Author: chris

Discussion 1: New Voices Supporting Early Care and Education

This week you studied a variety of position papers, all of which put forth arguments in support of stronger funding of quality care and education during the early years. These arguments originate in three “worlds” usually not deeply connected with the lives of young children. They are proposed by economists, neuroscientists, and politicians.

Currently, many seasoned early childhood professionals are finding that their experience-based knowledge of children and families is supported by research within these three fields. And, overall, early childhood professionals have welcomed this research and the influx of new interest by these fields because it is beginning to translate into increased funding for programs in need of financial support, or into the creation of worthwhile new early childhood programs.

On what specific data do these voices, new to the field of early childhood, anchor their arguments? What are some of their main arguments for supporting young children and families? In what ways do they articulate their support? What is the essence of their suggestions? This assignment is an opportunity to investigate these questions.

In preparation for the Discussion,

•Review all required resources, including the media segment and the U.S. Department of Education website.

•For each resource, evaluate which main arguments are presented in favor of care and education policies for the early years.

•Choose one written resource that stimulates your professional curiosity more than the others, and that you want to analyze further.

•Using the reading you selected and the media segment, evaluate in what specific way(s) commitment to the well-being of young children, families, or early childhood professionals is expressed in each of the two resources.

By Wednesday:

Post

A brief response to each of the following questions:

•What influenced your choice of the written resource?

•How is respect for and commitment to the well-being of young children, families, and/or early childhood professionals expressed in the article and the media segment?

•How has your understanding of early childhood issues and trends deepened by considering the views of economists, neuroscientists, and polDiscussion 2: Children, Childhood, and the Economic Argument—Unintended Consequences

Resources: Choose any and view media segment

Media Segment: Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2011). Issues and trends in the early childhood field: Economists, scientists, and politicians supporting the EC field. Baltimore, MD: Author. Accessible player–Downloads–Download Video w/CCDownload AudioDownload Transcript

Resouces to choose from:

Readings

•Article: Novotney, A. (2010). The recession’s toll on children. Monitor on Psychology, 41(8), 42–45. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

 

•Article: U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Institute for a Competitive Workforce. (2010). Why business should support early childhood education. Retrieved from http://icw.uschamber.com/sites/default/files/ICW_EarlyChildhoodReport_2010.pdf Why Businesses Should Support Early Childhood Education (2010). Institute for a Competitive Workforce, September 2010. Copyright U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for a Competitive Workforce. Used by permission.

 

•Article: The RAND Corporation. (2008). What does economics tell us about early childhood policy? (Research Brief). Retrieved from http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_briefs/2008/RAND_RB9352.pdf

What Does Economics Tell Us About Early Childhood Policy? by the Rand Corporation. Reprinted by permissions of RAND Corporation via the Copyright Clearance Center.

 

•Article: Shonkoff, J. P. (2009). Mobilizing science to revitalize early childhood policy. Issues in Science & Technology, 26(1), 79–85. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

•Article: U.S. Department of Education (n.d.). Early learning initiative. Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/early-learning

fastwrite, yes, actually set yourself a timer, and don’t let yourself stop before it goes off (but do keep going if you’ve found a good writing groove!). If you can’t write about it for 10 minutes, you probably can’t write an entire essay on it. Don’t worry about sentence structure or spelling errors, or anything else superficial at this point; just focus on capturing your ideas on paper or the computer screen. I will check them off on Wed., and you will turn them in with your final draft. If you can’t write about it for 10 minutes, you probably can’t write an entire essay on it.

EXAMPLE:

1. Nature vs Nuture. Nature, an unforgiving phenomena of the physical world, that usually includes plants, animals, and landscapes, and other features or products of Earth. Nuture, to care for and encourage the growth and development of. People are raised and nurtured from birth, and from that usually grow up with the logic they learned as a kid. Animals, some are raised until adulthood and others given natural animal instinct by mother nature to fend for themeselves and survive. Two totally different concepts that could explain human behavior in the world today. Even if people are raised and nurtured to hopefully one day possess certain qualities, it is possible that by some natural instinct, we prefer a lifestlye that society cannot teach. For example, ask yourself what type of landscape would you prefer; the beach, the desert, or the forest? If you grew up in a forest, you might choose a forest because that is what you are most comfortable with, you were nurtured there.

