Controversial Issues Regarding Education Of Undocumented Immigrants

In a suburban area of wealthy and working class families outside of New York City, a growing number of immigrants are settling in. It's gotten so diverse that nearly 25 percent of all residents in this area are born outside of the United States - in places such as Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Asia and the Middle East, according to a July 2010 article in The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education. Throughout the country, Latinos particularly represent a growing number of students at Associate's degree-granting institutions, such as community, junior and technical colleges.
Latinos also happen to comprise the largest number of undocumented immigrants in the country, according to the Pew Research Center. While undocumented immigrants are able to attend public schools at the K-12 level for free, a Journal News article in suburban New York City noted, some 65,000 of them graduate high school each year. These high school graduates might have problems finding jobs, entering the military and paying for tuition at even community colleges, which are often the most affordable of Associate's degree granting institutions.
The federal government since 2001 has been considering a Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors, or DREAM, Act that, in its most recent version, would have allowed immigrants who came to the United States when they were younger than 16 the opportunity to qualify for citizenship. To qualify for citizenship under this latest version, immigrants would have to demonstrate good moral quality and either complete two years of military service or participate in college or university studies for at least two years, whether or not they obtained an Associate's degree.
The US Senate voted the DREAM Act down in December. A statement on the website for Kay Bailey Hutchison, a US Senator from Texas, notes that she couldn't support it because it "expanded the scope of the bill beyond the intended individuals who were brought here as children and grew up and were educated in the United States." John Ensign, a US Senator from Nevada who also voted against the DREAM Act, noted that it "does nothing to further secure our borders... (and)... goes as far as granting legal status for criminal aliens, creating a safe harbor for illegal aliens facing deportation, and does not require the completion of a college degree or military service as a condition of amnesty."
The Pew Research Center in October reported on how Latinos are a diverse group and how they can became even more divided - and concerned about immigration - as a result of a backlash against illegal immigration. On the issue of undocumented immigrants, a small majority of Latinos (53 percent) suggested that these immigrants pay fines without having to be deported. They were nearly evenly divided three ways as to whether illegal immigration positively or negatively affects the United States or doesn't affect the country at all. Where a good majority of foreign born Latinos - 70 percent - say that discrimination against them prevents them from succeeding; slightly under half of the Latinos born in the United States agreed, according to the Pew Research Center.
The Migration Policy Institute in July 2010 came out with a "DREAM vs. Reality" report suggesting that, in part because of language and financial barriers, fewer than 40 percent of the slightly more than 2.1 million total potential DREAM Act beneficiaries, the majority of them Mexican, would become legal citizens. The Community College Consortium for Immigrant Education works to increase the visibility of issues surrounding immigrant education, particularly as they relate to Associate's degree-granting community colleges. In an interview with the National Center for Refugee Employment and Self Sufficiency, consortium director, Jill Casner Lotto, suggested that the ability for immigrants to gain an education in the United States is important to their personal success as well as to the country's economy and social fabric. The consortium is now exploring how the law might affect certain aspects of Associate's degree-granting community colleges - aspects such as English as a Second Language and financial aid, for instance.
Information from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that nearly half of all Latinos who attended colleges and universities in 2008 were enrolled in Associate's degree-granting community colleges. New York State is one of only 10 in the nation where undocumented immigrants attending public colleges and universities pay a reduced tuition rate that's set aside for state residents, according to the Journal News article. Undocumented immigrants otherwise don't enjoy the government scholarship, grant and low-interest student loan opportunities that American citizens do, either.

The Scoop On Educational

It's no surprise that children love computer and video games, and preschoolers are no exception. But in spite of the large number of games that have little or no educational value, the good news is that are many educational computer games for preschoolers available on the market. 21st Century preschoolers and kindergartners are very knowledgeable about computers and video games and the manufacturers of many well-known toys and educational television program makers have now become aware of this.
Children will find these sorts of games fun and many times are not even aware that they are learning at the same time. Parents like them because they are safe knowing that their kids are being taught news which also reinforce things they are learning at school. While preschoolers won't be able to type much, some of the best educational games will have them using the mouse to point and click like a pro.
Some of the best games for preschoolers will have them learning the alphabet, numbers, shapes and colors, while they have fun and give momma a break. Some games help a child learn to match objects or develop early reading skills. These games serve a two purposes of teaching kids about the topic, a well as teaching valuable computer skills.
It's easy to find educational computer games for preschoolers with your child's favorite TV characters online. There are games available with PBS favorites, Berestain Bears, Arthur, Dora and Diego - all through Amazon. Computer games are a great way for your child learn new things and possibly even do better in school. Go ahead and treat Lil' Johnny to a new computer game - he'll have loads of fun feeling like a big kid and won't even realize it's teaching him to read.

