Thursday, December 26, 2019

Chronic Absenteeism Related to Drop-out Rates

While most educators, students, and parents  think of September as back-to-school month, that same  month recently has been given another important education designation. Attendance Works, a national initiative that is  dedicated to improving the policy, practice and research around school attendance has named September as National Attendance Awareness Month. Student absences are at crisis levels. A September 2016 report Preventing Missed Opportunity: Taking Collective Action to Confront Chronic Absence using data provided by the  U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reveals that: the  promise of an equal opportunity to learn is being broken for far too many children... More than 6.5 million students, or about 13 percent, miss three or more weeks of school, which is enough time to erode their achievement and threaten their chance of graduating.  Nine out of 10 U.S. school districts experience some level of chronic absenteeism among students. To counter this problem,  Attendance Works,  a fiscally-sponsored project of the Child and Family Policy Center non-profit organization, is working as a  national and state initiative that  promotes better policy and practice around school attendance. According to the organizations  website, We [Attendance Works]  promote tracking chronic absence data for each student beginning in kindergarten, or ideally earlier, and partnering with families and community agencies to intervene when poor attendance is a problem for students or schools. Attendance is a critically important factor in education, from developing national funding formulas  to predicting graduation outcomes.  Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which guides federal investments in elementary and secondary education for states, has chronic absenteeism as  reporting element.   At every grade level, in every school district, across the nation,  educators know first hand that too many absences can  disrupt  a students learning and the learning of others. Research on Attendance A student is considered chronically absent if they miss only  two days of school per month  (18 days in a year), whether the absences are excused or unexcused.  Research shows that by  middle and high school, chronic absence is a leading warning sign that a student will drop out. This research from the National Center on Educational Statistics noted that differences  in absentee rates and projections for graduation  were observed as early as kindergarten.  Those students who eventually dropped out of high school had missed significantly more days of school in first grade than their peers who later graduated from high school. Moreover, in a study by E.  Allensworth  and J. Q. Easton, (2005) called  The On-Track Indicator as a Predictor of High School Graduation: In eighth grade, this [attendance]  pattern was even more apparent and, by ninth grade, attendance was shown to be a key indicator significantly correlated with high school graduation (Allenworth/Easton). Their study  found attendance and studying more predictive of dropout than test scores or other student characteristics. In fact, 9th grade attendance was a better predictor of [student] dropout than 8th grade test scores. Steps can be taken at the upper-grade levels, grades 7 through 12, and  Attendance Works offers  several suggestions to counter attitudes that prevent students from attending school. These suggestions include: Incentives/rewards/recognition provided  for good attendance;Personal calls (to home, to students) as reminders;  Adult mentors and after  school leaders trained to reinforce the importance of attendance;Curriculum that features engaging, team-based activities that students do not want to miss;  Ã‚  Academic support provided to students who are struggling;  Efforts to make  school a place of success rather than a negative experience;Engaging community partners, such as health providers and criminal justice agencies. National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) Test Data A state-by-state analysis of NAEP  testing data shows that students who miss more school than their peers score lower on the NAEP tests in grades 4 and 8. These lower scores were found to be consistently true in every racial and ethnic group and in every state and city examined. In many cases,  the students with more absences have skill levels one to two years below their peers. In addition: While students from low-income families are more likely to be chronically absent, the ill effects of missing too much school hold true for all socio-economic groups. Grade 4 test data,  absentee students scored an average 12 points lower on the reading assessment than those with no absences, more than a full grade level on the NAEP achievement scale. Supporting the theory that academic loss is cumulative,  Grade 8  absentee students scored an average 18 points lower on the math assessment.   