The Influence of Protest Music during the 1960’s And Beyond Essay example Example For Students

The Influence of Protest Music during the 1960’s And Beyond Essay example The 1960’s was one of the most controversial decades in American history because of not only the Vietnam War, but there was an outbreak of protests involving civil and social conditions all across college campuses. These protests have been taken to the extent where people either have died or have been seriously injured. However, during the 1960’s, America saw a popular form of art known as protest music, which responded to the social turmoil of that era, from the civil rights movement to the war in Vietnam. A veritable pantheon of musicians, such as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan sang their songs to encourage union organizers to protest the inequities of their time, creating a diverse variety of popular protest music, which has reached out to the youthful generations everywhere demanding for a revolutionary change. The protest music took the children of the 1960’s to a completely new different level. Musicians of this generation w ere not going to sit and do nothing while the government lied to the people about what was going on in Vietnam. Instead, they took their guitar-strumming troubadours from the coffee houses, plugged them in, and sent the music and the message into the college dorm rooms and the homes of the youth of America. However, as decades went by, protest music does not have much of an impact as it use to because of the way things have changed over the years. Through the analysis of the music during the 1960’s, there shall be an understanding on how the different genres of protest music has affected social protesters based on how musicians have become the collective conscience of that generation through their lyrics and music and the main factors that contributed to the lack of popular protest music in modern-day America. The fact that the United States was going to war in Vietnam and college students were being drafted as soldiers brought the birth of protest music. We will write a custom essay on The Influence of Protest Music during the 1960’s And Beyond example specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The 1960’s in America was often referred to as an age of protest because of not only the social protests that have taken place, but also for the upbringing of protest music, which became very popular during that era. The roots of protest music were largely from folk music of American musicians during 1950’. Folk musicians, such as Joe Hill, composed labor union protest songs and distributed song booklets, hoping to â€Å"fan the flames of discontent.† (Rodnitzky pg. 6) Symbolically, this meant that the songs, the fan, would reduce the uncontrollable social protests that the United States government caused with the misleading information that they did not keep their word on, or the flames of discontent. Other folk musicians, such as Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger, traveled around the United States spreading their â€Å"message music† and becoming involved in political movements. Guthrie and Seeger were the pioneers of protest music, bringing their folk music to New York City and merging it with urban music. Woody’s songs were about the masses, often identifying problems and offering solutions. While Seeger was cautious about referring to his music as folk music, preferring the term â€Å"people’s music,† meaning that not everyone may had the same thoughts, but they all expressed it in their own unique musical sense. For both Woody and Seeger, folk music was a necessity in these protests, when the needs and goals of the people were sung together by the people, a force was created with the capability of defeating alienation. However, if commercial music of 1960’s would have been subdued, then the people’s music could be heard by others and affect change. (Boucher pg. 60-61) During the late 1950’s, folk music would be taken by storm across all college campuses, as students were becoming more distant from the genres of jazz and rock music of that era. (Rodnitzky pg. 13) Folk music was a simple and meaningful, which would intensify as the decade went by, with the response to the civil rights movement, Vietnam War, and other social concerns. The protest music, which flourished throughout the 1960’s, was not only a new beginning, but also a new way of speaking out towards others. However, protest music grew out of its folk traditions and began to develop into other genres of music. During the early 1960’s, an interesting event occurred within the music era, which would augment the popularity of the protest music movement. Three generally distinct areas of music began to merge, folk music, topical music, and Tin Pan Alley music all began to meld together. (Rodnitzky pg. 4) It was a possibility that both record companies and musicians were attempting to capitalize on the social event, which has taken into effect towards the younger generation. Confronted with serious social turmoil, a burgeoning sub-culture, and a sense of generational revolution, youths have viewed politicians, businessmen, and athletes less as role models and have turned to folk singers as models of integrity. As social movements began to improve the struggle for civil rights and protests of the Vietnam War, popular music and the protesters were inseparable because it was a new culture for young people. Everyone from musicians to businessmen to preachers recognized the effect protest mus ic had influenced over the younger generation. Similar to religious messages, protest music often appealed to the guilt of the listener, invoking action. Support from radio stations, rallies, concerts, festivals, and music magazines gave this powerful form of music a popular venue, which helped youths became more serious and political at the same time. Other musicians during that era had other ways of expressing different genres of protest music. As the 1960’s progressed, protest music progressed in many diverse ways from its original folk roots because of artistic decisions, record company involvement, and a growing disillusionment among young people. Bob Dylan arguably started the shift away from topical, folk-inspired protest music, by amplifying his guitar, employing a back-up band, and rejecting the topical form, which was a genre known as â€Å"folk-rock,† which describes the mistakes of that person or organization has made. In helping to create the â€Å"folk-rock† genre that Dylan pioneered, record companies were able to merge the high school and college markets, producing profitable music that was reliant more on the mood of youths, than messages (Rodnitzky pg. 22). The new styles of music, reliant on instrumentation over lyrical messages, spoke to youths growing increasingly disillusioned with race riots and the seemingly endless Vietnam War. Confronted with alienation and absurdity, youths were attracted to music, which depicted the absurdity around them. Whereas protest music in the folk tradition had worked to build solidarity and point out specific social issues, new forms of protest music called for diversity among audience members, protesting societal norms and the notion of ideology, itself (Rodnitzky pg. 31). The popular music of the later 1960’s would be more subtle and effective, however, whatever its effects, the diverse catalogue of protest music made popular in the 1960’s undeniably became an integral part of the social movements and culture of a turbulent decade. Among the rising popularity of protest music, there was also the rise in popularity among the musicians that helped pioneer that genre of music. Artists such as Phil Ochs, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan all became famous for their individual brands of protest music. Phil Ochs, growing up as a middle-class kid, became a radical in college and subsequently dropped out when he picked up a guitar and became involved in activism (Rodnitzky pg. 70). Addressing many and diverse issues of injustice throughout his songs, Ochs marched with various groups and closely associating himself with Students for a Democratic Society. Originally optimistic about the power of music, Ochs became disillusioned like so many of his peers at the end of the decade. He emulated the lengthy, prose of Dylan’s new songs without much success, as he rejected liberalism, dogging the feet of new leftists