We’ve been living a lie for over five hundred years now. In 1492 Christopher Columbus set sail for India and in the process presented the concept of a round world. I even believed it, up until now. In reality the world is flat, despite everything they tell you in grade school. Recent years have transformed the spherica shape we once knew to a completely horizontal and level playing field. Part of this drastic change stems from the technology boom, allowing all countries to be in constant communication with one another. This worldwide integration and development is known as globalization. While the process of globalizing countries possesses several benefits, it poses one key dilemma for Americans: that anyone on the earth can do your job, more cheaply. We must rise to the challenge in order to remain on top of our foreign competition. One critical way to do so would be to start early with high school education. Currently, the American system of secondary education remains at the bottom of the pack in comparison to countries such as China and India. We desperately need further development and a reconstruction of the current system. In the words of Plato, “The direction in which education starts, a man will determine his future in life.” Our futures and goals all correlate to what we do now; high school education serves as vital factor in our attempts to conquer global competition.
We are living amidst globalization 3.0, a term coined by New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman ever since the rapid expansion of technology. “New kinds of technologies and advanced transportation have allowed for the rapid formation and reorganization of local and global linkages and networks,” (Clark 86). The world is becoming “flat” in the sense t...
... middle of paper ...
...petition.
Works Cited:
Brown, Bettina L. “Effects of Globalization on Careers. Myths and Realities.” ERIC (2003). Print.
Clark, Gordon L. Global Competitiveness and Innovation: an Agent-centred Perspective. Basingstoke [etc.: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. Print.
“Education in India.” World Bank Group. 2008. Web. 12 Nov. 2011.
“Extra-Curricular Activities.” KidsHealth – the Web’s Most Visited Site about Children’s Health. Nemours, 26 July 2007. Web. 12 Nov. 2011.
Friedman, Thomas L. “It’s a Flat World, After All.” New York Times Magazine 3 Apr. 2005. Print.
Greenwald, Bruce C. N., and Judd Kahn. Globalization: the Irrational Fear That Someone in China Will Take Your Job. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2009. Print.
Two Million Minutes. Dir. Robert A. Compton. Broken Pencil Productions, 2008. DVD.
As Americans we have to start to comprehend that the world around us is changing technologically, politically, and economically. In “The Last Superpower” an excerpt from the book The Post American World by Fareed Zakaria published in 2008. Zakaria emphasizes on these changes. Thomas Friedman the author of “The World is Flat” a piece from the book The World is Flat: A brief history of the twenty-first century published in 2005 also emphasizes on the same changes currently happening in the world. Zakaria and Friedman define these changes as globalization. The obvious common ground shared by both authors is their representation of globalization and the effects that it has and will continue to have on modern life. In contrast to sharing the same main topic both authors take a drastically different approach on how the relay their information to the audience. The differences displayed are mainly due to their personal and educational backgrounds, definitions of globalization as well as the individual writing styles of each author.
Friedman, Thomas (2007). The World Is Flat (3rd ed.). New York: Picador / Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Low income students are generally found in low income communities which have fewer resources to devote to their schools. With inadequate funds and resources, these kids are not getting the equal opportunity in education as kids in high income communities. Kids...
Arguments supporting the "flat world theory" come mainly from Friedman. His argument rests on the assumption of ten flatteners and a triple convergence. Friedman says that the power of new information technology has helped bring the world closer together and has made it more interconnected and interdependent (Friedman, 2005). More people now have access to this technological platform for education, innovation and entrepreneurship (Friedman, 2005). However, Florida (2005, p.51) argues that this flat playing field mainly affects the advanced countries, which see not only manufacturing work but also higher-end jobs. Other developing or undeveloped countries simply do not have the luxury of this connection and are left out of this technological platform. Florida (2005, p.51) contends that “...there are more insidious tensions among the world’s growing peaks, sinking valleys, and shifting hills”. This inequality is growing across the world and within countries.
Ahearn, Raymund J. "Globalization, worker insecurity, and policy approaches." Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs. Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports and Issue Briefs, 2008. Academic OneFile. Web. 29 Sep. 2011.
