Early Childhood Special Education Roots Essay Example for Free

Early Childhood Special Education Roots Essay Early childhood special education that is practiced today has a varied and sometimes hard won history. Its roots are entangled in cultural, economic, and idealistic influences; each facet tinged by the colored lens of the times and adding a little glint to modern day practices. The conglomeration of historical theories and practices, political actions and enacted laws has paved the way to modern early childhood special education practices and programming. Just like a child learns and builds on his knowledge and understanding of his environment, so too does the practice of early childhood special education. In its infancy ECSE was not labeled as such, and in fact was simply teaching. Throughout history, many educators have had differing perspectives and opinions on how best to educate children. Many of those ideas and practices have popularly endured, and some have become very small portions of our current systems, or faded into obscurity altogether. One of the earliest models on early childhood education was the Montessori model. The Montessori methods and tools are prevalent in classrooms today, from individualized and sensory programming to didactic learning materials. Other early educators realized that even very young children benefit from instruction. Jean Piaget identified stages of development from birth to adolescence that still assist educators in identifying appropriate modes of teaching. Others like Robert Owen, John Locke and Lev Semenovich Vygotsky theorized that a child’s environment had a profound influence on his/her development and education, giving a foundation for current early intervention strategies in impoverished, urban areas. Vygotsky also gifted to forward generations the theories of the Zone of Proximal Development, scaffolding and ideas about special needs students working in least restrictive environments. All the way from these LRE’s, are the ideas of institutions. The residential school model however is still useful in some ways today. Samuel Gridley Howe and Dorothea Dix implemented supportive, residential schools for children with disabilities, but when the First World War had its grips on the country, the schools deteriorated into holding cells that pervaded until throughout the depression era. Politics and societal situations have always been instigators of change for education. Post World War II, many war veterans returned home with disabilities changing the attitudes and urgency in servicing individuals with special needs, spurring a profusion of financial and program support. Moving into the mid-20th Century, civil rights opened a consciousness about not only race, but also a socioeconomic dichotomy. Project Head Start was federally funded compensatory program, with a focus on aiding the impoverished; it would later evolve into a more comprehensive program for seeking and aiding special needs children and families. Many other programs and studies aimed at supporting young children with disabilities and their families began to appear, including Early Head Start, the Carolina Abecedarian Project and the Perry Preschool Project, among others. These programs and research studies aimed at aiding and reinforcing the importance of early intervention for at risk children. Supporting and preemptively averting the struggles brought on by environmental disadvantages made the transition to special education support logical. With the social climate changing and an awareness of human rights, legislation regarding special needs populations was ripe. Perhaps the greatest catalyst to change was the enactment of PL 94-142 the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1975. The foundations of this public law and the following amendments are the backbone of all special education as we know it today. This law has 6 main areas of concern. First, the right to a free and appropriate public education is bestowed. Throughout the coming decades, interpretation of FAPE comes up in many court cases, each ruling setting precedence for the future. Second, children with disabilities are given the right to learn in the least restrictive environment (LRE) a practice from centuries prior, but with legal backing, changed the model of public schools in this country. An Individualized Education Plan was written into the body of the IDEA, giving specific protocol for supporting the learning of each individual student. This item is the true workhorse of special education classrooms, bringing the student’s goals, objectives and educational plan, the educators, parents and the other support staff together in one document. The fourth premise of the IDEA is the guarantee to guardians of procedural due process, retaining the guardian’s rights regarding notices, evaluations, placements and other educational plans. Unbiased and multiple assessment criteria