Segregation Of Public Schools Effects On Student Achievement Education Essay

Segregation Of Public Schools Effects On Student Achievement Education Essay School systems across the U.S. are voluntarily segregating their schools and schools may be more segregated today than they were at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. There is overwhelming evidence that segregation is a toxic social issue that serves to fortify discriminatory viewpoints and attitudes that negatively affect particular populations of people and innately puts Black and Latino students at a disadvantage, weakening facets of social capital in these students neighborhoods and further widening the life-long achievement gap between these students and their White counterparts. Black students continue to score lower than White students on standardized tests are underrepresented in institutions of higher learning and achieve overwhelmingly lower rates of wealth. This research will evaluate the affect of racial segregation on student academic achievement, which for purpose of this research will include standardized testing performance as well as attributes of social mobility, in order to identify the best model for U.S. school systems that fosters equity in access to resources and high student achievement. In the present paper, several case studies that investigate the learning outcomes and academic achievement in segregated schools are evaluated. From review of these case studies a hypothesis can be formed that states that racial segregation is detrimental to non-white students, particularly Blacks and Latinos. The following literature reviews demonstrate and support this hypothesis. The studies conclude that students who attend primarily minority schools are not as well prepared for post-secondary education and that this achievement gap is directly related to the degree to which they experienced segregation. The research also shows that all student benefit from diversity in their school setting; White students are also disadvantaged by re-segregation of schools. Review of Literature In a research article by Jones-Sanpei (2009), the research first identifies specific overarching goals of public education. The goals of education that this study evaluated are individual outcomes (academic achievement and job readiness) community outcomes (parental empowerment and social capital networks) and, individual social outcomes, such as future political engagement, social skills, and civic skills. Secondly the Jones-Sanpei research discussed the theory and research surrounding social capital and used data from five southern school districts and matching data from the 2000 Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey (SCCBS), (7) to examine the relationship between community social capital and segregated public schools. The study concluded by speculating about the potential effect of re-segregating public schools on both community and individual social capital. The Jones-Sanpei study stated that several factors promote student individual academic outcomes, which are usually measured by standardized exam scores. According to Jones-Sanpei (2009), student individual academic outcomes rely heavily on teacher attributes, pedagogical philosophy (teaching styles), and school structure. The study also takes into consideration school-mixed factors (community measures) such as parental involvement, curriculum funding, equity issues and community involvement, deemphasizing the practice of using solely standardized testing models to quantify students learning outcomes and student potential future competitiveness. The literature further legitimizes the importance of community measures as important outcomes of public education. Specific forms of social capital that may be fostered by public education include obligations and expectations among a network of individuals, information channels, and social norms. Social capital enables community members to tru st one another, establish business and political organizations, and to be involved in public education. Interactions through the public school medium have the potential to increase the general social capital of a community. (Jones-Sanpei, 2009). The Jones-Sanpei study looked at two large southern school districts from 1992/1998 through 2005. The six school districts included in this analysis all had between 50,000 and 125,000 students in the 2005-2006 school-year. Additional community measures included the percent of each racial group in the community; mean community education, mean community income, and population density based on 1990 Census data. Community social capital measures tested by the study were interracial friendships, informal socializing and social trust. To test the hypothesis that communities with segregated public schools have lower community social capital, the study used t-tests, then used logistic regression to examine which social capital measures contributed to the interracial friendship measure. The findings of the study were that residents of communities with higher levels of school district segregation reported significantly lower levels of general social trust while communities with less segregated school districts reported significantly more social trust. Furthermore, respondents with higher general social trust were twenty-nine percent more likely to report having interracial friendships than respondents who reported lower general social trust. The findings support the hypothesis that segregated schools put children at a disadvantage for competing with their peers who will later have to work in a diverse society. It may be that community social capital influences local school district policymaking with respect to racial integration or that district segregation influences community social capital. In conclusion, there seems to be a relationship between district segregation and community indicators of social capital. ( Jones-Sanpei, 2009) The (Goldsmith, 2009) study of the affect of re-segregation of public schools focused on the long-term effects of this segregated schooling on achievement levels of Black and Latino students. The study used longitudinal data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 