like Jerry Rubin (Rodnitzky pg. 78). Ultimately, he rejected American political society, before it eventually rejected him culturally. Though his career ended in unpopularity and relative obscurity, Ochs was a key figure of the 1960’s protest scene, ex hibiting the connection between social protest and people’s music. Another example of a musical hero spawned by the upbringing of protest musician the 1960’s is Joan Baez. Baez, another college dropout, was perhaps the premier American folksinger by 1960. Singing ancient ballads, her own protest songs, and covers of artists such as Dylan, Baez was also an articulate activist, escorting children to schools during de-segregation, often charged no more than two dollars to attend her concerts, and set up an institute for the study of nonviolence (Rodnitzky pg. 89). Baez had celebrity status and used it for specific purposes, rather than flaunting it. She sang protest songs and advocated the causes of peace, resulting in her becoming a popular icon of her time. However, the most important case study of a protest singer during the 1960’s is Bob Dylan. Robert Zimmerman dropped out of college, ran away from his home in Minnesota to Greenwich Village in New York City, an d adopted the name Bob Dylan. Dylan was known to write the best topical, protest ballads of the era, redefine what protest music said and sounded like, taking it to new levels, and his influence on future generations of musicians. By 1962, at the age of 21, Dylan was at the forefront of the folk-protest scene (Rodnitzky pg. 107). His first three albums were largely comprised of acoustic folk music, with his second and third albums, The Freewheelin Bob Dylan and The Times They Are A Changing, offering mostly protest ballads. Dylan’s well-written songs, such as â€Å"Blowing in the Wind,† became hugely popular, unifying anthems. Because of his protest music, growing popularity, and early identification with social issues, such as the civil rights movement, Dylan was chosen to lead the movement for social change. He was hailed as â€Å"the voice of his generation,† among other, heavy-weighted titles. By 1965, Dylan had made his final break with what many would refe r to as protest music, as his electric set at the Newport Folk Festival during that year was met with a frenetic dissatisfaction. Understandably, those involved with the social movements of the day were disappointed and even angered by Dylan’s changing music. Many accused him of abandoning the movement and disregarding his social responsibility as a popular icon. Being accused for fostering alienation, rather than togetherness, the folk community asserted that Dylan was a sellout (Rodnitzky pg. 118). Andrew Gamble argued that despite Dylan’s denial that he was a leader, had useful advice, or was even a protest singer. His songs did show how to live and survive in modern America, without preaching. As he sang on â€Å"Subterranean Homesick Blues,† â€Å"You don’t need a weatherman to tell which way the wind blows,† the wind was still blowing, but it was no longer offering the hope of a better world (Boucher pg. 28). This implies that in a political world that has gone awry, Dylan advised that when one evades authority, one should also watch out for societal trappings and ultimately stay true to oneself. Even if the world could not be reformed, it was still possible to survive through the protest of those willing to go against the societal grain and live at they wish. After elevating folk music to global awareness, Dylan took it to popular heights, using pop music as a medium for questioning social and political norms. His music was no longer the people’s music Seeger spoke of, but it wasn’t synonymous with mass culture. Rather than abandon traditional music, Dylan found a power in it greater than communal singing (Boucher pg. 74). Perhaps Dylan went deeper into tradition than anyone had before. Though he turned his back on the protest ballad form, Dylan never turned his back on protest itself. Dylan’s influence on protest music is particularly relevant because it was felt throughout the music of the second half of the 1960’s. In addition, today’s artists work within Dylan’s tradition, often echoing his artistic sentiments concerning protest. Although it can be debated whether anthems are a necessary part of protest music, contemporary artists seem to agree that there are other ways to protest through music. As the 1960’s end, protest music has made its mark to the younger generations of that era. However, in today’s society, protest music does have much on an impact in modern-day America. Factors such as a differing social response to social injustice, the changed nature of today’s music industry, and the changed nature of today’s pop culture have contributed to the lack of popular protest music in today’s modern society. The lack of popular protest music today has mirrored the lack of strong, unified social movements in America. Protest music has never been responsible for starting such movements, rather, it has served to unify, popularize, and sustain movements already in place. Todd Gitlin, professor of journalism and sociology at Columbia University elaborates,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Forty years ago, there was a social movement, or a collection of social movements, and people gravitated to the music because they thought the music spoke for them†¦ So the music was an anthem for armies that were already on the march. Today, the armies are not so much on the march, if there are armies. So necessarily, the place of the music is going to be different. Its more often out ahead of what people are doing in their political lives.† (Danton) As they filled campuses with protests and supported movements at the grass roots level, protest songs offered a rousing soundtrack for movements already up and running. By contrast, today’s musicians perform in a context of growing disapproval for the war, but little activism (Marino). .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0 , .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0 .postImageUrl , .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0 , .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0:hover , .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0:visited , .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0:active { border:0!important; } .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0:active , .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0 .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u408b295d982004dd54f78e48c82b11c0:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Illegal music downloading is stealing EssaySocial movements have often been supported by throngs of young people, the civil rights movement and the movement to end the war in Vietnam owed a great deal to the efforts of young people, many who felt connected to a generational revolution. However, current issues of social justice, such as subverted racism, the Iraq War, and global warming, fail to penetrate youth consciousness with any viable force. This is largely due to the fact that such issues often exist outside the realm of youths’ direct experience. Because of the absence of a draft, the war in Iraq is not felt as viscerally by today’s student population, as it was during the 1960’s. The military draft, which was not only a defining issue for a generation, but an impetus for social action during the 1960’s, does not offer today’s youths a powerful reason to protest. Although protest music undoubtedly can exist without social movements, it is such movements that often popularize protest music, using it as a galvanizing force. Unlike a unified collection of songs fueling unified movements, today’s protest music is more akin to a collection of isolated songs, accompanied by low approval ratings. A second major reason for the lack of popular protest music today is the changed nature of the music industry. Since the 1960’s, there has been a widespread consolidation of record companies, record stores, and music broadcasters, such as radio and television. The concentration of global ownership in the record industry is such that five international companies, Sony, Universal-Vivendi, AOL Time Warner, EMI, a nd BMG controlled seventy to eighty percent of all global music sales (Brown pg. 290). Thus, the ease of pressing and promoting a single has greatly diminished for contemporary, independent labels. In addition