Current interests in reducing high dropout rates and closing the achievement gap across many United States high schools have resulted in a major education reform. According to Durden (2008), with the passing of the No Child Left Behind legislation in 2002, national officials authorized the Comprehensive School Reform program to support low performing schools as they struggled to improve student achievement. As a result, a wide range of approaches have been considered to help solve this nation-wide concern. Durden (2008) discussed as a result of this national effort, an increase in implementation of comprehensive school reforms is occurring in schools serving predominantly diverse student populations in urban areas. Kemple et al., (2006) stated that while many different targeted programs and comprehensive reform strategies have been proposed as strategies to counter these problems, small learning communities (SLCs) or freshman academies have been incorporated. . Freshman academies or small learning communities (SLCs) are defined as small self-contained groups of students who take classes together from interdisciplinary teacher teams. (SLCs) have emerged as among the most common and potentially effective response. With the incorporation of small learning communities (SLCs) or freshman academies, there are other areas of importance needing change in addressing the problems of high dropout rates and the achievement gap. Important areas in need of change includes how we assess our students, preparation of America’s teachers, and development of appropriate curricular materials, policies, and practices for diverse students.
Constant change and a flat, global competitive market landscape were described by Thomas Friedman, author of The World is Flat, as triple convergence and was a result of the ten flatteners. Friedman also stated that in “Globalization 1.0, countries had to think globally. In Globalization 2.0, companies had to think globally to thrive, or at least survive. In Globalization 3.0, individuals have to think globally to thrive, or at least survive.” (Friedman, 2007) The concept of needing individuals to think globally and thrive in the market led Friedman to travel and report on various educational cultures across the world. Friedman was determined to find “the right stuff” to make the youth in future generations competitive globally.
The phrase: "the world is flat" can be interpreted in many ways. Basically what Friedman means by "flat" is "linked." The falling of trade and political barriers and technical advances have made it possible to do business, instantaneously with billions of other people around the world. It has allowed for parts of the world, which had previously been cut off, like China and India, to successfully compete in the world market. Thus, the playing field is being leveled, and no one nation has an advantage. Friedman could also refer to a "flat world" in a metaphorical sense. In a spherical earth you cannot see around the world and cannot recognize the opportunities far from where you live. If the world were flat you could see it all. There would be no barriers to get in your way. This is the equivalent to a smaller globe which allows one to reach far away opportunities.
When the term “Globalization” is discussed, most academics, scholars, professionals and intellectuals attempt to define and interpret it in a summarized fashion. My main concern with this approach is that one cannot and should not define a process that altered decades of history and continues to, in less than 30 words. Global Shift is a book with remarkable insight. Peter Dicken rather than attempting to define the commonly misused word, explains Globalization in a clear and logical fashion, which interconnects numerous views. Dicken takes full advantage of his position to write and identify the imperative changes of political, economic, social, and technological dimensions of globalization.
Lewis, Brenda. "The History of the English Coronation: The Monarchs of England as the Choice of God." UK/Irish History. Suite 101. Suite 101, 02 Feb 2010. Web. 6 Jul 2011.
Children now participate in an array of extra-curricular activities, spending their time outside of school away from home. Some parents may feel this is a way to spend time with their child, if they are involved in coaching or being a spectator. For other parents, the activity gives them some free time while their child participates. Children learn to work in groups or as part of a team, while learning from adults and peers alike. Parents may or may not have a part in this type of...
It identified one study where disadvantaged children were divided into 2 groups. The first group was provided with preschool and specific attention during the children 's early development. The second group did not receive support before kindergarten. The first group had a 20% higher graduation rate nearly 15 years later. It also identified another study done in poorer Title I schools that focused on early childhood and on parent mentorship. They experienced lower dropout rates and had 11% more students who were at risk of dropout graduate than their peer. This work also identifies students below the poverty line are at risk for pregnancy, incarceration, or having to work to support their families. All of these reasons can lead to the student failing to complete high school. The studies and statistics from this report will be used to support the solution offered in my thesis. They will provide evidence that schools that provide students with stability at an early age can increase the graduation rate of students in poverty.
Extracurricular activities are defined as any activity “not falling within the scope of a regular curriculum” (Merriam-Webster, no date). Some activities can be classed as co-curricular, this includes all activities that are non-academic, such as sports clubs or teams. Schools around the country offer extra sessions which aim to broaden pupil’s experiences.
The Post Office Department may seem like a strange office to regulate air traffic, but their intentions were somewhat different than today’s FAA. After World War I, the heavy use of planes was noticed as a possible way to transport people and goods throughout the co...
Furthermore, the researchers took time to observe children in the program settings to observe possible achievement. Test scores were gathered from the children’s standardized scholastic tests and report cards. The researchers also gathered copies of attendance records, behavior records, and participation in extracurricular activities. Some observations were made during classes to observe the control group students’ progress within classes. The teachers provided the researchers with copies of the student’s tests, quizzes, and other exercises to help determine achievement levels.