which surveyed a sample of eight graders from across the U.S. in the spring of 1988. Students were resurveyed in 1990, 1992, 1994 and 2000. The NELS:88 data is relevant research about educational processes and outcome which include student learning, predictors of dropping out and effects on students access to equal education. Studying the minority-concentration and educational-attainment relationship is important because racial  segregation results  in  blacks and Latinos attending  schools  and living in neighborhoods with higher proportions of minorities than whites. (Goldsmith, 2009, 4) This study hypothesized that segregation perpetuates racial inequality and that the percentage of black or Lati no in a neighborhood negatively affects individuals educational achievement. The focus of ( Goldsmith, 2009) was the circumstances surrounding segregated schools, and possible causes of the segregation. This research summarized findings of previous studies and found that The racial segregation of neighborhoods is principally responsible for the racial segregation of schools (Goldsmith, 2009, p10).that show that schools that attempted to change from white, segregated schools to integrated schools had high rates of teachers and staff who reported that they did not receive adequate training to teach in integrated settings. Goldsmith also concluded that schools of segregated populations of Black and Latino students were less likely to graduate from high school and attain a bachelors degree than students in predominantly white schools. Empirical data from previous studies was analyzed the correlation between segregated neighborhoods, segregated schools and educational outcomes. This research supports earlier discussed hypotheses of segregations affect on individua l achievement and community social capital by analyzing the validity of the perpetuation theory. This theory maintains that Blacks and Latinos who experience segregation in schools and their communities continue to be segregated in other social institutions over the course of their lives fail to develop networks with whites or the knowledge for developing these networks. These networks are important because they carry high-status knowledge, for example, about college admission procedures. An inability to form social ties with whites and to access information in white networks reduces the life chances of blacks and Latinos well after adolescence. (Goldsmith, 2009, p10). Goldsmith, 2009 also presents reason for future research to study schools in predominantly minority neighborhoods as it would provide valuable data on effects of segregation on student achievement. The method for this research included NELS data as stated before as well as an analysis of students residential zip code areas retrieved from eth 1990 and 1992 census reports. The research conducted by (Austin, A M, 2008) clearly lays out data for the correlation between segregated schools and achievement on non-white students. The weight of the findings in this study further legitimize the importance of the two previous studies discussion of the long-term, quality of life disparities caused by the lack-luster community social capital of students in segregated schools and segregated neighborhoods. The main focus of this research was to compare the grade point averages of white male and female students to the grade point averages of male and female minority students. The students high school GPAs are then used a measure to project future college achievement by race. This research also supports the research presented by the NELS, clearly stating that racial segregation in schools across the U.S. directly affects minority students ability to compete in institutions of higher learning and eventually in the job market. (Austin, A M, 2008) found that the gap between white and minority students is about 11.2% of the average GPA. This study also looked at the effect of different environmental factors faced by minority students, specifically their segregation in early years of schooling, to explain the academic performance gap that existed once they reached the post-secondary level. Like previously reviewed studies, this study sound that minority students tend to live in segregated neighborhoods and attend segregated schools. This fact put minority students at a grave disadvantage at the post-secondary education level. For the research, student performance was tracked over a period of 6 years of 1331 public school students from the State of Georgia who enter the University of West Georgia in the Fall semester of 2001. Of the 1331 students in the study, 60% are female, 75.1% are white, 20.4% are black and the remaining students are Asian (1.1%), Hispanic (1.4%), Native American (0.4%) and multi-racial ( 1.7%). The average high school GPA is 3.01, and the average SAT scores are 502 for the verbal test, and 497 for the math. The study by (Massey, 2006) reported that 2/3 of African American lived under conditions of high racial segregation, and that 2/3 of all African Americans attended minority dominant schools. Masseys study focused on the academic achievement of 3924 students entering 28 selective universities in the Fall semester of 1999. He surveys these freshmen and assembles a data set on social conditions in neighborhoods and high schools and finds that minority students from segregated backgrounds attended substandard schools, received lower quality instruction, were exposed to higher levels of disorder and violence, and were less prepared socially for campus life. (Massey, 2006, 6) By looking at the reported performance of these students over their first three semesters in college, Massey concluded that segregation has a significant impact on student achievement. He estimated that going from total integration to total segregation would lower GPAs by about 0.13, and that taking segregated backgro unds into account reduces the performance gap, but doesnt completely eliminate it. He also predicts that, because his data is from highly selective schools, in general the effect will be worse. The study by (Condron, 2009) found that the number one cause of the achievement gap between minority students