to this plateau of the record industry, there has also been an uprising, as companies, which used to function separately as record companies, publishers, radio stations, and the like, have also merged. These changes have made the relationships between artists and record industry executives much more impersonal than they were in the 1960’s. Unfortunately, protest has not proved to be a shortcut for instant success among today’s artists, the way it often was among musician sin the 1960’s. However, if the record industry truly runs on the wheels of capitalism, they would be pragmatically obliged to supply popular protest music if the populous demanded it. Although protest music has intensified and become slightly more accepted as approval ratings for the curr ent war and presidency have plummeted, record companies are not offering an array of protest music to be heard on commercial radio or television. This comfort with the status quo and commitment to safely earned profits means that record company assets are focused on a few, global superstars, often leaving politically controversial musicians without a popular venue for expression. Finally, the third key reason for the relative nonexistence of popular protest music today concerns the changed nature of today’s pop culture. During the 1960’s, pop culture was something of a monolith but in today’s society, pop culture is very much a diverse and often disunited collection of seemingly infinite options for one’s own entertainment. While three or four television channels vied for the viewer’s attention during the 1960’s, today there are hundreds of channels competing for the viewer’s time (Marino). This situation is analogous to the current s tate of popular music. There is a seemingly endless supply of musical genres, either independent or sanctioned by record companies, available in a multitude of ways, through radio, music television, retail stores, and the internet. The transformation of pop culture into a niche culture has translated into the marginalization of protest music. Record companies today have created the illusion that protest music is not happening in a significant way. By consequence, the marginalization of today’s political music has made it difficult for protest singers to produce popular music that can be successful across multiple genres and demographics. It is not only the nature of the pop music marketplace that has changed, but also music and musicians have changed since the 1960’s. Today’s protest music is often â€Å"more aggressive, angry and unapologetic† (Proskocil). Given the current, divisive nature of American politics, even among younger people, protest songs s truggle to unify youths on social issues, especially when they are incendiary. Furthermore, the role of musicians in society has changed. Michael Budds, a music history teacher at the University Of Missouri School Of Music, comments At the time during the Vietnam war, people looked to musicians and actors as social leaders and wanted their point of view†¦. They had a leadership role that I dont think they have in our culture right now† (Draper). This meant that in today’s society, there is not only a lack in protest music, but there is also a limit to potential influencing people in today’s modern-day culture. In many ways, today’s artists are Dylan’s children, his shift from overt protest songs to electric, more existential songs is echoed in much of modern music that protest songs of the early 1960’s often relied on based on folk-inspired melodies, which made them easy to learn and suitable for both an individual performance and a grou p singing. This is not always the case with today’s protest music, as it is broken down through many, diverse styles of music. However, modern-day protest music, today, is often inappropriate for group singing because it is considered as an artistic statement of protest, rather than a rallying call. Furthermore the bounds of what constitutes protest music today are somewhat vague than they were in the 1960’s. Rather than construct albums of protest songs or even individual protest songs, many modern artists, such as Juelz Santana, Chamillionaire, and the Flaming Lips, slip in political statements into their regularly non-political work. Although it is encouraging to see mainstream artists speaking out, this serves to keep such artists safe within their own genres, while other protest musicians remain marginalized. This leads into an interesting discussion of the role of music in the lives of young people. Music has always played multiple social roles, used to sway emot ions for entertainment and distraction, to condition or persuade people to buy things or take certain action, and to create solidarity, among a variety of uses. The notion of pop music as an affirmation of mass culture values was challenged in the 1960’s by the plethora of popular protest music. However, record companies have probably taken notice of the fact that even among the biggest selling protest songs of the 1960’s, the vast majority of teenage listeners were relatively unsure of what the lyrics were exactly about (Brown pg. 62). This suggests that in the relationship between pop music and youths, the lyrics and music may not be important. Rather, what is important is that certain music helps define the listener to themselves and to others as a certain kind of person. This phenomenon is truer today than ever, as the features of modernity have inevitably influenced the function of music: individualism, pluralism, secularism, consumerism, media proliferation, and reliance on technology. (Brown pg. 51) Although popular protest music does not exist today, in the way that it did during the 1960’s, musicians continue to write and perform songs of social justice, as they have throughout time. Musicians such as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Phil Ochs are the ones that contributed in establishing the birth of protest music. In order for a resurgence of popular protest music to occur again, a reconstitution of the music industry would be necessary. In many countries, government pressure forces media companies to conform to the will of the people, playing locally produced music and popularly demanded songs. However, a strong audience would also be required for such a resurgence, whether it be a unified social movement or politically conscious youths willing to trade ideas, rather than commercial capital. As protest music continues to evolve and address current issues of injustice, one cannot help but look back on the renaissance of protest music during the196 0’s and wonder if such an era could ever occur again. .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7 , .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7 .postImageUrl , .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7 , .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7:hover , .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7:visited , .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7:active { border:0!important; } .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7:active , .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7 .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf0f965c640307f50e06f3336c59792a7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Impact of the Media on American Youth EssayWorks Cited Boucher, David. The Political Art of Bob Dylan. New York: Palgrave Macmillan: 2004. Brown, Steven. Music and Manipulation: On the Social Uses and Social Control of Music. New York: Berghahn Books: 2006. Danton, Eric R. â€Å"Flood of Protest Songs Reflects Growing Anger.† The Hartford Courant 29 May 2006: 13 pars. Online. LexisNexis Academic. Dec. 7, 2008. Draper, Bill. â€Å"Musicians Say Cultural Changes, Lack of Draft Put Damper on Protest Songs.† The Associated Press State Local Wire April 2005: 20 pars. Online. LexisNexis Academic. Dec. 7, 2008. Marino, Nick. â€Å"Renewed Sounds of Protest: Host of New Songs Question U.S. Military Policies in Iraq, But It’s Tough to Live Up to the Standards of the Vietnam Era.† The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 9 Sep. 2005: 17 pars. Online. LexisNexis Academic. Dec. 7, 2008. Proskocil, Niz. â€Å"New Wave of Protest Songs Rips War, Bush.† The Omaha World-Herald 21 May 2006: 32 pars. Online. LexisNexis Academic. Dec. 7, 2008. Rodnitzky, Jerome L. Minstrels of the Dawn: The Folk-Protest Singer as a Cultural Hero. Chicago: Nelson Hall, 1976.

