Analysis of the Head Start Program Essay -- Educational Policy, Class

The purpose of this essay is to offer a concise description of the Head Start program, discuss the historical background of the policy, and analyze the economic and political forces that have influenced the development of the program. The essay also seeks to evaluate both the manifest and latent functions of the policy, consider the current debate around Head Start, describe the ideologies and values that have framed the debate around Head Start, and offer recommendations regarding the program. Head Start Program Overview of the Policy The Head Start Program, typically referred to solely as Head Start, is offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The program was inaugurated in 1964 as a means of preparing children from low-income families to enter kindergarten with a higher level of preparation (Gillette, 2010). Head Start is funded through the Head Start Act of 1981, which was reauthorized in 2007. Head Start has a budget of over $7 billion and has its own teachers and aides (Banner, 2011). In fiscal year 2009, the latest year for which data is available from the Administration for Children and Families (2010), the home to the Office of Head Start within the Department of Health and Human Services had an enrollment of 904,153, of which 3% were five-year-olds or older, 51% were four-year-olds, 46% were three-year-olds, and 10% were under three years of age. Children three and under are part of what is known as Early Head Start, an extension of the program that serves the youngest children. The Administration for Children and Families further disclosed that, in fiscal year 2010, 39.9% of children enrolled in Head Start were white, 30% were African-American or Black, and 35.9% were Latino. The sum of the... ...y. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Barnett, W.S. & Hustedt, J.T. (2003). Head Start’s lasting benefits. Infants and Young Children, 18(1), 16-24. Black, E. & Black, M. (2003). The rise of southern republicans. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Gillette, M.L. (2010). Launching the war on poverty. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. Meyers, M.K. & Gornick, J.C. (2003). Public or private responsibility? Early childhood education and care, inequality, and the welfare state. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 34, 379-411. Mindick, B. (1986). Social engineering in family matters. New York, NY: Praeger. Vinovskis, M.A. (2008). The birth of head start. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Wainryb, C., Smetana, J.G., & Turiel. E. (2008). Social development, social inequalities, and social justice. New York, NY: CRC Press.

Bahamian environment Essay

Question: Littering and irresponsible disposal of garbage by humans is destroying our Bahamian environment. In order to define the littering we must first define the word litter. Litter refers to different waste products such as containers, papers, and wrappers that have been disposed onto streets, yards and remote areas. This means â€Å"littering† is the pollution of our environment by different litter waste. Littering not only destroys our beautiful Bahamian environment but it also affects wildlife, human health and the economy. Littering and irresponsible disposal of garbage in our environment is a very important issue, which many people overlook. Although people know littering is an illegal act, many continue to carelessly scatter their trash around nonetheless. Litter creates toxins and pollutants that are harmful to our environment. When Bahamians throw glass bottles and cigarettes in bushes and along the roads the sun reflects off of them, resulting in a fire igniting. The smoke from the fire will soon fill the air, slowly polluting and destroying the atmosphere. Litter is harmful to wildlife also. They may ingest the plastic and paper then suffer from serious illness. Small animals crawl into bottles and jars looking for food and may become stuck and slowly starve to death. Littering not only affects land creatures but marine life as well. Many marine animals confuse plastic bags, balloons, bait packets, candy wrappers and rubber with prey and eat them. Plastic bags and balloons floating in the water look like jellyfish. Turtles often eat them and choke or starve to death because they have so much plastic in their stomachs. In addition, illegally dumped items containing hazardous waste can harm the environment and have a potentially negative impact on human health. Food, packaging, and other materials left to rot provide a fertile breeding ground in which bacteria thrives, resulting in a health hazard for those that come into contact with it. Litter can also create safety problems, with items such as broken glass bottles and metal cans having the potential to cause injury to anyone that steps or falls on it. In the Bahamas, mainly in Freeport we experience many bush fires. When pollutants are left in the air we as humans inhale them, this contaminated are travels to our lungs which slowly kills them. Furthermore, littering can widely affect the economy. Due to animals consuming litter and dumping they sooner or later die. Because these animals are dying they will very shortly become extinct. With no marine life and wildlife, the Bahamas will lose it main attraction which is its beautiful coral reefs and sea creatures. With no tourists coming to see these attractions, the economy of the Bahamas will soon fall dramatically all from littering and pollution. Littering is an extremely important issue in Bahamian society that should not be overlooked. It can affect the Bahamas in ways such as environmental, economic, health and wildlife. Our beautiful country is filled with many undiscovered wonders; let us not kill them by failing to do such a small action. Throw garbage in the trash and not the sea; keep litter in your hand and not on the land. So remember â€Å"Keep the Bahamas clean, green and pristine.