is the 5th area addressed in the IDEA. Lastly, part of the legislation includes the parents of special needs students, by affording them access to related services that would benefit the student. Related services was and is an area for interpretation, and again, many court cases have been tried and decided creating standards for what qualifies as a related service. Aside from these six main points, the IDEA has outlined much more. IDEA has given us a universal structure for classifying disabilities, and in a 1991 amendment, ruled that an umbrella classification for preschool aged children was acceptable and malleable state to state. This meant that children would not have to be prematurely labeled or stigmatized, when proper assessment was yet to be exacted. This law gave rise to the term â€Å"developmentally delayed†. A preschooler and his/her family could receive services under the classification of developmentally delayed. IDEA has also given individual states the leeway to define and exact methods of determining what developmentally delayed means. While culturally and regionally more specific, this leaves a large range of differences in qualifications across the country. Since its inception, individuals with special needs have reaped many benefits from the laws and boundaries set by the IDEA, but it wasn’t until October 1986 that very young special needs children and their families could be guaranteed services. While grants and incentives for states to serve the preschool population were available, participation in those programs were completely voluntary. The Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments, or PL 99-457, passed in October 1986, mandated that all special needs preschoolers between the ages of three and five be provided with a FAPE . This law was enacted with the purpose of enabling early intervention and a cost effective preventative strategy to serving special populations. Part C of this law also makes services for infants, birth to age two voluntary. Adding preschoolers to the population of compulsory service made the use of IFSP or Individualized Family Service Plans prevalent. These plans are similar to IEP’s except that they comprehensively include the family and give leeway to assigning the role of the service provider, enabling professionals who are most capable of assisting each family to act. Unlike and IEP, the IFSP must be reviewed at least every 6 months, ensuring relevancy with a quickly growing and changing child. Related services including counseling and classes are now extended to family members. By sharing the process and improvement with the preschoolers’ guardians, we are able to see much greater progress with cooperative engagement. Along with the IFSP, PL 99-457 saw the requirement of an Individualized Transition Plan, aiding young adults in making the change into adulthood. Fast forward to 1997, and PL 105-17 made some important amendments to the IDEA. Related services are expanded, developmentally delayed category can be applied up until age nine, parameters and process around discipline is set. Functional Behavior Assessments or Behavior Intervention Plans must be enacted when providing discipline to special education children. Also, assessments for qualifying for special education are expanded, and Child Find reaches into private schools to deliver services to more children. Along with these changes also came a change in funding based on census data versus enrollment data. The percentages served translated to a fixed amount of funding, averting a glut of over qualifying students. Lack of English Language proficiency is excluded as an area of qualification for services. This is important with the rising populations of English language learners. With the number of children from non-english speaking families on the rise, achievement gaps were widening. The No Child Left Behind Act in 2001 was drawn to support impoverished, special needs and English language learners. This act is directly responsible for the Amendments to IDEA that came in 2004. One of the most important changes made was that of aligning the standards of highly qualified special education teachers to the standards of the No Child Left Behind Act. Inclusion of ECE teachers is yet to be enacted, however. The field and study of Early Childhood Special Education is a deeply diverse and ever evolving practice. Past experience has dictated that social climates, politics, events and laws all contribute to the programming of ECSE. The gains have been great, with dramatic increases in the numbers of children and families found and served, but as a nation, we certainly have some more distance to travel. With current legislation and social issues ranging from secure schools to better serving working families, subsidized healthcare, immigration policies or revamping teacher evaluations, the future of Early Childhood Education is unwritten and open to influence.

