Phoenix Schools

By Patricia Hawke

The schools in the United States are considered to be "in crisis" due to the soaring student dropout rate. In his first State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush stated that the national dropout rate was 25 percent.

A recent study conducted by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University puts the current national dropout rate at 25 to 30 percent. Additionally, it indicated that males have the highest dropout rate of 20 to 30 percent and are most likely "at risk" of not graduating from high school with a diploma.

It is said that when a student drops out of school, he/she drops into the criminal justice system. In 2002, the U.S. incarcerated its two millionth person. Of those in prison at the time, 82 percent were high school dropouts.

Phoenix Schools Tackle Dropout Rate

Dropouts cost our economy billions of dollars each year, and not just from the cost of incarceration. They are an undereducated work force that retards our economic and social development. Businesses cannot depend upon a large portion of graduating students to fill much-needed jobs, which translates to lost government tax revenues. State governments lose money through welfare payments, unemployment and crime prevention programs. Governments, from the president to the local level, have discovered that if they do not pay for programs to decrease the dropout rate now, they will pay much more in the future.

According to the study, the dropout rates vary dramatically by location and racial/ethnic background. The state of Arizona was cited in the study as one of the five states with the lowest graduation rate for 18 year olds. Thus, Phoenix Schools, along with the Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Horne, have made dropout prevention a top priority.

There are three types of dropouts:

o Dropouts -- students who stop coming to school,

o Drop-In Dropouts -- students who come to school but do nothing while they are there, and

o Forced-Out Dropouts -- students who were "counseled out" by school counselors and administrators.

Phoenix Schools are addressing all three types of dropouts. Their initiatives are focused on engaging the students, rather than excluding them. They know that programs alone will not change the dropout rate. Only people and relationships can make a difference.

Phoenix schools work with businesses, community organizations and others to identify and develop effective strategies for keeping students in school. They are working to improve student academic success, believing that the high school renewal initiatives are directly linked to a decreased dropout rate. Phoenix schools are focusing on fixing the system, not the student.

Every student in the state of Arizona must now pass three tests in order to graduate high school. The tests measure the students' knowledge against required state standards. Phoenix schools are focusing on the students who do not meet the state required standards. They are tackling their needs by:

o Addressing the students' skill gaps through a state-funded tutoring program,

o Providing the students with their own tutorial guides, customized to their individual needs, and

o Using state-funded tutors, who are qualified to help the students learn the required skills in order to achieve a passing score on the standardized tests.

Phoenix schools are committed to reducing the dropout rate in their schools. Though it is a lengthy and ever changing process, they know the importance of their task. Phoenix schools know they have an obligation to the students and their parents, as well as the businesses and community to improve their dropout rates. More skilled and diploma-graduated students mean better-prepared adults and a better Phoenix.

Phoenix Schools Tackle Dropout Rate

Top 5 Business Schools in America

By Joy C. Harrison

If you are looking for a top business school, a great place to begin your search is with one of the national rankings, such as US News & World Report or the Princeton Review. They can provide a myriad of information, including enrollment, placement, scholarships, and average GPA, just to name a few. It is important to have an idea of what characteristics are important to you prior to beginning your search. To help get you started, the top 5 business schools in America are listed below.

Top 5 Business Schools in America

1) Harvard University (Boston, MA)
2) Stanford University (Stanford, CA)
3) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA)
4) Northwestern University (Evanston, IL)
5) University of Chicago (Chicago, IL)

These schools all scored between 100 and 92 in the overall standings. Scores were derived from assessments from peer business school deans, corporate recruiters, placement success, average starting salary, employment rates, student selectivity, GMAT scores, undergraduate GPA, and acceptance rate. In order to be ranked schools had to have a full time MBA program with 20 or more graduates with at least 50% of those graduates seeking work. In total, 433 accredited business school programs were ranked.

Whether you are looking for an undergraduate or graduate program, the national rankings are a great place to start your search for the perfect school. While the ones listed above are just the top 5 business schools in America, there are many other well named schools on the list that may meet your specific needs. Some may even be in your hometown!

Top 5 Business Schools in America

The Rise of Universal State Schools

By Patrick Gomes

By the 1800's the nation, rather than the church, had become the chief symbol that united people in many countries. Thus, religious control over formal schooling declined while that of the state increased.

In France, following the French Revolution of 1789, a national system of secondary schools and universities was set up under tight government control in 1802. Primary schools became part of the system in 1833. However, France did not reform its school system on nationalistic lines nearly so thoroughly as did Prussia and the United States. Prussia developed an educational system under which all children attended schools financed and regulated by the state. The curriculum dealt largely with German literature, geography and history. Teachers were not only well trained but also dedicated to the state. In1871, the king of Prussia became the first emperor of a united Germany. The Prussia system of nationalistic schools was widely believed to have contributed to Prussia's rise to power.

The Rise of Universal State Schools

Greta Britain was one of the few European countries that did not form a state-controlled educational system in 1800's. In Britain, church and charitable societies promoted schools more extensively than did the government. Robert Owen, a mill owner and social reformer, started Great Britain's first infant, or nursery schools in early 1800. The most influential British schools of the 1800s were the public school such as Eton and Tugby. These schools, which were actually private, offered a classical secondary education for upper-class boys.

Girls were less well educated than boys, but from the 1800s more girls went to school, and a small but growing number of female students attended universities. Today, most national school systems are open to girls and boys on equal terms. However in some countries girls still receive an inferior education.

By the early 1900s state primary education was free and compulsory in most Western countries. Some countries also provided free secondary schooling. Vocational and technical education made great strides in Europe during the first half of the 1900s. But today many countries also stress general education at the secondary level. Many nations added infant, or nursery, schools to their system in the mid-1900s.

The Rise of Universal State Schools