Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Animal Cruelty Essay - 821 Words

Animals around the world are being taken out of their natural habitats, being breaded and fed antibiotics. Cruelty among the animals range from puppy mills, zoos, factory farms, and many more. People who hurt animals may not even know they’re doing harm to them, but animals are dying all around us. According to Dà ©sirà ©e Achollo of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), families that adopt rabbits, goldfish, and hermit crabs don’t take good enough care of the animals and the animals end up in the garbage (February 2010 n.p). Animal Cruelty is happening all around us through the mistreatment of dolphins, puppies, exotic animals, cows, and many more. Are dolphins dealing with animal cruelty? The answer is yes. Dolphins are†¦show more content†¦Also some were kept in feeding troughs and turtles in shipping containers. There are more interesting animals being harmed around the world, such as animals in fairs, midways, etc. Elephants, tigers, and many more in fairs and midways are being maltreated. They have elephant rides, tiger photo booths, petting zoos and animals are being put on display. Dà ©sirà ©e Achollo of PETA states that they take very little care of these animals and many of them are forced into crammed cages (February 2010 n.p). She found that when baby tigers outgrow their cuteness they are dumped at roadside zoos or left to languish in crammed cages. Along with cute baby tigers being poorly taken care of, puppies around the world are dealing with brutality. What exactly is a puppy mill? It’s a dog breeding operation that doesn’t consider genetic quality. These puppies are sold to pet shops at as young as eight weeks old. Since they’re breaded they’re prone to congenital and hereditary conditions, such as heart and kidney failure, deafness, eye problems, blood disorders and many more. According to ASPCA the puppies live in overcrowded and unsanitary areas wit h no care, food, water and socialization (197). They’re kept in cages with wiring floors that hurts the puppy’s paws and legs. The breeder dogs at the mills live either outside orShow MoreRelatedAnimal Cruelty And The Prevention Of Cruelty1434 Words   |  6 PagesPrevention of Cruelty to Animals, better known as the ASPCA is a non profit organization that focuses on preventing animal cruelty. The mission of the ASPCA is â€Å"to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States† (ASPCA). Animal cruelty and neglect are huge problems in the United States, therefore organizations such as the ASPCA are needed to start the process of prevention. The ASPCA website is used to to bring awareness to the issue of animal cruelty throughRead MoreAnimal Cruelty And Animal Abuse879 Words   |  4 Pages Animal Abuse is when someone hurts an animal or does not care for the animal responsibly. It’s against the law to hard or be cruel to animals. It’s also called animal cruelty. The topic is going to be over is animal abuse. There’s a lot of people against animal abuse. A lot of researchers try to find a way to stop animal abuse. The FBI is conducting an investigation to find out a way to serve justice to those that abuse animals. Animal abuse has been going on for a very long time now and it needRead MoreAnimal Cruelty Should Be Punished1665 Words   |  7 Pages Animal Cruelty There are many cruel things that people are doing to hurt and neglect animals. This is called animal cruelty, and animal cruelty is when someone harms an animal or does not care for that animal responsibly, such as not giving a cat or dog food or water and not providing them with veterinary care. People who neglect animals should be punished and not have the right to own an animal because animal cruelty is a law and a felony and many people areRead MoreThe Aspc Preventing Animal Cruelty1485 Words   |  6 PagesThe ASPCA: Preventing Animal Cruelty One Animal at a Time The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, better known as the ASPCA is a nonprofit organization that focuses on preventing animal cruelty. The mission of the ASPCA is â€Å"to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States† (ASPCA). Animal cruelty and neglect are tremendous problems in the United States, therefore, organizations such as the ASPCA are needed to start the processRead MoreThe Cruelty Of Animal Cruelty1224 Words   |  5 Pagesmind as I grudgingly watch a woman eat a cheeseburger while wearing a t-shirt with the phrase My Favorite Breed is RESCUED blasted on the front. With every bite I delve deeper into the question of what exactly is animal cruelty and why does society differentiate between which animals are worthy and not worthy of liberation. Humans have not only been hidden skillfully from the atrocious truth that is factory farming, but many choose to remain ignorant as it is easier to igno re the cries of cattleRead MoreThe Link between Animal Cruelty and Society1041 Words   |  4 PagesThe Link between Animal Cruelty and Society â€Å"The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but Can they suffer?† ― Jeremy Bentham, The Principles of Morals and Legislation. As a society we have come to see animal cruelty as a heinous crime, and that’s great progress. However, not everyone is following the notion. Animal cruelty is still very prevalent, and sadly its abhorrent results are often neglected and overlooked. Although it isn’t always to the same extent of atrocious consequencesRead MoreThe Cruelty Of Animals And Animal Abusers Lie Behind The Curtain1499 Words   |  6 PagesAnimals have shown their love throughout history to humans and we have shown ours. The love of animals is broad and unlimited, but humans continue to abuse their pets and destroy their loyalty. Why do people do this? Why do humans demolish animals lives? The answer lies behind the curtain. The curtain in which animal abusers lie behind. An impenetrable curtain that law reinforcement cannot take the cruel men out of. Try as they might, the abomination continues. Some though, get what they deserveRead MoreAnimal Cruelty959 Words   |  4 PagesAnimals are subjects to inhumane treatment by the hands of many individuals, however there is little done in order to protect them from this form of physical and neglectful treatment. Though there are several laws against this type of conduct, a great deal of animal abuse is unforeseen and these animals are victims whom cannot protect themselves. The state of New York describes felony animal cruelty as, â€Å"intentionally and without just cause seriously injuring or killing an animal† (Iannacone 2011)Read MoreAnimal Cruelty Is A Crime Against Humanity1246 Words   |  5 PagesIn order to constitute animal cruelty as a Crime Against Humanity we must prove that society is ignoring the violence towards them despite the research evidence, the government sanctions mass killings of them, and that this type of violence affects humans on a large scale (Plant, Schaik, Gullone, Flynn 2016). Although di spositional factors such as empathy and aggression may influence animal cruelty, we must look at the environmental factors that lead to the negative effects from a macro-level perspectiveRead MoreAnimal Cruelty : The Impacts Of Animal On Animals1609 Words   |  7 PagesPROPOSED STUDY: Title: Animal Cruelty: The impacts of animal cruelty on animals focusing on puppy farming and bullfighting and why abusiveness towards animals occurs. Background: There are multiple reasons why an individual may be cruel to animals, the main reasons include psychological issues, culture and also for the beneficial factor. The psychological angle towards animal abuse is often due to negative thoughts. If an individual is under a lot of stress and or pressure, they may like to vent