Criticaly evaluate the claim that conscience is dictated Essays

Criticaly evaluate the claim that conscience is dictated Essays Criticaly evaluate the claim that conscience is dictated Essay Criticaly evaluate the claim that conscience is dictated Essay Essay Topic: Claim Of Value For example, you can describe two different situations to a six year old, one of which is someone lying and a minor bad consequence arising, the other is someone accidentally causing a very negative consequence. For a six year old, the latter case would make mummy more cross because their understanding is that something is bad because it hurts or upsets people. Ask an older child, and they will accurately say that a parent would be more cross with the child who told a lie. Pigged is showing that conscience is something we learn as we grow and develop. This theory seems to contradict Newsmans ideas. Newman was an intuitionist, believing that conscience is the voice of God. He believed that when faced with a moral decision, we get a sense of moral direction from God, which we can either listen to or ignore. Conscience is an ability to detect the right course of action. For Newman, following the conscience was more important than listening to the teachings of the Pope. In this way, we do not learn what is right or wrong from our parents or from religious leaders or scriptures. Conscience is a law that speaks to the unman heart, a law written by God. Piglets view may seem more accurate, as it is possible to observe and validate it. However, many people do not like the implications of accepting this view. Pigged is not claiming that there is any moral truth, he does not believe in objective morality or absolute rules. Whilst a person might develop respect for others whichever society they are brought up in, other aspects of morality will vary according to your upbringing. The percentage of people who feel guilty is higher in Christian households. For many Christians, there are absolute moral rules. Catholics would argue that feeling guilt is a sign from God that you have done something wrong. When challenged to explain how children develop, a follower of Newman might claim that a younger child cannot sense Gods direction clearly, and it is our ability to hear Gods voice that develops as we grow. Freud was a strong critic of religion. The guilt which people feel is merely a result of events in our childhood and the disapproval of society. This explains why different societies have different values. In Islam, a man may marry four wives this idea would be repugnant to many Christians. For Freud, the superego exists in our subconscious and reflects negative experiences, and in a healthy person the ego, our conscious personality, is in control and overrides the guilty conscience. For Freud, conscience is not taught as such, it develops subconsciously. Many people criticism this view of the conscience. It is very negative, yet our conscience can be useful in preventing us from doing things that harm ourselves or others. Many psychologists agree with Freud that conscience develops subconsciously, but reject the idea of the conscience as an entirely negative hinge. Aquinas had a very different view of the conscience, and would have totally rejected Frauds notion of a negative subconscious superego. He was not an intuitionist, and would not have agreed with the idea of conscience as the Voice of God. Instead, he believed we have a God-given faculty of reason. Humans are inclined to do good and avoid evil. He called this Synthesis. In a way, then, this is the antithesis of Freud, a positive, subconscious will to do what is right. With this subconscious ability, we can grasp the basic purposes of human life to survive, evolve, reproduce, learn, worship God, live in a civilized society. For Aquinas, the first part of the conscience was this subconscious grasp of the Primary Precepts. The next part of the conscience was what he called conscientious, which is the rational ability to distinguish between different courses of action,conscience is far from being the voice of God, but neither is it learnt. We may learn to use our moral Judgment more effectively, but conscience is the dictate of reason. Conscience is a God given ability, not something learnt and not the Voice of God. Critics of Aquinas say that if e was right, we would all reach the same conclusions about what is right or wrong. For example, we would all agree about whether it is right for two men to get married. However, people disagree strongly about this question. For many Christians, they believe that our ideas of right and wrong should come from the Bible, which they may believe is the word of God. Conscience for them is something learnt. Others believe that being Christian means having an indwelling of the Holy Spirit. They may believe that Gods Spirit living inside us is the voice of God. Butler believed that Aquinas was right to see reason as supreme. He agreed that our conscience should have ultimate authority over our actions. If conscience were something learnt, if it was taught to us, then where would its authority come from? Peoples consciences would develop differently according to where they live and how they were brought up. Butler would have been much happier thinking of conscience as the voice of God. His position was much closer to Aquinas. He saw conscience as our natural guide, the guide assigned to us by the Author of our nature. For Butler, our natural instincts re to look after ourselves. We also have a desire to help others, and it is the consciences Job to weigh up these two opposing interests of self-love and benevolence. For Butler we have a God-given ability to Judge what is right or wrong, similar to Newsmans voice of God, but rather than being a voice it is a faculty to reason, a lot like Aquinas. For all three, seeing conscience as coming from God gives conscience a supreme authority over our actions. This allows for objective morality, for universal principles that all people should follow. This could lead to belief in universal human rights, a rejection of torture and arbitrary arrest, important ideas in the current discussions around the ethics of war. If the conscience were merely taught, there would be no source of moral authority, no objective standard by which to make declarations about inalienable rights. From had a theory of the conscience that was similar to Frauds, an authoritarian conscience that made us do things as a result of guilt or the fear of displeasing others.

How to Find Degrees of Freedom in Statistics

How to Find Degrees of Freedom in Statistics Many statistical inference problems require us to find the number of degrees of freedom. The number of degrees of freedom selects a single probability distribution from among infinitely many. This step is an often overlooked but crucial detail in both the calculation of ​confidence intervals and the workings of hypothesis tests. There is not a single general formula for the number of degrees of freedom. However, there are specific formulas used for each type of procedure in inferential statistics. In other words, the setting that we are working in will determine the number of degrees of freedom. What follows is a partial list of some of the most common inference procedures, along with the number of degrees of freedom that are used in each situation. Standard Normal Distribution Procedures involving standard normal distribution  are listed for completeness and to clear up some misconceptions. These procedures do not require us to find the number of degrees of freedom. The reason for this is that there is a single standard normal distribution. These types of procedures encompass those involving a population mean when the population standard deviation is already known, and also procedures concerning population proportions. One Sample T Procedures Sometimes statistical practice requires us to use Student’s t-distribution. For these procedures, such as those dealing with a population mean with unknown population standard deviation, the number of degrees of freedom is one less than the sample size. Thus if the sample size is n, then there are n - 1 degrees of freedom. T Procedures With Paired Data Many times it makes sense to treat data as paired. The pairing is carried out typically due to a connection between the first and second value in our pair. Many times we would pair before and after measurements. Our sample of paired data is not independent; however, the difference between each pair is independent. Thus if the sample has a total of n pairs of data points, (for a total of 2n values) then there are n - 1 degrees of freedom. T Procedures for Two Independent Populations For these types of problems, we are still using a t-distribution. This time there is a sample from each of our populations. Although it is preferable to have these two samples be of the same size, this is not necessary for our statistical procedures. Thus we can have two samples of size n1 and n2. There are two ways to determine the number of degrees of freedom. The more accurate method is to use Welch’s formula, a computationally cumbersome formula involving the sample sizes and sample standard deviations. Another approach, referred to as the conservative approximation, can be used to quickly estimate the degrees of freedom. This is simply the smaller of the two numbers n1 - 1 and n2 - 1. Chi-Squarefor Independence One use of the chi-square test is to see if two categorical variables, each with several levels, exhibit independence. The information about these variables is logged in a two-way table with r rows and c columns. The number of degrees of freedom is the product (r - 1)(c - 1). Chi-Square Goodness of Fit Chi-square goodness of fit  starts with a single categorical variable with a total of n levels. We test the hypothesis that this variable matches a predetermined model. The number of degrees of freedom is one less than the number of levels. In other words, there are n - 1 degrees of freedom. One FactorANOVA One factor analysis of variance (ANOVA) allows us to make comparisons between several groups, eliminating the need for multiple pairwise hypothesis tests. Since the test requires us to measure both the variation between several groups as well as the variation within each group, we end up with two degrees of freedom. The F-statistic, which is used for one factor ANOVA, is a fraction. The numerator and denominator each have degrees of freedom. Let c be the number of groups and n is the total number of data values. The number of degrees of freedom for the numerator is one less than the number of groups, or c - 1. The number of degrees of freedom for the denominator is the total number of data values, minus the number of groups, or n - c. It is clear to see that we must be very careful to know which inference procedure we are working with. This knowledge will inform us of the correct number of degrees of freedom to use.