Mobile Apps Connect  to Parents and Other Stakeholders Communication is one-way educators can work to reduce student absenteeism. There are a growing number of mobile  apps educators can use to connect educators with students and parents. These software platforms share daily classroom activities (example:  Collaborize Classroom, Google Classroom,  Edmodo). Many of these platforms allow parents and authorized stakeholders to see short and long term  assignments and individual student work. Other mobile messaging apps (Remind,  Bloomz,  Classpager,  Class Dojo,  Parent Square)  are great resources  to increase regular communication between a students  home and school.  Ã‚  These messaging platforms can  allow teachers to emphasize  attendance from day one. These mobile apps can be tailored to providing student updates on individual attendance or used to sharing data about the importance of attendance in order to promote  a culture of attendance all year long. Conferences:  Traditional Connections to Parents and Other Stakeholders There are also more traditional methods to share the importance  of regular attendance with all stakeholders. At the beginning of the school year, teachers can leverage the time during a  parent-teacher conference to talk about attendance if there are already signs or a pattern to a student missing school. Mid-year conferences or conference requests can be helpful in making face-to-face connections that   Teachers  can take the opportunity to make suggestions to parents or guardians that  older students need routines for  homework and  sleep. Cell phones, video games, and computers should not be part of a bedtime routine. Too tired to go to school should not be an excuse. Teachers and school administrators  should also  encourage families to  avoid extended vacations during the school year and to try to line up vacations with the school’s schedule of days off or holidays. Finally, teachers and school administrators  should remind parents and guardians of the academic importance of planning doctor and dentist appointments during  after school hours. Announcements regarding a schools attendance policy should be made at the beginning of the school year and repeated regularly throughout the school year.   Newsletters, Flyers, Posters, and Websites The school website should promote daily attendance. Updates on daily school attendance should be displayed on the home pages of every school. The high visibility of this information will help to reinforce the importance of school attendance. Information about the negative impact of absenteeism and the positive role daily attendance has on academic achievement can be placed in newsletters, on posters and circulated on flyers. Placement of these flyers and posters are not limited to the school property. Chronic absenteeism is a community problem, particularly at the upper-grade levels, as well. A coordinated effort to share information about academic damage caused by chronic absenteeism should be shared throughout the local community. Business and political leaders in the community should receive regular updates on how well students are meeting the goal of improving daily attendance. Additional information should feature the  importance of attending  school as a students most important job. Anecdotal information such as the facts listed on this flyer for high school parents or  listed below can be promoted in schools and throughout the community: Missing one or two days a month can add up to nearly 10 percent of the school year.  Students who attend school set up the routines for future employment and showing up for work on time every day.Students who attend school regularly are more likely to graduate and find good jobs. High school  graduates make, on average, a million dollars more than a dropout over a lifetime.School only gets harder when students  stay home.  Too many absent students can affect the whole classroom, creating redundant instruction and slowing down other students. Conclusion Students who miss school, whether the absences are  sporadic or on consecutive days of school, miss academic time in their classrooms that cannot be made up. While some absences are unavoidable, it is critically important to have students in school for learning. Their academic success depends on daily attendance at every grade level.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter - 2174 Words