Monday, December 23, 2019

Pax Romana - 816 Words

Romes Golden Age, better known as Pax Romana, was a time were peace flourished after ongoing battles and civil wars and commerce brought immense wealth to its citizens. The Roman Oration was written and delivered by Aelius Aristides, a popular Greek orator who lived during the Roman Empire, glowingly praising the Pax Romana (which literally means Roman Peace). In this oration, Aristides used hyperbole and exaggeration to describe the Roman Empire whilst managing to capture the universalism and cosmopolitanism that characterized it. Pax Romana was not only the long period of relative peace and minimal expansion by military force experienced by the Roman Empire between 27 BC and 180 AD, but also a time where order, efficient†¦show more content†¦But even during such great times, trouble is never far behind. Marcus Aurelius was the last emperor of such times and his death marks the beginning of the end of the Pax Romana. The Roman Empire had trouble keeping the economy strong d ue largely to slow means of communication and transportation and was also deteriorating due to cultural stagnation and transformation. Soon after, the Roman Empire was plunged into military anarchy, raided by Germanic tribes, and burdened by economic dislocations. In conclusion, one must consider that Aelius Aristides was most likely delivering this speech before the people of Rome and the Emperor himself and therefore he logically said everything that would please the Emperor. Although there might have been some other things worth mentioning, I believed his portrayal of the Pax Romana was a fair one. After all, it was a time referred to by its citizens as The Time of Happiness. I do, however, feel it is important to mention that even though it was characterized as a time of peace, there were many battles still going on (although usually out in the extremities where the majority of people would not know about them). In a way, I consider it to be very similar to the present, whereas the biggest obstacles we face now is mainly providing a better way of living, instead of the quest of conquering theShow MoreRelatedThe Aeneid And The Pax Romana1580 Words   |  7 Pages The epic poem The Aeneid; written by Virgil in the heights of the Pax Romana in AD 29. The poems give a summary of the history of the Trojans who has fled their home land Troy, after the invasion of the Greeks. Aeneas and his men must now travel to the land of Italy, were they will become founding fathers of the great Roman Empire. This is voyage is lead extremely by Aeneas fate in the gods and the notable characteristics of Aeneas which is piety and obedience to the will of the gods. TheRead MoreEssay The Pax Romana2173 Words   |  9 PagesThe Pax Romana Most often revered for their warfare, Rome created more than just an incredible military empire, they created a time of great peace that had never been seen before in recorded history. This time of peace, referred as the Pax Roman ( 96 AD - 200 AD), which means literally Roman Peace. This time of Roman peace was a system of government created by Augusts ( the Emperor of Rome), and lasted for over 200 years. It was out of this peace time that sport leisure time whereRead MoreGlobalization Means Underaken Entirely805 Words   |  3 PagesEuropean trade (Houstan, 2008). During their periods Roman and Ottoman Empires established â€Å"world systems† reliable with their supremacy in the â€Å"discovered† world and Pax Romana and Pax Ottoman instituted illustrations of globalization that â€Å"effects and compasses the entire world† in nineteenth century with the Pax Britannica known as the world order urbanized by Britain. Two important world wars and then the race between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist RepublicsRead MoreHan Dynasty and Roman Empire (Compare and Contrast)988 Words   |  4 PagesEast, Italy, India, and China. Both of these cultures obtained peace at the peak of their trading and economic prosperity. The peaceful times were a result of their successful trading. To the Romans this peaceful time was known as Pax Romana, to the Chinese it was known as Pax Sinica. China and Rome also had advances in art and science. Rome built the Pantheon using their newly invented buildin g material, concrete. On the other hand, the Chinese advanced in science and art by inventing paper for useRead MoreThe Economic Impacts of Pax Romana731 Words   |  3 PagesDetermining the Economic Impacts of Pax Romana Determining the Economic Impacts of Pax Romana Pax Romana is Latin for Roman peace. The Pax Romana lasted approaching two centuries beginning toward the end of the BC period and extending almost halfway into the second century AD. For the Roman Empire, this was a period of peace and saw little military action or expansion. Caesar Augustus, previously known as Julius Caesar commenced the Pax Romana after Rome was no longer considered a republic andRead MoreThe Greatest Accomplishments of the Pax Romana?1214 Words   |  5 PagesThe Pax Romana A golden age is a period of cultural accomplishments brought on by economic prosperity and relative peace. The Roman empire experienced a golden age after the fall of the Roman Republic, arguably one of the greatest golden ages in history. The Pax Romana began in 27 B.C. and it reigned for 200 years before falling. The Pax Romana was a time of great prosperity with many accomplishments. The Pax Romana was not only significant because of the amount of wealth and power it wieldedRead MoreThe Roman Empire1469 Words   |  6 PagesWhen it comes to civilizations in our past what comes to mind? Some may say the Greeks, others may say the Persians, but one of the most underrated of the past civilizations was the Roman Empire. The Roman way of life and â€Å"Pax Romana† set up a standard of what defined civilization great. However, what was it that made the Roman life great? Was it the rules, the system of government, the virtues of the people? I believe what made the Romans so migh ty was a blessing from God due to the outpouring revivalRead MoreRoman Empire871 Words   |  4 PagesThe Roman Empire is known as one of the greatest empires of all time, blossoming politically, economically, and culturally. Rome was quickly expanding, reaching as far as North Africa. When Octavian came into power, the Pax Romana, or â€Å"Roman Peace,† began. However, this long peace may have triggered the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire. Because Rome was not distracted by conquering foreign lands, its citizens relaxed and lived in luxury. There did not seem to be any goals they did notRead MoreFrontier Policy and the Maintenance of the Pax Romana1904 Words   |  8 PagesFrontier policy and the Maintenance of the Pax Romana Tiberius and Claudius The Imperium Romanum (Roman Empire) was a vast domain containing large territorial holdings in Europe and the Mediterranean. Beyond the empire however consisted of barbarous nations that were a constant threat to the Roman boundaries. For this reason, it was necessary for well-functioning frontier policies to be administrated and sustained to protect the outskirts of the empire from invasion. During the Julio-ClaudianRead MoreRoma before Pax Romana1490 Words   |  6 PagesValues a society share with its citizens are not only different from one society to another, but also characterize the society because values mold morality. For example, America shares value of freedom, individuality, and competition among her people, and those values make America and American morals different from morals of other countries, such as Soviet Union. Just like any other societies throughout history, Rome had a set of values that were particular to Romans; of course, some of the values

Sunday, December 15, 2019

How to Boost Tourism Free Essays

How to boost tourism in Singapore? (Taking into consideration of hotel and food beverage) table of contents 1. Introduction 2. Singapore Tourism Board (STB) 3. We will write a custom essay sample on How to Boost Tourism or any similar topic only for you Order Now Overview of the trend of Singapore’s tourism 4. The impacts of tourism in Singapore perspective 5. Current situation of Singapore tourism 6. Strategic response for the situation 7. Conclusion 8. References| Introduction Tourism is known as a tertiary industry because it deals mainly with the provision of services. In today’s time, tourism is already one of the largest and fastest growing industries in the world.The number of people travelling for pleasure or business has been growing in rapidly increase rate. In recent years, when terrorisms enter the world and when Singapore is building the integrated resort at Marina and etc, all these are going to affect us in different ways. There are times when the number of tourists coming to Singapore had declined or even increase greatly. Singapore Tourism Board (STB) The Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB) which was officially acknowledged by the government in 1964 was later renamed to Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in 1997.During the first year of establishment in 1964, the number of tourist visited Singapore was estimated to 91,000. STB has many extensive networks of offices outspread around the globe to promote tourism. At present STB have 22 Regional Offices and 2 Marketing Representatives spread over eight regions. STB’s goal is to establish exciting and innovative experiences for our visitors, together adjacent partnership with the trade industry, thus drawing a good impression in visitors’ minds an image of Singapore as a uniquely and attractive place of destination.And STB has three main roles in promoting Tourism for Singapore, firstly promoting Singapore as a tourist destination, secondly promoting Singapore as a Tourism Business Centre and lastly promoting Singapore as a Tourism Hub. We are very clear about the roles of STB, but we do not know why these three roles are vital to STB. Therefore in this section we are going to go into depth about the reasons why these three roles are important. Overview of the trend of Singapore’s tourism Singapore makes itself to a tourist’s d estinationSo what kind of attractions will attract people to a destination? As tourists will bring in great wealth therefore Singapore have to understand the factors that will attract tourists to our country. Some of the factors that will make a destination attractive will include the accessibility, the availability of the amenities and the attractions in the country. * Accessibility Accessibility is very important to the development of a tourist spot. Most tourists will travel to places that are easy accessible destinations because they are usually much faster, easier and cheaper to reach.Thus the development of basic infrastructure such as express high way, roads, airport and railways are important for travel and tourism. Therefore, Singapore has Changi airport which is among the top ones in the world. Singapore also has lots of expressways and buses, taxies, MRT, LRT to let our tourists to travel around in Singapore easier and in shortest time. For example going to Sentosa, there are bridge linking from Singapore, motor vehicles and public buses are allowed into the island. Cable cars are also able to travel in through from Mount Faber.Good telecommunication networks (example: Internet Access) also contribute to the accessibility of a destination. Business traveler would want to keep in contact with their business acquaintances and keep up with their company events. Leisure travelers want to keep in touch with their family and friends even if they are far away from their home. Hence Singapore already has wireless connection and public phone all around them, so our tourists are able to communicate with their family or friend whenever and wherever they want. Availability of the amenities Popularity of tourist destinations will be having good recreational and entertainment facilities. Most tourists look for comfort and ease. They want to go to a place with facilities that are able to provide them with comfort, convenience and enjoyment. As tourists have lots of needs, there must be a good mixture of amenities in order to ensure that our destination is attractive. Singapore has amenities such as restaurants, hotels, shopping centre (eg. Vivo city), recreational facilities (eg.Escape theme park) and entertainment facilities (eg. Casino, which is still building) would be able to contribute to create an enjoyable experience for our tourists. For business travelers, Singapore has excellent telecommunication facilities and physical infrastructure like Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre at Suntec City and Changi Expo Hall, which are able for business travelers to have big organized meeting or have exhibitions. * Attractions Tourists often select their destinations based on the attractions a place has to offer.Usually are places or experiences which tourists do not have at home. Singapore’s strategy is to promote the country as a tropical city with a rich miscellaneous cultural heritage. Our cultural heritage had been identified as something different that the tourists would be interested in experiencing it. Thus old buildings, monuments and districts have been preserved and developed into tourist attractions. The Singapore River would be an example of an attraction with rich history.It has been transformed from a crowded and dirty river to a major tourist attraction. Today, restaurants, pubs and shops have added life to the banks of Singapore River. Also Singapore is also building 2 big and luxuries resorts in Marina and Sentosa. The impacts of tourism in Singapore perspective Tourism has done a great impact in Singapore be it positively or negatively. The impacts of tourism in Singapore are divided into three different perspectives. They are the economics, social and cultural and environmental impacts. Economics POSITIVE| NEGATIVE| For Singapore, tourism is a vital source of revenue and foreign exchange for the country. This is due to the successfulness of STB promoting Singapore as an attraction to tourist. There fore tourism receipts to an amount of almost S$10 billion in the year 1997 and currently S$13. 8 billion in 2007. | As tourism is a seasonal industry, the revenue and income of the industry may face a sudden fluctuate. For example during peak seasons, there will be an increase in the revenue earned.Where else during the off peak season, those who worked in tourism industry may occurred a loss of income. | STB are aware that tourism is a labor intensive industry, there fore STB creates more jobs in services through hotels, tour agencies, retailing and many more. | At some instances, event occurring through out the world may affect and cause a rapid fall in tourism. For example, the SARS outbreak in ASIA which caused a drastically fall in tourist travelling to the region like Singapore. As STB helps in the growth of tourism in Singapore, it also helps to diversify the economy and helps the country not to be interdependent on a single industry. | | * Social and Cultural POSITVE| NEGATIVE| As tourists come to Singapore it allows an interaction between them and the locals. This interaction allows cultural exchange which then helps in the awareness of one another’s culture. This promotes a cultural diversity. | As the number tourist increases, they may erode the traditional values and culture of the local society as the local may be influence by the culture brought by the tourist. Tourism in Singapore helps to promote the preservation of building and areas of cultural interest which is fascinating to the tourist perspective. For example like Chinatown, Little India and many more. Locals are more conscious of their cultural heritage. | As locals are taking tourist as a prospect of making money, it causes goods and services to be commercialized. For example, cheap imitations. | * Environmental POSITVE| NEGATIVE| As STB conserves and upgrades historicalBuildings and areas, it helps to improve the environment.For example, old warehouse and shops in Clarke Quay were uplifted with new coats of paint and were then turned into a trendy district pubs and restaurant. | Tourist who comes to Singapore and are careless about the surrounding may leave litters and pollute the environment. | Singapore keeps its environment clean and green to sustain its garden city image. | | Current situation of Singapore tourism This analysis will help us better understand the current situation that STB faced in helping to improvise Singapore’s attractions, amenities and services.We are also able to know in greater depth on how STB has managed these challenges and turn this into an opportunity for Singapore. * Formula One The Formula One’s race contributed a lot in Singapore tourism; however, there are advantage of it and the shortage that need to be improved. One of the advantages F1 brings to Singapore is boosting the appeal – The landmark event will help boost the city-state’s tourism, which has been on the decline for the third straight month amid the global economic crisis and the fuel price hike.Muhammad Rostam Bin Umar from the Singapore tourism board sees it also as an opportunity to boost the city-state’s appeal. â€Å"We are fairly stron g in terms of our position as a business destination. But an event like F1 will help ramp up our image as a vibrant, exciting destination. † While the part that still need to be improved is the exorbitant hotel prices – Actually many hotels in the city have not been fully booked, particularly the hotels situated near the race track. The reason is the exorbitant prices.One suite with a view at the track currently costs around 7,000 Euros. And a package for the whole of the Formula One week costs around 35,000 Euros. High room rates have put off many tourists, forcing some hotels to lower their prices. Muhammad Rostam Bin Umar from the tourism board thinks the event should be used as a learning experience. â€Å"This is the first time that we are hosting this event so many hoteliers don’t know how to price themselves. There is a learning process and they are adjusting now to make sure that they get the right mix of people. Singapore has a contract to host the race for five years, with an option to extend to 2017. Officials estimate the event will help generate around 100 million Singapore dollars or around 48 million Euros a year in tourism revenue.References Chapter 4_ Changing Tourism, Pg 40-46, Marshall Cavendish international (Singapore) Ptd Ltd http://www. spring. gov. sg/newsarchive/epublications/et/2006_01/index8. html(Security Management) http://www2. dw-world. de/southasia/SoutheastAsia/1. 234491. 1. html(F1) How to cite How to Boost Tourism, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Critique On Debate Of Gender Mainstreaming -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Critique On Debate Of Gender Mainstreaming? Answer: Introducation Gender debates have been a long-standing issue when it comes to equality between the two sexes. Men and women around the world have been segregated for ages based on the lines of gender. The core issue that needs to be addressed by both the sexes is the fact an issue of gender disparity is a social problem and it needs to be dealt in that light (Lumb 2017). Men involved in the pursuit of gender equality are regarded as people who are in the pursuit of gender mainstreaming. According to Jahan (1996), the idea of gender is something that is created by the individual mindset and prejudice. Such mentalities that discriminate based on sex are a result of the structure that has been incorporated in the culture from ages of prejudiced gender thoughts. The inequality that is prevalent in the sexes is a result of the various practices that are prevalent in the society from a long time. Men and women are equally in pursuit of a change that they want to bring in the society for a better future. The constant struggle to bring equality has to continue and both the sexes should together engage in this process. Public policies have the ability to either propagate or dispose of segregation and sex disparity. It is just by making sexual orientation a focal thought in the improvement and execution of open arrangement that sex balance and basic human rights for both the sexes can be achieved. The conclusion remains that issues of gender discrimination should be seen as a social issue rather as problems that are meant only for the given gender (Eerdewijk and Davids 2014). Working in unison can only lead to removal of the such practices that prioritize gender in positive or negative way. Reference list Eerdewijk, A. and Davids, T., 2014. Escaping the mythical beast: gender mainstreaming reconceptualised.Journal of International Development,26(3), pp.303-316. Jahan, R. (1996).The Elusive Agenda: Mainstreaming Women in Development.The Pakistan Development Review35 (4): 825834 Lumb, P 2017, Where do men fit? DVST 9032 Intensive, Flinders University, 4 October 2017, Adelaide, South Australia.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Storytelling By Silko Essays - Laguna Pueblo, Leslie Marmon Silko