ducation Expenses Can Be Paid From Roth IRA Penalty Free

Many parents struggle with how they are going to save for their kids' college expenses while saving for retirement at the same time. Roth IRAs are very flexible investment vehicles, making them a good choice for parents who are juggling saving for college and retirement.
As always there are some rules to follow when using your Roth IRA to pay for college expenses, so make sure you understand the rules before you take a withdrawal.
Roth contributions can be taken out at any time for any reason. This makes Roths not only a great vehicle to save for retirement, but also to save for college expenses. While I recommend that parents put their retirement goals ahead of college savings goals, it's nice to know that you can withdraw your contributions to be used for college expenses, without worrying about paying taxes or penalties.
If you need more money than you've contributed to your Roth account, you still have options. Normally, distributions taken from a Roth before you reach age 59 ½ are subject to taxes and a 10% penalty (on the earnings only). However, there is an exception for withdrawals that are taken to pay for college expenses.
The early withdrawal penalty is waived if you use the funds to pay for qualified higher education expenses for yourself, your spouse or your dependent children. Qualified higher education expenses include tuition, room and board, fees, books, supplies and equipment. Unfortunately, withdrawals taken to pay back student loans do not qualify (I wish!).
The ability to use your Roth account to pay for college expenses is a huge benefit. However, the withdrawals taken from the Roth could affect your eligibility for financial aid. The good news is that Roth IRAs are not counted as an asset for either the student or the parent in the financial aid formula. The bad news is that withdrawals from the Roth IRA are counted as income in the financial aid formula. So you'll need to weigh the pros and cons before dipping into your retirement accounts for education expenses.
In addition, if you take Roth withdrawals to pay for education expenses, it could disqualify you from other education tax incentives such as the Hope or Lifetime Learning credit.
Please note that while the early withdrawal penalty is waived for withdrawals that are used for education expenses, you will still need to pay taxes on any earnings withdrawn before you reach age 59 ½. This is true regardless of how long the account has been open.
Bottom line, Roths are very flexible investment vehicles, which makes them a great tool for saving for retirement and other financial goals such as education expenses. However, there are rules to follow, and just because you can take a Roth IRA withdrawal to pay for education expenses doesn't mean that's the best option for you. You should consult with a tax professional before taking any withdrawals to determine if that's the best strategy for you.

How to Deal With a Lack of Education on Your Resume

I get lots of clients that are concerned about their lack of degree on their resumes. It is very common and is one area that is a sensitive spot. When beginning the process of resume writing, what to put under 'Education' can be daunting.
The good news is there are ways to camouflage minimal or lack of education.
If you started college but never finished, you can list the name of the school, years you attended and major. If you want to focus on some relevant coursework taken while there, list the classes.
Adding any professional development courses or training always looks great on a resume and fills in the space that lack of degree left behind. Certifications for seminars, webinars, etc. should also be listed on the resume, if they are relevant to the position you are seeking.
In the unusual case of no education or training at all, omit the section completely and concentrate on making sure your accomplishments stand out.
Whatever you do, don't fabricate a degree. We've all seen the news and watched top execs be publicly stoned and dethroned after being "found out" that their big degrees were big lies. Telling lies may seem like the best way to overcome your lack of education, but the consequence of being found out could be detrimental to your future employment opportunities.
Something important to consider: not every employer is looking for education... or will exclude a candidate because of lack of it. Remember: BILL GATES DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL.
The majority of the time, employers are more interested on your contributions or accomplishments. If your work history is impressive, then you don't have to worry about education because your accomplishments speak for themselves. You will have to portray yourself as successful WITHOUT the degree. Not all self-written resumes do the trick. That is where a resume writing service comes in. At the risk of sounding pitchy, a certified resume writer knows how to bring out your best qualities and focus on what the employer wants to see-- with or without the education.
Remember how hard you've worked to get to where you are today. THAT is what you will sell on your resume... what you did for one company, you can do for theirs. THAT is the bottom line.

Erin Kennedy, CPRW, CERW, BS/HR, is a Certified Professional & Executive Resume Writer/Career Consultant and President of Professional Resume Services, Inc. She is a nationally published writer and contributor of 9+ best-selling career books. She has achieved international recognition following yearly nominations of the prestigious T.O.R.I. (Toast of the Resume Industry) Award. Erin has written thousands of resumes for executives and professionals.