and white students is racial segregation in the schools. This study cited the social and economic stratification (social capital) between black and white Americans as a barrier to student achievement in schools and later as adults. This research used 1st grade data from a longitudinal study of a pre-kindergarten cohort and found that segregated schools cause an elevated role in the academic achievement gap as well as in social class disparities. This studys approach to the research differed from most by looking at social class as it directly correlates with race as opposed to looking at race as a sole determining factor of socio-economic status. This approach allowed the researcher to take into account that children growing up in different positions in the stratification hierarchy have categorically unequal and qualitatively different (rather than continuously graded) life and educational experiences [and that] poverty involves distinct material hardships and environmental disadvantages that may stunt poor childrens cognitive development (Condron, 2009, p9). This research also went deeper into the school-level practices that attribute to student achievement gap more so than the other literature reviewed here. In addition to looking at social capital, which other studies also did, this study analyzed organizational processes, teacher attributes and resources at the schools, in relation to student body composition. This study found that racially segregated schools had poor administrative cohesion, poorly developed staff, and substandard resources for students. In conclusion, the research is clear that despite historic Supreme Court victories to desegregate U.S. public schools, the workforce may be integrated but our neighborhoods and schools are not. There needs to be more research done in the way of showing more qualitative data of the future overall individual achievement of minority students who attend predominantly minority schools, segregated from white students. This should be done so that that one of two things can take place. Either a de-segregation movement in education reform policy needs to be pushed through or schools that remain segregated need to be brought up to the same standards of predominantly white, high performing school. It has already been proven that this has a significant impact on students in two ways. The first solution may prove more favorable as research also provides evidence that a diverse school environment benefits both minority and white students alike. The study will seek to provide to answer these specific questions: What is the perspective of individual teachers of the effects of their students culture, class, and gender on their academic performance? How do students view their race and the race of their classmates as factors that affect their academic achievement and overall academic experience? How do students and teacher talk about racial inequality in their school? How does school segregation affect both white and non-white students? The proposed study will help bring awareness to these critical points. Methodology For my study I will use two New York City schools, both on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. One school is a charter school where of the 380 students, 43% are black, 29% are Hispanic, 1% are White and 1% are Asian (information for the ethnicities of the other 25% was not provided at time of this proposal). 100% of the students who attend this k-5 school qualify for free lunch based on government poverty guidelines. The math and reading scores are high, among the best in the city (http://insideschools.org/?fs=1280). The other schools, a pubic school under the department of education, demographics is such: of 336 students, 13% black, 36% Hispanic, 34%White, 13% Asian (http://insideschools.org/index12.php?fs=20). The math and reading scores at this school are less than stellar. I will select 15 respondents from each school for the interview; three students from each grade, grade 3 through 5, one Black, one White and one Asian. I will select two teachers from each grade level. Teachers i n both upper and lower elementary school will be chosen and their ethnicities will be mixed to mirror those of the students being interviewed. This will be done to ascertain whether there are common themes in regards to perspective of race and students achievement amongst the teachers in terms of their ethnic background. The teachers will be selected based on the test score of their students from previous years; teachers with high results for student achievement will be selected. Data will be collected through interviews and observations. The interviews will be open-ended. They will focus on biographical information, what populations they have the most experience teaching, what they felt contributed to their success and trends in academic achievement they notice among the students they have worked with. They will also be asked general questions about how they prepare themselves to be culturally aware, how they address diversity or multiculturalism in the classroom and how they communicate expectations to their students. A sample of interview questions for the teachers that will be used: 1. Tell me about yourself? (Where are you from, upbringing, culture, why you chose to be a teacherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) 2. Have you been to any professional development workshop about diversity in the classroom? 3. How do you think your background and/or teacher training influence how you interact with students? (Your rapport with the students, communication style, your ethnic background in comparison to your students) 4. Do you set high expectations in your classroom? Why? Why not? 5. Do your expectations change depending on the demographics of your class? A sample of interview questions for the students that will be used: 1. Do you spend time with kids who are different from you in school? How are they different? 