Impact of the Discretionary Social Fund

Impact of the Discretionary Social Fund The Discretionary Social Fund: Discretion but Little Valour! The introduction of the Social Fund in 1988 was politically driven. Prior to its introduction, there were available a series of grants (â€Å"Single Payments†) which were available as of right. The imperative which drove the measure was the need to constrain the ever-burgeoning Social Security budget. Of course, certain of the stated aims were superficially laudable[1]: â€Å"To concentrate attention and help on those applicants facing greatest difficulties in managing on their income; To enable a more varied response to inescapable individual need than could be achieved under the previous rules; To break new ground in the field of community care† However, it might be argued that in pursuing the aims of containing the Social Security budget without adversely affecting the efficiency of the main Income Support scheme, the three objectives described above have become neglected or even prejudiced. So much so that the Select Committee on Social Security[2] has questioned whether the Fund has succeeded in its stated objective of helping the poorest and most vulnerable in society and has urged the Government radically to reassess (â€Å"urgent overhaul and an injection of funds†) the working of the fund, in particular â€Å"so that it may work to enhance the strategy to reduce child poverty, rather than work against it†. Particular concern has been expressed by charities working in the field of child poverty[3]. The Discretionary Social Fund operates within fiscal policies and weightings and is subject to cash limits for each administrative area. This gives rise to criticism that applications to the Fund are subject to both a â€Å"postcode† and a â€Å"calendar lottery†. The components of the Social Fund are: Community Care Grants (â€Å"CCGsâ€Å"); Budgeting Loans; and Crisis Loans. By contrast with the previous system, the availability of grants as opposed to loans has become severely restricted. The FWA[4] acknowledges that while CCGs are intended to help people remain or re-establish themselves within the community: â€Å"†¦decisions are discretionary and are subject to cash limits, what counts as exceptional pressure can vary and the Social Fund Inspectors regularly see cases that have been refused when qualifying conditions have been met and a payment should have been granted.† More pernicious still is the shift in emphasis to loans. This may be presented politically as an admirable social objective, discouraging continued reliance on â€Å"hand outs† and encouraging a sense of financial self-discipline and responsibility. In reality, the insistence upon repayment militates against the escape from poverty of those of the most limited means. The principle which underlies Budgeting Loans is again admirable: interest free lending to those who are in difficulty budgeting after a period on benefits and usually used for the purchase of essential household items such as beds and cookers. Admittedly they provide invaluable support to those who are unable to access other forms of credit and are directly repayable from benefit thus ensuring repayment discipline. However, they are also subject to the â€Å"postcode lottery† described above and the repayment rates are high and inflexible (78 weeks at between 5%-25% of benefit). Strict rules discourage repeat applications or â€Å"topping up†. The end result is a failure adequately to meet the needs of many poor families giving rise to particular concern for the welfare of the children within such households. This is as a result of what should have been predicted to be an unacceptable imkpact upon weekly income: benefit rates are by definition calculated to meet the su bsistence expenses of the family unit in question. Deductions from such a minimal level of income cannot fail to lead to hardship. However, a more positive evaluation of the Social Fund is supplied by the Department for Work and Pensions[5] which describes it as â€Å"an extremely important and highly valued source of financial support for recipients. It had a positive impact on recipients’ life situation, and made a considerable difference to the housing condition in which people lived.† However, in common with the FWA, the authors of this report acknowledge that â€Å"there was limited knowledge of rules and eligibility criteria among recipients† and â€Å"there may also be scope to providing more training to staff on some of the barriers that recipients face when applying† and to â€Å"offer financial advice to recipients when providing information on the Social Fund†. There are also glaring deficiencies in the procedure by which Social Fund decisions may be reviewed. Dissatisfied claimants may seek internal reviews of initial decisions and further review by the Social Fund Inspectors of the Independent Review Service of the Social Fund. Such decisions are themselves susceptible to judicial review. However, as Pick and Sunkin[6] question: â€Å"Created out of compromise, is the IRS review system to be regarded as an administrative device for deflecting criticism of an unsound system by means of symbolic due process..?† It is not possible in a submission of this length to do more than scratch the surface of the impact of the discretionary social fund. However, as has been demonstrated, the system is fundamentally flawed in principle and defective in operation. There is an appalling parallel with the operation of the much-maligned Child Support Agency. The latter was born of a political desire to reduce the burden imposed on the social security budget by feckless parents but has in many instances signally failed to deliver benefit to the intended recipients. The loan-dominated mechanism of the Social Fund similarly fails to meet the avowed social policy objectives of the government. Bibliography Buck, T. Smith, R., A Critical Literature Review of the Social Fund, (Summary Report) for The National Audit Office (7 April 2004) Department for Work and Pensions, The Discretionary Social Fund and Money Management, Research Report No 241 (2005) Family Welfare Association, ‘Like it or Lump It’, A Role for the Social Fund in Ending Child Poverty, April 2002 Pick, K. Sunkin, M., The Changing Impact of Judicial Review: The Independent Review Service of the Social Fund, (2001) PL 736 Select Committee on Social Security, Third Report, The Social Fund: A Lifeline for the Poor Or the Fund that Likes to Say No? (2001) HC 232 Footnotes [1] Select Committee on Social Security, Third Report, The Social Fund: A Lifeline for the Poor Or the Fund that Likes to Say No? (2001) HC 232, para.1 [2] Op. Cit., paras.117-118 [3] Family Welfare Association, ‘Like it or Lump It’, A Role for the Social Fund in Ending Child Poverty, April 2002 [4] Op. Cit., Chapter 2 [5] Department for Work and Pensions, The Discretionary Social Fund and Money Management, Research Report No 241 (2005), p.5 [6] Pick, K. Sunkin, M., The Changing Impact of Judicial Review: The Independent Review Service of the Social Fund, (2001) PL 736 at p.740

explain what Prometheus means by freedom and why he values it :: essays research papers