New Channels For Investment Education

Channels for Investment Education - Trends
The desire for wealth has supported the finance and investing industry, creating jobs and wealth for millions of people. With gurus such as Warren Buffet and George Soros leading the way, millions seek out to improve their knowledge in this field, in the hopes of making more money through investing. We recently conducted a survey and found out the top 5 avenues for learning about investing and finance to be:
1) The Internet
2) Books
3) Professional Courses/Seminars
4) Financial Advisors
5) Friends and family
Channels for Investment Education - Websites/Blogs
It is evident most people turn to the internet first in sourcing for information to support their learning. With the advent of websites, blogs, financial news platforms, investors are now spoilt for choice in getting their finance related questions answered. We even read about hedge fund managers programming spiders to crawl blogs and websites to gauge market sentiment, hoping to beat the market through the wisdom of crowds. As the industry is constantly evolving, new financial products bring along new strategies, and the internet is in the best position to provide such time sensitive information. Investors also tend to follow the crowd and often turn to the websites and blogs to see what others are thinking and learning.
Channels for Investment Education - Videos
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. What about videos. A million? With the rise of the YouTube generation, educators have embraced videos as a new channel of teaching the people how to invest. Many of such educators have attracted followers, and built communities surrounding their expertise. Through viewing, sharing, discussing and contributing, online videos are a strong channel for self learning. However, the lack of regulation also breeds many who exploit gullible new investors through various get rich quick schemes. While the internet is the top avenue for video watching, the physical distribution of content still contributes significantly to the market.
Channels for Investment Education - Seminars
Physical seminars are a more structured and intensive channel for investment education, and are often expensive as well. Not every individual is comfortable with self learning, especially when it comes to investing their hard earned money; they want to ensure they are not learning the wrong things. For those who can afford, attending a physical investment seminar provides can provide an added level of assurance. However, physical seminars are constrained by time and space, once again leading trainers to increasingly conduct their training either through live webinars, or recorded seminar videos. The trend is clear: the more people turn to the internet for investment education, the clearer a bridge we will see linking online and offline learning.
Channels for Investment Education - Summary
What you teach today may not work tomorrow. The internet is changing the way we learn (and teach) about investing and finance. Learning material needs to be time-sensitive and adaptive to global markets to stay relevant.

Want to Make Consistent Money Fast? Trade Forex News, Using the Best Signal Service

Forex currency trading has been a hot subject lately. Imagine a business with no employees, no customers, and no inventory; with possibility of reaping great profits every single month. It is only you and your desktop computer, and your favourite office home. Sure, but the secret ingredient of success is missing in the formula.

It is estimated that only 5% of retail Forex traders make money trading the currencies, using profitable currency trading system. It is usually based on deep understanding of fundamental analysis or technical analysis, which is the awareness of the patterns of market reaction on specific economic events. This require the use of trading charts and indicators.

I call this "Forex news trading 101", loosely referring to the process of transmuting substances of no or little value into pure surefire gold. Economy news that people watch on television just to have something to chat with their friends later apparently are not of great value. The very same news disturb currency market, providing possibilities to make money on the market movements and therefore become remarkably tangible. Training and experience is required to interpret news into the trading terms and the final product of such interpretation is called Forex Trading Alert.

High quality Forex trading signals service provide final price projection based on the deviation between prior number, actual number and possible revision combined with support and resistance levels. Timing of the indicator is of crucial importance here as well as the same deviation may have completely different impact on the market. It is advisable to eventually get familiar with these Forex technical terms; however generally you can follow the simplified summary explaining optimal trading strategy for this particular news event including entry and exit points and stop loss limit.

Need For Forex Trading Education

Much like a toddler needs education to arm him to succeed in the world, every trader requires thorough education to stand on his own feet in the forex trade. Trading here is unique to itself; even a veteran stock trader will feel like a kid here. Success can be achieved only after mastering all the tricks and tactics of the forex world.
Money trade in forex is done through a broker. An inept or inexperienced broker could easily mean losing a large hand in the market. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to distinguish between a good and bad broker right away.
Forex Trading Education: The Path to Success
Forex trading is filled with terms like range, rate, bull, etc., which have no real world resemblance in meaning. Trade contracts are written using them. An uneducated trader might very well be signing a document whose full motives are hidden from him. A glossary of around a thousand words is a must for every trader.
Factors such as oil trade, international politics, etc., affect the rise and fall of currencies in the forex market. Trader decisions must reflect such events. Forex news should be precise and contain market relevant information, besides being up to date.
A broker places traps in the trade route of the trader to make as much money as possible. One such trap is Leverage. Lured by odds as high as 400:1, unwary traders have lost millions. Trading should be done only after being completely educated in the world of forex.
Forex Training to Remain in Contention for Success
Technological advancements have brought computers into the forex trading scenario. Automated trading is one such facility. Users no longer need to be math wizards to make their decisions, automation tools do that for the trader. Traders, however, need to be constantly updated on such changes in order to remain in the race for profits.
Even expert brokers need education regarding the changing trends of forex. Online forex has moved the trader away from the trade floor and into their homes. Tools like Metatrader 4 can cater to 10,000 traders at a time, thus allowing brokers to manage more clients. Information regarding such changing environment can heavily benefit any firm

