Abstract
The writer asserts that in understanding what accounts for inadequate achievement by minority students in the American public education system, a number of factors must be examined. The writer relates that these factors are poverty, family circumstances, cultural issues between families and schools, and (not least of all) the lack of resources in many schools that have large minority populations. In examining these factors it is this writer's objective to carefully examine the mentioned items, offer an explanation for each item's continued existence, and finally strategize on how educators can combat these inequalities through the usage of different programs and policies. Every bit as importantly, the writer offers some insight into how the achievement gap in our schools came about, for it is only when we know about our past that we can finally understand our present and what needs to be done to secure our future. Ultimately, it is the writer's conclusion that, until various remedies are implemented, we will continue to inadequately educating our minority students.

Tags:american, school, system

Abstract
The author of this paper states that motivation and learning have long been inter-related and continues by positing that the two concepts are mutually interdependent since how much a person learns depends on how much the person is motivated and studies and, the more the person learns, the higher the motivation to study further. To put it in less complex terms, students who enjoy school life and show a willingness to make the most of the school environment are more likely to learn. In the paper, the author discusses various theories of motivation. This is followed by a discussion on research pertaining to the area of teacher expectancy and its effects. Finally, the writer attempts to arrive at some practical suggestions, which teachers, reflecting upon their own classroom practices, might find useful to enhance student motivation in the classroom. The paper includes one table.

Contents:
Introduction
Theories of Motivation
Person-as-machine theories - psychoanalytical and behavioural theory
Person-as-Rational-Thinker - cognitive theory of achievement motivation
Attribution Theory
Self-efficacy Theory and Self-worth Theory
Achievement Goal Theory
Cognitive theory and the primary school child
Teacher expectations - theory and research
Factors affecting teacher expectations
Teacher behavior toward high- and low- expectancy students
Teacher expectations and motivation - personal experience and classroom practice
Motivation and teacher expectations
Conclusion
Bibliography

From the Paper
"At this point I'd like to share some of my own personal experience. My interest in this area arose from the fact that I experimented with my expectations during the past scholastic year. I don't know if it is the case elsewhere, but at our school, on the first day, it is common practice for teachers to exchange information about their students. Since I teach the higher class, in primary school, I am always on the receiving end and listen to my colleagues' evaluations of my new students, their family history and other details. To be honest I find this practice unnerving. I would have seen my students for barely a couple of hours and would like to form my own impressions of them.
"Last October, I decided to pay attention to their comments in so far as to delineate those students whom other teachers classified as low-achievers or not motivated. I then embarked on a mission to try to convey to these students high-expectations. There was a girl I particularly targeted. She was very creative but I knew she had achieved poorly the previous year and had not shown much involvement in class. As I started to expect more out of her and gave her support and encouragement, her attitude changed completely. By the end of the year she was one of the average students as regards achievement tests and her project work was so good that we held an exhibition which featured primarily her work."

Tags:education, elementary, teacher, student, learning, motivation, role, creativity, study, expectations, theories, research

Abstract
This paper assesses the value of strategies used by human resources to encourage and remunerate an organization's employees. The author concludes that motivation and rewards are essential functions through which the contributions of employees can be maximized in the effort to achieve the goals of the organization.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Contribution of Employees in Organization
Importance of Reward and Motivation System in Organization
Performance Improvement in Organization through Rewards and Motivation
Conclusion
References

From the Paper
"Human Resource management is an important area of an organization that has a crucial role to play in achieving success in the overall performance of an organization. It involves the overall management of resources of an organization in a manner that leads to the achievement of the organizational goals comprehensively. Various functions are involved within the function of human resource management of an organization. One of the major aspects of Human Resource Management is `Reward and Motivation'. HR manager of an organization needs to perform various functions ranging from recruitment of a candidate to the overall development of employees."