2. What is love/happiness? two words whose definitions people tend to think have the same meaning but in reality have some differences. For some it can be said that you can be happy without love, but can you love without being happy? In a dictionary definition, Love is having an intense feeling of deep affection. Happiness is the state of being happy, in other words feeling or showing pleasure or contentment. People all over the world can have many different opinions of these two words. Some will say they are the same because in a sense, it is what people strive for in life. Is it not the common childhood dream to grow up, have a career, find your true love, and then ultimately live out your life and be happy?

3. Music. Vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion. There are many different types and genres of music. There are different sounds made electronically, by instruments, or even man-made. All of these factors are important to music, for it all makes different impacts to those who listen to it. Different genres can include Hip Hop, Country, Rock, Soul/R&B, Pop, Raggae, Jazz, Classical, and so much more. Even with every distinct genre there is some kind of sub-genre to choose from. Music truly is an important concept in todays world. As humans, sound is one of the most important of the 5 senses. We use sound to identify things that make noise, to respond to command, and interact/conversate with others.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE:

1 Politics:

Politics was once a great thing in our nation. Helping those with education, housing, and making sure jobs were available. Not only that but medical advances on helping those who needed it. Now look at it, just a word that people use to show they have power. It’s almost as if they are fooling the people into believe they no longer run the country but the politians do. What sense does that make. You can never see what new petition or law or rule theyre going to come out with next. Once these laws helped us as a society believe in one other despite our differences. But now look at us. They allow people to burn, step on, and desicrate our flag. They also are going into the court system about how stolen valor is protected by the first amendment. Preposturous. These are now the polotics that run our country were there was a time were there was no controversy to what desicrating the flag meant by consquence.

2 Military:

No know here knows more than those who have and are serving for our government what itis truely like to be completely held by a piece of paper that was signed years before present that you must and will obey without question. You cannot leave until you are given permission or your time is served. In all though it gives you a set of skill that you would not have had otherwise. It gives you discipling that you rarely see in poeple in their teens to late twenties. not only that but It also gives you the ability to not worry about attending schools in which you couldn’t afford before. The physical demand, the mental stability, the emotional steadiness that you endure is something you keep with you. Also in my experience I found those I call family.

3 loyalty:

What is loyalty now? It’s something which was once a valued trait. Now it’s hardly found. People are so focused on becoming the next big thing or they use others for their own personal gain. It sucks that you look at a dog and that dog will stay with you forever. People on the otherhand well they turn their back on you because you said something that “offended them” when back in the time of need you were there for them. Funny how now loyalty has become a concept in which people have to question actions and words instead of trusting thro

ue Week 6 and worth 180 points

 

In this assignment, you will expore how the organization and policitial environment of an agency or departments can impact the issue you selected in Assignment 1.

 

Using the issue you selected from Assignment 1 (Healthcare Reform), write a three to four (3-4) page paper in which you respond to the following questions:

 

1. Examine the organization of the agency (Department of Health & Human Services) in which the issue resides. Describe the structure and departments within the agency and the manner in which the departments interact with each other.
2. Given the description you provided in Question 1, describe the primary ways the human resource management part of the organizational structure positively or negatively impacts the issue that you selected.
3. Given the description you provided in Question 1, describe the primary ways the budgeting part of the organizational structure positively or negatively impacts the issue you selected.
4. Given the description you provided in Question 1, analyze the political environment and explain (2) challenges that political responsiveness may present for management.
5. Include at least four (4) peer-reviewed references (no more than five [5] years old) from material outside the textbook. Note: Appropriate peer-reviewed references include scholarly articles and governmental Websites. Wikipedia, other wikis, and any other Websites ending in anything other than “.gov” do not qualify as academic resources.

 

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

 

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

 

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

 

• Assemble the concepts of planning, reengineering, implementation, and program evaluation essential to the study of public administration as it relates to political choice.
• Organize the concepts of public budgeting and policy formation essential to the study of public administration as it relates to political choice.
• Reconstruct historical trends related to public administration and its influence on managing public and nonprofit organizations.
• Organize the concepts of planning and human resource management essential to the study of public administration as it relates to political choice.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in public administration.
• Write clearly and concisely about public administration using proper writing mechanics.