Children encompass parents’ lives from the day they are born into this world, often altering their plans for the future and their desired outcomes for life. In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the most seemingly complex and misinterpreted of characters is Pearl, the illegitimate daughter of Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. The deviations in Pearl’s temperament, conduct, and character in the progression of the plot are a guide to the varying moral statuses of Hester and Dimmesdale. Performing the role of a compelling, rather than static force within the novel, Pearl saves both Hester and Dimmesdale, even motivating Dimmesdale to confess publically his sins and reminding Hester of her sin. As a result, Pearl serves as a moral guide to both her mother and father throughout the entirety of the novel. Pearl functions to both reprimand and redeem Hester, ultimately guiding her to salvation. Pearl’s navigation of her mother’s moral compass intensifies when the two are in Governor Bellingham’s house delivering gloves for the Puritan leader. In Governor Bellingham’s manor, Hester conveys to the Puritan governor, â€Å"God gave me the child†¦Pearl keeps me here in life! Pearl punishes me too! See ye not, she is the scarlet letter, only capable of being loved, and so endowed with a million-fold the power of retribution for my sin?† (Hawthorne 174). Hester, worried about losing her only child, explains that Pearl is the punishment, above all else, for the sin of adulteryShow MoreRelatedNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1187 Words   |  5 PagesPuritanism in Red Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter shows the early view of Puritanism by concentrating on sin, guilt, and its effects on society. Nathaniel Hawthorne conveyed a dark and romantic style of writing in â€Å"The Scarlet Letter†, impacting the society by focusing on the concepts of romanticism. The Scarlet Letter is considered a classic book and is still read today. Nathaniel Hathorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts on July 4, 1804. He was the son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth ClarkRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1631 Words   |  7 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne’s personal isolation originated in his early childhood and later developed the theme for his most renowned literary novel, The Scarlet Letter. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne emphasized the impact that societal isolation can have on individuals. Several of the victims inflicted with isolation throughout the novel were ultimately met with their inevitable downfalls. One particular character, Hester Prynne, was selected to undergo a struggle comparable to Hawthorne’sRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1896 Words   |  8 PagesIn a surface examination of the work of Nathaniel Hawthorne, it is quickly evident that no good things come from the wilderness. Therein, the wilderness is often associated with the savages and the devil. In his wor k The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne finds herself exiled by society for having an adulterous affair with the town reverend which brought forth the child known as Pearl. Pearl is quickly established as the child of the wilderness: wild, capricious, and thought by the town to be a demon-childRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1944 Words   |  8 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne adds a satirical twist throughout his novel The Scarlet Letter which manifests his perception of the Puritanism. The novel portrays the strictness and impact of Puritanism on human lives. Hawthorne’s usage of Puritan characters and outcasts also demonstrate Hawthorne’s position on Puritanism. Throughout Hawthorne’s novel, all of the characters in this novel represent strong Puritan belief, Puritan lifestyle, strong resistance to Puritanism, and satirical Puritan lifestyles. HawthorneRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter869 Words   |  4 Pagesview of human life. The mo st famous Dark Romantic writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne, emphasizes human proneness to sin and self-destruction, uses symbols that are considered dark, and believes that evil can overtake good. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne employs elements of Romanticism and symbolism to communicate the idea that sin and guilt have psychological effects which can turn into physical and mental manifestations. Hawthorne utilizes the romantic element of the focus on the individualRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1193 Words   |  5 PagesThe Scarlet Letter, is most often referred to as Nathaniel Hawthorne’s best work. It gives a detailed image of life in a Puritan society. The heroine of the book-Hester Prynne, defies power, and rebels against colonial rule. Laws composed of religious convictions and individual beliefs. Through Hester’s action, you can depict a feminist consciousness. She differs from traditional colonial woman who s sole purpose it to be obedient, despite the unfair rules carried out by puritan men. Hester representsRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter1850 Words   |  8 PagesShe s an archetype. She is Eve. She s Juno. She the good woman gone bad. She is Hester Prynne. As part of NPR s series, In Character, my colleague, Andrea Seabrook, shows how this Puritan woman is still very much alive today. ANDREA SEABROOK: Hester Prynne is the protagonist of Nathaniel Hawthorne s magnum opus The Scarlet Letter. Any serious literary scholar will tell you that she is one of the first strong women in American literature and is still among the most important. She s veiled(ph)Read MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter2106 Words   |  9 Pagespeople of other religions. Because they â€Å"deeply and fervently believed that they were doing the work of God†, Puritans often punished and shunned those who did not follow their rules or share their same views (Collier 62). In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne presents these popular ideas and truths about the Puritan way of living in a symbolic story of submissive defiance. He creates a strong feminist that contradicts the majority of the Puritan views on feminism. This rebelliousRead MoreAnalysis Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter 1606 Words   |  7 PagesMarin Fallon Mrs. Janosy English 2H 23 November 2015 Sin in the The Scarlet Letter The story of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is one with many twists and turns. A young woman moves to Boston, Massachusetts while her husband takes care of affairs in England. After two years pass she secretly has an affair with the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. When she becomes pregnant and gives birth to her daughter Pearl, the town punishes her for committing the act of adultery. She is sentenced to standRead MoreSymbolism Of Nathaniel Hawthorne s The Scarlet Letter882 Words   |  4 PagesSymbolism in The Scarlet Letter The Scarlet Letter was a novel written in the 1850 s by a man named Nathaniel Hawthorne. Throughout the Scarlet Letter he uses scads of literary devices. The literary devices are there to give the novel more depth. The main device he uses in the novel is symbolism. Hawthorne uses the symbolism to make an object have more than one meaning. Three of the elements he uses as symbols are the scarlet letter, Pearl, and the forest. These symbols are seen differently by the

