Messuds Career as an Author Free Essay Example, 2500 words

Messud s life has significantly influenced her interest to explore various cultures through writing like the multiculturalism they portrayed in most of her novels. In the works by Messud, three major themes run through her novels: multiculturalism, exile, and displacement (Amoia and Knapp 346). Throughout her novels, female protagonists grapple with finding their niche and cultural identity in the midst of historical injustices and family problems. This aspect is specifically a part of the author s life since she has to identify herself with either of the three cultures; American, Canadian, or French. In When the World was Steady, the sisters have been brought up to value the security that the family has to offer (Amoia and Knapp 346). However, unexpected events disrupt that security. As a result, they embark on an emotional journey to adapt to the new realities. Following a bitter divorce, Emmy, the younger sister is forced to leave Australia for Bali. Virginia goes through a serie s of devastating events that cause her to question her faith. Together with her mother, Virginia travels from London back to their rural home in Scotland. We will write a custom essay sample on Messuds Career as an Author or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page

To Kill a Mockingto Kill a Mockingbird Prejudicebird...

To Kill A Mockingbird Prejudice has caused the pain and suffering of others for many centuries. Some examples of this include the Holocaust and slavery in the United States. In to Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee racism was the cause of much agony to the blacks of a segregated South. Along with blacks, other groups of people are judged unfairly just because of their difference from others. The prejudice and bigotry of society causes the victimization of people with differences. Some who are discriminated against are those who are born differently than the majority. One person that is treated unfairly is Calpurnia, as you can see when Aunt Alexandra tried to get Atticus to fire Calpurnia, because in her eyes, Calpurnia wasnt a good enough†¦show more content†¦They are given obstacles that they have to overcome in order to survive. Some people in the world can survive these obstacles, and there are some that just give up. By fighting for your rights, people start to realize t hat character is the important attribute to a person. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee showed me that the people with differences are not always doing things the wrong way. It is the majority that may be going at it all

