Thursday, October 31, 2019

Whistleblowers. The Process and Risks Assignment

Whistleblowers. The Process and Risks - Assignment Example Some of the recent examples of whistleblowers are Sherron Watkins of Enron, and Cyntha Cooper of WorldCom. They exposed or provided firsthand information on financial scandals. The case of Coleen Rowley of the FBI as a whistleblower was unique in the sense that the reporting incident was regarding lapses in the intelligence field a few weeks before September 11, 2001 terrorists attack. The Process of Whistle Blowing An employee who has some information about illegal activities of any nature pertaining to his or her organization and he or she chooses to bring that in public is known as a whistle blower. Whistle blowing is encouraged to bring honesty, equality, justice, and freedom of speech in society at large. It has many advantages such as it can protect health of consumers and employees. During 1920s, the harmful effects of asbestos in the manufacturing units were suppressed by company managment thus jeopardizing the health of employees. Employees feel more comfortable if they find it easy to raise their concerns within the organization. Risks Associated with the Whistleblower Whistleblowers carry certain risks such as alienation, face reprisals, or victimization at their workplace and likely to be more intensely supervised for their acts. They may be considered less loyal to their organization or employer for their act of blowing the whistle against the organization. Luque (2007) reports about one of the study of whistle-blowers in which 90% reported about emotional stress, anxiety and depression after their acts of whistle blowing. Around 54% of them reported harassment at their workplace and 10% were the cases of attempted suicide. Case Studies Sherron Watkins – Whistleblower of Enron The case of Sherron Watkins, the former corporate vice-president of Enron, is worth enumerating for the psychological trauma that she faced after her act of whistle blowing. In the month of August 2001, Sherron Watkins wrote a memo to the CEO of Enron that explained ho w the accounts of Enron present a distorted accounting numbers. On this, the CEO directed for an investigation through Enron's own law firm that did not do an honest job. Soon, the New York Times published a story about Enron's accounting jugglery. Thereafter, a congressional committee delved into the issue and started investigating the matter. Overnight, Watkins came into limelight and became a celebrated whistleblower that exposed Enron's accounting misreporting. This had a catastrophic effect on the company. Not only Enron was compelled to sack 4000 employees from its payroll but the very next day they filed Bankruptcy Code protection under chapter 11. Enron shares plummeted like a big log from the high of $90.75/share in August 2000 to the dismal $0.067/share recorded on Jan 13, 2002 (Luque, 2007). Watkins suffered more of a psychological pressure when she first acted as a whistle blower. She was isolated and made unnecessary for the company. Most of her partners began hating he r as because of her 4000 employees lost their jobs (Luque, 2007). Cynthia Cooper – Whistleblower of WorldCom Cynthia Cooper was working as vice president of internal audit at WorldCom. On her routine investigations, she found that certain expenses were being capitalized thus inflating the yearly earnings by several billions of dollars. More she investigated, the stranger the reactions she confronted with from some of her colleagues. She sought an explanation from the Chief Financial Officer of the company. On this, she was asked to stop the audit until the next quarter -- a date to begin her normal audit as per routine. However, she did not stop on this and organized a meeting with the company's auditor KPMG. Finally, it was found that earnings

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Leadership Evaluation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership Evaluation - Research Paper Example It can also be an increase in the number of new clients to the firm (Dive 2008). The next stage looks at the role of a leader in stirring a company in the right direction in the right industry. It looks at the CEO’s ability to translate the vision of the establishment to all stakeholders and to be able to communicate strategies to his team for implementation (Hughes, Ginnett and Curphy 2012). This category looks at the ability of the CEO to keep all interested parties in the know of the path the company is taking to achievement of goals and objectives (Hughes, Ginnett and Curphy 2012). Understanding the financial position of the firm is important for a leader and hence is checked on in the performance appraisal form. Such an understanding can only happen if the leader is in good terms with the board of governors of the organization (Marques 2007). Understanding the finances helps to reduce chances of misappropriation of funds. Sometimes an external audit helps to shed light on financial matters. It is important that the leader achieves financial