Educational Inequality： An Impediment to True Democracy in the United States

Many people believe that democracy is something that can lead everyone toward a better nation and a free and fair society. In 1954, Brown v. Board of Education fundamentally changed the education system in the United States and was a turning point in the evolution of U,S. democracy that made the beautiful American dream available for each individual. However, six decades later, the debate over educational inequality continues. People are still fighting for their equality and well-being. Along with dramatically influential political, economic, and social factors in the United States, educational inequality destroys the commitment of this democratic nation to offer equal opportunity, care, and social justice to younger members of the community. This paper discusses the current problem of educational inequality as it relates to racial and socioeconomic discrimination in urban schools. The aim of this study is to explore knowledge of inequality in the U.S. school system and to raise social and educational awareness to help American children to have equal chances in education and to achieve future success.

A Study on Improving the Teaching Ability of College Physical Education Teachers From the Perspective of OBE

This paper analyzes the current situation of college teachers’teaching organization ability based on teaching implementation by using the literature method and inductive deduction method,and summarizes the factors affecting the teaching ability of college public physical education teachers,in order to provide references for the improvement of the teaching effect of college physical education,and help the implementation of the national strategy of healthy China and sports power.The teaching implementation of physical education teachers in colleges and universities is mainly affected by the drafting of teaching objectives,teaching design,teaching evaluation,and other factors.The teaching workload makes teachers tired of teaching preparation,teaching design fails to think deeply about the major and learning situation,teaching evaluation method is single,and other phenomena.In view of the problems in the implementation of the curriculum,it is proposed to participate in education and teaching training to update the educational concept,regularly carry out teaching and research activities to improve the teaching organization ability,and write teaching logs to improve the ability of sustainable development.

Natural resource dependence, public education investment,and human capital accumulation

This paper examines the relationships between natural resource dependence, public education investment, and human capital accumulation. It addresses why the “blessing” of abundant natural resources often turns into a “curse” in many countries and regions, focusing on the crowding-out effect of natural resources on human capital. According to our empirical analysis of provincial panel data from China, natural resource dependence is significantly and negatively correlated with human capital accumulation. The crowding-out effect of natural resources on human capital exists only in the central and western regions of China. Our introduction of an interaction term for natural resource dependence and public education investment underscores the possibility of investing in public education to reduce the crowding-out effect of natural resource dependence on human capital. The government should utilize the income of the natural resource sector to increase investment in education to enhance local human capital.

An Evaluation of the Investment for Child Development in China

Objective This study estimated the investment in child development from three aspects-public health, public education, and family investment to establish the level of investment, to provide reference information for government decision making and to provide international comparisons. Methods Public investment in health was measured with macro data related to public health spending and child development in government expenditure. Public education investment was based on basic education data. Family investment evaluation was based on per capita family consumer spending data in different age groups to estimate the input for child development. Results Both public health investment level and the proportion of GDP rose for all age groups over time, but the overall investment level was still insufficient. Public investment in children＇s education has increased year by year, but the trends in all age groups are unbalanced with much lower investment in early childhood education. Private investment in children has increased over the period, but has declined as a percentage of GDP. International comparisons show that China＇s investment in child development is much lower than OECD countries. Conclusion The private investment in child development was the main way in China, with public finance contributing only a small proportion. Given the poor international comparisons, the government needs to review the balance of public investment to redirect more towards the development of children under the age of six to their health and education.

How People Use Earthquake Information and Its Influence on Household Preparedness in New Zealand

Forty-eight interviews were undertaken with residents in Timaru, Wanganui and Napier, New Zealand, in 2008 to explore how people understand and use information about earthquake hazards and preparedness, and how this process affects actual preparedness. Three main types of information were identified as being utilized by people： passive information （e.g., newspapers, brochures, TV, radio, websites）, interactive information （e.g., community activities, school activities~ and workplace activities）, and experiential information （e.g., experiencing a hazardous event, responding to an event, and working in an organization that deals with hazards）. People tended to either contextualize hazard and preparedness information around any prevailing beliefs they had or form new beliefs on exposure to information. A number of core beliefs were identified as crucial for helping people consider that preparing is important and motivating actual adjustment adoption. Society also has an influence on how people interpret information and form intentions to prepare. People are often influenced by the opinions of others, and as preparing for disasters is not seen as a societal norm, this can cause people not to prepare. Feeling a responsibility for others （e.g., children） appears to be a major driver of preparedness. Other societal factors such as trust, leadership and sense of community also influence interpretation, dissemination and use of hazards and preparedness information. Finally, a number of resource issues can help or hinder preparedness.

Chinese medical service and medical education in urgent need of reform in the context of public welfare-based medical reform

After six years＇medical reform,about 7.8 billion person-times of medical service has been achieved by2014,and the number of persons covered by basic medical insurance for urban employees,basic medical insurance for urban residents,and new rural cooperative medical insurance exceeded 1.3 billion,of which the coverage ratio reached as high as over 95%,establishing the largest basic medical security network in the world.

