Abstract
This paper explains that the main hypothesis of this study is, while arts education in New Jersey is getting as much attention as it ever has, the state of New Jersey arts education has no effect either on school improvement initiatives related to arts education or on calculation of students' GPAs. The author further hypothesized that, while arts educators in New Jersey may well be feeling some dampening effects, financially or through curriculum demands, of NCLB, school districts typically do not receive funds from any outside sources, including parents groups, Booster Clubs, or local businesses to fund arts education programs. The paper includes the complete questionnaire developed by the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, to be send to a sample consisting of 50% or more of the 604 New Jersey arts superintendents across virtually every school district in the state of New Jersey.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Restatement of Hypothesis
Sample description
Instrument
Data analysis
The Complete Questionnaire

From the Paper
"The standards came into being as a result of a reform effort generated in the 1980s, emerging in several states and gaining nationwide visibility with the publication of A Nation at Risk in 19783. As a result, six national educational goals were announced in 1990. Later, with the passage of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, the goals were written into law, naming the arts as an essential academic subject as important to education as language, mathematics, history, civics and government, geography, the sciences and foreign language ability."

Tags:hypothesis, standards, dampening, questionnaire, sample

Abstract
This paper examines the American estate tax and the moral issues surrounding it. It asks the question if government can provide services to a dead person, since estate tax is merely a death tax. The paper claims that this progressive tax is only that in theory, and it does not distribute the wealth more evenly amongst the people.

Table of Contents:
History of The Estate Tax
Many are Impacted
An Estate Tax Generates Little Revenue, but Significant Impact
The Burden is Not Primarily on The Wealthy.
The Estate Tax Dampens Savings and Impacts Small Business
Practices of Avoidance Renders The Tax Regressive
Charitable Giving has Not Been Shown to be Impacted.
Conclusion

From the Paper
"The never ending battle over the estate tax or death tax as it has been called in recent political sound bytes is a reflection of the conflicting principles by which the United States was founded. While on the one hand, there is strong opposition to the creation of an aristocracy in this country, there is an even greater sentiment against government controlling people's destiny through the application of a tax, especially a progressive one which has the semblance of socio-economic engineering. Add to that the repulsion the American public feels at the mention of any tax, progressive or not, and it's no wondered that this form of a transfer tax has come and gone on many more than one occasion. However, all the rhetoric aside, when looking at the estate tax what we see is a mechanism that is not able to meet expectations. Essentially, the estate tax should be eliminated because it just does not work."

Tags:Probate, Law, Taxation