2. What is it like to go to school with these kids? 3. Do you have friends that attend another school? What is it like for them? 4. Does your teacher set high expectations for you? 5. Is school difficult for you? Why or why not? 6. Do you ever feel that you are different from your classmates or teachers? How? The teachers will be observed and video taped for ten hours in the span of three months. During the observations the researchers will take specific notes in regards to the teachers behavior and interaction with students. Potential codes that may arise include: expectations, communication, empathy and rapport. The researchers will look at the data identify overarching themes that speak to the effects of the shift to re-segregation of public schools. The data will be studied to see how the experiences of students in racially diverse school settings differ from those in segregated school settings and how this experience may translate to differences in academic achievement and components of the social capital theory, specifically, obligations and expectations among a network of individuals, information channels, and social norms. The committee will also seek to see if there are common themes in regards to the teachers ethnicity and professional development in regard to their cultural sensitivity. They will look at how the perspectives and identity of the teachers reflects how they approach diversity in the classroom and how they transmit information about a variety of topics, and how they set expectations for their students depending on students race. Discussion This research will clearly show that re-segregation is a problem that needs to be taken under control. This research is not only concerned with academic achievement affected by segregation, but is also concerned with students and teachers experience and perspective of race in the school. The data collected will tell the story of what effect race has on a school community and the whole educational experience of students. I expect to find that in the charter school where students are segregated in that there is a very small percentage of white students and there is less of a mixed demographics, that teachers are under-prepared to teach in classrooms where their students race is different from their own. I also expect to find that these teachers have had little or no professional development for fostering cultural sensitivity in their classrooms. Most importantly, I expect to find that teachers expectations and perception of student achievement in the charter school will be inconsistent, and differ from those of teachers in the public school where there is a more diverse student population and that their attitudes will decrease the effectiveness of their classroom instruction, thereby hindering the academic achievement of their students. Another expected result of this research is that students of different races will have significantly different responses to the question of what their teachers expectations. I expect that while teachers may report that they have the same expectations for all of their students, interview responses from students may very well reveal that students are intuitive and sensitive to the differences in teacher expectation that may be communicated through subtle teacher behavior like how much they are encouraged to participate in class discussions compared to other students. Possible shortcomings of the methods in this proposed study are that this data collected in the manner previously stated does not provide true longitudinal data to track specific students experiences of racial integration or segregation and their resulting academic achievement beyond elementary school. A longitudinal study may follow this study in the future. Further considerations for methodology that may affect the outcomes of this study are the affect of overall student interracial experiences. Limitations to the proposed research methods are that no data will be collected that gives researchers information for what the out-of-school experiences for the students are; do they live in diverse neighborhoods or segregated communities? What are their parent interracial relationships and/or experiences that may inform them? In future research data may be collected on the degree to which students are segregated outside of school. To collect this data, student enrollment records would have to be collected, tracking the students by race and places of residence, which can be generally identified by area zip codes. The possible problem with collecting this data may be that some students actually live outside the neighborhood listed on records. This could affect the findings of this research by misrepresenting the correlation between in-school seg regation and neighborhood segregation that affect overall student segregation and academic performance. Another limitation of the interview method to collect data in this study is that students and teachers may answer as they feel they are expected to. This would make the data collected by interview about teacher rapport with students and expectations of students achievement inconsistent with data that may be collected through formal observations by researcher. As we see more school reforms that resemble business models and more charters, we also see more segregation. One possible implication of this research is that charter, which appear to contribute heavily to the re-segregation, will come under more stringent scrutiny and closer regulation. As for public schools that are a part of the board of education. Other possible implications of this research are that administrations will consider more professional development training for their teachers in eth way of preparing them to teach their diverse or non-diverse populations. As stated in the introduction of this proposal, one of the goals of public schooling is to produce critical thinkers who can function in what is becoming a more diverse global job market. Having said this, it is foreseeable that this research will be used to inform schools and educators to the extent to which they are meeting this requirement of public schooling or missing the mark. There sill also be a shift in the conversations that surround race in the school. Through the information gathered from the interview responses, teachers and administration will become aware of the disconnect between students experiences and teachers perception of students experiences.