goals set by the company annually (Marques 2007). A good relationship with other market players and the Human Resource at the work place is important for a leader to ensure a healthy working environment (Marques 2007). Understanding the products and services a firm produces is something every leader should have knowledge of. Without this knowledge then the whole vision of the company will be lost (Marques 2007). Lastly, there is a check on the personal traits of a leader. This includes moral values of decency, integrity and hard work. Tests on the ability of a leader to solve the conflict between different groups of people in the organization is important and to handle the employees with sensitivity where necessary (Storey 2004). A leader is supposed to mentor his juniors towards achieving their potentials and to groom his protà ©gà © to take over when he leaves. The form has

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Cause of the Difference between West and East Eating Habit

Cause of the Difference between West and East Eating Habit The Cause of the Difference between West and East Eating Habit   1. Introduction Why people distinguish calling between Western and Eastern or Eastern and Western.   There are many reasons, maybe it is because that it is divided by ocean which people cannot easily cross.   In the other word, East countries and West countries were not easily connected until some point in the past. In that sense, food culture is also very different. Even though eating habit is a part of food culture, there is an obvious contrast between the East and West.   In this report, we will compare what is different about the eating habits and find out nutritional problems. 2. Methodology Data was collected from international co-worker and friends from March of 2017, aged 25~35 year olds. 3.1. The Cause of Different Eating Habit between Western and Eastern   Ã‚  Ã‚   a. Main food ingredients for environment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   -The most of the Eastern countries have good weather for growing grains. Among them is especially rice. The rice grows well in the monsoon climate. The features of monsoon climate are the seasonal change of the wind, the humid summer, and the dry winter. Though this climate often brings death and destruction, monsoon rains are an annual phenomenon in Asia and are vital for food productivity and overall economic growth.   This led to the development of rice and vegetable dish rather than western. On the contrary, most of the Western countries climate have suited the wheat and livestock industry Suraj Yadav (2014)provide information about wheat which is well growing in cool, moist climate and ripens in a warm, dry climate. U.S Department of Agriculture (2011) provide information about a largeof wheat is still have been produced in the Western and it has been exporting to the Asian countries. http://necsi.edu/research/economics/grainconsumption.html    For this reason, a variety of flour based food has been created and have developed in the West, for example, bread, pizza, pasta and so on. Also, there is a wide range of fields for raising livestock. This was a good way to get quality meat, so eating a meat meal is common. Therefore, the recipe and cooking methods for bread and meat have developed, Even now, there are many kinds of food which are using the wheat and meat than East. On the other hand, the kind of recipes for rice and vegetables in the West countries are very few compared to East countries.   Ã‚   b. Differences Food Culture   Ã‚   We can see the difference in eating habit by the tool.    Westerners cook the food ingredients in large pieces and cut the food on their plates using knives and forks while east people cut food ingredients into bite size before cooking, then use chopsticks to eat. The use of these tools is affecting the cooking time and eating time. To put it simply, Western food tends to need more time to cook and eat, because using the big food ingredients through that survey, we can know this information 2) The Problem of Each Eating Habit a. The problem about eating habits It is commonly known that Eastern people eat food quickly. As mentioned above, this is why, it is influenced by the cooking tool and cooking methods, but it causes obesity because when people eat fast, people normally feel less satiated than those who eat slower and therefore end up overeating.   Ann MacDonald(2011)who is Harvard health contributor said that people who eat fast tend to consume more because they do not give their brains a chance to tell the body that it is full, even they tend to swallow food without enough chew, and prefer the spicy flavour, but these eating habits are very harmful to stomach. On the other hand, a lot of Western people prefer frying as cooking methods. Many dishes are easily cooked by this methods, but it can cause many diseases such as obesity, hypertension.   