Measuring academic proficiency under the NCLB. Free Essays

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act was designed to close the achievement gap between high and low performing children, especially the achievement gap between minority and non-minority students and between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers (NCLB, 2001). The key components of the act are the adequate yearly programs (AYP), and the annual measurable objectives (AMO). The AYP is the working principle of the act and it is seen as the mechanism for which all schools and all students meet the same academic standards in reading and mathematics by school year 2013-2014. We will write a custom essay sample on Measuring academic proficiency under the NCLB. or any similar topic only for you Order Now The AMO indicates the performance of the school in terms of proficiency in reading and mathematics tests. Moreover, the law identifies student subgroups like economically disadvantaged students, students form major racial and ethnic groups, students with disabilities and students with limited English proficiency. The law also specifically requires that 95% of the total number of students in a school and 95% of each subgroup to take the reading and math standardized tests, while the state is tasked to determine its own AMO targets and the minimum number of students in each subgroup who are required to meet or surpass the AMO targets (NCLB, 2001). The AYP requirements apply to Title 1 and non-title 1 school that receive federal funding. Schools that do not reach AYP for two or more years will be labeled as in need of improvement and are sanctioned. The NCLB employs a conjunctive accountability system wherein each subgroup of students are required to reach the minimum levels of proficiency in math and reading regardless of their previous proficiency levels, thus within 12 years, all students should reach 100% proficiency. NCLB is based on the idea that high expectations for achievement would result to higher actual achievement levels. By requiring each school to reach a uniform level of proficiency  would mean that in a given period, all schools and all students would have mastered the same skills and learned the same knowledge in reading and mathematics. The NCLB measures progress through a single mean proficiency score across levels and subgroup.   However, this frame of mind does not consider the diversity of American students and their backgrounds. For example, requiring each subgroup to meet the minimum mean proficiency score would ensure that the school would not reach the AYP. Using a single mean proficiency score to measure performance is not a true measure of school improvement nor student performance. Although, NCLB have positive visions, its method of attaining its objectives undermines what it is supposed to do. The law treats each school and each student as a single and uniform entity when our society is composed of different races and backgrounds, not even taking into account the difference between the rich and the poor. Even if the law identified the subgroup of students, it still however assess each group in terms of the single mean proficiency score which is the same as implementing a one size fits all policy. The problem with NCLB is that it asks schools to be assessed against a single mean proficiency score, wherein if a school fails to reach this score, would indicate that the school is not performing as it should be in accordance with federal and state rules. The use of a single mean proficiency score says that each school is treated as equals, however the reality is differences in each school is present. For example, different districts cater to different students and since education have been the purview of the state; they have also different standards on accountability and accreditation. The schools seek to attain the level of performance required by the state and in cases where measures of school performance differ from the NCLB would say that schools are making progress in the state level but is not up to standard in the national level. Students also would be burdened by being pitted against a single score that may or may not be realistically attainable, and if they fail to reach the mark they would have caused the failure of the entire school. Another problem with the NCLB is that by identifying subgroup of students and requiring them to achieve the mean proficiency score puts them in a bind. The subgroups identified by the law in some cases could be an unnecessary repetition of the groups, for example most Blacks and Latinos are economically disadvantaged, and that most of these groups also have lower mean proficiency scores. Thus if a school is composed of many poor students, of different racial groups, of students with limited English proficiency, then this school will surely not reach that mean proficiency score. The NCLB is not friendly to racial groups, economically disadvantaged children, children with disabilities and children with limited English proficiency. It is common knowledge and even supported by statistics that those who are identified as economically disadvantaged are those who belong to a minority racial group. In which case they will be asked to reach the same proficiency score twice, then they will be labeled as under performing and the school as needing improvement. It will compromise what the students have accomplished in a school year, because failing to reach the mark is not equal to no improvement or no learning. As for the parents, they would probably think that NCLB is good for their children as it ensures equality between groups in terms of academic achievement. However, if their state certifies that their children are performing to expectations like in Virginia and California, but the federal government says otherwise would saw confusion and distraught among parents. Schools and districts complain that using a single mean proficiency score to measure performance is not realistic and appropriate. It does not take into consideration that high-poverty schools have students with less academic preparation than those with low-poverty schools. Moreover, by using a system of conjunctive accountability dooms schools from reaching AYP. The short term effects of NCLB on low-income students and of color is that thy will b subjected to more requirements in school or additional interventions that would enable them to reach the desired improvement of scores as well as being pressured to make that mark. The long-term effect is that when they fail to reach AYP and cause the school to lose out on the AYP race, then they will be blamed for it and probably will be faced with angry members of the community. When schools still fail to make the mark and is identified as needs improvement and probably would be given less funding the more the low-income and racial groups become more disadvantaged, instead of closing the academic achievement gap, the NCLB does not even consider what academic achievement is. I think that NCLB was born out of the sincere desire to make sure that our students have the same level of academic proficiency even for math and English only. Whoever drafted the bill however did not have a clear understanding of achievement, intelligence and environmental factors that are part and parcel of learning and education. It is also funny to think that as diverse a population as we have we want to be pitted against a single score when what is more important than the grade or score is actual learning and the evidence of improvement across the years. Thus, as a law that seeks to close the achievement gap between groups of students, the NCLB divides and places the minority groups in a more difficult situation and at a more disadvantaged position.    How to cite Measuring academic proficiency under the NCLB., Essay examples