Why Sex Education is Important

We are proud of our culture, our sanskruti and our values. We have every reason to be proud of that. After all we are ancient civilization. We are among first group of human species to get civilized, have fully operative system of society, of governance. Every Indian should be proud of that, there is no doubt about it.
Secondly our ancestors did built a quite successful system, that's why we were able to evolve, develop and flourish. No one can take that away.
But with times way of life too changes. We don't wake up at 4'0 clock any more, maximum of us bullock for farming anymore, we don't write letters as frequently as we call, we do take saat feras but we also go to honey moon, nuclear families have increased, widow marriage is acceptable and so is women empowerment.
With time things change. Change is fundamental nature of life and its flexibility of our ancestors to change that our civilization could easily adapt.
Now coming to main point. There are lot of people who are opposing sexual education. It is not in our sanskruti is the theme slogan of these opposers. Is protecting child in our sanskruti?. Is guiding our offspring in our sanskruti?. Is seeking well being of our offspring in our sanskruti?. The answer is yes. These all are in our sanskruti. Then how come if offspring are given sex education can be against our sanskruti?.
There was no aids during time of our ancestors, the opportunity to mingle with opposite gender was minimum, there was no mobile phone, no internet. Can we stop our offspring from mingling or using phone or internet?. If we do that we would be abstracting them from all round development in this competitive world. Internet is bundle of knowledge, mingling with opposite gender is also important since in future your offspring with have to work in environment which would have colleagues from both genders.
Now why sex education is important?.
Lets look at three news that would shake you a bit:
1) Two students of a Borivli school posted an obscene profile of their PT teacher on a social networking website after allegedly being at the receiving end of corporal punishment.
The two boys, aged 14 and 15, were arrested on Tuesday by the Cyber Crime Cell of the Mumbai Police and booked for outraging the modesty of a woman and under the IT Act.
According to the police, the boys decided to put up the profile after being punished by the teacher some time in March. They created a profile, posted her picture, put some lewd content, a mobile number and gave it the titled 'Black Prostitute'. Soon word spread in their friends circle.
Additional Commissioner of Police (crime) Deven Bharti said, "The victim learnt about it through an ex-student. She lodged a complaint at Borivli police station."
The above news is published in today's mumbai mirror.
2) Sexting is on rise in India reported indiatimes.com few days ago.
The sexting, sharing of nude/semi nude images, erotic images saw record rise in 2008
3) 68% Asian women are losing virginity before marriage
This is reported by an Asian daily.
We need to understand that when boy or girl is becoming adolescent, there are hormonal changes in their bodies, the curiosity, the sex desire is natural and sex education can make them bit more informative about sex. This would in turn help them in avoiding aids, unwanted pregnancy and at time sex itself.
Sex education is important in today's time where parents are too busy with their profession.It is not against our sanskruti.

Black Education

Black education easily can be taken for granted. Many of us do not feel the need to study black history and culture, perhaps because we live it every day. If we stop and think about it, we may see that Western education is the study of Europe and its effects on the rest of the world, past, present and future. These aspects must be studied every day at school and college. If Westerners place such a strong emphasis on studying themselves, then the study of oneself must be of great value. This is an example of Western culture that we may do well to emulate.

Need more convincing? Let's go back in time for a bit and try to see where we may have gotten off track.

Nearly 500 years ago, most European scholars were 100 percent certain that the earth was the center of the universe and that the sun revolved around the earth. Today, we know that this thinking was completely backwards, but this is only because something took place to change it. In 1514, Nicolaus Copernicus began circulating the theory that the earth was not the center of the universe and that the earth actually circulated around the sun. As shocking as this news was at that time, it eventually destroyed the old belief and created a new direction of thought, influencing the historical time line.

In 1609, Galileo Galilei built a telescope powerful enough to see the Milky Way. In 1687, Isaac Newton provided his understanding of gravity. In the 1700s and 1800s, an Industrial Revolution emerged. In 1905, Albert Einstein gave us his understanding of relativity. And, in the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. started its space exploration program. Now, can you see how one event influenced others over a long period of time? Stick with me. Black education does fit in here.