S.D. Wells(2011)warn about the danger of fried foodand they tend to prefer sweetness. Sweetness is a property of sugar. It is known to be the cause of diabetes and obesity, and Julie Corliss(2014) executive editor said that sugar may raise the risk of dying of heart disease. b. The nutrition problem of each main food.   Ã‚   For our health, we should carefully check and study food nutrition facts.   Let us take a look at the rice and wheat which we were examples above. RICE http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/cereal-grains-and-pasta/5716/2 Nutrition Information As you can see in the chart, rice has high calories, the nutrient which can be a cause of obesity and these nutrient elements that are more important such as less vitamin B, protein WHEAT Nutrition Information Wheat has long been controversial among a great number of scientist. Wheat has many nutrients but also has many problems. KRIS Gunnars(2013)said that wheat contains a gluten which many people cannot properly digest. It causes anaemia, bloating and so on. Conclusion To sum up from what has been discussed above, it goes without saying that our eating habits are influenced by various environmental factors and our eating habits have a lot of problems. Especially, obesity and adult disease coming from wrong eating habits are the serious problems in a modern society. We need to lay our heads together to solve that problem. We should try healthy eating habits to live a happy and healthy life. The Reference List       Ann, M. (2010, Oct 19).Why eating slowly may help you feel full faster. Retrieved from   http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-eating-slowly-may-help-you-feel-full-faster-20101019605 Julie, C. (2014, Feb 06).Eating too much added sugar increases the risk of dying with heart disease. Retrieved from http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/eating-too-much-added-sugar-increases-the-risk-of-dying-with-heart-disease-201402067021 3)   Kris, G. (2013, May 27).Potential problems with whole wheat. Retrieved from https://authoritynutrition.com/6-ways-wheat-can-destroy-your-health/ Suraj, Y. (2014, APR 15). Climatic conditions for growing wheat. Retrieved from http://www.importantindia.com/12612/climatic-conditions-for-growing-wheat/ U.S Department of Agriculture. (2011). Global Grain Consumption Map. Retrieved from http://necsi.edu/research/economics/grainconsumption.html Wells, S. (2011, Dec 26).Health Basics : Why are fried foods terrible for your health?. Retrieved from http://www.naturalnews.com/034483_fried_foods_health_damage.html

Friday, October 25, 2019

Side Effects of the Drug Psilocybin Essay example -- Drugs Medicine He

Side Effects of the Drug Psilocybin There have been many experiments and personal testimonies documenting the side effect behavior changes and effects reported by users of the drug Psilocybin from ancient history until more modern times. For instance, the Aztecs believed that they were capable of moving back and forth between the earthly and supernatural realms (Schwartz 1988). This travel between realms was often associated with hallucinatory trances guided by their god for the entheogens-the Prince of Flowers. The Aztecs called this ritual "the flowery dream;" this was induced by sacred mushrooms (Erowid). The trend towards experimenting with Psilocybin to determine its effects on the body started in the early 1960's with prominent psychologists like Timothy Leary and Albert Hofmann taking Psilocybin themselves and reporting their experiences (Levitt 1975: 270). Later, there were more controlled double-blind studies performed with groups of subjects where the drug is administered and neither the subjects nor the experimenter know which group is receiving the drug and which group is receiving the placebo. It is much easier in these types of experiments to control for extraneous variables and to find a good operational measure for the subjects' reactions to Psilocybin. However, since the experiences reported by most users of Psilocybin are within a narrow radius of variation, it is possible to utilize individual's personal experiences of Psilocybin as long as they are comparable to the experiences reported by the majority of the Psilocybin users in other experiments. In general, both psilocybin and psilocybin produce yawning, inability to concentrate, r... ...ashington, D.C.: Hemisphere Publishing Corporation. McKenna, T. (1991). The archaic revival. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco. McKenna, T., & McKenna, D. (1999). The invisible landscape: Mind, hallucinogens, and the I Ching. San Francisco: Harper San Francisco. Schwartz, Richart H. and Smith, Deborah. Hallucinogenic Mushrooms. Clinical Pediatrics 27. 70-73 (1988). The Vault of Erowid: Sacred mushrooms. Retrieved from www.erowid.org/plants/mushrooms. (21 February 2005). Weil, A. (1980). The marriage of the sun and moon: A quest for unity in consciousness. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Wezelman, R. & Bierman, D.J. (1997). Process Oriented Ganzfeld Research in Amsterdam: The effects of THC and Psilocybin on paranormal phenomena. Retrieved from http://m0134.fmg.uva.nl/publications/2000/psychotropic_GF.p df (28 February 2005).