Storytelling By Silko Leslie Marmon Silko is a Laguna Pueblo Indian who has written many novels and poems in her lifetime. One of these poems, "Storytelling," is very interesting to me. This poem excites me because it tells of the impact that storytelling has on people in Laguna culture. I will analyze and explore many parts of this poem. One of these subjects is theme. The theme of "Storytelling" is actually the art of storytelling. Another aspect of the poem I will look at is tension. There is a specific tension between the husband and the wife in this poem. Next, I will explore how imagery helped Silko strengthen her writing. Then, I will look at how the form of "Storytelling" is different from that of other poems. Finally, I will compare "Storytelling" to another poem, written by Luci Tapahonso entitled, "Blue Horses Rush In." All these aspects put together will enable me to do a complete textual analysis of "Storytelling." Larson 2 To start, I will begin with the theme of "Storytelling." The theme of the poem is the art of storytelling, hence the name. At the end of the poem the author says, "My husband left after he heard the story and moved back in with his mother. It was my fault and I don't blame him either"(Silko 424). As the reader, you think that the woman is feeling bad about lying to her husband and she doesn't blame him for leaving her because she has sinned. Then the next line reads, "I could have told the story better than I did"(Silko 424). This surprises the reader because the ending's not expected. This shows that the woman isn't really feeling bad about what she did, or what happened; she only wishes that she could have told a better story so her husband would stay with her. These quotes prove the theme of the poem; that storytelling is very important in the Laguna culture. It is what the people pride themselves on and the woman in the poem could have done a better job. Earlier on in the poem the husband says, "You better have a damn good story"(Silko 423). It is almost as if the husband is expecting a better story than what he receives, so not satisfied with the lines his wife feeds him, he leaves. From these lines it is obvious that the stories told, and how the people tell them is the theme of the poem "Storytelling". This is not only a theme in the poem, but I Larson 3 believe that it also represents a very prominent theme in the Laguna culture. Other themes in the poem are adultery and lying, but these also portray the main tensions in the poem in addition to themes. The tension is between the husband and the wife. A mysterious being shows up and kidnaps the wife. When she returns she tries to tell her husband what happened in terms that he would understand. The husband, now very upset, believes that his wife committed adultery. The tension starts when the husband says, "You better have a damn good story about where you have been for the past ten months and how you explain these twin baby boys"(Silko 423). You can tell from this quote that the husband is not happy and wants an explanation; and it better be a good one. The wife retaliates by saying, "No! That gossip isn't true"(Silko 423). The wife feels that she needs to defend herself against the false accusations that her husband made. The rest of the poem the wife tells her story in order to try to persuade her husband of the truth. She wants to resolve the tension. Her attempts to persuade her husband are unsuccessful. So the tension is never really resolved because the husband leaves. Therefore, there is probably still tension surrounding the subject. Larson 4 There are many images in "Storytelling" that help set the scene and develop a mood. A couple images that help to set the scene are, "...the sun came over the long red mesa"(Silko 422) and, "She looked into the shallow clear water"(Silko 423). This gives an image of how mystical and magical the scene was when the "Buffalo Man" came to get the woman in the story. This image gives the reader the impression that this is a mysterious event. The images are also calm and soothing which relay those feelings over to the reader. This way the reader can understand what the woman in the poem is feeling at