A Reexamination of the War in Kosovo Essay

The Clinton Administration, along with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), was not completely effective in both identifying the concrete objectives relating to the Kosovo conflict and applying the military resources that were available to resolve that conflict. There are many reasons for this behind this inefficiency. First, there was the general reluctance to get involved in the conflict, for more or less political reasons. Second, there was the constant infighting and territorial battles being waged within the military structure. Third, there was the heavy need to manage media perception, which was perhaps absent in past wars. Lastly, there was the weakness of the military capability itself, most especially in terms of fighting a war under different weather conditions. The Four Factors The first factor that hampered the efficient execution of the war in Kosovo was the general reluctance of American leaders, both civilian and military, to get involved in the first place. There was a widespread feeling that it was not the time for America to be intervening actively in the affairs of a relatively small and unimportant state in Eastern Europe. After all, what was there to be gained by implementing interventionist policies there? Back then, as now, the focus of many political and military planners was Israel and the Middle East, the hotbed of the world; perpetually in crisis. But there was at least a solid rationale for that preoccupation – the Middle East was by far the largest supplier of oil in the world, and stability there was important to the energy supply and thus the overall growth of the U. S. economy. But what was to be gained in Kosovo, especially since much risk was to be undertaken in terms of the country’s resources, as well as its prestige? American had failed to intervene in Rwanda and had been forced to a humiliating retreat in Somalia, and those bitter memories were still fresh in the minds of most Americans. In the Rwandan genocide, America drew heavy criticism from its allies and the world at large for its inaction; in Somalia, America drew derision for its decision to pull out prematurely. Both the political and military establishments suffered from these events, and they understandably wanted to avoid a similar occurrence from happening again. Getting involved in war in which there seemed so little to gain was anathema to many leaders at the time. The constant infighting within the American military and within NATO was the second factor that hampered the Kosovo operations. General Clark detailed many examples of his daily battles with his civilian superiors, as well as his peers from within the military establishment. These incidents, quite obviously, detracted from the efficiency of the operations themselves. For instance, the example of how the some senior staff generals with political access prevented the effective use of Apache helicopters provides a sickening image of how generals on the ground can be obstructed by those who wield political power. The constant fear that other conflicts might erupt in the Persian Gulf and the Korean Peninsula was also an albatross that hung heavily over the collective necks of those involved in the Kosovo war. Allowing these fears to detract from the efficient prosecution of the war could have led to disaster under certain circumstances. The lack of cooperation was not limited to within the American military itself, but in NATO as well. Commanders of other nations were known to disobey Clark’s commands if these orders were interpreted as not being conducive to their respective strategic national interests. Yet, in a way, this was the least of Clark’s problems, for the other allied nations played a lesser role in the conflict in comparison with the U. S. , with the possible exception of Great Britain. It was the problems caused by infighting within the army, as well as disagreements with Washington, that made General Clark’s tenure as SACEUR truly difficult. This perhaps can be attributed to the reality that political objectives and military objectives are rarely one and the same, and the fact that military leaders at the highest levels are rarely apolitical. The greater role played by the media in American wars was also in full-display during the Kosovo conflict. Ever since the Vietnam War, the U. S. had shown a marked distaste for any number of war casualties (This had driven its research into unmanned and â€Å"smart† technologies. ) So much so, in fact, that the enemies of America had long viewed this is as the primary weakness of the nation’s military power. Indeed, this weakness has provided the most basic strategy of terrorist organizations today. They know for a fact that in terms of raw military strength, they are inferior to the United States. Thus, if they ever come under direct attack by the U. S. , their chances of victory are slim. But if they can inflict just enough casualties (usually through guerilla tactics) and have it broadcast over the broadcast media in dramatic fashion, then public opinion might force U. S. forces to withdraw, as was the case in Vietnam. It was under this same hope that Saddam Hussein stood defiant against the United States in the last Iraq War. Lastly, there was the weakness within the military itself, especially in terms of being an all-terrain, all-weather capable fighting force. Many instances within the book and numerous statements made by General Clark point to the fact that the U. S. military is by no means an effective, â€Å"all-weather