan, and Rihanna

"Third places" and social interaction in deprived neighbourhoods in Great Britain

This paper explores social interaction in local ‘public’ social spaces such as local shops, pubs, cafés, and community centres in deprived neighbourhoods. More specifically, it examines the importance, role and function of these places, which have been described by Oldenberg and Brissett (Qual Sociol 5(4):265–284, 1982), Oldenburg (Urban design reader. Architectural Place, Oxford, 2007) as being “third places” of social interaction after the home (first) and workplace (second). It does so by drawing on data gleaned from in-depth interviews with 180 residents in six deprived areas neighbourhoods across Great Britain, conducted as part of a study of the links between poverty and place funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The paper notes that local third places are an important medium for social interaction in these areas, although their importance appears to vary by population group. It notes that shops appear to be a particularly important social space. It also identifies some of the barriers to social interaction within third places and concludes by highlighting some of the key implications for policy to emerge from the research

Exploring Factors that Influence Post-Secondary Enrollment in Rural Communities

The purpose of this research project was to understand better the factors that influence post-secondary enrollment in rural communities. Several quantitative studies have examined rural students' school experiences and post-secondary aspirations and provide the foundation for this study. This qualitative case study employed one-on-one interviews and document review at a rural high school in southeastern Ohio. The purpose of this research was to explore the lived experience of rural high school students and the influence of economic and social factors on their post-secondary aspirations. The objectives of this study were to: (1) describe students' post-graduation aspirations, (2) examine the influence of high school faculty, community members, immediate family, and economic resources on student's perceptions of enrolling in higher education, and (3) describe students' knowledge of college readiness programs and opportunities. Findings indicate that students need additional support when it comes to seeking a college degree. Out of the students interviewed, half had teachers who encouraged them to seek a college degree. Furthermore, the individuals that students interact with daily influence the chances of a child seeking higher education.No embargoAcademic Major: Agriscience Educatio

Administering the Tax System We Have

Traditional perceptions of tax exceptionalism from administrativ–law doctrines and requirements have been predicated at least in part on the importance of the tax code\u27s revenue–raising function. Yet, Congress increasingly relies on the Internal Revenue Service to administer government programs that have little to do with raising revenue and much more to do with distributing government benefits to the economically disadvantaged, subsidizing approved activities, and regulating outright certain economic sectors like nonprofits, pensions, and health care. As the attentions of the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service shift away from raising revenue and toward these other matters, the revenue—based justification for tax exceptionalism from general administrative—law norms fades. To demonstrate the shift, the Article incorporates empirical analysis of Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service regulatory activity over time

Black is my home country: re-membering race on gospel grounds

This essay presents partial findings from a study of historically black collegiate gospel choirs (HBCGCs) at predominantly white universities in northeastern United States. HBCGCs utilize the worship practices of the Black Church as resources for cultivating black communal racial identity in the context of racial difference. I theorize that HBCGCs practice a ‘narrative discipline’ that grounds their communal life together in corporate engagement with the faith stories that inspire their music. I interpret this practice in light of Walter Fluker’s proposal for reforming black ecclesiology. Fluker advances the reclamation of black identity as an existential ‘home,’ which avoids both the essentializing postures of ontological blackness and the equally dangerous narrative of post-racialism through the practice of ‘re-membering’ stories of black experience. I argue that the creative practice of narrative discipline by HBCGCs provides practical shape to Fluker’s ecclesiological hope

Interpreting Neuroendocrine Hormones, Corticosterone, and Blood Glucose to Assess the Wellbeing of Anesthetized Rats during Euthanasia

Current recommendations for assessing animal wellbeing during euthanasia suggest that measuring neuroendocrine hormones-such as ACTH, noradrenaline, and adrenaline-is preferable to measuring corticosterone and blood glucose because of the sensitivity of neuroendocrine hormones to the acute stress associated with rapid methods of euthanasia. However, theseneuroendocrine hormones can be stimulated in ways that confound interpretation of welfare assessment in euthanasia studies.Although this property does not negate the usefulness of neuroendocrine hormones as tools of assessment, it is importantto differentiate the stress associated with the induction of anesthesia before the loss of consciousness (an animal wellbeingconcern) with the physiologic responses that occur after the loss of consciousness (not an animal wellbeing concern). In thisstudy, rats were anesthetized by using a ketamine-xylazine combination. Once the rats achieved a surgical plane of anesthesia,they were exposed to O2, CO2, or isoflurane, followed by terminal blood collection to assess concentrations of ACTH,noradrenaline, corticosterone, and blood glucose. Compared with animals exposed to O2 or isoflurane, rats exposed to CO2had significant increases in their serum concentrations of ACTH and noradrenaline, but blood glucose and corticosteronedid not differ between groups. These findings indicate that noradrenaline and ACTH should be used with caution to assessanimal wellbeing when the method of euthanasia might confound that assessment