Monday, November 25, 2019

Free Essays on Buddha

Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to insight into the true nature of life. Buddhist practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. Because Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator God, some people do not see it as a religion in the normal western sense. The basic Buddhist teachings are straightforward: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible. This enables people to realize and utilize the teachings in order to transform their experience and be fully responsible for their lives and to develop the qualities of wisdom and compassion. There are different forms of Buddhism throughout different cultures, but all traditions are usually characterized by non-violence, lack of dogma, tolerance of differences, and by the practice of meditation. The word â€Å"Buddha† is a title, not a name. It means â€Å"one who is awake†. It was first given to a man who was born as Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal 2,500 years ago. Siddharta was born into the royal family of a small kingdom on the Indian-Nepalese border. According to the traditional story he had an understanding that life includes the harsh facts of old age, sickness, and death. After consistent meditation he sat down beneath a pipal tree and vowed that â€Å"flesh may wither, blood may dry up, but I shall not rise from this spot until Enlightenment has been won†. After forty days, the Buddha finally attained enlightenment. During the remaining 45 years of his life he traveled through much of northern India, spreading his teaching of the way to enlightenment. The teaching is known in the East as the Buddha-dharma: the teaching of the enlightened one. The Buddha was not a God and he made no claim to divinity, and Buddhists see him as a guide who can lead one to enlightenment. Buddhism sees life as a process of constant change, and its ... Free Essays on Buddha Free Essays on Buddha Charles Hallmark "Buddhism V. Newdism" Buddhism is unlike most other religions. The founder of it is not a god, a savior, but simply a man who walked among men and freed himself from attachment and suffering. "Buddha's" name was Guatama Sakyamuni and he is the founder of what its followers call the Dharma. The origins of Buddhism lye in Indian religion. The religion is supposed to embody the personal transcendence of a person's inner world. Guatama left behind his wife, son, and finely furbished home in Kapilavashtu to seek enlightenment. It was the sight of suffering that encouraged him and at the onset of his journey his day's sages that discouraged him. He became despaired by the sages and their doctrines. Then one night Guatama Sakyamuni (or Siddartha Gautama) put him under a trance at which point he discovered enlightenment and became Buddha. Presently, this faith continues to inspire, redirect, and focus members of society. Buddhism improves the livelihood of most people although "new Buddhists" values are disconcord with those of their faith. My purpose of writing this paper is two fold: to make a reasonable argument of the contribution Buddhism has made and the beliefs a person who truly follows the doctrine should have. Buddhists believe that Nirvana is the Supreme Reality or truth that liberates us from suffering. God is considered to me an ephemeral, limited concept that fades and coincides with the cycle of life and death. Nirvana is an end to the cycle of life and death and its very meaning cannot be put into words. The mundane earth, the world that we see, is entirely an illusion of suffering. The path of disillusionment is compassion for everything. The doctrine carries a set of four (4) noble truths and seven (7) steps on the path. The four noble truths consist of truth of suffering, origin of suffering, extinction of suffering, and the path that leads to the extinction of suffering. There... Free Essays on buddha Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to insight into the true nature of life. Buddhist practices such as meditation are means of changing oneself in order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. Because Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator God, some people do not see it as a religion in the normal western sense. The basic Buddhist teachings are straightforward: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have consequences; change is possible. This enables people to realize and utilize the teachings in order to transform their experience and be fully responsible for their lives and to develop the qualities of wisdom and compassion. There are different forms of Buddhism throughout different cultures, but all traditions are usually characterized by non-violence, lack of dogma, tolerance of differences, and by the practice of meditation. The word â€Å"Buddha† is a title, not a name. It means â€Å"one who is awake†. It was first given to a man who was born as Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal 2,500 years ago. Siddharta was born into the royal family of a small kingdom on the Indian-Nepalese border. According to the traditional story he had an understanding that life includes the harsh facts of old age, sickness, and death. After consistent meditation he sat down beneath a pipal tree and vowed that â€Å"flesh may wither, blood may dry up, but I shall not rise from this spot until Enlightenment has been won†. After forty days, the Buddha finally attained enlightenment. During the remaining 45 years of his life he traveled through much of northern India, spreading his teaching of the way to enlightenment. The teaching is known in the East as the Buddha-dharma: the teaching of the enlightened one. The Buddha was not a God and he made no claim to divinity, and Buddhists see him as a guide who can lead one to enlightenment. Buddhism sees life as a process of constant change, and its ... Free Essays on Buddha BIRTH In times long past, fully twenty-five hundred years ago, where are now the border-lands between Nepal and the northern parts of the provinces of Oudh and North Bihar, there were a number of little kingdoms inhabited by different races of people, each ruled over by its own Raja or King. One of these little kingdoms which lay some distance north of the present-day town of Gorakhpore, on the north side of the river Rapti, was the land of a race called the Sakyas, the king who ruled over them at that time being called Suddhodana. The family to which King Suddhodana of the Sakyas belonged was called the Gotama family, so that his full name was King Suddhodana Gotama; and the name of the chief city in his kingdom where he had his chief palace, was Kapilavatthu. This King Suddhodana had a chief queen whose name was Mahamaya. And after they had lived together for some time in married happiness, the Queen became aware that the day was drawing near when she should bring forth a child. So, before time came upon her, she asked her husband to give her leave to go and pay a visit to her own people who belonged to a city not very far away called Devadaha. King Suddhodana very willingly granted his chief Queen her wish, and sent out his men with orders to prepare the way for her, and do everything needed to make the journey to her father's house a pleasant and comfortable one for her. Now half way between Kapilavatthu and the town of Devadaha there was a very fine forest garden called Lumbini where the people of both places used to go in the hot weather to enjoy the cool shade of the great Sal trees of which there were many in the grove. Here in the month of May, these great trees were covered from top to bottom with lovely blossoms. In among their long branches flew many kinds of birds singing their sweetest songs so that the whole air was full of the sound of their warbling. And over and through the myriads of flowers, swarms of bee...

Friday, November 22, 2019

International Protection of Refugees Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words - 1

International Protection of Refugees - Essay Example For the collection of data I have gone through authentic websites and books. The first need to address the issue of refugees came with the end of the World War I. Several movements, such as the Russian Revolution and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, created a major refugee problem in the world. Jaeger (2001) writes in his article â€Å"On the History of International Protection of Refugees† that approximately 1.2 million people left Russian territory between the period of 1918 and 1922. Since the resources were getting exhausted it was decided to appoint a High Commissioner for refugees which would define the status of refugees, guarantee their repatriation and their employment outside Russia. Dr. Fridtjof Nansen was appointed by the League of Nations in 1921 as High Commissioner for Russian refugees. Later his responsibilities were extended to refugees from other countries as well such as the Armenians in 1924 and the Assyrian, Assyro- Chaldean and Turkish refugees in 1928. Several important developments that took place in the 1930s are mentioned below: International Nansen Office for Refugees: The office was created after the death of Nansen in 1931. It was an autonomous body and worked under the authority of the League. Its aim was to provide humanitarian and relief work. The office was liquidated in 1938 (Abrams, 2001). High Commissioner for Refugees coming from Germany: Following the rise of Hitler’s power a High Commissioner for refugees coming from Germany was appointed. The office was liquidated along with the Nansen office in 1938. The High Commissioner fought strict immigration rules to help resettle the Jews and non Jews coming from Germany (Cutts, 2000). The organization came into existence in 1943 and was created by the allies. It helped in organizing the return of millions of people back to the counties of origin. Many people did

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE AND STRESS MANAGMENT Essay

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE AND STRESS MANAGMENT - Essay Example Oakland electorates passed the violence prevention and public safety act to facilitate community policing. Deployment of problem solving officers, which forms a very important part of community policing is always affected due to lack of available officers. The community’s participation has also been effective (Army G, Cox and Jeremy M, 2010). Since the 911 terrorist attacks on USA, the RAND has since shifted focus to helping soldiers with psychological problems. About 1.64 million US soldiers have been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Evidence show that the psychological stress toll of these deployments is high compared to physical injuries combat. Several task forces and presidential commissions have been formed to examine the care of war wounded soldiers and make recommendations about their psychological stress. In the recent past, concerns have been centred to encounter post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. Due to increasing incidences of suicide and suicide attempts among soldiers, concerns about stress is also in the rise (Rand, 2010). Rand Corporation mainly focuses on post traumatic stress, depression, and brain injury not because of the current interest, but also due to the fact that these conditions are often invisible to health service members, family members and the public in general. All these conditions affect soldier’s moods and behaviour yet they often go undetected. The Rand Corporation leadership has since made recommendations on depressions affecting soldiers. The Rand recommends that the delivery of care to all soldiers with depression would be beneficial. These recommendations can even save money, improve productivity of the soldiers and decrease medical and mortality costs. Care to soldiers may also be cost effective way to retain a healthy, ready military force for the future. The RDA’s commitment in providing psychological stress stability will ensure soldiers feel motivated so as to offer quality service to the

Monday, November 18, 2019

The most powerful people Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The most powerful people - Assignment Example Time Magazine in 2009 described Bernanke as a visionary who â€Å"conjured up trillions of new dollars and blasted them into the economy; engineered massive public rescues of failing private companies; ratcheted down interest rates to zero. He didnt just reshape U.S. monetary policy; he led an effort to save the world economy† (Edroso, 2009). Trichet is known as the â€Å"Euro fighter† who defended the low inflation on the euro (Stock Market Today, 2011). The Stock Market Today states that â€Å"Trichet’s every move affects the euro zone countries† (2011). On the other hand, Shirakawa has a vital role in influencing Japan’s future economic prospects. He is also known for devising an unconventional monetary policy which was later on adopted in modified forms by the US and UK (Chung, 2011). During the recession of 2008 to 2009, banks of the world lowered their interest rates. This move was done to make borrowing cheaper and encourage businesses and consumers to borrow to spur or increase economic activity. More goods will be produced by businesses and bought by consumers. If there is a demand to produce more, then it will also create jobs which will positively affect the economy and eventually rise out of the recession. One of the reforms adopted by the Fed to improve the U.S. monetary policy is the quantitative easing whereby the government injects billions of dollars of fresh cash in the economy to pump up economic growth (Sanati, 2011). However, this policy is not proven effective as pointed out by Sanati since the economy is still not performing well as shown by the negative economic indicators, including a very low job growth (2011). Bernanke though is still convinced that quantitative easing would help the economy to recover. One is of the opinion that Bernanke is right in instituting this policy because it will result in banks having access to cheap cash which they can lend out to