Imagine that Copernicus' news had been crushed so that Europeans never knew the exact position of the earth. What sort of time line do you think would have emerged? Do you think European science would have gone very far? The Milky Way probably would not have been identified. The knowledge of gravity probably would have remained undiscovered. The knowledge of physics probably would have been lost. And, today, there probably would be no cars, computers, cell phones, nuclear missiles, and so forth. Without the knowledge that Copernicus provided, one might even say that Europeans, and therefore, Americans might never have developed beyond the horse and cart.

Now, unfortunately for black peoples, we have had some interference with our own time line and it has changed our development. Some crucial information has been deleted from our black education - information as crucial to us as understanding the correct positions of the sun and earth has been to modern science.

Stock Market Education For Beginners

Have you spent a considerable time looking for some good Stock Market for beginners information? I have found that the getting right advice for you stock investments is becoming harder and harder. Finding someone you trust and who isn't going to charge you an arm and a leg is virtually impossible.
Recently I was pondering the reasons as to why the 'rich get richer and the poor get poorer'? The obvious answer is because they use their money to make more money but I came to the decision that their money is used to gain knowledge that the poor don't have access to. Most rich people get their information in two ways. They either know other rich people who specialize in finance or if they don't they have enough money to 'buy the time' of a professional. This is the main reason why the poor stay poor - because they don't have access to an investing or stock market education.
"Would you be a better investor if you could spend an hour a week with Warren Buffet?"
Imagine the experience and stock market training you would receive if you could spend time with investors who are making huge returns year after year? This knowledge and the investment strategies that you would learn could completely change the way you live. How would your life change if you were earning 70% interest on all of your investments. Or earning $100,000 plus and paying only $5 in tax?
What would you do if you got your hands on this information and knowledge?
The question you really need to be asking is How can I get access to this information? Well there is some great news and some bad news. First of all these incredible wealth creation strategies, property and online stock market secrets are finally available to the everyday person. The bad news is that most people simply don't want to make the effort to learn this stuff. The everyday person is happier sitting at home watching reality TV.
If you are one of the few people who actually want to make a difference to your financial future (the fact that you read this entire article shows that you definitely have some level of dedication) then what do you need to do? It's time to increase your knowledge. Find these great investment strategies that have allowed the rich to earn passive incomes for years.   Take advantage of the Internet, it is full of free investment material. Find someone who is achieving the results that you want and see if you can copy exactly what they are doing. There has never been a better opportunity for the 'poor' or middle class to join the rich. Which class do you belong to?

Virtual Learning in K-12 Education

According to the Sloan Consortium, which monitors online education in K-12 schools in the United States, online learning is on the rise. According to their report, "the overall number of K-12 students engaged in online courses in 2007-2008, is estimated at 1,030,000. This represents a 47% increase since 2005-2006".
That's a big jump, by any standards, but hardly surprising. The internet has become a place to do many things but above all it remains the place where people turn for information. With ever-faster broadband available to more and more people and innovations in web technologies marching on, it's not longer just about looking up that information, as you would with a book. Static pages are old hat. With the interactive possibilities of Web 2.0 the possibilities for using the internet in innovative ways in education are multiplying exponentially.
That's great news for students everywhere. It's also great news for anyone with the knowledge to pass on their skills, by becoming an online tutor. Online tutor jobs are an ideal solution for educators of all kinds to help others and make a living (or supplement their existing income) in financially challenging times. As long as people want and need to learn, jobs for tutors will always be available.
If you're considering applying for online tutor jobs, the main requirements are excellent knowledge of your subject and the ability to communicate that knowledge effectively. But there's a bit more to it. Just because there are plenty of tutor jobs available doesn't mean you can just set up shop. Anyone considering applying for online tutoring jobs needs to get a grip on the medium and its potentials.
Online learning is obviously not quite the same as traditional teaching, even though tutors can interact with students in real time, perhaps using video. The first years of online education were based on replicating traditional, instructor-led teaching practices. Often learning was based on modules or educational packages that learners worked through in their own time, before hooking up with instructors for assessment, feedback and guidance.
With Web 2.0, e-learning is all about making the most of the interactive possibilities available. Its about learners using the possibilities that computers offer for simulating environments that permit practical learning. Online learning communities stimulate learning through participation, through webinars, forums and sharing of experiences. Computers offer ways of making learning engaging and fun. Some educational institutions have even set up virtual classrooms on Second Life!
If you are planning to get yourself online tutoring jobs, it's worth noting that the best tutors are those who understand how online learning works and how the internet has the capacity to enhance the educational experience. An online tutoring job isn't only about teaching others. For most online tutors it will be a learning process in itself, as technology changes teaching strategies and we learn more about how online learning can outstrip traditional pedagogical methods. One thing is for certain. Those who master the medium will tell you that online tutoring is a rewarding one.

