Abstract
In "The Story of the Education Dollar", Allen Odden, David Monk, Yasser Nakib and Lawrence Picus describe some basic facts about education spending in the United States to facilitate an understanding of the level and uses of the federal government's policies on education funding. The paper shows that the purpose of the authors' discussion is to argue that public education facilities need to change their focus on the consumption of educational resources to a focus on producing high levels of student achievement. It shows how they contend that such a redirection in focus will require large improvements in student achievement, given that only about 10 percent of students currently attain the desired level of achievement across the board in mathematics, science, writing, history, geography and civics. The paper then shows how James Traub, in his article "What No School Can Do", expands on their discussion to argue for the necessary inclusion of after-care activities for inner-city youth in any successful educational spending program.

From the Paper
"Odden et al. note that their analysis of spending patterns across the 50 states is supported by the conclusions reached by the Finance Center of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE), although the results of their research did diverge in some significant ways. Odden et al. examined spending and staffing patterns at the district and school levels. They also scrutinized staffing patterns of expenditures by function and program and spending across curriculum content areas in California, Florida and New York. Their major conclusion was that while there had been considerable national investment in public education during the 20th century, as a rule the funds were distributed unfairly and used ineffectively."

Tags:curriculum, school, district, Roots, Wings

Abstract
The paper relates the origin of the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award (MBQA) award and the reason why it was instituted. It explains that the award is named after the quality-conscious man who served as US Secretary of Commerce 1981-1987 , and was established to recognize companies that demonstrate the highest possible level of excellence in their overall performance. The paper discusses the criteria necessary to qualify for the award and notes that the goal is to identify opportunities for continuous improvement, in order to yield positive business results.

From the Paper
"The specific goals of the award's creation were to (1) promote an awareness of the importance of quality to competitiveness, (2) increase understanding about the level of quality required to achieve world-class recognition, and (3) foster the sharing of information about quality by world-class organizations. These goals are further advanced by requiring the award winners to communicate their quality strategies. The MBNQA examination criteria comprise seven functionally related major categories and 32 subcategories. A point allocation scheme emphasizes various categories and subcategories according to their relative contribution to the overall quality level of an organization. Examiners assess an organization's current quality practices and award points that reflect the organization's quality strengths and weaknesses in each of the seven categories."

Tags:Baldrige, health, care, performance, excellence

Abstract
This paper examines how America has been characterised by a dramatic decrease in civic engagement and how this decrease is not only illustrated by low turnouts at presidential elections, which reveals a fall in electoral political participation, but also by lower civic engagement through active participation in social and political organisations. Robert Putnam suggests that American society's civic disengagement is, in large part, due to the development of the television. The paper argues that, if the American society is indeed characterised by a significant decrease in civic engagement, the development of television and other forms of media technologies does not lead necessarily to a more 'politically cynical' society.

Outline:
Putnam's Thesis: The Loss in Social Trust is Responsible For Less Civic Engagement
The End of America's Republican Civic Engagement?
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Mouritsen questions Putnam's concept of social capital by interrogating the 'civil' in Putnam's conception of 'civil society'. Mouritsen insists on the fact that Putnam puts largely the emphasis on a civic community that emerges almost spontaneously from the people, "from the microcosmos of society" (MOURITSEN, 2003: 651). Putnam's considerations on the forming of social capital are thus based on the assertion that voluntary forces emanating from the people, from 'below', constitute the foundation of a civic consciousness. Mouritsen therefore criticises a conception of civil society that appeals to a narrow sense of republicanism: in this logic, many social scientists used to see the civil society as a civic space emerging independently from state forces, according to the "classical republican ideology of self-governing citizens" (MOURITSEN, 2003: 652). "

Tags:disengagement, groups, individualism, interest, media, networks, participation, television, tocqueville

Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that an examination of civic engagement in global public policy demonstrates that citizens have increasingly joined transnational networks to try to influence policy and bring about change. The writer points out that some of these campaigns have been very successful, some have had mixed success, and some failed to achieve their goals altogether. The writer discusses that in the 1980's, the civic engagement of millions of people to reduce the nuclear arsenals of the United States and the Soviet Union was a mixed success, for significant nuclear arms reductions were achieved, but nuclear war is still a threat to the survival of humanity. The writer maintains that many aspects of this civic engagement need to be examined and analyzed, not only because these efforts helped to end the Cold War, but because similar efforts are needed today to prevent new nuclear arms races from developing, both regionally and globally.
The writer concludes that examining civic engagement in global public policy demonstrates that concerned citizens have increasingly participated in transnational efforts to try to influence policy and effect change. The paper includes an annotated bibliography.

From the Paper
"Criteria such as the signing and ratification of these treaties confirms the success of this civic engagement campaign, as does documented evidence that the nuclear arsenals of the two superpowers were reduced by fifty-percent in many strategic and tactical weapons categories, while other categories such as short-range and medium range nuclear ballistic missiles were eliminated entirely. This was all achieved without any direct participation by citizens in international decision-making forums, and was produced primarily through domestic political pressure."
"This campaign was legitimate, for the nuclear arms race had escalated for decades after the first atomic bombs were developed, and the nuclear arsenals of the two superpowers consisted of more than forty-thousand nuclear warheads by the early 1980's."