conditions† army. In fact, it seems as if the attainment of this goal is still a long way off, as has perhaps been underscored more recently by some of the maintenance problems encountered in Iraq. Also, high levels of weapon technology have brought with them their own special set of problems, which could not have been foreseen but nevertheless need to be addressed as soon as possible. These include, among others, the gathering and timely application of intelligence in order to use these weapons to their maximum effect. A lack of cross-understanding between the various military units also contributes to military weakness. In his concluding remarks in Waging Modern War, General Clark says this: In Kosovo my commanders and I found that we lacked the detailed prompt information to campaign effectively against the Serb ground forces. Most of the technologies we had been promoting since the Gulf War were still immature, unable to deal with the vagaries of weather, vegetation, and urban areas, or the limitations of bandwidth and airspace. The discrete service programs didn’t always fit together technically†¦The officers who operated the programs were not qualified to work across service lines and did not understand the full range of national capabilities. I worried about the nature of Joint skills even among senior officers. Of course, notwithstanding these four factors, the war was brought to a successful conclusion – â€Å"successful† meaning that the combat operations against the forces of Slobodan Milosevic proved effective enough to topple the regime of that ruler, and thereby remove the impetus to the racial killings in that region. However, whether or not America achieved its true aims in the Balkans is more open to question, if indeed the Clinton Administration had a clear vision of what those aims were in the first place. The costs of that conflict, both tangible and intangible, must also be analyzed in order to avoid similar mistakes in the future. An Analysis of the Feasibility, Acceptability, and Suitability of the Military Action in Kosovo The concept of feasibility closely ties in to the question â€Å"Can it be done? † With the benefit of hindsight, we might say with complete assurance that yes, the military action undertaken in Kosovo was feasible. However, even without this particular benefit, the question of feasibility still would have been answered in the affirmative. There was perhaps no other military force in the world that could have undertaken the mission in Kosovo, and done so with success. Even before the campaign began, it was almost a forgone conclusion that American forces would prevail. It was only a matter of time, and though unforeseen setbacks would occur along the way, no one truly doubted the ultimate result. Addressing the question of acceptability is a little more complex, but may also be answered in the affirmative. At the time of the conflict, world opinion was crying out for America to do something about the killings under Milosevic. In many ways, the various nations comprising NATO and the U. N. pushed the U. S. into action. Internationally then, military action in Kosovo was acceptable – some might even say it was warranted, due to the role of the U. S. as the global policeman. The war was costly – what war isn’t? – but it gained for the U. S. a level of prestige and credibility that it very much needed after some decidedly embarrassing political problems. The effectiveness of the air campaign and General Clark’s own philosophy of waging war (which de-emphasizes the use of ground troops) resulted in fewer casualties than might otherwise have been expected. This in itself was a potent testimony to American power and a reaffirmation of the high reputation already earned by the American military in the 1991 Gulf War. If the goal in Kosovo was to stop the genocidal killings and bring Slobodan Milosevic to justice, then we can honestly say that military action was suitable. Some pundits may argue that diplomacy would have been a better choice, but they must be reminded that diplomatic methods were tried before any full-scale operations were conducted – and diplomacy failed. With a hard-boiled tyrant such as Milosevic, who deliberately released wave upon wave of racial hate upon his own country, diplomacy could not possibly have a great effect. Even if diplomatic channels could have been used to stop the killings – and this is doubtful – they would have taken far too long to mobilize and would have probably ended up with little to show for it. Conclusion Despite many problems that were unforeseen (and perhaps unavoidable), the military action in Kosovo ended up attaining its major objectives. Still, the operation could have gone better, and more smoothly. In the future, if similar circumstances should come up, both political and military planners would do well to review the lessons learned in this conflict. First, a good amount of political will should be present, and directed at a clear set of pre-defined goals. Second, bickering and infighting within the military should be checked, reduced, and if possible eliminated. Third, all leaders involved in a conflict should be aware of how to manage media perceptions, especially in terms of obtaining continuing public support. Lastly, the capability of the military to wage war under all conditions should be improved and made the top priority of defense spending. When these four factors are improved to their various degrees, then the prosecution of future wars will decidedly become more efficient and effective.