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Theories of Leadership in Schools

Theories of Leadership in Schools CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction Schools organizations are involved into reform, change, and improvement efforts and process stemming from a desire for renewal, gaps in performance results, advancements in knowledge, mandates, and other societal deficits where responsibility has been delegated to schools (Evans, 1996). According to Fullan (2000) and Mai (2004) the problem for school organizations seeking to effectively improve or change centers on what behaviors, strategies, or structures contribute positively to organizational learning and renewal in a way the produces the capacity for sustainability in order to make a positive difference for students. Foster (2001) discussed that while the majority of past theories on school leadership have focused upon the capabilities of one individual, this accepted belief of a solitary leader is now being challenged as traditional models of leadership and organizational change are being analyzed. Thus, instead of viewing leadership as a role for one person, leadership is now being redefined as a practice shared among many individuals (Harris, 2003). Distributed leadership involved with creating joint responsibility for leadership activities. Interesting is the focus on shared learning and developing leadership capabilities. Shared leadership is used as synonym for democratic leadership, and collaborative leadership. Practitioners use it to create effective school leadership, or improving schools, or to study leadership. Building leadership capacity means broad-based, skillful involvement in the work of leadership. There is a need of significant number of skillful teacher leaders who understood the shared vision in the school, and are able to carry it out. Also the work involves reflection, inquiry, conversations and focused action professional behaviors that are an integral part of daily work. Understandings and skillfulness involve more than the knowledge of an innovation. The skillfulness focused is those skills of leadership that allow other teachers to capture the imagination of their colleagues, enable them to negotiate real changes in schools and negotiate any conflicts that arise in organization (Harris and Lamber, 2003). In order to build leadership capacity for school improvement the U.K. Open University suggested the following main characteristics: Surface, clarity and define values, beliefs, assumptions, perceptions and experiences ; inquire into practice; construct meaning and knowledge ; frame action and develop implementation plans. The Cyprus Educational System is open to a wide range of influences, which create the need for change and improvement. The strategy of the Ministry of Education in Cyprus is to proceed with the Educational Reform Program in order to fully achieve the goal of an all inclusive, democratic and human school, which embraces all students equally and provides education to each and every pupil according to his/her needs. Educational Reform was launched in January 2005, following a report by a Committee of seven academics which identified the weaknesses of Cyprus Educational System and the areas in need of reform. UNESCOs Report at the end of 90s come to the summarized conclusion that â€Å"The administrative system of governing and monitoring of the Ministry of Education and Culture remains strictly centralized, bureaucratic and inflexible.† The main goal is to restructuring of Ministry of Education and Culture by modernize the organizational structure for all the departments. School Reform, Change and Improvement A lot of efforts about improving education have become national and international in scope, beginning in 1983 in USA with â€Å"A Nation at Risk† and recently â€Å"No Child Left Behind† federal legislation, (2001). Elmore (2002) explains that is not enough to focus solely on these new reform standards requirements. Continuing school improvement for all students achievement will need to develop and sustain a school climate where everyone is committed to learning and everyone is accountable for pupil achievement. Sheppard (2003) proposed that school leadership is critical for improving pupil achievement. Leithwood and Riehl (2003) according to their research findings concluded that leadership has a significant effect on student learning, curriculum and teacher instruction. Some researchers like Hallinger and Heck(1998) suggest that school survival today is depending of the effective leadership that can guide schools through the challenges of improving student achievement . Fullan (2001), Lunenburg and Ornstein (2004) support that effective leadership at all levels of the educational system is critical. Also organizations cannot flourish on the actions of the top leaders alone. They suggested that schools need many leaders at many levels. Neuman and Simmons (2000) discussed that leadership is the job of the whole educational community, and learning becomes the focus and primary value for every member. Whilst the quality of teaching strongly influences levels of pupil motivation and achievement, it has been consistently argued that the quality of leadership matters in defining the motivation of teachers and the quality of teaching in the classroom (Fullan, 2001; Sergiovanni, 2001) Recent studies of effective leadership have described that authority to lead can be dispersed within the school in between and among people (MacBeath, 1998; Day, Harris and Hadfield, 200; Harris, 2002). Leadership is actually separated from person, role and status and is primarily concerned with the relationships and the connections among individuals within a school. Distributed, shared or teacher leadership is well developed and grounded in research evidence. Distributed Leadership implies a redistribution of power and re-alignment of authority within the school. Main goal is the creation of the conditions in which people work together and learn together. By giving authority to teachers and empowering them to lead leadership is emergent rather than as a fixed phenomenon. Literature review about Leadership consists of a number of leadership theories, styles and approaches. The most of these theories on school leadership have focused on individual capabilities. Recently this believes are challenged because of organizational changes and reform in our educational system. Leadership is now being re-defined as a practice distributed among many individuals (Harris, 2003). I believe that today the concept of distributed leadership is receiving much attention and growing empirical support (Spillane, 2006). The focus is oriented not upon the characteristics of the leader but upon creating the climate for shared learning and developing leadership capabilities. Spillane and Diamond (2007) discussed that distributed leadership is used as a synonym for democratic leadership, shared leadership, and collaborative leadership. In many cases distributed leadership is used to create effective school leadership, others use it for improving schools, and some for leadership research. In order to contribute to the necessary transformation of our schools, school improvement demands learning that is encourages lifelong personal and social experience. The teacher needs to feel that not only can she/he believe in school improvement, but that she/he is making her/him own contribution, and is involved in the improvement process. Improvement is something no-one would want to avoid, like good food. We argue that school improvement must be related to the re-examination of the purposes of schools in the future. The globalization of economic activity has transcended national boundaries and has created unprecedented social relations mediated through global economic practices. School improvement strategies need to move away from organizational issues and take more account of the voices of those most involved the young people themselves as well as their teachers. Today in many countries like USA schools and states emphasize on school reform and improvement by consider those factors that influence the implementation and sustainability of improvement efforts (Sergiovanni, 2006; Hall and Hord, 2006). According to the writers school improvement initiatives demand resources like additional personnel, time, money, staff development, instruments and space. For example Sergiovanni (2006) suggested that schools must institutionalize the allotment of resources to provide for the longevity of the school improvement initiative. Another main resource element necessary for school system is the school culture. School culture influences the degree to which an improvement initiative is successfully implemented (Jazzar Algozzine, 2006). Leadership Practices of Effective Head Fullan (2003) examined that principals are often the key to school improvement efforts and also he identified barriers to improvement often noted by school heads. It is important when school improvement and reform initiative is implemented from the state level, building managers must be able to encourage and motivate their staff to successfully implement the initiative. (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, and Wahlstron, 2004). School head is a key element for school improvement efforts regardless of system imposed barriers such as not clearly identifying the heads responsibilities and lack of leadership training provided for school principals. Most important step for improvement implementation in schools is the creations of supporting culture environment for change. Heads need to establish such cultures in the following situations: In developing of policies and procedures which facilitate the improvement process. By establishment of patterns so that individuals can work together as they strive for improvement. By focusing on collaborative relationships with numbers of staff and other administrators. By teacher development and learning activities focused on the improvement initiative. By assessment of the procedures in order to evaluate and monitor improvement sequences of actions. By discussing any success according the improvement implementation. By motivate staff members for their success as they engage in improvement. The literature on effective leadership emphasize on those essential characteristics for leading school improvement. Especially Kouzes and Posner (2002a) have conducted research on the practices and skill of effective leaders by identified five practices and ten corresponding commitments that all leaders demonstrate. Kouzes and Posner (2000) practices are presented by Balcerek (1999, p.4) in a table of leadership model. Ten Commitments of Leadership Practices Commitments Model the Way 1 Find your voice by clarifying your personal values 2 Set the example by aligning actions with shared values Inspire a Shared Vision 3 Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities 4 Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations Challenge the Process 5 Search for opportunities by seeking innovative ways to change, grow, and improve. 