 

rite a summary of the article reading for this week.  Describe two ways that the concepts from this class were described in the article.

The title of the Article is:  PMP Certification mindset and the training dilemma.

Write between 750 – 1250 (appro 3-5 pages) using Microsoft word in APA style.

Include a cover page and reference page.

Use at least three references from outside the course material.

Cite all reference material.

Sources such as Wikis, Yahoo Answers, eHow, bogs, etc. are not acceptable.

Briefly describe who the Friends (aka Quakers) were that settled in the Delaware Valley from 1675-1725. Where were they from, what was their background like? These questions are based on the first 30 pages of the chapter, pp. 419-451.

 

2. Briefly discuss two or three things that you found interesting between pp. 481-603 about the nature of Quaker family ways, meeting for worship, Quaker belief in magic, education, food, dress, and sport, or other topics. I don’t expect you to read all of this.

 

3. Read pp. 1-10 of Ch. 1, “The Founding, 1681-1701” by Mary Maples Dunn and Richard S. Dunn in Weigley et al, Philadelphia: A 300-Year History and pp. 29-41 in Conn, Ch. 2, “Echoes of William Penn,” in Metropolitan Philadelphia: Living with the Presence of the Past. What was unique about Penn’s design for Philadelphia? What was he hoping to achieve in his colony and city?

 

4. Read Ch. 10, 12 and the Epilogue in  Moretta, William Penn and the Quaker Legacy. What are some of the issues Penn faced because of his absence from the colony?

 

5. In the Intro and Ch. 1 of the excerpt from Kenny’s book, what do we learn about the relationship between Penn, early settlers and native Americans?

 

6. In the excerpt from the essay by Thayer, “Town into City” which ethnic groups began to arrive and

or this section of your employment exam, you will select two companies. The first company needs to come from your TDAU thinkorswim portfolio. The second needs to be a competitor of the first company from the same industry. You will be responsible for collecting, synthesizing, and making decisions regarding both companies. After evaluating these companies’ financial data, you will then decide which company’s stock is the better investment.

This section of your employment examination must be submitted in two parts. Part A will contain the workbooks that house all of your quantitative data and formulas, along with any of the information that is relevant for your chosen companies. Part B will contain your answers to the questions asked below, composed in a cohesive manner. If you are referring to data that is found within the workbooks in Part A, be sure to include a citation—for example, “rate of return is 3.570 USD (E64, WB2),” where E64 is the cell that the calculation took place in and WB2 is designating “workbook 2.” This ensures that your instructor can quickly and accurately check data entry, formula use, and financial calculations.

Three-Year Returns 

* (Facebook & Twitter Company)

A. What is the three-year return on the stock price of the first company (Company A)? How is the stock performing? Ensure that you use the appropriate formula in your spreadsheets to calculate the three-year return on the given company’s stock price.

B. What is the three-year return on the stock price of the second company (Company B)? How is this stock performing? Ensure that you use the appropriate formula in your spreadsheets to calculate the three-year return on your chosen company’s stock price.

C. How do these two stocks compare in terms of three-year returns? What does this indicate about these two companies?

III. Financial Calculations 

A. Using the appropriate spreadsheets, which are to be included in the workbooks, calculate the price-to-earnings ratio for the last three fiscal years of the given and your chosen companies. Be sure that you are entering and using the correct formula.

B. Using the appropriate spreadsheets, which are to be included in the workbooks, calculate the debt-to-equity ratios for the last three fiscal years of the given and your chosen companies. Be sure that you are entering and using the correct formula.

C. Using the appropriate spreadsheets, which are to be included in the workbooks, calculate the return-on-equity ratios for the last three fiscal years of the given and your chosen companies. Be sure that you are entering and using the correct formula.

D. Using the appropriate spreadsheets, which are to be included in the workbooks, calculate the return on assets for the last three fiscal years of the given and your chosen companies. Be sure that you are entering and using the correct formula.