Risk Of Implementing Block Chain In The Finance Industry - Samples

Question: Discuss about the Risk Of Implementing Block Chain In The Finance Industry. Answer: Introduction Blockchain technologies are the emerging technologies in the word. The market of the blockchain technology has been rising in the market at a decent speed. However, there are various risks involved in the technology. This report focuses on identifying the risk involved in the blockchain technologies in the finance industry. The report outlines the risks assessment procedure in the finance industry. A risk assessment procedure has been discussed in the report for mitigating these issues in the finance industry due to blockchain technology. Blockchain technology According to Zheng, Xie and Wang (2016), blockchain is a digital innovation in the market that is using the concept of the cryptography, networking, data management and incentive mechanism in order to maintain the financial database of different companies in the market. This technology has helped in initiating digital currency transfer between parties. Blockchain has been originated from the bitcoins digital currency. This technology has been implemented in the finance industry in recent years. Figure 1: Blockchain Market in 2017 (Source: Lindman, Tuunainen and Rossi 2017) The market of the blockchain has been rising all over the world due to its capability of digital transfer of virtual currency. As commented by Guo and Liang (2016), blockchain has been regarded as the distributed ledger technology (DLT) that helps in distributing financial assets between parties. As argued by Crosby et al. (2016), this technology has been credited with the highest risks involvement of the finance industry. The virtual currency has no record in the database and a third party vendor to store the information of the parties. According to a survey, over 90 corporations have implemented filed more than 2500 patents against blockchain technology all over the world. Risks and Threats: Regulatory and governance As commented by Lindman, Tuunainen and Rossi (2017), there is a lack of regulatory clarity in the blockchain technology. The regulatory framework of the block Chain technology has been weak including the private network of the parties. The privacy of the parties included in the blockchain technology has been facing various security breaches over the internet. The hackers all over the world are targeting these online transfers of digital currency among the parties. The counter Clearing house and Product (CCP) has been regulating these transaction al over the world. However, these organizations are not safe for the online transaction of digital currency. Privacy and Security As commented by Swan (2015), the use of the block chains haes been emerging all over the world. The privacy and security of the financial documents and assets have not been maintained by the technology. There have been numerous cases of hacking and data breaching over the internet that has been reported. Blockchain uses a shared database that contains all data and information of various parties. As commented by Mougayar (2016), this technology provides a high-speed transfer of digital currency. Crosby et al. (2016) argued that, this concept has minimized privacy and security of data and information of the parties involved in the contract. Therefore, this technology has high-level risks in the finance industry. Behavioural and transactional risks As commented by Lindman, Tuunainen and Rossi (2017), transactions in the blockchain technology have been a huge risks for the investors. The finance industry has been facing a lot of loss in the market due not the technology. However, According to me, blockchain need to use a centralized database instead of the shared database. The firewall of the technology has been weak. This has caused the variety of cyber-attacks in the database. The lack of the third party investors has created problems for the investors, as there is no part for tracking their financial assets. As commented by Guo and Liang (2016), blockchain is not storing the Big Data technology. According to me, adoption of Big Data technology might help in minimizing these risks and threats in the blockchain. The massive redundancy of the technology has been creating issues in the security of financial data and information of the companies. As commented by Swan (2015), instead of storing data on the blockchain, a metadata can be created for maintaining the record of the parties involved. As commented by Guo and Liang (2016), this can ensure an integrity checking if the data and information provided in the metadata. Conclusion It can be concluded that the use of the blockchain technology has helped in increasing the speed of transaction all over the world. However, it has created various risks and threats in the transaction that have been discussed in the report. The use of blockchain technology has been originated from the bitcoins. The market of the Bitcoins has been adopted by various financial companies in the world. References Crosby, M., Pattanayak, P., Verma, S. and Kalyanaraman, V., 2016. Blockchain technology: Beyond bitcoin.Applied Innovation,2, pp.6-10. Guo, Y. and Liang, C., 2016. Blockchain application and outlook in the banking industry.Financial Innovation,2(1), p.24. Lindman, J., Tuunainen, V.K. and Rossi, M., 2017. Opportunities and risks of Blockchain Technologiesa research agenda. Mougayar, W., 2016.The business blockchain: promise, practice, and application of the next Internet technology. John Wiley Sons. Swan, M., 2015.Blockchain: Blueprint for a new economy. " O'Reilly Media, Inc.". Zheng, Z., Xie, S., Dai, H.N. and Wang, H., 2016. Blockchain challenges and opportunities: A survey.Work Pap.2016.