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Coolest nationalities free essay sample

Americans have been voted the coolest people In the world In an international poll conducted by a social networking site. Americans are number five on the list of coolest nationalities. Because of great inventions like Reckon Roll. And Americans are the coolest guys in the world including the worlds coolest leader, Obama; the coolest rappers, Jay-Z and Snoop Dog; and the coolest man in technology, Steve Jobs of Apple.Mongolias are number four. Because of their great tradition, history, animals, yurt (egger), traditional clothes, music, beautiful nature, wilderness and only country who have eagles as a pet. Mongolia is absolutely one of the coolest countries. Number three is Jamaican. Because they have most distinctive and recognizable hairstyle. For coolest nationalities, Singapore are number 2 because of their super computers and electrics. Brazilian are the coolest nationalities in the world because they have hot workers and very sexy people.Thanks to Braziers fun-loving zeal and Its myriad carnivals. We will write a custom essay sample on Coolest nationalities or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Without Brazilian we would not have soccer and wonderful dances. It is possible to call an entire nation cool. It is not fair to say one nation is more cool than another. The main problem is, of course, every nationality in the world believes it is the coolest. When I heard of this news on CNN, I was very surprised. Because I had been thinking that nobody knows Mongolia except Mongolias. By watching the news, I Just found out that people in world know our mutton.

Monday, December 2, 2019

Skinners Theory on Operant Conditioning free essay sample

B.F. Skinner (1904-199) was an American psychologist, profoundly known to be the ‘father’ of operant conditioning. After the retirement of John B. Watson, the world was eager to see new modes of learning; and Skinner, similarly to Pavlov â€Å"worked with animals [†¦] and made systematic use of the methodology of independent and dependent variables† (Harrà ©, 2005: p.15); and Operant Conditioning was proposed which in my opinion remains one of the most important theories of the twentieth century.Woollard clarifies that â€Å"behaviourism is a theory of animal and human learning that focuses upon the behaviour of the learner and the change in behaviour that occurs when learning takes place† (Woollard, 2010:1). The learning is demonstrated by a pupil’s response and behaviour to a given stimulus and therefore can be described as an external event that occurs that can produce an observed change in the way in which a child behaves. This form of learning can be described as conditioning and can be split up into 2 types: classical and operant conditioning. We will write a custom essay sample on Skinners Theory on Operant Conditioning or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Operant conditioning is a learning process in which behaviour can be altered and modified using reinforcement and punishment. It is reinforced or established by events that follow an action or happen prior to actioning and these can be described as consequences or antecedents. Reinforcement involves the use of consequences (positive or negative) that can strengthen a preferable behaviour and therefore it can be said that an reinforcer is then able to increase the chances of the required behaviour being repeated again. One of Skinner’s most notable works is the Skinner Box experiment in which he placed a rat in a cage with a lever and if the rat pulled on the lever food would be distributed into the cage and therefore the learned this behaviour by knowing the lever equalled a reward (in this case food).