Prometheus says that â€Å"to be free, a man must be free of his brothers.† By reference to the story, explain what Prometheus means by freedom and why he values it. In what significant ways is freedom non-existent in the society from which he escapes – and what are the consequences of that lack of freedom?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, Prometheus says that â€Å"to be free, a man must be free of his brothers.† Freedom is a concept totally forbidden in the society in Anthem. Prometheus is given consequences for acting free. The society sees anything different as being a transgression. Maybe, since Prometheus was taller than normal, He thought of things differently. What does Prometheus mean by the word â€Å"freedom?† He means being an individual, and relying on oneself to think and do. He sees freedom as a great thing but knows it is a transgression. He asks himself and wonders why, even though it is a transgression to think by ones self. Freedom as Prometheus sees it, is like when he creates his invention by himself, or when he talks to the â€Å"Golden One† and they exchange names for eachother. When he runs away to the unchartered forest he feels happy and doesn’t know what to do when he wakes up that first day. In Ayn Rand’s Anthem freedom is non existent. People’s actions must involve the society. People are not allowed to think for themselves. To act on your own would be a great transgression. Equality, secretly, works on his invention, knowing, of course, that if caught he and his invention would be destroyed. Freedom in this society is, although forbidden, is like being an individual. This is what Prometheus likes about the â€Å"Golden One,† the fact that she is like an individual. The lack of freedom in this society causes Prometheus to do what he does. It gives Prometheus problems, for example, throughout his life he was treated differently b/c he was tall. In this society being tall was a transgression b/c it was different and they didn’t like that. The consequences of being different were great. He is punished for working on his invention, not b/c it was a bad idea, but b/c the members of the Council of Scholars thought that he had â€Å"dared †¦ to think that his mind held greater wisdom than the minds of his brothers.

Censorship is NOT Good Essay -- Censor

Censorship Censorship, a controversial word that has been with us since who knows when. Ancient dictators would burn books because they didn’t like them and force people to believe what he did. The question I ask myself though is if censorship in Libraries and schools is justified. My answer is no, and that is what I will try to convince you. Censorship is ridiculous, unfair and selfish, and censors are hypocritical, intolerant, and arrogant. What I mean when I say censorship is ridiculous is exactly that. In Censorship Opposing Viewpoints, it states that the American Heritage Dictionary was banned from Anchorage, Alaska because of words dubbed obscene, like bed, tail, ball, and nut. At first we laugh at it, but we stop when we hear it has also been banned in Cedar City, Indiana, and Eldon, Missouri. % other dictionaries were banned in Texas. These people that ban them call themselves People for Better Education. I thought dictionaries help you learn? An article in Scholastic Update entitled â€Å"The Case of the disappearing Books† it says last year there were 338 cases of parents trying to remove books, among these was the classic Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. A teacher was fired because she assigned a book with a lesbian as a main character. A parent, Ruth Somoro, said this was being intolerant of religious beliefs, and schools aren’t supposed to promote religious beliefs. Hmm, I don’t get it. The Supreme Court ruled books couldn’t be removed because they dislike ...

Feasibility Report Essay examples -- essays research papers

Abstract   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The purpose of this report is to determine whether it would be feasible for the Style Shop to add a computerized register to the store. The Merchandising Society is the largest club on F.I.T.’s campus. It provides the opportunity for its members to enhance their college experience at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Its members are dedicated to gaining exposure to the fashion industry first-hand through running a business, visiting companies worldwide, and volunteering services to the community. The club is responsible for operating a successful on-campus boutique, the Style Shop. The store offers the unique opportunity for FIT students, faculty and alumni to sell their original creations on a consignment basis. This not only allows students to earn recognition and profit, it enables Merchandising Society members to gain experience in buying, product development, marketing, finance, customer relations, management, visual merchandising, and website development. The Style Shop offers students the chance to develop a sharper awareness of group dynamics, build professional relationships, and actively participate in our college education. Currently the store uses a non-computerized register. There is no computerized inventory or bar codes used. Everything is done by hand. The addition of a computer would not only help keep track of all purchases by time, it would allow for the finance team to plan sales and monitor loss. The Style Shop uses a budget handed out by FITSA to fund purchases and stock for the store. This budget would be used to purchase a computer. It is highly feasible that the Style Shop purchases a computer and a register program. Introduction Purpose The purpose of this report is to determine the feasibility of adding a computerized register to the Style Shop team. Problem During the 2001/02 school year the Merchandising Society has over 180 active members. The store currently has no regulated computerized system. Inventory and tickets are all manually printed. By adding a computer to the store, inventory and sales could be more easily monitored. The computer would also serve as a ticket printer and finance station. Scope The addition of a computerized register would make the flow of goods in and out of the Style Shop easier. By adding a computer to the store each Merchandising Society member would h... ...h day. They will also be in charge of closing all curtains at night so that passers-by cannot see the computer in an empty store. Summer/Winter   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When the Style Shop is not in operation the computer will be disconnected and stored in the Style Shop closet on the 7th Floor of the A-Building. This closet is only accessible to Style Shop Managers. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Style Shop is a growing student run boutique on F.I.T.’s campus. Each semester the store’s sales increase. The store needs a better way to track sales and inventory. By purchasing a computer Managers would be able to effectively track sales, inventory, and expenses. The total cost for the computer and register system is just under $2000.00. The money to purchase the computer/register would come out of the Style Shop budget given to the store by F.I.T.S.A. Recommendations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Style Shop is an expanding establishment at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The addition of a computerized register would increase productivity within the store. It is recommended that the Style Shop use their budget and purchase a computer and a point of sale