6 Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from mistakes. Enable Others to Act 7 Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust. 8 Strengthen others by sharing power and discretion Encourage the Heart 9 Recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence. 10 Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community Leadership Capacity in School Organization Today teachers need initiatives to develop, learn, practice, evaluate, and debate in order to successfully change practice necessitating supporting leadership for change (Hargreaves and Fink, 2004). Change leaders focus on the development of teachers knowledge, skill and learning within a professional community and worked on changing the content in order to create new settings conducive to learning and share (Fullan, 2000b). In a school organization, the formal role of the leader was typically the head, but successful leaders in the leadership of change realized that sustainability of improvement was found in collective learning and the development of leadership capacity within colleagues of the school (Lambert, 2005a). Sergiovanni (2005) emphasize on head responsibility on serving as a leader of change by building and cultivating the leadership capacity of others in school. It is important for successful heads to focus on building leadership capacity in a number of good leaders within the school organization who could sustain improvement. By establishing the conditions for developing the skills, knowledge, and abilities of others during the change process, the leader enriched the schools efforts for renewal and advanced the improvement process (Mai, 2004). Effective school heads during change envisioned an expanded view of leadership in order to sustain meaningful long lasting changes. The school change process support that leadership was not viewed as the individual role, but rather as an organizational concept that leads to school improvement. Leadership is found within the culture of a school organization that promoted the advancement of the capabilities of many members to lead. Lambert, (2003) described that leadership accepted collective responsibility for school improvement and leadership capacity was realized when a school staff is participate in dialogue, and reflection to achieve student performance goals. Leadership capacity support schools in moving beyond the implementation phase of change towards sustainable improvement. Teachers leadership and effective leaders plan for sustainable leadership focus on culture of initiative and opportunity within the school (Hargreaves and Fink, 2003). Leadership capacity provides others with opportunities, resources, training, and support structures for collective learning with accountability. Leadership capacity is about learning communities promoting leadership for all participants share and understood the contributions made by each member toward the school purpose (Lambert, 2005b). Theories of Leadership Leadership historically has been defined in different ways by various writers on leadership. Authors who write about leaders emphasize on personal skills and characteristics of individual in specific roles within the organization. Some others authors focus on leadership by determining functions, which performed by person in the organization. Leithwood et al (1999) and Yukl (2002) agreed that some definitions about leadership are more useful than others, but there is no complete definition. Harris (2002) and Leithwood (2001) discussed distributed leadership as an alternative to traditional leadership models. According to Owava and Bosset (1997) leadership flows through the networks of roles that comprise organizations and is based on the deployment of resources that are distributed across the network of roles, with different roles having access to different levels and types of resources. Most of the theories included their meaning in key words like â€Å"followers†, â€Å"authority†, and â€Å"decision making†. Measures of personality have been shown to correlate with ratings of leadership effectiveness. Leadership exists within a single person and a situation. Leaders are also involved in managing the culture by establishing strategic direction, communicating that direction and defining the organizational vision and values. The National College for School Leadership (NCSL, U.K) in 2003 identified eight models of leadership: Instructional, transformational, moral, participative, managerial, post-modern, interpersonal, and contingency leadership (Bush and Glover, 2003). Successful leadership is when the influence brings about the behavior and results that were intended by the leader. Effective leadership is when successful leadership results in functional behavior and the achievement of group goals. Knowledge, personal qualities or charisma of the leader and the manner in which authority is exercised are variables for leadership. Elements that made leaders successful in the twentieth century may not be the same elements needed in the future. Leadership needs to be continually studied and investigated in order to be more effective and successful. Yukl (2006) described that leadership effectiveness is differ among researchers based upon the researchers definition of leadership. Self-Evident Theoretical Approach The â€Å"Great Man Approach† is the first theory of leadership, also called â€Å"Self-Evident Theory†. Glasman and Glasman (1997) identified this theory, which assumed that leaders are born and not made and that instinct is more important than training. The criteria for selecting leadership characteristics in this model are still confusing and unclear. Trait Theory Stogdill (1948) conducted a meta-analysis of 124 empirical studies between 1904 and 1947. By using correlation statistics, he compared specified traits of successful leaders with those of unsuccessful leaders to define if those traits were prerequisites for effective leadership. He concluded that leadership could not be explained simply in terms of an individual or group; rather, it must take into account the interaction of the leaders traits with situational variables. The review failed to find evidence a person must possess a particular set of traits to become a successful leader, which is the basic assertion of the trait approach. Yukl (2006) cited further research supporting Stogdills findings by claiming the reason for the lack of evidence linking traits to leadership success was due to poor research methods. Trait theory was based on the assumption that individuals possessed certain physical characteristics, personality traits, and intellectual abilities that made them natural leaders. Behavior Theory This theoretical approach analyzes leadership behaviors and how they correlate between them. The emphasis was shifted from investigating what effective leaders are, to investigating what effective leaders do (Lunenburg and Ornstein, 2004; Yukl, 2006). By the 1950s behaviorist theory assumed that leadership behaviors exercised in one situation did not necessarily transfer to other situations. Yukl discussed that behavior research has concentrated on two categories: 1) examination of leadership activities and duties and 2) examination of effective leadership behaviors. Since 1939 three Universities were involved in research of f leadership behavior. At the University of Iowa researchers identified three styles of leadership: democratic, authoritarian, and laissez-faire connecting with leaders decision-making. Those three leadership styles are still common place in the literature and discussion among practitioners in the field of educational leadership (Razik and Swanson, 1995). Also at the University of Ohio Fleishan (1953) developed questionnaire to measure how often a leader used these behaviors sorting by categories. A questionnaire composed of 150 items was completed by samples of civilian and military individuals to describe the behavior of their leaders. The study identified two dimensions of leadership: 1) consideration and 2) the ability to initiate structure (Mouton and Blake, 1984; Stogdill and Coons, 1957). Consideration was defined as the level to which a leader exhibits expressions of trust, respect, warmth, support, and concern for the welfare of subordinates (Lunenburg and Ornstein, 2004, p.150). Initiating structures was defined as the level to which a leader concentrates on organizational performance goals, organizes / defines tasks, establishes channels of communication, develops relationships with subordinates, and evaluates work performance (Razik and Swanson, 1995, p.42). The two categories were independent of one another. No correlation was found between a leaders uses of one type of categorical behavior with that same leaders utilization of the other type of categorical behavior. The University of Michigan (Likert, 1967) attempted to identify the correlation between a leaders behavior, group process, and group performance. Leadership studies concluded that effective leaders are both task- and relationship-oriented (Razik and Swanson, 1995). Lunenburg and Ornstein (2004) have a different opinion with previews writers because they have not considered the effects of situational factors like differences in tasks completed, of the group, and differences in the environment. These issues are connected to the actions that must be performed by the leader and consequently on the appropriate leadership behavior to be used in the given situation. According to the Ohio and Michigan studies the initiating structure is similar to task-oriented behaviors, and consideration is similar to relation-oriented behaviors. Important role of teachers, counselors, and other school staff exercising leadership roles are distinctly different from the traditional leadership role of the head. The questionnaires from Ohio State University are modified and have been used by different researchers in many survey studies. According to that research evidence the results were not satisfied for most criteria of leadership effectiveness (Bass, 1990; Fisher and Edwards, 1998; Yukl, 2006). The findings were inconsistent for the relationship between consideration and subordinate performance. Research revealed subordinates are more satisfied with a leader who is at least moderately considerate. Especially between 50s and 80s a huge amount of studies about effective leadership behaviors are concluded with effective leadership connecting with school goals and concern for relationships. Situational Theory Yukl (2006) argued that situational approach covers the social characteristics of the organizations and how they influence the type of leadership exhibited. Main important for this theory is that distinguishing characteristics of the organizational members are more important to leadership than personal traits (Glasman and Glasman, 1997; Lipham, 1973; Wildavsky, 1985). Yukl explained that there are many variables like the nature of the work performed, the type of the organization, and the features of the organizations peripheral elements. Studies for situational approach have been divided into two subcategories. According to the first subcategory leadership processes are compared in various types of managerial positions, organizations, and cultures. The second type of research emphasizes on leadership effectiveness by specific various aspects of the situation that have a bearing on the leaders attributes. Those approaches concerning aspects of leadership applying to some situations, but not others, are called contingency theories. Contingency Theory Contingency approaches specify the situational elements that describe the relationship among leaders traits, behaviors, and performance criteria. Contingency approaches include four sets of concepts: traits of leaders, characteristics of the situation, behaviors of the leader, and effectiveness of the leader. Lunenburg and Ornstein (2004) described that contingency theory it depends on the interaction of the leaders personal traits, behavior, and factors in the leadership situation. Fielder (1967) argued that leaders could improve their effectiveness by modifying the situation to match their style of leadership. During his study discovered important interactions, between leadership styles and situational variables. Fielder suggested that leaders could improve their effectiveness by modifying the situation to suit their style of leadership. Four contingency approaches of leadership are reviewed: The LPC Contingency Theory, Path-Goal Contingency Theory, Situational Leadership Contingency Theory, and Leadership Substitutes Contingency Theory. LPC Contingency Theory: Fiedler (1967) generalized the LPC contingency theory to analyze leadership through examination of the situation, the organizational members, and its tasks. The LPC contingency theory describes how the situation affects the relationship between leadership effectiveness and a trait measure defined the least preferred coworker (LPC) score. LPC score is defined by asking a leader to select one past or present coworker with whom the leader could work least well, and rate this person on a scale of varying adjectives such as friendly or unfriendly and efficient or inefficient. The total of the ratings on these bipolar adjectives scales is the leaders PLC score. The score identifying if the leader behavior are more relationship or task motivated. Path-Goal Theory: House (1971) emphasized on the leaders ability to motivate subordinates to reach goals, the rewards associated with reaching goals, and the importance of the goal. House proposed that leaders need to examine the situational variables and then apply one of the four leadership styles (supporting, participative, directive, or achievement oriented), the one that was more close to the situation. Bolman and Deal (1991) and Golman et al., 2002 discover that effective leaders have a repertoire of styles and the leaders effectiveness is based on his/her ability to frame the situation so that he/she can use the style most suitable for the task in the context. House (1996) reconstructed this theory by modernizing the conceptions of subordinate motivation and abilities, and task