Motivation in the Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Motivation in the Workplace - Essay Example However, it is the role of the business owner to initiate motivation as a means to attain business or corporate goals. Motivation therefore is the impetus or force that drives us to do things this is a result of our individual desires being met so that people have the drive and inspiration to complete the task. These requirements vary from an individual to individual because everybody has their personal needs to motivate themselves (Gary, 2009 p. 29). Depending on how well employees are motivated in the work place, it may determine the effort employees put in the work and thus, increase the standard of the output. Human motivation is an individual characteristic, and not one that fits all options. Most people perceive motivation in terms of high salary this is true because some employees in the work place will be motivated by high salary. However, the wrong reason is that it does meet or satisfy others. This endorses the statement that human motivation is an individual characteristic , and not a one fits all options. The idea of motivation is very essential in business in that it has an effect on the output of business since it concerns quality and quantity. For instance, a business depends heavily on the efficiency of production employees to make sure that goods are produced in large numbers that satisfy the demand of the week. Therefore, if these employees lack motivation to manufacture the goods to meet the demands, then the business faces problems that led to disastrous results. Employee motivation has been listed by business researchers as a key contributor to increased productivity. Every effect or action is normally necessitated by some cause and this is no exceptional to employees’ performance in an organization. What drives people to work is very essential and related to the output of a particular organization. If the employees find satisfaction in the reason for their contribution in an organization, then the outcome of their efforts also improv es. Employees with good reasons to work or those motivated to work usually out perform their less motivated counterparts. Aspects listed as good or positive motivation that boost employees performance include, satisfaction as a contributor to an organization’s mission, job security, desire and room for career advancement, employees benefits and wages and enjoyment or passion for work (Bufford, 1990, p. 4). According to Douglas’ theory of motivation of x and y, people in any organization can be managed in two manner. The first way is the negative which he categorizes as x and the other way is the positive side which he categorized as y. Under the category of theory x, employees in the organization have inner dislike of work and that whenever possible, they tend to avoid work. Due to the fact that they hate working, it is the role of the managers and supervisors to force and threaten them with punishment in order to attain organizational goals. In addition, employees wou ld everything to avoid their responsibilities and do not like to be issued with directions to work (Hiriyappa, 2011, p. 59-61). This in turn can affect the business if the manager is not strict. Contrary to theory x, theory y states that mental or physical effort in the work place is as natural as play or rest. More so, it stresses that employees at work do exercise self control and direction if they are committed to

DIGITAL AND INTERACTIVE MARKETING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

DIGITAL AND INTERACTIVE MARKETING - Essay Example Company profile and concept Aviva plc is one of the world’s largest insurance companies. It has about 46000 employees and 28 countries. In UK the company’s strategy is to establish itself as a single global organization that is relatively quicker at fulfilling customer needs. And to support this strategy of theirs they needed a modern human capital management system. Later in 2010 Aviva introduced workday as a global solution to this concern. (Stobbart) Aviva has been a market leader in UK and was best known with its older name which was Norwich union. The company’s main spheres of operations are in Europe and although it offers general insurance and other financial services, it generates most of its revenues from pensions and life insurance. The marketing team of aviva takes care of its marketing and retention strategies, member benefit development for the health insurance business and product strategy. Aviva’s sales team looks after the development and d elivery of sales of aviva in its markets Issues with online presence When Aviva started to venture online it met different degrees of success. However some issues faced by the company with its online presence was because of the conservative nature of the insurance industry. There are quite a lot of technical issues that are becoming a problem. Also the complexity of all the technology involved in internet marketing has been very challenging for the company. Much of the technology used by Aviva is used to automate instead of changing already existing business processes. (Ward) The basic problem with the use of websites in internet marketing is that most of the times websites don’t appear in internet results for search words related to your business as a result of which your customers end up never having an access to your website. (Ashmore) In Aviva’s case Aviva has found online solutions for increasing its efficiency and to cut down on some paper work. These online solu tions mainly focus on the needs of financial advisers. This was launched by Aviva in the UK. (Staff) Developing online strategy using new tools understanding and definitions This solution is for advisors e-commerce platform that was launched in June 2009 and now provides to around 40 000 investors tax, product and technical support related information. (Mail) One of the new features added to the company now make the advisors capable of monitoring and switching funds online on more than about 1.6 million investment bonds, group, stakeholder and individual personal pensions New feature is e-documents which provide the advisors an access to electronic version of client correspondence. (Stobbart) The online funds switch solution also has some other features like now customer signatures are not required as the online services get hold of the entire customer’s information and removes the need for their signature every time a switch is needed. Moreover, the policy fund research tool lets the advisors know which funds are available to switch and an online compliance record of each switch is available. Lastly, a client confirmation letter is automatically issued for each client after every fund switch is done. (Publications) (Berthon) Now talking about the e- documents system, it gives to the advisors access

How to Get Rid of Ringworm

How to Get Rid of Ringworm Ringworm Treatment: How to Get Rid of Ringworm in humans Most people have had fungal infections at some point in life or the other. If you have had infections like, yeast infection, jock itch, athlete’s foot, etc. then you have suffered from fungal infections. Fungi live everywhere, in the air, water, in soil, on the plants, and even on and within our body. Not all fungi are harmful, some are indeed helpful to us, but some cause infections on the surface of the body or inside. When the immune system is suppressed or is compromised, the fungi in the air can take advantage of the condition and start multiplying causing a fungal infection. Fungi can attack any part of the body. But the most common are the skin, scalp, urogenital tract, lungs, heart, etc. Though there are many species of fungi that cause infections, one form of fungal infection that is most common is the ringworm. It is a skin condition caused by a group fungus called Dermatophytes. Being fungal in nature, it is extremely contagious and difficult to treat. For a full cure, the treatment may have to be prolonged. Ringworm of the scalp is perhaps the most stubborn of all infections and is hard to get rid of. All is not gloomy where ringworm treatment for humans is concerned, there are many medicines and home treatments available that are used to treat the problem and eliminate it. There are over the counter nonprescription, creams, lotions and ointments available for topical application, which are helpful in curing mild forms of ringworm. If the problem is more acute, you may have to consider going to a dermatologist for a more thorough exam and treatment, which could include, powders, prescription pills and if you have the ringworm of the scalp, a shampoo. Let us take a look at the various treatments that are available for the many different ringworm infections. Ringworm Treatment Prescribed by Doctor The treatment for