Albania still bears the traces

Albania, one of Europe’s smallest and isolated countries is also one of the most ancient countries in Europe. Yet its beauty and splendor, its rich natural resources and its extraordinary tradition of hospitality are just few of the many reasons why the outside world should be interested in this country (Konitza 10).Albania still bears the traces of its turbulent past, a history that has been the story of a never-ending succession of invasion and defense, of subjection and revolt. At one time or another, Greeks and Romans, Goths and Byzantines, Serbs and Bulgars, Sicilians and Venetians, Normans and Turks have poured into the country and held it for varying periods (Hamm 3).Many historians believed that the people of Albania descended from a non-Slavic, non-Turkic group of tribes known as Illyrians, who arrived in the Balkans around 2000 BC. The modern Albanians can still be distinguished from Ghegs (northern tribes) and Tosks (southern tribes). After falling under Roman autho rity in 165 BC, Albania was controlled nearly continuously by a succession of foreign powers such as the Byzantine Empire in the 11th century which made the first recorded reference to a land known as Albania and its people.The Ottoman Empire also ruled Albania form 1385-1912 and it was during this time that much of the populations were converted to Islam.   There were revolts made against the Ottoman, the most famous was led by Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderbeg which eventually became Albania's national hero.   But efforts failed as the Ottomans eventually reasserted their dominance.The hundred of years of Ottoman rule weakened during the early 20th century as Albanian nationalism heightened.   This eventually ended with the conclusion of the First Balkan War, and the Vlore Proclamation of Independence on November 28, 1912.When the Second World War broke, Albania was occupied by different countries.   First by Italy (1939-43) and then by Germany (1943-44). After the war, Communis m ruled Albania for forty years through the Communist Party leader Enver Hoxha.  During this time, Albania adhered to a strict Stalinist philosophy through a combination of ruthlessness and strategic alliances and most of the population was subjected to purges, shortages, repression of civil and political rights, a total ban on religious observance, and increased isolation.   In 1991, Communism fall and the Albanian society struggled to overcome its historical isolation and underdevelopment by seeking closer ties with the West in order to improve economic conditions.During this time the basic democratic reforms, including a multi-party system was introduced.   Albania's fragile democratic structures were strengthened by democrats, then socialists; from presidential to parliamentary which eventually ushered in a new period of political stability, making possible significant progress in democratic and economic reforms, rule of law initiatives, and the development of Albania's re lations with its neighbors and the United States.   (Frasheri 25).  The Albanian.com website mentioned that Albania adopted the Parliamentary democratic type of government with executive branch; the President of the Republic (chief of state), the Prime Minister (head of the government), Council of Ministries (appointed by the President); the legislative branch-Peoples Assembly (a unicameral type, 140 seats) and the Judicial branch (the Supreme court and all other).   Its police and security forces have shown effectiveness.  Each security or police organization–the Sigurimi, the Frontier Guards, and the People's Police–constituted a separate directorate within the ministry; each had a larger proportion of personnel who were party members than the armed forces because of the need for political reliability. Albania's relations with the outside world are mainly concerned with preservation of its territorial integrity and independence.Albania maintains generally goo d relations with its foreign neighbors such as Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Italy and Greece It also enjoys friendly and cooperative bilateral relations with the U.S as Pro-U.S. sentiment is widespread among the population. The strength of the government is supported with its Armed forces which includes ground forces, air and air defense forces, and naval forces and comprised about 48,000 active-duty and 155,000 reserve personnel.According to the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress, Albania’s economy is considered the poorest in Europe. This is maybe due to the fact that Albania has been isolated and underdeveloped for centuries. Economists estimated the gross domestic product per capita at about US$450 in 1990.Latest figures (2005) shows 5.5% Real GDP growth with an inflation rate of 2.4% and unemployment rate by 14.2%.   