characteristics as situational elements, and expanded the outcomes to include subordinate satisfaction and work unit effectiveness, but not leader traits. To be effective, leaders engage in behaviors that add to the subordinates environment in order to increase subordinates satisfaction and work effectiveness. House and Mitchell (1974) described another leadership behavior, participative leadership. Participative leadership seeks advice from organizational members and considers their opinions and suggestions in the decision making process. Yukl (2006) described that participative leadership involves various decision making processes allowing other members of staff, besides the leader, some influence over the decision. Participative leadership used to encourage democratic principles or to enhance effectiveness of the organization. Leithwood and Duke (1999) suggested another reason for generalizing participative leadership in schools, the site-based management (SBM) approaches. Access to SBM for decision making is given to any legitimate stakeholder in the school based on their expert knowledge, their democratic right to choose, and their critical role in implementing decisions. Murphy and Beck (1995) suggested SBM metamorphosis takes one of three forms; administrative-controlled SBM, professional-controlled SBM, and community-controlled SBM. Main important goal for administrative-controlled SBM is to pass authority to the local school administrators to make decisions on the budget, personnel, and curriculum for the best use of resources for the students benefit. Teacher-controlled SBM is generalized to make improvement in determining how money will be spent, selection of the curriculum, and choosing personnel. Educators participation in the decision making process will give them ownership in the decisions during implementation and leads to improved effectiveness (Clune and White, 1998; David, 1989). Community controlled SBM are concerning with the accountability of parents and the community. Parents and other community members have a majority of the input when deciding upon the curriculum so it will reflect their values. Leithwood and Duke (1999) stated an equal participation SBM does exist in the form of side councils that have decision-making power. Everyone works together to make the best school decisions possible. Situational Leadership Contingency Theory: According to Hershey and Blanchard (1977) the level of the workers maturity determines the task and relationship behavior for the leader. A worker of high maturity has both the ability and confidence to do a task, whereas a worker of low maturity lacks ability and self-confidence. At the other side Barrow (1977) believed maturity is a combination of many elements and the procedure used to weight and combine them was questionable. Yukl (2006) underlined Hershey and Blanchards theory made positive highlights of leaders to be adaptive and flexible in their behavior. Situational leadership theory emphasizes on leaders to be conscious of opportunities to increase the skills and confidence of workers. Leadership Substitutes Contingency Theory: The theory according to Kerr and Jermier (1978) makes a distinction between substitutes and neutralizers, which are two different kinds of situational variables. Substitutes include all the characteristics of the worker like task, or organization ensuring the worker will clearly realize their roles, know how to do the work, be highly motivated, and have work satisfaction. Examples of substitutes would be the exceptional ability of a worker, an intrinsically satisfying task, and a cohesive work group within the organization. Usually when workers have prior experience, they already have acquired t he skills and knowledge to accomplish their tasks. If workers are motivated by their work because is according to their interests, the leader may not need to motivate them. Neutralizers are any characteristics of the organization that block a leader from acting in a specific way or that cancel the results of the leaders actions. Example is the lack of interest of workers toward rewards. In many situations there so many neutralizers that it is difficult for a leader to succeed. There are two ways to make the situation more favorable for the leader either remove the neutralizers or make the leadership less important by increasing substitutes. According to Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Ahearne, and Bommer (1995) there is a low level of relationship between the leader and other members motivation of the organization affected by situation variables. Researches concerning substitute leadership theory based on some aspects of the theory, but other aspects have not been supported (Howel Dorfman, 1986; Pitner, 1986; Podsakoff, Niehoff, MacKenzie, Williams, 1993; Yukl, 2006). Yukl (2006) discussed that the main contribution of substitutes theory is to offer a different perspective on leadership by focus on leadership processes in groups and organizations. Main limitation of contingency theories is the lack of consideration of leadership processes that transform the way followers view themselves and their work. School Effectiveness Research School effectiveness and the related area of school improvement have been topics for an increasing body of academic research since the 1960s. School effectiveness research had its origins in the mid-1960s and early 1970s when a prevalent view in the research community, especially with regard to equality of opportunity, was that schools had little influence on childrens achievement that was independent of background and social context. In the late 1970s in the United States, Edmonds and, in the United Kingdom, Rutter responded by embarking on what was to emerge as the first phase of school effectiveness research. The two studies run independently by Edmonds and Rutter set out to investigate whether schools in their national contexts showed any effects when account was taken of the differences in their student populations. Their findings, arrived at independently, were similar: schools do make a small but highly significant difference to the life chances of their students. School effec tiveness research studies undertaken during the 1980s focused on improving the methodology and replicating the resea Theories of Leadership in Schools Theories of Leadership in Schools CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction Schools organizations are involved into reform, change, and improvement efforts and process stemming from a desire for renewal, gaps in performance results, advancements in knowledge, mandates, and other societal deficits where responsibility has been delegated to schools (Evans, 1996). According to Fullan (2000) and Mai (2004) the problem for school organizations seeking to effectively improve or change centers on what behaviors, strategies, or structures contribute positively to organizational learning and renewal in a way the produces the capacity for sustainability in order to make a positive difference for students. Foster (2001) discussed that while the majority of past theories on school leadership have focused upon the capabilities of one individual, this accepted belief of a solitary leader is now being challenged as traditional models of leadership and organizational change are being analyzed. Thus, instead of viewing leadership as a role for one person, leadership is now being redefined as a practice shared among many individuals (Harris, 2003). Distributed leadership involved with creating joint responsibility for leadership activities. Interesting is the focus on shared learning and developing leadership capabilities. Shared leadership is used as synonym for democratic leadership, and collaborative leadership. Practitioners use it to create effective school leadership, or improving schools, or to study leadership. Building leadership capacity means broad-based, skillful involvement in the work of leadership. There is a need of significant number of skillful teacher leaders who understood the shared vision in the school, and are able to carry it out. Also the work involves reflection, inquiry, conversations and focused action professional behaviors that are an integral part of daily work. Understandings and skillfulness involve more than the knowledge of an innovation. The skillfulness focused is those skills of leadership that allow other teachers to capture the imagination of their colleagues, enable them to negotiate real changes in schools and negotiate any conflicts that arise in organization (Harris and Lamber, 2003). In order to build leadership capacity for school improvement the U.K. Open University suggested the following main characteristics: Surface, clarity and define values, beliefs, assumptions, perceptions and experiences ; inquire into practice; construct meaning and knowledge ; frame action and develop implementation plans. The Cyprus Educational System is open to a wide range of influences, which create the need for change and improvement. The strategy of the Ministry of Education in Cyprus is to proceed with the Educational Reform Program in order to fully achieve the goal of an all inclusive, democratic and human school, which embraces all students equally and provides education to each and every pupil according to his/her needs. Educational Reform was launched in January 2005, following a report by a Committee of seven academics which identified the weaknesses of Cyprus Educational System and the areas in need of reform. UNESCOs Report at the end of 90s come to the summarized conclusion that â€Å"The administrative system of governing and monitoring of the Ministry of Education and Culture remains strictly centralized, bureaucratic and inflexible.† The main goal is to restructuring of Ministry of Education and Culture by modernize the organizational structure for all the departments. School Reform, Change and Improvement A lot of efforts about improving education have become national and international in scope, beginning in 1983 in USA with â€Å"A Nation at Risk† and recently â€Å"No Child Left Behind† federal legislation, (2001). Elmore (2002) explains that is not enough to focus solely on these new reform standards requirements. Continuing school improvement for all students achievement will need to develop and sustain a school climate where everyone is committed to learning and everyone is accountable for pupil achievement. Sheppard (2003) proposed that school leadership is critical for improving pupil achievement. Leithwood and Riehl (2003) according to their research findings concluded that leadership has a significant effect on student learning, curriculum and teacher instruction. Some researchers like Hallinger and Heck(1998) suggest that school survival today is depending of the effective leadership that can guide schools through the challenges of improving student achievement . Fullan (2001), Lunenburg and Ornstein (2004) support that effective leadership at all levels of the educational system is critical. Also organizations cannot flourish on the actions of the top leaders alone. They suggested that schools need many leaders at many levels. Neuman and Simmons (2000) discussed that leadership is the job of the whole educational community, and learning becomes the focus and primary value for every member. Whilst the quality of teaching strongly influences levels of pupil motivation and achievement, it has been consistently argued that the quality of leadership matters in defining the motivation of teachers and the quality of teaching in the classroom (Fullan, 2001; Sergiovanni, 2001) Recent studies of effective leadership have described that authority to lead can be dispersed within the school in between and among people (MacBeath, 1998; Day, Harris and Hadfield, 200; Harris, 2002). Leadership is actually separated from person, role and status and is primarily concerned with the relationships and the connections among individuals within a school. Distributed, shared or teacher leadership is well developed and grounded in research evidence. Distributed Leadership implies a redistribution of power and re-alignment of authority within the school. Main goal is the creation of the conditions in which people work together and learn together. By giving authority to teachers and empowering them to lead leadership is emergent rather than as a fixed phenomenon. Literature review about Leadership consists of a number of leadership theories, styles and approaches. The most of these theories on school leadership have focused on individual capabilities. Recently this believes are challenged because of organizational changes