ringworm on the various parts of the body may not be the same. It varies according to the area of the body that has the infection. Before we look at the treatment as prescribed by Doctors, we should look at the types of Ringworm infections that humans can get. The ringworm infections are classified according to the area of the body that they may affect. Ringworm of the Skin Ringworm of the skin includes conditions such as athlete’s foot also called Tinea Pedis, jock itch or Tinea Cruris. Jock itch is most common in men due to moist conditions between the scrotum and the thigh which are perfect breeding ground for fungi. Ringworm of the penis is extremely rare, but does occur sometimes and appears like ringworm infection on other parts of the body. The most common form of all ringworm is Tinea Pedis or Athlete’s Foot, which is caused by sweating in the foot. The moisture gets trapped between the toes and presents a perfect atmosphere for fungal growth. Drugs Used for Treatment of Skin Ringworm Infections Imidazoles: It is an organic coumpound which is colourless and dissolves in water to give an alkaline solution. Many drugs use Imidazole or its derivatives called imidazoles. They are used in treatment of a variety of infections most notably anti-fungal drugs. This is a group of prescription drugs that include: Clotrimazole Miconazole Ketoconazole Ecconazole Oxiconnazole Sulconazoole Setaconazole These drugs are sold under the names: Lotrimin, Nizoral, Spectazole, Monistat-Derm, Exelderm, Eratzco, etc. They can be sold as cream, powders, pessaries, capsules or lotions. It may be essential to get a prescription for some preparations of these drugs. Allylamines: It is an organic compound and comes as a colorless liquid. It is also the simplest form of stable unsaturated amine. It is used in pharmaceutical industry especially in migraine drugs and antifungal formulations. Common anti-fungal drugs of this family are: Naftifine Terbinafine These drugs are marketed under the name of Naftin and Lamisil for topical use. Can also be presented as creams, powders or sprays. Naphthiomates : Tolnafate The drug is sold under the brand name of Tinactin, Aftate, Absorbine, etc. and is available in spray, lotions, cream or powder form for topical application. Substituted pyridines: Ciclopirox It is marketed under the names of Batrafen, Mycoster,Loprox, etc. It is used as a cream or lotion for topical use. Ringworm of the Scalp It is known as Tinea Capitis and is generally caused by the species of fungi called Trichophyton. It is one of the most virulent form of ringworm and is most commonly found in children. Treatment of Scalp Ringworm There are several drugs that are used in the treatment of Tinea Capitis. These include: Griseofulvin: for children, it is to be taken orally for 4 – 6 weeks depending upon the severity of the infection. Terbinafine: Is another drug that is given orally to children. It is available in tablet or granular form. This drug is also given to adults. The dosages and the duration of treatment varies for children and adults. Itraconazole: Is another oral antifungal drug that is given to adults for treatment of Tinea Capitis. It comes as tablets or capsules and even as a liquid solution. In children, an antifungal cream or lotion such as Lamisil may be applied to stop the infection from spreading. A selenium sulfide based shampoo should also be used till the infection is fully cured. In ringworm of adults, if the infection is very serious, the doctors may also prescribe prednisone, a corticosteroid to be taken orally. A Ketaconazole based shampoo may be prescribed to be used twice a week till the infection is cured. Ringworm of the Body Ringworm infection on the face, arms, legs, and trunk are included in the ringworm of the body or Tinea corporis. It is usually caused by Trichophyton or Microsporum fungi. It can develop on any part of the body and spread to other parts fairly quickly. Treatment of Tines Corporis It is treated by topical antifungal cream, gel or lotion. The drug is applied topically to the infected area twice a day. The treatment is continued for a week or more after the symptoms have disappeared. The drugs used for topical treatment can include: Butoconazole Ciclopirox Clotrimazole Gentian Violet Miconazole Tolnaftate Sometimes, the infection can be difficult to treat. Under such conditions, the topical treatment may be supported by oral therapy too. The oral treatment should be taken for a minimum of 2-3 weeks. The treatment could include: Itraconazole Terbinafine Beard Ringworm As the name suggests it is the ringworm of the beard area on the face and is caused by two fungi – trichophyton mentagrophytes or trychophyton verrucosum. It is also called tinea barbae, and usually causes superficial infections, but sometimes deeper infection may occur. Treatment of Tinea Barbae The treatment of tinea barbae includes oral as well as topical treatment. The topical antifungal treatment can include gel, lotions or creams to be applied on the infect area. Oral treatment is given with antifungal medicines that include: Griseofulvin Terbinafine Itraconazole Sometimes a corticosteroid prednisone may be included to alleviate the symptoms, if the infection is very severe. It also helps to reduce scarring and permanent loss of hair on the face. Ringworm of the Nail Nails can also get ringworm. Ringworm of the nails is called Onychomycosis or tinea unguium. The nail infections can occur in anyone but the people more at risk are: diabetics, people who wear artificial nails, use public swimming pools, and work in areas where the hands are moist or under water for extended periods of time. Treatment for Nail Ringworm it is a very stubborn ringworm infection and it is best to go to a doctor for the treatment of the infection as the likelihood of nail ringworm infection recurring are very high. The doctors prescribe drugs such as: Itraconazole Fluconazole Terbinafine Griseofulvin The patient may also be prescribed anti-fungal nail paints such as amorolfine or tioconazole and other topical treatments to control and eliminate the infection. The length of the treatment may last several months depending upon the type of fungus that caused the infection and the severity of the infection. Home Remedies For Ringworm Treatment Besides the prescription and over the counter drugs available for ringworm infections, there are several home remedies available for treatment of ringworm. These include: Garlic: It has excellent anti-fungal qualities and has been used for treatment of ringworm for centuries. Peel some cloves of garlic and slice it into thin slices and apply them on to the infected area. Secure with a bandage and leave overnight. Applying garlic paste or rubbing smashed garlic cloves on to the infected area also helps. Ingesting garlic enhances the potency of the treatment, so eat plenty of garlic while treating the ringworm. Apple Cider Vinegar: This is another good home remedy for ringworm. Soak a cotton ball in Apple Cider Vinegar, and apply it directly on to the infected area. Repeat 4 – 5 times a day for a minimum of 2 – 3 days for best results. Tea Tree Oil: It is a good antifungal agent that can be used to treat ringworm. Make a 50% solution in water and apply to the infected area 2 – 3 times a day for up to four weeks to cure the symptom and eliminate the infection. Turmeric: This is best applied as fresh juice extracted from fresh turmeric root. Apply directly on the affected area 2 -3 times a day till the symptoms disappear. Vinegar and Salt: one very affective home remedy is a paste of vinegar and salt. Apply directly to the affected area, leave it on for five to ten minutes and then wash off and dry the area. It may take uptp a week for the infection to disappear. Natural Remedies for Ringworm Treatment A lot of people prefer natural remedies for treatment of skin rashes and infections. For ringworm treatment the following natural remedies have been found to be very useful: Aloe Vera: It is a very good skin treatment and is also applied for ringworm. Apply the juice directly on to the affected area for best results. It will take a few days for the infection to disappear. Coconut Oil: Helps to cut down the itchiness of the infection when applied topically and makes the skin smooth. It is also used for treatment of ringworm of the scalp. Apply to the infected area and leave overnight. This helps to stop the buildup of the infection. Colloidal Silver: It is a powerful natural antibiotic and is effective in destroying many different microorganisms. It is also a great way to treat ringworm infection naturally. Colloidal Silver is available in gel or liquid form and should be applied directly to the affected area of the skin twice a day till the symptoms disappear. Jojoba Oil: This is the safest remedy for ringworm and