Despite significant progress in the twentieth century, Albania still lagged far behind the other European nations economically. The ec onomic policy insisted on rigid centralization and forced industrialization despite Albania's small size and lack of skilled workers, able administrators, and farmers capable of producing key raw materials and enough grain to feed the population.Albania has abundant literate workforce but unemployed and unskilled workers but few jobs are available in the country.   Because of this, thousands of desperate Albanians fled abroad seeking jobs because of the wretched standard of living and limited economic opportunity at home.The social structure of the country was basically tribal until the 1930s but increasing contact with the outside world and invasions and occupations by foreign armies had gradually weakened tribal society.   Traditionally there have been two major cultures in the Albanian nation: the Gegs in the north and the Tosks in the south.The Gegs, partly Roman Catholic but mostly Muslim, lived until after World War II in a mountain society characterized by blood feuds and fierce clan and tribal loyalties. The Tosks, whose number included many Muslims as well as Orthodox Christians, were less culturally isolated mainly because of centuries of foreign influence.Kinship and tribal affiliations, a common spoken language, and enduring folk customs provided continuity and a sense of community. Foreign influence was inevitable, however. Additions and modifications to the language were made as a result of Latin, Greek, Slavic, and Turkish contacts. Lacking an organized religion as part of their Illyrian heritage, Albanians adopted the Muslim, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic faiths brought to them by their conquerors.In Albania, the basic unit of society was the extended family, usually composed of a couple, their married sons, the wives and children of the sons, and any unmarried daughters.The extended family formed a single residential and economic entity held together by common ownership of means of production and common interest in the defense of the group. Such families often included scores of persons, and, as late as 1944, some encompassed as many as sixty to seventy persons living in a cluster of huts surrounding the father's house.For centuries, the family was the basic unit of the country's social structure. To a great extent, the privacy of the family supplanted that of the state. Children were brought up to respect their elders and, above all, their father, whose word was law within the confines of his family (Marmullaku 82-85).Whether its in the past or present, ancient or modern, young or old, Muslim or Christian, rich or poor, north or south, urban or rural, monarchist or socialist: the extremes of Albanian society are vivid and its tensions palpable.Albania is more like a framework, a stable structure of rigid poles positioned in space –and linked together by flexible cables. The cables are stressed but, barring catastrophe, they will not snap. Albania, a land that is very beautiful, is still struggling to leave its communist past and the almost eternal post communism transition behind and find the right route to economical, political, and social stability and prosperity.Works CitedAlbanian Information.   Albanian Government .Available:   http://www.albanian.com/information/countries/albania/index.html Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress. Country Studies.Available:   http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/altoc.htmlFrasheri, Kristo. The History of Albania. Tiranà «: Naim Frasheri State, 1964. Hamm, Harry.   Albania–China's Beachhead in Europe.   New York:   Praeger, 1963.Konitza, Faik. â€Å"Albania: The Rock Garden of Southeastern Europe.†Ã‚   Pages Panarity (ed.), Albania: The Rock Garden   of Southeastern Europe and Other Essays.Boston:Pan-Albanian Federation of America, 1957. Marmullaku, Ramadan. Albania and the Albanians. Hamden, New York: Archon Books, 1975.