E. Using the appropriate spreadsheets, which are to be included in the workbooks, calculate the profit margins for the last three fiscal years of the given and your chosen companies. Be sure that you are entering and using the correct formula.

F. Using the appropriate spreadsheets, which are to be included in the workbooks, calculate the free cash flows for the last three fiscal years of the given and your chosen companies. Be sure that you are entering and using the correct formula.

Industry Averages 

A. Obtain current industry averages of three of the financial calculations above for both companies and add this information to your spreadsheet for comparison. Ensure the accuracy and organization of your data.

B. In this context, how is each company’s financial health? How do these two companies compare to one another? Consider the appropriate date range you should use.

Performance Over Time

A. Analyze the performance of the Company A over time. What financial strengths and weaknesses does this company have? Consider addressing the free cash flows and ratios you calculated earlier.

B. Analyze the performance of your Company B over time. What financial strengths and weaknesses does this company have? Consider addressing the free cash flows and ratios you calculated earlier.

C. Analyze how the data differ between these two companies. Why do you think this is? Consider addressing the free cash flows and ratios you calculated earlier.

Investment 

A. Are the companies considered growth or value companies? Why?

B. Which company’s stock is the better investment? Consider supporting your answer with data.

MA was signed by President Bush in 2003. The MMA brought about sweeping changes that increased enrollment and improved access to Medicare Plans. Similarly, the PPACA was signed into law by President Obama in 2010. The law is expected to significantly increase access to Medicaid for the uninsured, low-income families, and individuals. Medicaid managed care has been implemented by most states, mainly because of rising costs, plan quality, access to providers, and the decrease in state revenues and federal matching funding. Medicare has explored managed care for the same reasons: to reduce costs, improve quality and improve access to providers. Using the South University Online Library or the Internet, research the following two topics and write a paper evaluating the impact of these policies on Medicare and Medicaid managed care.

You need to research on the following two topics:

• Medicare and managed care
• Medicaid and managed care

Based on your research, answer the following questions:

• Write a summary for each topic tying together the information learned about that topic.
• Analyze the challenges Medicaid faces in terms of improving access to care, quality of care, and reducing the cost of care.
• Analyze the challenges Medicare faces in terms of improving access to care, quality of care, and reducing the cost of care.
• Draw conclusions about the future of managed care in each program—will it grow or decline? What will be the challenges for success?
• Select at least four reputable articles per topic that address the challenges facing Medicare and Medicaid managed care.

Based on your research, summarize your findings on the selected topics and compile your observations in a 4-5 page Microsoft Word document.

Support your responses with examples.

Cite any sources in APA format.

select one debated topic from the three below, and construct a 500-word (minimum) acadamic essay that provides an overview of the debate- making certain to include key individuals, events, acts the time period the location, adn why the debate initiated. Identify the victor and why you feel they “won” the debate. Considering current events, what events experienced today are similiar to your selected debated topic? Explain whether political, religious, or economic concerns were the most dominant motivation.

 

Topics:

1 the appropriate action of the colonists in response to taxation imposed by the British crown

 

2. the proper response by American colonists concernin the standing presence of British officials and soldiers

 

3. the ability of the colonists to rule themselves while still respecting the king’s authority

select one debated topic from the three below, and construct a 500-word (minimum) acadamic essay that provides an overview of the debate- making certain to include key individuals, events, acts the time period the location, adn why the debate initiated. Identify the victor and why you feel they “won” the debate. Considering current events, what events experienced today are similiar to your selected debated topic? Explain whether political, religious, or economic concerns were the most dominant motivation.

 

Topics:

1 the appropriate action of the colonists in response to taxation imposed by the British crown

 

2. the proper response by American colonists concernin the standing presence of British officials and soldiers

 

3. the ability of the colonists to rule themselves while still respecting the king’s authority

esources: The Practice of Public Relations textbook, University Library, Internet

Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you define public relations. Include in your paper:

• Explain your personal definition of public relations and definitions from three different sources. Examples include: Public Relations Society of America, textbooks, etc.
• Compare and contrast these definitions in your paper.
• Discuss why you think there are so many different definitions of public relations.

Prepare to discuss this assignment in class.