can safely be applied in ringworm infections in babies. Apply a mixture of Jojoba oil with lavender oil on infected area several times a day till the symptom disappear. Lavender Oil: Lavender oil is known for its antifungal qualities and is also effective in treatment of ringworm. Studies have shown that lavender oil actually kills the fungi thus eliminating it completely. Sit should be applied topically, directly on to the infected area twice a day, till the symptoms completely disappear. Lemongrass Tea: Lemon grass tea is a good way to fight fungal infections. You can apply the used tea bags on to the infected area for quicker relief. Mustard Seeds: They should be soaked in water and ground into a paste to be applied directly on to the infected area. Leave it on for relief from itching and irritation. Myrrh: This is another powerful antifungal agent. Make a paste of half and half myrrh and goldenseal with water, to apply directly on to the infected area. Use twice a day till the infection clears. Olive Leaf: Olive leaf infusions have anti-fungal qualities and also help to boost the body’s immune system and prevent further infections. Take about 250 mg of the infusion thrice a day to cure ringworm rash. Conclusion Ringworm infections can last a long time and may be difficult to treat. If you suspect you have ringworm infection, it is best to consult a doctor to get proper medication. It is highly contagious and all precaution should be taken to prevent it from spreading to other people. While on treatment, it is best not to miss a dose and to continue with the treatment for a few days after all the symptoms have disappeared. Ringworm treatment for humans can be in the form of ringworm ointments, oral medicines, pills, pessaries, capsules, tinctures, solutions, lotions, nail-paints, shampoos and injections depending upon the area which is infected and the severity of the infection. A combination of prescribed, home and natural remedies may help you get rid of ringworm fast.

No child Left behind Act is a controversial United States

The 2001-2002 No Child Left Behind Act is a controversial United States Federal law which attempts to tackle, head on, the problem of America’s public schools. There are more than fifty million students in our schools and there promises to be increases to this daunting number from immigration as well as the natural growth of the country. Under this new law, schools will be required to ensure that their students will meet or exceed the national requirements set forth by the federal government and the Department of Education. Repeated failure of a specific school to reach these requirements will eventually result in the loss of funding as well as a decrease in the number of students attending these schools.The latter is made possible by the freedom that the No Child Left Behind Act gives to students and their parents who are attending schools that repeatedly do not meet the requirements set forth in this act. Any state challenges to the law are threatened with a cessation of fun ds and in 2005; Utah became the first state to challenge the law with the outcome having not yet been played out on the national level[1]. Where the correct amount of attention needs to be paid to and how these problems are to be solved, as well as the effectiveness of the No Child Left Behind Act, are sources for much debate. One of the biggest problems is high school drop outs and how this increase in drop outs can be curbed.The No Child Left behind Act focuses on a number of aspects of the public school system which the government believes needs to be improved. The first is the quality of the teachers who teach. It is a popular notion to blame the teachers for the shortcomings of the student in the classroom. The No Child Left Behind Act ignores the fact that today’s teacher is faced with more impediments to their successful ability to teach than ever before. An average student watches more than six hours of television a day, often times where there is no parental influenc e at home since often times, especially within the inner city, the student comes from a broken home and the mother is forced to work two jobs.Students within the inner city are faced with the constant threat of gang violence and gang influence which makes it not only difficult to learn and to achieve an education, but it is also a dangerous prospect as well. Also, there is within the American public school, a dangerous overcrowding, brought on by illegal immigration as well as other important factors. As a result, there are hundreds of schools within the country that are overcrowded. In Chicago, there are more than 150 elementary schools and 15 high schools, despite the addition of twelve new high schools and thirty additions to existing schools, which are overcrowded. Roosevelt High School on Chicago’s East side is more than 177% above capacity and Lerna Elementary school on Chicago’s south side is more than 150% above its designed capacity.[2] As a result, teachers a re faced with an overcrowding of students; often times the number exceeds thirty five to forty students in which an increasing number cannot speak English.However, there exists some merit as to the requirement that teachers be knowledgably in the subjects in which they teach. In a 2004 USA Today expose, it was discovered that in the state of California, over 35% of high school teachers were teaching subjects different than what their major or minor in college.[3] This places the student at a severe disadvantage and makes the parents of these students nervous as to who exactly is teaching their students. The No Child Left Behind Act set forth a plan in 2002, when the law was enacted, that by the 2006-2007 school year, all teachers be regarded as highly educated in the subject in which they were teaching. This is achieved by teachers having standardized tests of their own in the subjects in whom they teach.A teacher must also have achieved a bachelor’s degree and demonstrate a command of the subject that they teach as well as a command of the English language, both in speaking and writing in order to be allowed to further teach. In order to see if these measurements will yield the expected positive results, further standardized testing in grades 3-5, 6-9 and 10-11 will be required.[4] Under the previous system, only students in grades 3, 5, 10-11 were given to standardized testing. It will be seen on a national basis in the coming months, as these results are published, as to whether or not this simple and presumed self evident requirement yield the results which the country demands.Another important addition to the current public school system is the ability of parents and their children to choose the schools that they will attend. Previously, students could only attend the schools which were designed for their area. This gave a uniform feeling to the public school map and ensured that those who were paying real estate taxes to their local school, was us ed to teach the students of the local area. The No Child Left Behind Act allows students and their parents who attend poorly performing schools, the freedom to choose the schools which they will attend. It claims that local government has failed their students and that it now falls upon the federal government to step in and fix the problem.This is a controversial aspect of the law but one which according to the Department of Education, in their 2005 annual report, stated a number of positive aspects to the law. First, more progress was made concerning 4th graders in their reading skills over the last five years than in the previous 28 years combined.[5] America’s freshman in high school achieved the highest math and reading scores since 1971 and that the math and reading scores for African Americans and Hispanics have reached an all time high as well. Lastly, forty three states and the District of Columbia have enjoyed unprecedented success in the increase of their students t est scores.Not only is the law result-driven through the test scores which their students achieve, but focuses on the concept and quality of the education that their students are receiving. The gap between white and African American and Hispanic children, according to the Department of Education, states that it is the lowest that it has been in the history of public education. The parents are more informed about the quality and yearly performance of their schools through the publication of school report cards which grade the schools on a variety of various subjects which are designed to be helpful to the parent.This is also helpful in educating the parent as to what schools in the area would be a good fit for their child, if they so decide to move their child to another school district as their previous school repeatedly under preformed and did not meet their federal requirements. This is helpful as well, not only to the students and their parents but also for the school as well as the administrators are aware and feel the pressure to perform up to standards or their student body will decrease and so too will the amount of federal funding from the government. To many, this is a necessary and effective check on the apathetic attitude that some schools in the nation have felt towards the education of their students which they are employed to teach.A more conventional study is the communication between that of the parent and the teacher with regard to the standardized testing that is required multiple times in a student’s educational career. In 2005, New Jersey signed a contract to spend $35 million over the next four years to implement new testing standards for third and fourth graders with regard to math and science.