Tags:business, achievement, growth, skills

Abstract
This study aims to investigate what critical factors are necessary for staff and faculty to adopt in the classroom to raise achievement among multicultural students. The study includes qualitative analysis of factors contributing to student achievement so that a grounded theory can be adopted with regard to what factors truly influence student success. A survey methodology is proposed to analyze what factors teachers and students feel contribute to achievement in and outside the classroom.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Significance of Study
Preliminary Literature Review
Methods

From the Paper
"There is a large body of evidence, which suggests that cooperative learning is useful in encouraging student interaction in the classroom and impacting student achievement (Vaughan, 2002). The extent to which cooperative learning can aid multicultural students however has not been thoroughly investigated; in fact, cooperative learning is believed to be of most use in small settings of heterogeneous population groups (Vaughan, 2002). It is based on principles including group accountability, collaborative skills and group processing as well as positive interdependence (Vaughan, 2002). The extent to which these skills can be translated to multicultural populations has yet to be examined in greater detail (Banks, 2001)."

Tags:ethnic, cultural, minorities, realm, education, adequate, representation, knowledge, experiences

Abstract
The paper argues that closing the achievement gap that exists will take an equitable allocation of funds and a supply of high-quality teachers that are good role models for African-American students. The paper discusses how to ensure that our teachers are quality individuals who understand the process of teaching as well as the methods that are currently available. The paper further addresses the need for students to be motivated to learn, for there to be higher expectations from teachers and students and for there to be less negative stereotyping by teachers. The paper asserts that if these factors are addressed effectively, a change can be initiated.

From the Paper
"There are a number of factors to be researched concerning the achievement gap between African American and Caucasian students. These factors include such things as resource allocation and how it affects those that receive less as compared to those that receive additional resources, how low teacher expectations can be effecting results from students who realize that the expectations are low (or high), academic stereotyping and the subliminal effects it is having on students, and last, but certainly not least, teacher quality or lack thereof. The educational environment in which the students find themselves is also perceived as an important factor in the level of success for many students.
"There have been a number of studies conducted during the last several decades that present various reasons for the achievement gap between black and white students, and a large number of decisions have been made using the data as presented by those studies. In the past the common perception may have been that certain students, or groups of students may have been less likely to achieve success due to their membership in that group. Stereotyping to that degree might even be a harbinger for the lack of success. A 2007 study found that "stereotype threat effects occur when members of a stigmatized group perform poorly on a task because they fear confirming a negative stereotype that is associated with their ingroup" (Spencer & Castano, 2007, p. 419). If members of a group feel that they are being looked down upon or castigated for being a part of that group, they may be acting out in the specific manner for which they are being looked down upon in the first place."

Tags:stereotyping, teachers, collaboration, motivation, role, models

Abstract
The paper considers strategies to increase the level of motivation in employees, with a focus on public sector employees, such as a social worker in a nursing home. The paper discusses how the task of motivating employees in any organization is about fostering and nurturing an internal sense of ownership of their jobs and the opportunity to continually gain mastery of it.

Outline:
Introduction
Employee Motivation Strategies for Public Sector Employees
Summary

From the Paper
"Increasing the level of motivation in employees regardless of the main business of any organization requires a well-defined and consistently executed series of strategies to continually earn their trust and therefore gain results. The foundation of any successful change management program to increase motivation must be based on trust (Hurley, 2006). The many challenges of creating trust with employees while defining, clarifying and consistently keeping opportunities for achievement open to them is critical for long-term motivation to work (Herzberg, 2003). Relying purely on the rewards of time off or more pay is seldom strong enough of a motivator to keep employees continually focused on improvement (Douglas, Zivnuska, 2008). Instead what is needed is a change management program based on trust (Burke, Sims, Lazzara, Salas, 2007) that also provides the flexibility of giving employees an opportunity to gain a sense of accomplishment from their tasks (Herzberg, 2003)."

Tags:trust, accomplishment, rewards, achievement, recognition

Abstract
This paper points to the literature that explains how and why some students become motivated to do well in school and others do not. The paper refers to Albert Bandura's important work in psychology, in particular his learning tool of "self-efficacy," which measures confidence and reinforces positive goal-setting as a way of building the power of motivation within one's own self.