Nutritional Needs Ad Essay

The fetal origins hypothesis proposes that certain genes in the fetus may or may not be â€Å"turned on† depending on the environment that the mother is exposed to while pregnant (Hampton, 2004). Healthy embryo and fetal development is highly dependent upon the growth rate and the complexity of the easiness of how deficit any nutrients needed during the stages of development could affect the delicate process. Folic acid is important for the first four weeks because the central nervous system is forming. Lacking of folic acid could potentially result in neural tube defects. Iodine in the early stage is important for brain development and without it there could be damage to the brain leading to effects like mental retardation. The could also be other nutrient deficiencies that are less damaging but would still impact the health of a child during their life. Even in the womb the fetus is able to store nutrients such as iron, vitamins D and B12, and fat that will last during the l ast few weeks to help with development outside of the mother. Gestational Diabetes There are many conditions associated with gestational diabetes because of poor nutrition. In normal conditions during pregnancy the mother’s body adapts to make sure that she is receiving enough glucose continuously for the baby therefore becoming insulin resistant. Leaving gestational diabetes untreated leads to risks of being stillbirth or even macrosomia. Furthermore, studies show that as many as 70% of all women with gestational diabetes will eventually be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (Kim et al., 2002). Bad and Good Nutrition All pregnant women at some point has been advised to  avoid certain foods that are considered to pose any type of health risks for pregnant women and their developing babies. Caffeine has always been an important concern during pregnancy. This is because it crosses the placenta to the baby, which is bad only due to the baby’s metabolism is still maturing and is not able to fully process it. Many women finds that it is helps to eat smaller meals and frequently. There are a lot of bad foods that are not good such as fried chicken, pizza, French fries, cakes, soda (especially caffeine), etc,. What is good for the baby and mom are healthier foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat meats and dairy. Breastfeeding vs. Formula Breastfeeding has many benefits over formula in many ways. Breastfeeding has always been a better choice to feeding a baby over formula. It is best for a mom to breastfeed her baby the first six months until a year and then add in solid foods. Breast milk has antibodies in it that helps to fight off infections. This is something that a baby can not get from regular formula. Recommendation There are many different websites and workshops that offer information on nutrition. Nutrition is an important part of pregnancy that is good for the baby and mom. Eating the right food with exercise will do justice for mom and the baby because will help in reducing the risk of diseases for both. References Hampton, T. (2004). Fetal environment may have profound long- term consequences for health. JAMA: Journal of the Ameri- can Medical Association, 292, 1285–1286. Kim, C., Newton, K. M., & Knopp, R. H. (2002). Gestational diabetes and the incidence of type 2 diabetes: A systematic review. Diabetes Care, 25(10), 1862–1868.

Why Creationism Should Not Be Taught in Public Schools...

A hotly debated topic concerning public schools centers on the origin of life. Now more than ever, science and religion are butting heads. What should public schools teach to their students? Alex Rainert reasons that both â€Å"science and religion are engaged in the same project, to discover the origin of life† (141). In short, one could better describe the debate as a crusade between evolutionists and creationists; both sides have their well-founded arguments, but when one looks at the decisions of the courts, clearly only one side may win the battle when deciding biology curriculum in schools. Despite an overwhelming number of individuals in favor of teaching creationism in public education, science classes should refrain from becoming a†¦show more content†¦Otherwise, teaching creationism encroaches upon separation of church and state. Certainly many Americans in favor of teaching both theories may do so for the sake of imparting critical thinking skills to our schoolchildren. Costley and Killins agree with this notion, emphasizing that true academics teaches schoolchildren alternate theories as well as analytical thinking (5). As a result, creationists weigh in heavily at schools, compelling them to introduce other scientific theories dealing with the origin of life (Raymo 152). In this regard, when it applies to all area of academics, many more people would agree. Teaching only one theory on any matter seems indicative of a totalitarian form of education. Therefore, teachers should want to introduce students to as many alternative theories as possible. However, the dissenting theories they present must have factual ground on which to stand on. Since the theory of creationism stands on shaky ground scientifically, it should have no place in science education classes. Interestingly, Alex Rainert, a man in favor of teaching both creationism and evolution, states that evolution is as much a theory as the theory of plate tectonics or Einstein’s theory of relativity. Yet, he explains, a campaign against those theories in courtrooms is, in essence, nonexistent (140).Show MoreRelatedThe Creationism Debate Essay examples698 Words   |  3 PagesCreationism being taught in public schools is not right because there are many beliefs