Social Identity Theory - 1399 Words

Social identity theory is a theory which is intended to explain how people develop a sense of belonging and membership in particular groups, and how the workings of intergroup discrimination work. Social identity theory plays an important role in the study of social psychology. To some degree, everyone is influenced by social identity theory. Social Identity Theory tries to explain such intergroup discrimination in the real world as well as in the circumstance of the minimal groups. The theory claims a process of social identification and positive self-esteem, â€Å"People can boost their self-esteem through their own personal achievements or through affiliation with successful groups† (Kassin, Fein, Markus, 2008, 150). When a person is†¦show more content†¦The second group I am a member of is my gender which is female. I was born into this group, I didn’t have to do anything to â€Å"become† a member of it. I think that makes it a very important group to be a member of since it was one I was born into and did not have to do anything to join the group of my female gender. This group IS my identity, I am a female, without knowing or accepting that I am a part of this group it would be very hard to know my identity and who I am. The work group of employees I am part of influences my personal values and beliefs in a different way than other groups may because this group includes my family members and because it is also in a professional environment. The norms for this group are to act professional, respectful and mature in the work environment and properly communicate to co-workers and customers as well. Following employee rules, such as dress code, being on time for work and respecting chain of command are all values of this group. My beliefs and values with this group may differ from my own personal ones because when I am with this group I am probably more eager to please others and do my job correctly asShow MoreRelatedIdentity Theory And Social Identity1228 Words   |  5 PagesIdentity theory traces its root in the writing of G.H Mead, the American philosopher, sociologist and psychologist who says that the image or the feeling that a person creates for him or herself in a particular society is the r esult of other’s vision, which is created daily and is subjected to change. Richard Jinkens, the sociologist describes that social identity means who we are and who the others are and on the other hand what the other thinks about themselves and others. Further, Mead elaboratesRead MoreSocial Identity Theory861 Words   |  3 PagesSocial identity theory, it is a person’s sense that is based around the group they are in, either by their personal identity or with different kinds of social identities. That is, people will try to improve their own image of themselves. The theory was proposed by Henri Tajfel. People can increase their self-esteem by both their own achievement and interaction with a successful group of people. This shows the importance of social belonging. This theory is based around three mental processes, socialRead MoreSocial And Social Identity Theory1860 Words   |  8 PagesTurner, the Social Identity Theory (SIT) can be described as the comparison b etween the individual self and the social self. More specifically, it is the individual’s perception that is derived from their membership of a social group (ingroups and outgroups) or personal identities. The theory is divided into three different psychological mechanisms: social categorization, social comparison, and the tendency for people to use the group membership as a source to gain self-esteem. 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Therefore Social identityRead MoreNotes On Social Identity Theory1191 Words   |  5 PagesContextualizing BIRG: Social Identity Theory SIT (Tajfel et al., 1971; Tajfel Turner, 1979) has been explained briefly in the Introduction, which provided an overview on the nature of its construction (Galang et al., 2015) and its implications on ingroup inclusion, intergroup behavior, and self-esteem (Brewer Yuki, 2007). This theory is further discussed here, particularly its conception of group identification and esteem, to give context to BIRG and the framework of analysis that will be usedRead MoreTheories Of Emotion, Relational Theory, And Social Identity Theory2235 Words   |  9 Pageslosses she experiences, Dasani exhibits behavior that can be explained with four theories. These theories are Piaget’s Cognitive Theory, Physiological Theories of Emotion, Relational Theory, and Social Identity Theory. 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Psyc 315: Social Psychology 2,046 words. Critically evaluate Social Identity Theory. Who are you? Who am I? These are questions that we all ponder at some point or another in our lives. As human beings we are seemingly inundated with the desire to classify and categorise. We are constantly defining and analysing the differences that we observe in the world, it seems only natural that we would apply this method of classification to our position within our