[6] The Educational Commission Report reported in detail about the state implementation of the NCLBA, not only in New Jersey but all across the nation as well.Different from years past, the new implementation of this act represent a more syst emic approach to achieving testing reform and improvement. Professional development of teachers and technical assistance for low-performing schools are at the front of this debate for needed change. The report also points out the need for states, districts and schools to raise the stakes in order to avoid failure and that steady progress must be achieved and charted in order to improve student achievement.Blending texts and graphics, the report gives a series of snapshots from March 2003-March 2004 in the field of student improvement for math and science scores for sixth graders. The progress is divided up into seven sub categories: standards and assessments, adequate progress, school improvement, supplemental service, safe schools report cards and teacher quality and how each area must meet or exceed state requirements. The danger in failing to do so, the report points out, is that once area may well be able to pull down the other groups as well and erase a great deal of effort tha t has been used in this endeavor.Any legislation the size of the No Child Left Behind Act is going to receive criticism. Much of it is justified and has allowed many to regard the law as ineffective or misguided. Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy criticized that: â€Å"The tragedy is that these long overdue reforms are finally in place, but the funds are not.†[7] It has been the long running complaint of school administrators that the money is not being sent to the schools in order to make the necessary changes. â€Å"School Administrator Charles Johnson of the Roosevelt High School in Chicago states: â€Å"If the government wants higher test scores, then they need to show us the money!All of these programs cost money. Give us the money and the results will follow.†[8] This is a problem and will probably continue to be a problem as the 2007 government budget again did not yield the necessary amount of money for these programs which as deemed necessary in the original 2002 No Child Left Behind Act. In our highly bipartisan political atmosphere, progress from the NCLBA can only be claimed through a great deal of studies and statistics in order to make such claims.Not only does the study set forth their guidelines, they give detailed statistics as to what areas of the country are meeting those standards and where in the country are the students falling behind at are at the highest risk of dropping out of school. Many studies come to the conclusion, and this one is no exception, that when a student is achieving in school and finds the subject matter and the atmosphere exciting, there is a minimal chance for that student to them drop out of school. The study found that all fifty states met or were partially on track (an improvement from the days before the NCLBA was implemented, to meet at least half of the 40 NCLB requirements. This constitutes an improvement of 11% over the previous year.[9] The study then concludes by pointing out how much of an i mprovement this is.Another problem with the law and one which prompts criticism of the government taking the lead in education reform is the possibility of corruption. The stakes are high for these schools to perform to the standards which the government has put in place for each individual schools. Some of these schools, knowing that they cannot meet these new requirements, will bend the result sin order for it to appear that they are meeting these new demands. This creative reclassification of the results has helped these troubled schools to maintain their previous level of government funding. In this, students are not learning more but are just being classified differently. In Missouri and Iowa, school administrators have admitted to the fact that in many of the schools across their respective states, they had lowered the requirements in order to meet governmental standards.Despite this temptation to create new and creative ways in which to show that these schools were achieving up to government standards, the No Child Left Behind Act allows for further funding towards schools which perform beneath federal standards as well as gives bonuses to schools that repeatedly meet and/or exceed standards. What does worry the aforementioned schools is the fact that only after a specific number of years, usually from 2-4 years of repeated failure to meet federal requirements, despite the extra funding, will schools then be cut off from this extra funding and will then be made to suffer the consequences.There has yet to be a significant number of schools which are placed under these restrictions and then forced to react in ways which would jeopardize the funding of their respective schools as the law is still relatively new. However, it is estimated that especially within the inner cities, these requirements, whether good or bad, will create a reaction that will eventually command a reform within the most troubled and poorly performing schools within each troubled area .The No Child Left Behind Act is controversial by nature. As the United States falls behind smaller and less affluent countries in the areas of science, reading and math, most everyone agrees that education reform is absolutely necessary.   However, with a problem that affects such a large population of the country in the form of parents, students and teachers as well as the society in which they reside, it is a fact that no legislation will please everyone. The No Child Left Behind Act is being implemented in order to correct decades of misuse by apathetic â€Å"but when high school students, upon their graduation, can read and write at only an 8th grade level, somebody is surely to blame.†[10] What is the source of argument is who exactly is to blame and in what capacity?Are the parents to blame when the student is a product of a broken home and there is nobody present within the home to make sure that the student adheres to his school work? Is the student to blame for no t possessing the self discipline to make himself to study, seek assistance outside of school hours and to ensure his or her own success? Is it the government to blame for avoiding the fact that illegal immigration has flooded many of our nation’s schools which has resulted in the overcrowding of the schools or the fact that before this law, there were teachers who graduated with a degree in History, if they graduated at all, who were teaching Biology.Or is it the fault of society who now places a greater importance on the knowledge of pop culture over excellence in schools? In some degree or another, all of the above mentioned principal players are to blame. What the No Child Left Behind Act attempts to do is tackle all of these impediments to the educational process of our nation’s fifty four million students. The No Child Left Behind Act accomplishes the ability to shed light on a subject which has long been ignored: the public school system. However, no government i nstitution can amend the problems of the public school system until the parents and students do their part as well. Only to a very limited degree can government institute behavior. It is up to those involved to ensure the success of themselves, their children, their school and their teachers. We are all in this together.WORKS CITEDCollins, Kristin. No Child Left Behind National Science Teachers Association. www3. ntsa.org. December 31, 2003. Downloaded June 14, 2007Dixon, Janet How No Child Left Behind Affects Your Children. Chicago Tribune June 12, 2004Graham, Patricia No Child Left Behind. History of Education Quarterly Vol. 47 May 2007Matthews, Jay No Child Left Behind Acts: Fact and Fiction Washington Post November 11, 2003No Child Left Behind Act   www.ed.gov.   The Department of Education Downloaded June 14, 2007