Education in Jamaica

Recently Education Minister Andrew Holness has made the news on many occasions whether it be grading primary school principals or expressing what he really thinks about the GSAT examination. Andrew Holness has not been forceful in his capacity and also has not led in the right areas as the Minister of Education.
When in opposition Holness served as Opposition Minister of Education which would have given him adequate knowledge of the inefficiencies within the ministry and would have provided him with a working framework to change policies. What have we seen of this Minister? Holness appears in the news blaming everyone else but himself for not leading to eradicating the inequity and changing policies at his ministry. We owe it to the younger generation to develop an education system that is fair and one that will provide them with the best education to make them productive for this rapidly changing world.
Clearly, there are problems with the curriculum of the GSAT examination which must be fixed. Annually, we complain of how stressful the curriculum is, and the many faults the exam has where students at grade six are judged on topics that will be covered at higher levels. Next year around this time we will still be discussing the faults within the examination. Are we seeing a cycle here?
Blaming teachers' colleges for accepting teachers that are not up to par cannot be accepted. Holness has the power to influence teachers' colleges to improve on their standards to benefit the education product. I am frustrated with Holness pushing the blame around highlighting the facts we already know. Holness should stand firm and effect the changes that ought to be made to make our education system improve giving our children the best opportunities.
Next year at this time we should be stating that requirements at the teachers' colleges were improved upon; changes to the curriculum were implemented making the exam relevant for grade six students; the ratio between teacher and students were reduced among other things. When are we going to get serious and hold Andrew Holness accountable for the shortfalls in the education ministry? After all, he is responsible.

Screening Educators is Critical

One of the great ironies about the education industry surrounds how little attention is given to screening educators. The irony lies in the fact that teachers and their aids have an enormous amount of exposure to those who arguably need the most protection: children. School districts often do only the minimum required to conduct background checks and verify past employment. Unfortunately, unsavory details including criminal records, sexual harassment complaints and other crimes frequently slip through the cracks.
On February 27th, 2007, an investigative report from a TV news team in Pennsylvania uncovered a startling case. Police had been looking for a woman who had been charged with criminal conduct that included stalking, harassment and vandalism. After she ignored her court hearing, an arrest warrant was issued. The news team eventually found her: she was working in a preschool classroom. These types of cases are more common than many people realize.
Screening Educators For Student Safety
Because of students' exposure to teachers, aids and other school employees, school districts have a high level of liability in the event that students are victimized. There are several cases in which teachers have been charged with assault, trafficking drugs and even rape. Students are particularly vulnerable. They're entrusted to the care of school employees who are largely unsupervised. That's why conducting comprehensive background checks is imperative in the education industry.
Screening Educators Reduces School Liability
Ensuring the safety of students (and staff) should be a top priority for any school district. If the hiring practices of a school don't include stringent employee screening processes and a thorough background check for every new hire, that school runs the risk of being held liable when someone in their care is abused. That can lead to lawsuits and community distrust. For a private institution, it can decimate enrollment and eventually lead to the school's closure school.
Ongoing Employee Screening
Many teachers and other school personnel have worked in their positions for many years. Because most schools neglect to perform ongoing background checks, these employees can hide criminal charges that were filed after their initial hiring. As a result, there are many teachers, aids and security guards who currently pose a threat to students and staff. To combat the problem, some states are beginning to require that school's perform annual background checks on employees. Unfortunately, the screening methods that are used are often broad, imprecise and extremely limited in scope.
The Importance Of Screening Educators
Students naturally trust their teachers, aids and other personnel. This makes them even more vulnerable to employees who have the capacity to do them harm. The problem for the education industry is that the employee screening methods that are used don't go far enough. The background checks are often limited by geography or category. This is why criminals often slip through the system and gain exposure to students. To protect students and reduce a school's liability, it's critical that exhaustive screening and background checks are conducted on a regular basis. If your school isn't able to perform this level of employee screening, consider working with an experienced service who can manage the task effectively.