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Important factors shaping social relationships under the French

Social relationships were important components of the French absolute monarchy. Historians agree that to achieve supreme control and national unity, Kings relied heavily on military strength. There is little question that absolutist France came to posses the largest standing army Europe had ever seen. Armies made France a powerful state, and the King a powerful ruler. However kings also controlled through non military means, establishing bureaucratic and legal systems and developing an absolutist culture with the King at the centre.These manifestations of absolutism, at raying degrees of significance, helped shape social relationships, and in turn, enforced the absolutist regime. Contrastingly, other historians maintain that the absolute system worked within pre-existing social codes, which were more influential in shaping social relationships. Historians herald the significance of these different factors because they take a variety of historiographer's approaches. Absolutism redefin ed the socio-political structures and language of court society. Court cabals and courtesies became important factors that influenced social relationships.Emmanuel Eel Roy Ladies uses the court memoirs of Duct De Saint Simons, to explain the system of court cabals. Ladies explains how the King placed himself at the top of the court hierarchy, and held a number of favorites. L Lower courtiers would group around these powerful Individuals, such as King Louis Xiv wife Madame De Imitation, to gain power, wealth, status and other privileges through association. 2 Saint Simony's court memoirs are a more traditional historiographer's source, detailing friendships, marriages and patronage relationships that formed and separated court cabals. However Lauder himself admits the limitations of the source, stating that It has a tendency to be subjective with some bias, and Inaccurate facts. 4 But as Ladler states, his purpose was not statistical detail, but to present a ‘model' for the net work of social relationships in court society, and to reveal that they placed the king in an enormous position of influence to determine courtier's social standing. 5 Rest Raman consults similar sources and concludes that courtesies were a new political language that redefined the way courtiers socialized and communicated, while also being a political tool for negotiating the cabal system.Raman analyses Theodore Goddesses Grand Ceremonial De France from 1619, one of the many courtesy manuals written for courtiers. 6 Absolutist monarchies did not invent courtesies, but Raman argues that these manuals justified and systematized these social codes. 7 Courtesy rules dictated the nature of social affiliations and interactions, becoming a vital political language in court society, as a means of showing or denying respect or favor to individuals and cabals. For example â€Å"hat doffing†¦ And lowered eyes† became the language of respect that carried on along the hierarchy, with the King at the top. Ere â€Å"insults to God himself, † enforcing enormous regal authority. 9 Moreover, under Louis XIV, all topics except frivolous small talk, were branded ‘discourteous,' in an attempt to repress uprisings. 10 Both historians analyses similar sources and share the conclusion that absolutism created a new social order, designed to enforce the Kings power. Sarah Hanley however, argues bureaucratic models, established by the absolutist state, were important factors shaping family and gender relationships.Hanley investigates the ‘Family State Compact,' revealing that it enforced distinct gender oleos and enshrined the patriarchal family model in legislation. This model was in turn used to explain and Justify absolutism. 11 Hanley approaches her study with an â€Å"ethnographic† perspective. 12 She states that conventional historiography has always been a uniform process of selecting documents to confirm a point, but more recent scholarship on social history now seeks to gain greater scope and depth by viewing a range of non-traditional sources. 3 From these historians may distill messages about social life. 14 Hanley use of primary government legislation and court case documents, are examples of expanding historical sources. The Marriage Regulations, Reproduction Rules and Marital Separation Arrangements ensured family finances remained under paternal authority, helped guarantee the legitimacy of children and made it harder to break up marriages and families. 1 5 But as Hanley indicates, the underlying purpose of these laws was to constitutionalism patriarchal control over all family affairs. 6 It was a key bureaucratic factor that helped enforce male social and economic dominance, within the family. Furthermore, the patriarchal family worked to Justify and naturalist the appointment of an absolutist ruler, who could be seen as he â€Å"husband† and â€Å"father† of the state. 