A critical review of national physical activity policies relating to children and young people in England

Background:There has been an increasing focus on the importance of national policy to address population levels of physical inactivity.It has been suggested that the 4 cornerstones of policy comprise(1)national guidelines on physical activity(PA),(2)setting population goals and targets,(3)surveillance or health-monitoring systems,and(4)public education.The current study aimed to review the policy actions that have addressed each of these elements for children and youth in England and to identify areas of progress and remaining challenges.Methods:A literature search was undertaken to identify past and present documents relevant to PA policy for children and youth in England.Each document was analyzed to identify content relevant to the 4 cornerstones of policy.Results:Physical activity guidelines(Cornerstone 1)for children and youth have been in place since 1998 and reviewed periodically.Physical activity targets(Cornerstone 2)have focussed on the provision of opportunities for PA,mainly through physical education in schools rather than in relation to the proportion of children meeting recommended PA levels.There has been much surveillance(Cornerstone 3)of children’s PA,but this has been undertaken infrequently over time and with varying inclusions of differing domains of activity.There has been only 1 campaign(Cornerstone 4)that targeted children and their intermediaries,Change4Life,which was an obesity campaign focussing on dietary behavior in combination with PA.Most recently,a government infographic supporting the PA guidelines for children and young people was developed,but details of its dissemination and usage are unknown.Conclusion:There have been many developments in national PA policy in England targeted to children and young people.The area of most significant progress is national PA guidelines.Establishing prevalence targets,streamlining surveillance systems,and investing in public education with supportive policies,environments,and opportunities would strengthen national policy efforts to increase PA and reduce sedentary behavior.

Romantic Pedagogy in the Age of Revolutions： The Strange Career of Emile in America

The puzzle is palpable. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was the most brilliant of all developmental psychologists and his Emile the most profound book ever written on education. In the age of revolutions, Rousseau was one of the two most widely read philosophes in America and Emile the most popular of all his writings. More even than all that, Rousseau＇s ideas about education were far more in tune with the rhetoric of revolutionary America than those of his only real rival in pedagogy, John Locke. Yet Rousseau＇s influence on education in the new nation was negligible. How are we to explain that？ This paper suggests an answer to that question.

Research on the Current Situation and Development Path of Public Art Education in Contemporary Colleges and Universities

Colleges and universities are an important stage of“moral cultivation”and they are the key to cultivate talents,which play an indispensable role in public art education.Public art education in colleges and universities plays an important role in cultivating college students’aesthetic ability,cognitive ability,innovation ability,etc.,but there are still development difficulties in the aspects of development concept,cultural practice,system implementation,etc.Problems in the development process should be solved.It is necessary for colleges and universities to carry out systematic reform from the aspects of public art education policy support system,curriculum teaching system,teacher team system,art activity system,etc.Clarifying the orientation of public art education in colleges and universities,allocating public art education teachers,scientifically setting up public art education curriculum system,and promoting cultural inheritance and innovation are the current exploration paths for the development of public art education in colleges and universities.

A research on the school-based curriculums development in collage public art education construction

Based on an analysis of the existing problems of collage public art education in China, the paper discussed the connotation ofXi＇ an physical education University constructing a ＂one foundation and two supplements ＂ public art education curriculums system with its own characteristics and personality, and generalized the principles and concrete measures we should pay attention to during development of school-based curriculum of public art education.

The Construction of New Diversified Teaching Modes Based on the Training of Workplace English Proficiency-- Research on Vocational Public English Practical Teaching

The current vocational public English education system can not meet the demands of society and market, so there＇ s still a big gap between the capacity of students＇ workplace English and market demands. Therefore, the vocational public English teaching should change the traditional English teaching modes, and construct new diversified teaching modes based on the training of workplace English proficiency, which enables students to master the workplace English through practical work tasks. The practical teaching process is an effective way to realize this teaching aim. So the training of students＇ workplace English capacity is the primary task of English teaching reform in vocational colleges.

The Reasons of Income Gap between Urban and Rural Areas in China and its Policy Suggestions

This paper points out that one of the main reasons for income gap between urban and rural areas in china is difference of human capital reserve on education which are decided by Chinese government＇s urban area privileged policy and the current education system. This paper also compares the different human capital reserve in two area, and analyzes the under-qualified human capital reserve in rural areas is resulted by these following reasons： The shortage of public spending in compulsory education for several decades has contributed to low school attendance and the great illiteracy beyond urban areas; the inefficient educational system has caused peasants to lose interest in education; No support for adult education has closed the doors for adults to earn money in non-agricultural industries. Vocational schools cannot attract the huge number of potential customers since their curricula and skills are out of date. As policy suggestions, governments should invest enough money in compulsory rural education, and creating a pragmatic rural education system is also vital.

On the College Public Arts Education Curriculum System

With the continuing development of China＇ s College Public Arts Education, a good foundation has been laid for China＇ s arts education. However, drastic changes have been taken place in modem teaching values, and the college curriculum system of Public Arts Education failed to meet the needs of development, thus, to optimize the college curriculum system of Public Arts Education has become a tough task in the field of education. This paper is going to make an analysis of Curriculum System Reform of Public Arts Education in three aspects.