Tags:global, policy, arsenals, war, threat

Abstract
This paper examines the interrelated issues of civic pride and identity and the challenges of retaining big league sports teams in Canadian cities. The paper argues that the sources of civic pride are changing, such that hockey is no longer the chief or only source of a sense of civic pride and identity in Canadian cities. Moreover, the paper argues that this is a good thing, as hockey has become increasingly commercialized and public money should not end up in the private pockets of franchise holders.

From the Paper
"Fortunately, as we have seen, civic identity and pride is no longer tied exclusively to hockey in Canada. People have grown up and moved on. This is a good thing, as hockey at the same time has morphed into a big-money sport that makes only a very few people richer - mainly just the franchise owners. It is untenable and unconscionable for people to be denied food, healthcare and housing, while taxpayers' money is poured into the pockets of already wealthy franchise owners. This will mean that more Canadian cities will see the departure of their teams to the big, wealthy cities of the USA's sunshine belt. It seems that Canadians will simply have to root their civic pride and identity in benefits for all, and learn to watch the games from afar. Fortunately, most of us have television!"

Tags:franchise, identity, league, commercialization

Abstract
This paper focuses its analysis on the interrelated dependencies between the performance of a major league hockey team and the civic pride of area residents. The paper refers to the foreword of Jim Silver's "Thin Ice," which is written by David Whitson writes. The paper agrees with Whitson's assertion that, for better or for worse, professional sports teams have been become surrogates and even mobilizers for civic identity and regional image.

From the Paper
"In the "Foreword" to Jim Silver's Thin ice, David Whitson writes: "For better or worse, professional sports teams have become surrogates for, and mobilizers of, civic identity in an era when this is increasingly hard to find; and the loss of a major team does represent, for many people, a significant loss to the atmosphere and general `life' of a city. Though there is little hard evidence to support claims that the presence of major league sports is decisive in residential -- let alone business -- relocation decisions, sports teams contribute to a cumulative image of a city with `things to do' (Silver 7). This essay examines the interrelated ..."

Tags:Canada, sport, nationalism, fan

Abstract
This paper describes the ways that the Athenians practiced a polytheistic religion which expressed itself through civic festivals and cults. The paper attempts to create an overview of the most important Athenian civic festivals. It describes the way in which each festival provided a basis in Athenian worship, gave Athenian's a sense and a meaning in life and provided them with a sense of identity as human beings.

Table of Contents:
The Panathenaia
The Anthesteria
The Dionysia
The City Dionysia

From the Paper
"The Dipolieia was a very strange Athenian festival that took place two days after another important festival, the Skira (Parke 162). It comprised of a ceremony called the Butaphonia in the honor of Zeus (Parke 162). They celebrated a special aspect of Zeus by this festival, i.e. Zeus as the God of the city and the festivities took place at his altar from the Acropolis (Parke 162). The ceremony implied the sacrifice of an ox and a mock of its restoration to life. The ritual had become antiquated and so did the festival (Parke 166).
In conclusion, the calendar of the ancient Greeks was full with both the specific Athenian festivals and the ones referring to the entire Attica. However, they did not serve only the scope of entertainment, but they supported the development of the sciences and the art while encouraging people to travel and try new things."

Tags:Acropolis, Zeus, Dionysia, Anthesteria, Panathenaia

Abstract
This paper states that its research on the issue of civic engagement in global public policy confirms that citizens and peace activists all over the world have organized transnational networks in order to influence arms control policies and bring about change. Their efforts have produced mixed results, from remarkable success to complete failure. Ultimately, their influence on arms control policy depends upon their ability to generate public support for arms reductions, for public support translates into political pressure on government policymakers. The paper brings historical examples from the Cold War to illustrate this, such as the Cuban missile crisis, the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty with the Soviet Union, the Salt I Treaty, the Strategic Defense Initiative, and the START treaty. The paper concludes by stating that arms and militarism have been an inseparable part of every major empire or culture throughout human history and that this is a dilemma peace activists may not be able to resolve. The paper includes an annotated bibliography.

From the Paper
"Civic engagement on arms control policy emerged in the aftermath of the Second World War in response to the development and deployment of nuclear weapons by the United States and the Soviet Union. After the fall of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in 1945, the United States and the Soviet Union amassed huge arsenals of atomic bombs, intercontinental ballistic missiles, strategic jet bombers, and ballistic missile submarines, and it seemed that conventional battles fought by massed armies of tanks and infantry would never occur again. The general consensus among government officials and the public as well was that possession of nuclear weapons was the new measure of any nation's military power."

Tags:disarmament, protest, doctrine, world, peace, force, war, conflict, international, policy, arms

Abstract
This paper evaluates the Honda Civic as a product in terms of Porter's Five Forces Model of analysis.

Abstract
This paper explains that Modesto, California, is changing quickly from a primarily white community to one that is more heavily Latino populated. The writer is concerned that political issues regarding the city's government will continue to be raised by this new population concentration. The paper stresses that the people of all backgrounds who have lived in the city for all their lives do not want to see it fractionalized. The writer describes the proactive initiatives the community is undertaking to encourage Latino voters, political participation and better police relations.

From the Paper
"Modesto is also being asked by the NAACP to begin a discussion with police agencies around Modesto concerning complaints of brutality. The organization did not say how many complaints were received, but name an incident last September when 17 people were arrested following a riot outside a concert in Modesto. This indicates that there is also friction between the city police and the smaller black population, as well."

Tags:white, city council, voter, civic excellence, proactive