At risk youths Essay

In the given topical analysis we will be exploring the issue of â€Å"At risk youths†. The developmental procedure to this debate will follow a thorough logical unfolding. Commencing with what exactly is regarded or categorized as â€Å"At risk† merely to follow onto a breaking down of †¢ At risk youth’s classification not merely belonging to one social background but, covering different social rooting. †¢ An identification of the similar relevancies between these different groups classified as â€Å"At risk† status. †¢ What the retrospective view would be from a ground breaking opposition to this thesis. †¢ Statement back up, in terms of media and public evidence which allows temporal placement of the issues in a historical context onto present time. †¢ Reinforcement to the philosophical context of the overall paper in serious terms. What exactly, can we classify â€Å"At risk youths as being? â€Å" Who are they? †, â€Å" Where do they come form? †. At risk youths provene and stem form all walks of society. The rich and the poor. One time they could be pin pointed as appurtenant to the less affluent social classes, now it is a different case scenario. At risk youths have flowed into all social classes due to the inability of society to break through different social boundaries. For instance, we have the boundaries between living expectations in terms of monetary expenditure and social development, immigration, taxation or, what is better regarded as a faster pace of living. The government bringing in more refugee immigrants has brought about a state in which taxations have to be raised in order to meet immigrant’s needs, in terms of benefits reliance. An increase in benefits reliance has brought about increased taxation. Increased taxation has meant longer working hours. As taxation rises, inflation rises, bringing the consumer market beyond the reach of the targeted customer. Longer working hours has brought about the disruption of the family nucleus, leaving youths with no identity foundation and the substitution of this with internet chat rooms , creating a higher risk of crime related incidences ( Rape, murder, youth abduction) all springing from the deficiency of time required to distill social values in youths. Looking at things from an opposing perspective it is easy to see that opposition to this thesis would mostly stem form the given view that increased social funds thanks to higher taxes has allowed further expenditure in the field of education, after school recreational forums or leisure activities for youths in which to promulgate free hours and positively influence their mental sphere. Hence, families indeed are working longer hours but, replacements are been put in place in order to address youths freedom towards positive engagements which equally stimulate them and place a clear perspective of what is right and wrong social behavior. Also aided by the view they are subconsciously absorbing, of it being wrong to remain in and idle not employed status rather than being fully employed. Here we have two objective sided to the argument of what the composition of â€Å"At risk youths† is. But, in terms of historical background, what exactly was the periscopic difference in the situation? As stated at the outset, â€Å"At risk youths† could be easily defined. They belonged to one class. Starting with the less affluent middle class downwards. The reason youths were regarded as at risk, was due to the underlying fact that they lived in houses with poor sanitation or often due to lack of funds, youths were placed in minefield to work. In historical terms, mothers were identified as being the heart of the family, the core; they were in charge of ordaining social values in their children and addressing them towards a positive upbringing. Social youth crime rates sharply re-enforce this perspective. Today, social values have disintegrated themselves. Women and men are engaged shoulder to shoulder, face to face in a battle of the sexes. A man is no longer required to â€Å"Bring the bread home†. The battle, in breaking it even between sexes, has led to the neglect of the family nucleus or certain anchoring of focus for youths. There is nobody to act as a constant ramp of positive social flow or influence. Youths are left stranded in an abyss, looking to one another for anchor or to stay afloat, they are slowly having their thread unwound and as a replacement they look to negative influences such as constant bombardment of television with violent crime scenes, murders or mere brain washing. Motherly substitutes. Materialism has become the centre of what youths see as a secure, good future, they lack any spiritual or inwards inspiration to make them stable individuals. All of this can be clearly seen as having a psychological effect on youths reflected in the correlation of youth crimes. At present no direct solution has been envisaged, in countries like the United Kingdom there has been an implementation of increased police patrolling and armed officers patrolling streets but, no direct analysis and modification of the deeper cause and effect. Parents are afraid of chastising children and youths due to the direct threat of social services interference and Government legislations disallowing all forms of chastisement. Without a decrease in taxation or a future market collapse, without a break even in equal sex payments and treatments women are going to be mentally forced to relinquish the position of the core of the family and youths are going to lack forever more a central foundation. Competitiveness replaces family, substitutes these with a world where materialism and comfort is seen as the only sole objective, and, at any cost. Youths will continue to lack to worsen by the day until they spiral out of control. What needs to be done to control this and monitor it? The only way we can monitor this progressive detrimental development is through the formation of a central bode correlated to the monitoring of youth progress solely. Monitoring their social background and analyzing what youth offenders or the different classes of ‘At risk have in common†. Gradually an entire body of evidence can be gathered in order to implement further legislations or coerce the Government or further institutional bodies into taking action at a ministerial or local level. The youth of today, of tomorrow is the world leader of tomorrow, representing people or generations to come who will lead the world ahead, they will create the future. If they have no stability , if we make this entire body â€Å" At risk†, what type of future is being created, what type of minds are being shaped for the future, what type of ideas are being instilled in the Youths, to carry into a new world generation?. An identification of the problem amongst Youths has to be found today, and a solution has to be found to this social issue before it spirals out of control and beyond remedy. SOURCES, DAILY TELEGRAPH NEWSPAPER SOCIETY TODAY, MICHAEL PIEN BLACKWELL 2006.