From the Paper
"This aspect of self-efficacy carries over into a student's writing abilities; and a writer with a "strong sense of confidence" may excel while writing an essay because there will be less apprehension over the quality of what the writer is trying to express. The writer may have some doubts about whether the essay is going to be strong enough (or not), but self-efficacy provides the "resiliency in the face of adversity," Pajares explains.
"That means, once a student has confidently said to himself, before launching into a project, that he can do this (self-assessment is a big part of motivating one's self), there is resilience (a resistance to giving up when the writing gets a little tough) that pushes the student on. After all, he has said out loud or perhaps written down his confident belief that he can complete the assignment, and the echo of that promise to himself is powerful, if of course it was sincere in the first place."

Tags:self-efficacy, motivation, achievement

Abstract
The paper looks at three U.S. states - Florida, California, and New York State - and examines the extent to which minorities are significantly over-represented in the penal system/detention facilities of these jurisdictions; because young people are the future of this country, and because youths who find themselves in trouble with the law early in life will undoubtedly fall into trouble later in life, as well, special attention is devoted to the experiences of minorities in the criminal justice systems of each of the three states. The type of approach the writer is pursuing in addressing this problem is, in its initial stages, two-fold: firstly, the available literature is reviewed to show that, without question, there is a serious problem that needs to be confronted; and, secondly, the paper looks at a variety of studies that suggest alternatives to the current conventional practice of merely "locking up" minorities who commit crimes without appreciating the sociological and economic factors that predispose them towards crime. As the third step of the proceedings, a comparative analysis is undertaken of the criminal processing records in each of the states mentioned above and whether or not minorities are more likely to be subjected to lengthy prison terms than whites who commit the same crimes.

Tags:justice, system, minorities

Abstract
This essay assesses No Child Left Behind (NCLB), an act developed by federal legislation that authorizes programs intended to improve academic performance through new standards of accountability by schools, school districts, and states. The author makes the argument that, while there have been inconsistent findings regarding NCBL's effectiveness, the act has stimulated the adolescent to greater academic achievement by involving various forms of competition, while motivating students to identify with the school, to excel over self and over other schools.

Outline:
Overview of the NCLB Act
Mandates of the NCLB (2002)
Mission Viejo High School and District Scores
How Teachers and School Districts Meet NCLB Demands
Impact of the NCLB on US Adolescent Education

From the Paper
"Another means by which teachers and school districts meet NCLB demands consists of incentives and resources provided by law. Annual testing is done against standards, and achievement results are analyzed and reported. Technical assistance is provided. As of 2006, highly qualified teachers were provided for core academic subject areas, along with highly qualified aides (Ruiz, 2002). The law also provides support for students with special needs or who have difficulty meeting the standards. The law also provides scientifically proven programs and strategies to help teachers and school districts to meet the standards. Funding for the same purpose to districts and states has amounted to one billion dollars. That money is used for teacher professional development, reading readiness programs for preschool children, and education technology (Ruiz, 2002)."

Tags:education initiatives, federal legislation, achievement minorities motivation

Abstract
This paper examines the phenomenon of the anti-globalization New Left in Canada, and explains their ideology, motivation, and relationship with the Old Left, such as organized labor. It describes that the New Left believes the Canadian political system weakens minor parties and makes parliamentary action useless. The paper describes why the New Left will have difficultly achieving power.

From the Paper
"The "new left" is a distinct kind of interest group, a sub-set of standard interest groups referred to as social movements. Their organizational structure and preferred mode of political action, namely, the mobilization of non-governmental groups to attempt to influence public opinion via protests against corporations and agents of international economic globalization, is an expression of the core element of their ideology; that governments are impotent in the face of capitalist economic globalization. More specifically, they believe the Canadian political system with its limited role for democracy, the declining influence of Parliament, strong party system and the systemic way it weakens minor parties makes parliamentary action useless. For the NDP, notwithstanding its need for new support, has have been unable to incorporate the "new left" into its traditional bases of support because of nature of mass party structures. This incompatibility is detrimental to both sides; the methods of the "new left" to not appear conducive to success, and the traditional support for the NDP is continuing to weaken."

Tags:anti, globalization, movement, politics, pressure, social, canada, left, organized, labour