Group items tagged

The article discusses how the No Child Left Behind Act has failed, particularly in reading comprehension. The authors offer alternative possibilities for the Federal Education Policy in the United States. One of the main points the article tries to get across is to acknowledge and accept the complex nature of learning and literacy and steer clear of rationalizing education. The article is helpful, but very opinionated. It is beneficial in learning about possible alternatives to the No Child Left Behind Act.

The article reports on the new arrival the for use of medical marijuana, for things such as chronic pain and nausea. Like the other 10 states in the U.S. marijuana would only be available to patients through a doctor's prescription. States such as Alaska have dismissed the law but were the first state to legalize marijuana possession for persons over 21. This article is evidence that America is slowly reforming marijuana laws but very slowly. This shows that many states need to rethink medical marijuana policies. I can use this in my paper for support of states and their social take on legalization of medical marijuana.

This article talks about some common sense rules cannabis users should regulate their use. By comparative study of marijuana users in Amsterdam and San Francisco data shows similar use patterns and having to do with drug control. Despite different drug policies the two cities are similar in marijuana use. This is excellent support because it shows that it does not matter if marijuana is legal or not. This data comparison also supports reasons for legalization. If one country has legalized marijuana and it is not effecting their society negatively than the US needs to reconsider marijuana laws.

We sought to determine whether literacy mediates the relationship between education and glycemic control among diabetes patients. Methods: We measured educational attainment, literacy using the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (s-TOFHLA), and glycemic control (HbA1c) in 395 diabetes patients at a U.S. public hospital. We performed path analysis to compare two competing models to explain glycemic control. The direct effects model estimated how education was related to HbA1c; the mediational model estimated the strength of the direct relationship when the additional pathway from education to literacy to HbA1c was added. Results: Both the model with a direct effect of education on HbA1c and the model with literacy as a mediator were supported by good fit to observed data. The mediational model, however, was a significant improvement, with the additional path from literacy to HbA1c reducing the discrepancy from observed data (p<0.01). After including this path, the direct relationship between education and HbA1c fell to a non-significant threshold. Conclusions: In a low-income population with diabetes, literacy mediated the relationship between education and glycemic control. This finding has important implications for both education and health policy. (Abstract taken from JSTOR.)

This article reports on a small-scale study which examined the home literacy practices of a group of 3 and 4 year-old children in a working-class community in the north of England and explored how far these practices were reflected in the curriculum of the nursery the children attended. The data illustrate that there was a dissonance between out-of-school and schooled literacy practices and that there was more evidence of nursery literacy practices infiltrating the home than vice versa. Children's literacy practices in the home were focused on media and popular cultural texts and the article argues for greater recognition of these contemporary cultural practices in early years policy documentation and curriculum guidance. (Abstract taken from JSTOR.)

Using a nationally representative sample of 13,609 kindergarten children in 2,690 classrooms and 788 schools from the base year of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999, along with three-level hierarchical linear models, this study investigates the impact of early literacy instruction on kindergarten children's learning, as measured by direct cognitive test scores, indirect teacher ratings of children's achievement in language and literacy, and indirect teacher ratings of children's approaches to learning. Two composite measures of phonics and integrated language arts are constructed from teachers' reports of their instructional practices. Findings show that classroom mean outcomes were significantly higher when classroom teachers reported using both integrated language arts and phonics more often. However, children with low initial performance benefited less from integrated language arts instruction, as measured by direct measures of achievement; such differential effects of instruction were not observed for teacher ratings of children's achievement and learning style. Policy implications of the findings are discussed. (Abstract taken from JSTOR.)

Children's drawings about reading and writing have unrealized potential for helping uncover the literacy narratives students bring to school and use to make sense of reading and writing. In this article, we highlight how one boy's drawing about literacy revealed his interpretation of his school's policy on violence as a topic of writing, which tended to constrain his interest in writing. His drawing reinforced the importance of adopting multiple perspectives to interpret the various texts that students produce. (Abstract taken from JSTOR.)

The authors report on the results of a telephone survey of 1,001 employees of seven large corporations conducted for the Business Roundtable as part of its public policy program. A set of 20 questions keyed to the Voluntary National Content Standards in Economics was embedded in the survey. A measure of economic literacy was constructed from the survey results. Greater economic literacy was associated with more overall education, more college economics coursework, high incomes, and being male. An examination of individual test questions revealed that previous college economics had substantial effects on employees' current economic literacy. (Abstract from JSTOR.) This journal, The Journal of Economic Education, may be worth checking out for those studying financial literacy.

This article discusses the prospect of a drug control policy that includes regulated legalization. Claims that marijuana's medical efficacy is no longer in dispute and the idea that legalization will eliminate marijuana use among young people. Concern about abandoning those who could be treated for their addiction does not sit well with conservative values. This article talks about solving a major drug problem with just legalization. People refute that legalization of marijuana will help socially and economically but they are wrong. This articles gives me strong support on the benefits of legalization of marijuana.

Legalization of marijuana and in some cases other drugs can be a benefit to America economically and socially. There is a push to legalize marijuana to keep money out of criminals hands. Also legalization of marijuana/ drugs can help Americas defense against sovereign and international crime. Many illegal organizations around the world feed off American drugs policies earning billions of dollars for their criminal enterprises. Drug cartels and terrorist organizations use drugs to fund their operations. The article is a great reason for legalization of marijuana/ drugs. The terrorists we are fighting are feeding off the people we are trying to defend. The whole system is flawed and if America continues to fight a battle against this foreign enemy we will never win the war on terrorists.

The investigation by the attorney general appears to be focused on the adequacy of disclosure of policy terms and costs to students.

The National Institute for Literacy serves as a national resource for adult education and literacy programs, coordinates literacy services and policy, and provides leadership for literacy in the United States. The Institute disseminates information on scientifically based reading research pertaining to children, youth, and adults as well as information about development and implementation of classroom reading programs based on the research. A great resource for articles and statistics.

This article takes into account 1123 high school students and access their use and abuse of alcohol and marijuana. They take into account the accessibility of drugs among students. Race does play a role showing higher accessibility and use among Hispanic students compared to white students. Many drugs are used and obtained on campus' and many students are unaware of this issue. This article gives me more insight on alcohol and drug use. This helps me obtain more broad information of policies and usage of drugs among high school and college students. This article with present information of the attitudes and frequency of drug and alcohol use among students. With this information I have much better insight on the ways and uses of college students during school.

Expansion of the internet and market innovation have lead to national economies and the deregulation of banking with a changing economy. In an ever changing economy like the United States individuals must constantly keep updated and improve their level of financial literacy, be aware of changes in personal finances and demography and obtain current knowledge of mortgage lending practices. Financial literacy programs such as first time homebuyer programs, basic financial literacy programs, and savings initiatives have been established through private and public funding to increase the financial literacy of the public. The effectiveness of some of these programs has not been concluded, however, individuals have stated that after completing the programs they felt much more confident in making investments.

Today's consumers are faced with difficult financial decisions everyday. Making the wrong choice could cost someone their savings or their home. By becoming financially literate people decrease the risk that they will become victims of financial mistakes such as aquiring excessive debt or associating with predatory lenders. Many families have only one spouse take care of all the finances and this could lead to problems should that spouse die.

This article focuses on the financial education of American consumers. The researchers have labeled Americans as having excess debt, poor retirement planning and insufficient savings. They believe one answer to the financial problems facing Americans has to do with the amount of financial information available. In some cases credit cards provide too much information and technical terms which may confuse the consumer. On the other hand when there is too little information the consumer may not be able to make proper choices.