about how the earth was created. Many science teachers have different beliefs on this particular subject. Some believe it should not be taught in public schools but on one’s own time at home, church, or another place. Other science teachers think students should be taught all the believable theories about evolution and creationism. Some science teachers have gotten in trouble with the law by not obeying otherRead More Creationism and Public Schools Essay example960 Words   |  4 Pages Creationism and Public Schools nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The issue of whether creationism should be taught in public schools, rather than evolution, is a new one. It has only been in the past fifty years that it has even been in debate. Public school science classes, when discussing the origins of life on Earth, coincided with Sunday school classes. Students learned that the Earth, universe and everything else was created in seven days, by God, as stated in the Old Testament. It was notRead MoreThe Debate of Orgin: Creationsim versus Evolutionism992 Words   |  4 Pagesdebate. Should Creationism, or as it is sometimes labeled, Intelligent Design, be taught in public schools? The answer, of course, is no. 23% of High School students surveyed said that no, they do not believe in creationism and yet the attend church every week. This is compared to 20% of people who attend weekly and do believe in creationism. What this means is that creationist beliefs and ideals are less common among religious folk than the theory of Evolution. As a total, 36% of High School studentsRead MoreShould Religious Education Be Public Schools?1719 Words   |  7 Pageshave religious education in our schools. Religion is a taboo issue and turns even more taboo when we involve children. Many oppose the teaching of region in our schools for the simple reason of separation of church and state. Another reason this is met with resistance would include all the reasons for which religion is frowned upon such as: crating division amongst people and misunderstandings. However, others argue that religious education is necessary in public schools due to the immense diversityRead MoreEssay on Intelligent Design: The B est of Both Theories1112 Words   |  5 Pagesbeen going on for years and years. Should schools be allowed to teach evolution without teaching creationism? The courts have ruled, the answer is no, the theory of creationism cannot be included in a public school’s academic curriculum. With the court’s decision, it has been made clear there is no place for faith based theories to be taught in our public schools. What if there was a different approach that took God out of the equation? Public high schools should allow a course in intelligent designRead MoreThe Battle Of Creationism And Evolutionary Theory869 Words   |  4 Pages The battle of creationism and evolutionary theory is not a new one. That being said, in order to understand whether creationism has a place in secondary education, one must first understand the complexity of the matter. Evolution in itself is a theory proposed by Charles Darwin in 1859. Grossly simplified, the theory states that life evolved from non-life; the concept of descent with modification. This theory arouses conflict because many Christians believe that it negates the literal interpretationRead MoreCreationism vs. Evolutionism in Public Schools1538 Words   |  7 PagesDebate: Creationism vs. Evolution in Schools: 1st Affirmative Constructive Speech Creationism and Evolutionism by definition are very different topics. Currently, evolutionary naturalism is the most widely taught view of origins in America. In schools in the modern day, only evolutionism is taught and condoned. But before the 1920s, only creationism was taught, and evolution was forbidden. Then, on February 20, 2008, the Florida State Board of Education voted to revise the public school guidelinesRead MoreShould Intelligent Design and/or Creationism Be Taught Alongside Evolution in Public Schools?641 Words   |  3 Pagesmany controversies in courtrooms about whether or not should intelligent design should be taught alongside evolution in public schools, which has been going on for a great amount of years. Intelligent design is the idea of natures changes cannot be a random process, but a type of guidance must have lead to why nature is the way it is in today’s era. In most cases, that specific guidance is God. God has created the world for a purpose. Cr eationism is the same idea as intelligent design, believing thatRead MoreThe Theory Of Evolution, Introduced By Charles Darwin,1265 Words   |  6 Pages(also known as creationism) that are then intermingled with the modern understanding of evolution today. That being said, a commonly asked question is whether or not science such as evolution and religion should be taught together. The answer to this question is no; evolution and creationism should not be taught hand in hand because they are two entirely different subjects. In 1968, the United States Supreme Court of Arkansas was approached by Susan Epperson, an Arkansas public school teacher (EppersonRead MoreThe Theory Of Evolution Or Intelligent Design1677 Words   |  7 Pagesdominate as the explanation; either the theory of evolution or Intelligent Design. The theory of evolution was first published by Charles Darwin, a famous figure who is just as controversial in modern society as he was in his own time. He introduced the public to the theory of evolution in his book On the Origin of Species, where he proposed that new species evolve from older ones through Natural Selection, or the process of the organism which are better adapted to their environment being the ones to survive