17 Furthermore, Hanley exam ination of court cases exposes legal limitations on female political and economic privileges within their marital and civic relationships.Women gained social and economic status through marriage and childbearing, but the Compact put men in greater control these activities, disemboweling women and forcing them to break laws for economic and social survival. 18 In the Diagram- du Piqued case for example, Barber- Francoise Diagram was charged with â€Å"supposition attendant† because she faked the birth of a child to avoid becoming a childless widow and losing socioeconomic status. 9 Furthermore, this source reveals that legal structures shaped collaborative relationships between women of different social classes, as Barber sought the assistance of midwifes, paupers and a prostitute. 0 Thus while primary accounts such as Saint-Simony's Memoirs explain social and genealogical connections at their surface, Handless wider variety of social records reveals in greater depth, the gend ered social constructions that defined social relationships in the absolutist monarchy, as well as unexpected cross-class relationships. Cultural manifestations of absolutism in art, gardens and entertainment were further significant factors shaping social relationships. Diverging from traditional and social historiographers, Peter Burke, Chancre Muskier and Craig Callously take an art historical concepts to court social life.He argues that the language of allegory, hyperbole and euphemism in songs, literature, sermons, painting and other mediums communicated a lofty ‘high style' that associated the King with exalted figures and ideas. 21 For example Louis XIV was pained as SST John the Baptist and Apollo. 22 Courtiers learnt these references and conducted themselves accordingly, with grandeur and dignity. 3 In turn, this new language displayed, magnified and rationalized the King as a sublime and spiritual ruler. 24 In contrast, Muskier applies geopolitical concepts to unders tanding social relationships.Muskier references historian Michel Faculty's theory that 17th century society began to view material possessions as indicators of wealth and power. 25 Increasing trade, scientific and technological innovations made material items more prominent in social gatherings and conversations. 26 Muskier argues absolutism worked within this materialist culture, valuing land the most as a material item. 7 In a geopolitical way, Kings enforced power by appropriating and manipulating land into formal gardens. In turn, this established material ownership as a language of power. 8 Material goods came to dominate social and political relationships during the 17th century. 29 Callously similarly seeks specialized research on theatre and festivals, alongside primary accounts. However he argues the political purposes of nocturnal entertainment were significant factors shaping court life. 30 For example, Baroque night time theatre developed and through its illusionist's li ghting, performances such as Louis Xiv Ballet De la Unit,† physically presented Louis as a ‘radiant' King. 1 Furthermore, court diaries from Versailles reveal an increase in concerts, balls, and billiards, offering different opportunities for solicitation. 32 Nocturnal activities changed and began to characterize social life. 33 Memoirs by Louis XIV and absolutist critic Jean De La Buyer (1645-96) also divulge that night time entertainments were deliberate distractions from political issues. 34 Callously maintains Kings communicated and secured their power through nocturnal spectacles, which consequently transformed court social relationships. 35However unlike other historians discussed, James Afar argues social relationships were shaped by concepts of ‘Honor' that pre-dated absolutist expressions of power. Like other historians, Afar relies on a primary source: Farther Lame's eye witness account of the trial and execution of disgraced nobleman Philippe Group. Unco nventionally, Group did not confess his crime, thus preserving honor but damning his soul. 36 More important to him was maintaining honor for his family and young son. 37 Honor defined people's positions of power and status. 38 It was treated as an item that could be appropriated through displays of respect. Lame's text, confirmed by trial records, reveals Group bowed and spoke respectfully to colleagues and onlookers, to earn back some of the honor he had lost. 40 Through displays of respect, Group also sought favor with his patron the Prince of Condone, who could gain him a Kings pardon. 41 Fear's study revises primary documents and challenges past historians such as Ladies and Rest, previously discussed. Courtesy codes, and court cabals were not Just to gain political power, but were part of a possible, albeit largely speculative, that Kings consciously manipulated this established framework of honor to their political advantage.But what Group's trial reveals is honor was a preci ous commodity, and was central to the way people conversed and connected. The majority of historians discussed, agree that the most important factors shaping social relationships under the absolute monarchy, were essentially the absolute monarchy itself. Absolutism established a new laws, social customs, entertainment and art that had a dramatic impact on social relationships involving gender, class, marriage, family ties and friendships. But in contrast, historians also argue that, as in any society, there were already complex social codes that absolutism worked within.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