Educational Software - Fun and Easy Way to Learning

Educational software is very common nowadays that it can be found in almost every school and every house with a computer. Why? You ask, because teachers and parent use educational software as another way of teaching children basic things in life. They learn English, Math, Science and other subjects through their computer. But they do they just read or listen to what they see on the computer screen? No, they have fun while learning their lesson, so this is like hitting two birds with one stone.
The mixture of fun and learning is a big plus when you want your children to be knowledgeable and it is the main idea for the development of the many types of educational software. It is software where children can appreciate the different subjects that are also taught in school. They see Math in a fun way when they solve a calculation and they either win a prize or something happens that is totally cool and they would want to see it again so they solve for another.
When they learn science they see the cooler side of it rather than the dull, there are games that help you learn the different combinations of color to make other colors or you learn the different part of a plan by going inside the plant itself. History was always a challenge to learn but with these educational games for the computer you can actually go back in time, what better way to learn history that going to the place itself.
The most popular educational games are those with famous cartoon characters and TV shows like Blues Clues, Dora the Explorer, Sesame Street, Arthur and man more. The children get exited when they see their favorite character on screen helping them so this will really pump them up and truly pay attention to the lessons. This makes it fun for children because it feeds their imagination. Who does not want to see a dinosaur or run around in a trunk of a tree at the size of an ant?
But this technology is not limited to children and even some adults use these programs to either learn the cultures of other places or to enhance ones self. The most common is when adults use it to learn other language, there programs that teach you how to speak proper English, Korean, Japanese or Filipino. Others use it to enhance their skills like when they play typing games, find the correct answer or question games. Today the most popular educational games are those about memorization and observation, parent want their children to have good memories and also develop a sharp eye and mind.
Now that these learning programs are now becoming rampant, is this good or bad? The good news is children are eager to learn because they have fun doing it and the bad news is they are starting to become dependent and find normal classes boring. This should not be the case and it is the teachers obligation to also make their classes fun, we should not allow machines to be the only things that can teach our kids. If educational software can do it, so can teachers.

Money News Made Easy

If you want to keep up on the latest in the world of finance there are many more options than going out each day and vigorously scouting the information and news yourself.
The major search engines each offer their own finance pages, complete with business and personal finance news, advice and contacts. You can also set up RSS feeds that deliver keyword-specific finance news straight to your email address or feed reading device each day.
Lets take a look at what one of the major search engines offers on its finance home page. Whats great about these search engine options is that, because they also offer a free profile and email service, you can set up your own personalized finance page and customize it so that the information delivered to your system each day is exactly what you want to see most.
The four major tabs on the top of this finance home page are Investing, News and Opinion, Personal Finance and My Portfolios. The home page we first land one is the Weekend Edition of the sites finance section, and it includes articles about new markets for luxury homes, the best places to retire, special travel perks available to road warriors, major art auctions and galleries and the personal wealth they can bring, and a feature story about a prime and historic piece of Hollywood property that is up for sale.
Each day this finance page will also show you the latest stock prices and the trends of the major markets. Personal finance news includes columns by experts that address subjects such as the ten highest priced U.S. housing markets, the ten best stocks to buy, and tips on taxes, bill paying and retirement planning.
When you head to the investing tab from this finance home page you can delve more deeply into the various savings resources, such as stocks, bonds, utilities, commodities, real estate, and so forth, and the best ways to save for things like college education including the industries most likely to stand the financial test of time.
From the pull down menus of the News and Opinion finance tab you can explore in more depth issues and topics such as small business help, investment ideas, and providers such as angel firms and venture capitalists.
The personal finance tab is full of advice on career and workplace issues, banking and investing options, family and home life issues such as work/ life balance and trailing spouse problems, the various training and education resources and costs, buying and making money in real estate and so forth.
When you head from the finance home page to the last tab, my portfolio, you get the opportunity to make this handy search engine feature your very own. You can indicate which stocks youd like to be daily displayed from your finance home page, which finance blogs youd like to read each day or week, and which keyword searches youd like the finance algorithms of the search engine to seek out for you. You can search on your own, download the spreadsheet of today's stock info or link to your favorite financial news items.