Raising Awareness about Water Issues:The Role of Water Symbolism and Proverbs

Sustainable water management is one of the global grand challenges of our time. Tackling this challenge through corrective actions would require the participation of the general public, a public with sound awareness of the challenge and commitment. One such awareness raising intervention could be through the use of water symbolism and proverbs, targeted to particular society. Water has the different symbolism and levels of importance to people, depending of their personal characteristics and socio-demographic factors (e.g. gender, age, occupation, residence). Similarly, water proverbs can also demonstrate attitudes towards water among communities, ethnic groups and whole nations. Such meanings and symbolism could help determine attitude and be a powerful tool towards education. In this context, we describe and propose a psychological Health Belief Model (HBM) as a way to explain behaviour and stimulate sustainable water management practice.

Mapping Seasonal Variation in the Distribution and Concentration of Heavy Metals Using Water Quality Index and Geographic Information Sys­tem Based Applications

Incessant monitoring of water is essential in terms of heavy metals and tox­ic substances as it provides detailed information on aquatic resources.Ma­jority of lagoons receive freshwater from their catchment areas containing industrial and domestic waste.The paper analysed seasonal variations in the distribution and concentrations of Lead(Pb),Copper(Cu),Cadmium(Cd),and Manganese(Mn)in the Fosu lagoon in Ghana to ascertain the quality of the lagoon.Water was sampled from eighteen(18)different points on the lagoon and was analysed at the Water Research Institute(WRI)of the Center for Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR)using Atomic Absorp­tion Spectrometry(AAS)and the results were interpolated using kriging.The results obtained were compared with the World Health Organisation water quality index.Statistical analysis of heavy metal concentrations using Pearson’s two-tailed significance correlation showed positive correlations for both seasons;between Pb and Cu(0.297;sig.=0.232,and 0.196;sig.=0.436),and Cd and Mn(0.119;sig.=0.643 and 0.191;sig.=0.447)for the wet and dry seasons respectively.A paired sample t-test on concen­trations also showed statistical differences between wet and dry seasons’concentrations for Pb(t=1.324;sig.=0.203),Cu(t=2.759;sig.=0.013),and Cd(t=3.056;sig.=0.007),and Mn(t=-4.014;sig.=0.001).Pb and Cd showed higher concentrations above the World Health Organisation's permissible limits.Heavy metal concentrations of water samples analysed varied widely in terms of seasons and sampling points.

Discussion on the Construction of Ecological Water Network in Guangxi Province of China

The water network plays an important role in maintaining the stability of regional water resource and ecological environment.It is also affecting the harmonious development between environment and economy.Guangxi is one of the provinces with relatively rich water resources in China,while the ecological water network exists deficiencies and faces challenges.The current situation and defects of ecological water network in Guangxi province will be discussed.By studying the experience of the establishing and the preserve of ecological water network in various regions at home and abroad,some suggestions and targeted measures will be mentioned for a better ecological water network in Guangxi.

Integrating Online Teaching into Public Physical Education - Taking Vocational Colleges in Chongqing as Examples

With China’s comprehensive development of information technology,it is now widely used in the field of higher vocational education,and online teaching has emerged at a critical juncture.In the information age,there are challenges in meeting the actual needs of contemporary vocational students with traditional teaching methods,along with higher vocational training and school-enterprise cooperation and enrollment work taking place.Online teaching can stimulate students’interest in learning,break the limitation of time and space in conventional teaching,as well as improve the teaching efficiency.Therefore,taking higher vocational colleges in Chongqing as an example,this study explores the integration of online teaching into public physical education courses,in hope to provide some reference for higher vocational colleges.

Research on the influence of community public welfare education activities on residents’awareness of lifelong learning

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of community public welfare education activities on residents’awareness of lifelong learning.Through the analysis of the connotation,form and mechanism of community public welfare education activities,the importance of improving the comprehensive quality of residents and promoting the harmonious development of society is revealed.At the same time,it analyzes the problems faced by current community public welfare education activities,including uneven allocation of resources,single content forms,weak teachers and insufficient capital investment,and puts forward corresponding solutions,in order to provide theoretical basis and practical guidance for optimizing community public welfare education activities and enhancing residents’awareness of lifelong learning.

An inspection on the Gini coefficient of the budget educational public expenditure per student for China's basic education

Using statistical data on the implementing conditions of China's educational expenditure published by the state,this paper studies the Gini coefficient of the budget educational public expenditure per student in order to examine the concentration degree of the educational expenditure for China's basic education and analyze its balanced development condition.As the research shows,China's basic education is undergoing an unbalanced development due to diversified factors,which is mainly reflected as follows:firstly,the budget educational public expenditure presents a four-tiered appearance of the strong,the less strong,the less weak and the weak,which lead to a great discrepancy between the two opposing extremes;secondly,the compulsory education in rural areas is still confronted with great difficulties;thirdly,the general senior secondary education is loaded with the crisis of unbalance.Therefore,it is necessary to construct a balanced development policy framework of the basic education and pay close attention to the benefit and effectiveness of the educational input.In addition,it is also important to clearly stipulate the criterion of the government's educational allocation and to support the disadvantaged areas in order to promote the balanced development of the basic education.