How to Improve public Schools Essay

Since the 17th century, American public schools have provided its children with a wonderful opportunity of receiving a free education that ensures a general understanding of various subjects such as mathematics and literature giving generation after generation the foundation of knowledge. Public schools have made several positive leaps since its begging from teaching only males students to teaching all genders, as well as becoming desegregated in 1969. Public schools provide a peace of mind for parents who desire the best for their children because they provide state certified teachers, free transportation, extra-curricular and after school programs, and are accountable to the state (web). Most notably, public high schools prepare students for life after school and provides a foundation for further education; however, behind all the wonderful aspects of public schools there are certain disadvantages that can hinder the academic progress of a student. Parents as well as students should be aware of these disadvantages that include: underfunded schools may not have certain materials or may have to cut some programs and too much emphasis on standardized test that creates a lot of stress on students and hinders their learning environment. Considering such disadvantages, parents and students may wonder â€Å"how can we solve this dilemma?† Nationalizing public school funding and giving less class and standardized test in order to allow students to focus on learning the curriculum are both steps and proposals that have the potential to settle the troublesome disadvantages of public schools. Different schools in different regions and states receive a wide range of funding which creates a conflict where some schools are underfunded while other are prosperous. The schools that are underfunded may not acquire certain materials that are essential for the course which hurt the process of learning for many students. Some schools are so underfunded that they result to eliminating certain courses or programs. Nearly half of the funding for public schools in the United States are provided though local taxes, generating large differences in funding between wealthy and impoverished communities. There have been efforts make public school funding more equitable yet have only provoked controversy. Some people, such as Eric Hanushek, argue that although different schools receive different amount of funding, the amount of money spent is not â€Å"systematically related to student  achievement,† therefore the wide range of public school funding is not an issue. On the other hand, people such as reviewers Rob Greenwald, Larry Hedges, and Richard Laine believer that â€Å"school resources are systematically related to student achievement,† and therefore school funding is educationally important. Although public schools in the Unites States are funded from federal, state and local sources, the funds from local property taxes generates large funding differences. A logical proposal to solve this problem would to nationalize public school funding therefore every public school depending on its level ( elementary, middle/junior, high, academy, etc.) would receive the same amount of funding which would eliminate the differences of funding for different regions. Some parents may argue that their local property taxes are higher than others and so it should go towards the funding for their child’s public school funding; however, if school funding is nationalized and standardized then each school regardless the location would receive enough funding to secure an adequate education for all children. Also, funds from local property taxes could be used to better individual communities such as building parks or community buildings as well as providing better roads instead of funding public schools. Federal taxes may rise due to nationalizing public school funding however it is for a good cause which is providing all students of America with an equal opportunity to a great education; however this proposal will be difficult to enact because it requires to federal approval and may take time to become a law. Many petitions will have to be made along with thousands of signatures so there would be a lot of support required to enact nationalizing public school funding yet if accomplished it would set a strong foundation for knowledge throughout the nation. With the creation of the No Child Left Behind act endorsed by president Bush, there has been a increasing emphasis on standardized testing for public schools that has ultimately hindered the learning environment by narrowing the curriculum, teaching to the test, and