Education and the Unemployment Rate

I read a couple of interesting statistics the other day in an article about the widening talent shortage among many American companies. The first was a citing about a study done by ManpowerGroup, a Milwaukee-based workforce consultant, showing that 52 % of employers can't recruit skilled workers for their open positions. The other stat, this time by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, showed that of the 9.2% of American currently unemployed, 78% have only a high school education or less.
These numbers are surprising and they tell me a couple of things worth noting regarding our stubbornly high unemployment rate. One is that the rate might not be so high if Americans would get educated and trained in areas of shortage and need. The other is that thinking you are going to get ahead in the 21st century with just a high school education is not preparation for the future.
The public and their proxy the media love to play the blame game for the high unemployment rate. It's the Democrats fault or the Republicans fault. It's greedy Wall Street or lazy Europeans and so on and so on. Instead of finding fault, perhaps we need to hold up a mirror and look into it. We could lower the unemployment rate and all of the misery associated with it significantly if we would further our education in strategic ways. Education is one of the best ways out of this mess.
I rarely hear or read the mainstream media report about this lurking education gap as being a contributor to the unemployment rate and I pay attention to a lot of news. Why do you think that is? Why is the national anchorperson hesitant to say that too many of the unemployed are lacking in the right kinds of education? Perhaps there is a concern that to say so might be perceived as elitist or that someone's feelings may be hurt. There is an elephant in the unemployment room that is being ignored and not fully discussed. And we as a country do ourselves no favors to avoid it.
We should address this issue head on. If we could be delivered news we could really use such as where the human resource shortages are and what is involved in preparing to fill them we could be much better informed. Let's hear more reports about the skills deficit for a change instead of this constant obsession about budget deficits. Let's agree that without a vigorous push for high quality education at all levels, then our chances of competing in the world marketplace are greatly diminished.
School districts and universities need to be more engaged in this conversation as well. Of course their mission is to provide a broad range of learning opportunities to the greatest number of people. But by not identifying and shifting resources to address critical shortage areas of the economy they are denying our workforce significant solutions needed now. Academic advisors and counselors need to work more aggressively aligning emerging talent with areas of employment need.
And let's try harder to see education as the benefit that it is. There is too much of an attitude that views education more as a cost than as an investment. Education can provide individuals with practical skills, a critical thinking ability, and confidence to succeed. It's among the best self-help techniques society can do for itself.
We can do more to reduce unemployment than to just wait for banks, corporations, or government to release more money. We can be smarter about creating a congruence between hiring gaps and workforce development.

William W. Ryan is a Concord, New Hampshire based career consultant specializing in customized career coaching, resume and cover letter writing, and personality assessments.

Why Online Education Is Not For Everybody

Online education has become very popular. You can study just about any subject online, without ever stepping foot into a classroom. Everywhere you look there are advertisements for online programs to get your Masters of Business Management or your law degree online. Before you enroll in an online degree program, you have to consider some things.
Depending on what you want to study, online education may not be right for you. Many of the online programs that are offered today are provided by for-profit schools. For-profit schools exist to make money for their owners, often their owners are stockholders who expect a dividend to be paid or the stock price to increase. The fact that an online program is provided by a for-profit school doesn't mean that the program doesn't deliver a good education, it is simply a factor to consider when researching different programs. The reason I mentioned for-profit schools is because I believe that certain subjects should never be taught entirely online, they just do not fit into the online format.
A perfect example of a subject that does not lend itself to the online format would be chemistry. Chemistry requires students to spend time in a laboratory. The laboratory has specialized equipment and is set up to allow students to conduct experiments, these lessons cannot be taught online with the same degree of competence. A student can watch videos of other people conducting experiments but it is not as effective as actually conducting the experiment.
Other subjects that are difficult to learn online are law, architecture, and medicine, to name a few. If you are unsure if the field you are considering is conducive to online education, check out U.S. News and World Report's College Rankings. If you cannot find an online program in the field that you are researching that is ranked by U.S. News, then that field is probably not appropriate for online education.
Another reason online education is not right for some people is the discipline required. The attractive flexibility of online education also means that a teacher will not tell you when you should start working on your final project or when to read the required reading. It can be tempting to procrastinate and fall behind in class. It is very difficult, if not impossible to catch up once you have fallen behind in an online class.
If you need the structure and guidance of in-class instruction to avoid procrastination, online education is not right for you. Your going to have to be realistic with yourself, only you know if you are the kind of person that can stay focused and disciplined for the couple of years it is going to take to complete the program.
If you are looking for an easy way to get a college degree or you are not willing to put in the effort that it will take to get a college degree from a well respected program, online education is not for you. Although you may find online college programs that require less work than in-class programs, you will not find a program that is as respected and academically rigorous that is easier just because it is online. Top online programs require just as much work as classroom programs.

Daniel Martin is a lawyer with a Masters Degree in Organizational Behavior and a Juris Doctorate.
I enjoy sharing the lessons I learned while going to college. Mi Tutulo, which means my degree in Spanish has information for students and parents about college.
You can find information about applying to colleges, paying for college, and succeeding in college. I am particularly interested in seeing minorities get college degrees, many articles are available in Spanish as well as in English. Stop by [http://www.mitutulo.com] and Follow Me to automatically get articles when they are published.