reducing the love of learning which helps drive students out of school specifically high school students. In several classes, the curriculum is taught based on the maximum potential for students to pass standardized test. This has created a sort of teach to pass instead of teach to learn class routine amongst several teachers. Consequently, several students miss out on valuable information due to the  narrowed curriculum by eliminating lessons not needed to pass a certain standardized test. The pressure put of students nowadays ,especially in high schools, can be extremely overwhelming and be a driving factor for several dropouts. Of course students do not decided to dropout of school solely on the large emphasis on standardized testing yet it is difficult to argue that it does not put a lot of stress on students who are already struggling to pass. The alarming emphasis on high-stakes standardized testing has become apparent to students,parents, as well as legislation and so there have been events that occurred with the purpose to lessen the emphasis of testing. For example, the Senate Education Committee passed a bill that â€Å"eliminated the use of scores on standardized †¦test,† that would determine if tens of thousands of schools were to be considered failing or not. Although this is a remarkable step to lessening the power set by standardized test scores it does not solve the problem of the collateral damage in public schools caused by too much testing. Indeed, tests are important to determine if a student is learning and not simply sitting in class daydreaming of irrelevant things; furthermore, students should worry about test and strive to make good grades on them. The problem with testing is not its existence but its intensity and worthiness. In the average class, test scores are worth much more compared to class work and homework. This places a huge stress on students to past test therefore they focus only on test scores instead of learning the material and applying what they have learned to real life situations. Standardized test are important in determining the progress of individual students and schools and therefore should not be eliminated however states should set a minimum of high-stake standardized test. For example there should be a maximum of one end of instruction test for important subjects and extra test that are not directly relevant to the curriculum such as benchmark tests should be eliminated. The specifics of such a policy should be left to be determined by the states due to the difficulty to enforce it as a federal policy. To make a state law that put a minimum on standardized test would require some time, petitions, and convincing for certain people but the final accomplishment would bring less stress to students and promote a better learning environment. State school boards should also divide the percentage of value of homework, classwork, participation grades, as well as class test equally. This would allow  student to focus on the important of turning in homework, participating in class, and test equally as opposed to stressing when a test is coming for it could considerably harm their grade in the class. Lessening the emphasis of test both standardized and class test would allow students to focus on the material being taught as well as allow teachers to improve the curriculum to provide the best possible educational for their students. Students can greatly benefit from the previous feasible proposals if they were to be enforced. By passing a federal law that endorses a nationalized federal funding of public schools as opposed to leaving half of public school funding to local property taxes, all American public schools would receive an equal amount of funding to use for the arts, after school programs, academic technology, or school renovations that all promote a heather and more engaging learning environment for all students. Although the process to get a bill that would enforce a fully federal funding of all public school passed by congress would take time and a lot of effort, it would provide equality for all public schools regardless of reputation or location giving students an equal opportunity. Placing a minimum on the amount of standardized test required by public schools within each state as well as making the value of class tests towards a students overall grade equal to homework and classwork would lessen the stress brought on my too much emphasis on testing which would allow students to focus on their eduction instead of simply passing the test. Such a policy would require several petitions and time to figure out what tests are more essential and which test could be eliminated; however, it would greatly reduce the stress of school making it more pleasing and allow teachers to provide the best possible education to their students. These policies can help improve the American public school system by allowing each student to take advantage of a learning based eduction that provides the knowledge needed to succeed and make a positive impact on our ever changing world.