and reform in our educational system. Leadership is now being re-defined as a practice distributed among many individuals (Harris, 2003). I believe that today the concept of distributed leadership is receiving much attention and growing empirical support (Spillane, 2006). The focus is oriented not upon the characteristics of the leader but upon creating the climate for shared learning and developing leadership capabilities. Spillane and Diamond (2007) discussed that distributed leadership is used as a synonym for democratic leadership, shared leadership, and collaborative leadership. In many cases distributed leadership is used to create effective school leadership, others use it for improving schools, and some for leadership research. In order to contribute to the necessary transformation of our schools, school improvement demands learning that is encourages lifelong personal and social experience. The teacher needs to feel that not only can she/he believe in school improvement, but that she/he is making her/him own contribution, and is involved in the improvement process. Improvement is something no-one would want to avoid, like good food. We argue that school improvement must be related to the re-examination of the purposes of schools in the future. The globalization of economic activity has transcended national boundaries and has created unprecedented social relations mediated through global economic practices. School improvement strategies need to move away from organizational issues and take more account of the voices of those most involved the young people themselves as well as their teachers. Today in many countries like USA schools and states emphasize on school reform and improvement by consider those factors that influence the implementation and sustainability of improvement efforts (Sergiovanni, 2006; Hall and Hord, 2006). According to the writers school improvement initiatives demand resources like additional personnel, time, money, staff development, instruments and space. For example Sergiovanni (2006) suggested that schools must institutionalize the allotment of resources to provide for the longevity of the school improvement initiative. Another main resource element necessary for school system is the school culture. School culture influences the degree to which an improvement initiative is successfully implemented (Jazzar Algozzine, 2006). Leadership Practices of Effective Head Fullan (2003) examined that principals are often the key to school improvement efforts and also he identified barriers to improvement often noted by school heads. It is important when school improvement and reform initiative is implemented from the state level, building managers must be able to encourage and motivate their staff to successfully implement the initiative. (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, and Wahlstron, 2004). School head is a key element for school improvement efforts regardless of system imposed barriers such as not clearly identifying the heads responsibilities and lack of leadership training provided for school principals. Most important step for improvement implementation in schools is the creations of supporting culture environment for change. Heads need to establish such cultures in the following situations: In developing of policies and procedures which facilitate the improvement process. By establishment of patterns so that individuals can work together as they strive for improvement. By focusing on collaborative relationships with numbers of staff and other administrators. By teacher development and learning activities focused on the improvement initiative. By assessment of the procedures in order to evaluate and monitor improvement sequences of actions. By discussing any success according the improvement implementation. By motivate staff members for their success as they engage in improvement. The literature on effective leadership emphasize on those essential characteristics for leading school improvement. Especially Kouzes and Posner (2002a) have conducted research on the practices and skill of effective leaders by identified five practices and ten corresponding commitments that all leaders demonstrate. Kouzes and Posner (2000) practices are presented by Balcerek (1999, p.4) in a table of leadership model. Ten Commitments of Leadership Practices Commitments Model the Way 1 Find your voice by clarifying your personal values 2 Set the example by aligning actions with shared values Inspire a Shared Vision 3 Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities 4 Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations Challenge the Process 5 Search for opportunities by seeking innovative ways to change, grow, and improve. 6 Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from mistakes. Enable Others to Act 7 Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust. 8 Strengthen others by sharing power and discretion Encourage the Heart 9 Recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence. 10 Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community Leadership Capacity in School Organization Today teachers need initiatives to develop, learn, practice, evaluate, and debate in order to successfully change practice necessitating supporting leadership for change (Hargreaves and Fink, 2004). Change leaders focus on the development of teachers knowledge, skill and learning within a professional community and worked on changing the content in order to create new settings conducive to learning and share (Fullan, 2000b). In a school organization, the formal role of the leader was typically the head, but successful leaders in the leadership of change realized that sustainability of improvement was found in collective learning and the development of leadership capacity within colleagues of the school (Lambert, 2005a). Sergiovanni (2005) emphasize on head responsibility on serving as a leader of change by building and cultivating the leadership capacity of others in school. It is important for successful heads to focus on building leadership capacity in a number of good leaders within the school organization who could sustain improvement. By establishing the conditions for developing the skills, knowledge, and abilities of others during the change process, the leader enriched the schools efforts for renewal and advanced the improvement process (Mai, 2004). Effective school heads during change envisioned an expanded view of leadership in order to sustain meaningful long lasting changes. The school change process support that leadership was not viewed as the individual role, but rather as an organizational concept that leads to school improvement. Leadership is found within the culture of a school organization that promoted the advancement of the capabilities of many members to lead. Lambert, (2003) described that leadership accepted collective responsibility for school improvement and leadership capacity was realized when a school staff is participate in dialogue, and reflection to achieve student performance goals. Leadership capacity support schools in moving beyond the implementation phase of change towards sustainable improvement. Teachers leadership and effective leaders plan for sustainable leadership focus on culture of initiative and opportunity within the school (Hargreaves and Fink, 2003). Leadership capacity provides others with opportunities, resources, training, and support structures for collective learning with accountability. Leadership capacity is about learning communities promoting leadership for all participants share and understood the contributions made by each member toward the school purpose (Lambert, 2005b). Theories of Leadership Leadership historically has been defined in different ways by various writers on leadership. Authors who write about leaders emphasize on personal skills and characteristics of individual in specific roles within the organization. Some others authors focus on leadership by determining functions, which performed by person in the organization. Leithwood et al (1999) and Yukl (2002) agreed that some definitions about leadership are more useful than others, but there is no complete definition. Harris (2002) and Leithwood (2001) discussed distributed leadership as an alternative to traditional leadership models. According to Owava and Bosset (1997) leadership flows through the networks of roles that comprise organizations and is based on the deployment of resources that are distributed across the network of roles, with different roles having access to different levels and types of resources. Most of the theories included their meaning in key words like â€Å"followers†, â€Å"authority†, and â€Å"decision making†. Measures of personality have been shown to correlate with ratings of leadership effectiveness. Leadership exists within a single person and a situation. Leaders are also involved in managing the culture by establishing strategic direction, communicating that direction and defining the organizational vision and values. The National College for School Leadership (NCSL, U.K) in 2003 identified eight models of leadership: Instructional, transformational, moral, participative, managerial, post-modern, interpersonal, and contingency leadership (Bush and Glover, 2003). Successful leadership is when the influence brings about the behavior and results that were intended by the leader. Effective leadership is when successful leadership results in functional behavior and the achievement of group goals. Knowledge, personal qualities or charisma of the leader and the manner in which authority is exercised are variables for leadership. Elements that made leaders successful in the twentieth century may not be the same elements needed in the future. Leadership needs to be continually studied and investigated in order to be more effective and successful. Yukl (2006) described that leadership effectiveness is differ among researchers based upon the researchers definition of leadership. Self-Evident Theoretical Approach The â€Å"Great Man Approach† is the first theory of leadership, also called â€Å"Self-Evident Theory†. Glasman and Glasman (1997) identified this theory, which assumed that leaders are born and not made and that instinct is more important than training. The criteria for selecting leadership characteristics in this model are still confusing and unclear. Trait Theory Stogdill (1948) conducted a meta-analysis of 124 empirical studies between 1904 and 1947. By using correlation statistics, he compared specified traits of successful leaders with those of unsuccessful leaders to define if those traits were prerequisites for effective leadership. He concluded that leadership could not be explained simply in terms of an individual or group; rather, it must take into account the interaction of the leaders traits with situational variables. The review failed to find evidence a person must possess a particular set of traits to become a successful leader, which is the basic assertion of the trait approach. Yukl (2006) cited further research supporting Stogdills findings by claiming the reason for the lack of evidence linking traits to leadership success was due to poor research methods. Trait theory was based on the assumption that individuals possessed certain physical characteristics, personality traits, and intellectual abilities that made them natural leaders. Behavior Theory This theoretical approach analyzes leadership behaviors and how they correlate between them. The emphasis was shifted from investigating what effective leaders are, to investigating what effective leaders do (Lunenburg and Ornstein, 2004; Yukl, 2006). By the 1950s behaviorist theory assumed that leadership behaviors exercised in one situation did not necessarily transfer to other situations. Yukl discussed that behavior research has concentrated on two categories: 1) examination of leadership activities and duties and 2) examination of effective leadership behaviors. Since 1939 three Universities were involved in research of f leadership behavior. At the University of Iowa researchers identified three styles of leadership: democratic, authoritarian, and laissez-faire connecting with leaders decision-making. Those three leadership styles are still common place in the literature and discussion among practitioners in the field of educational leadership (Razik and Swanson, 1995). Also at the University of Ohio Fleishan (1953) developed questionnaire to measure how often a leader used these behaviors sorting by categories. A questionnaire composed of 150 items was completed by samples of civilian and military individuals to describe the behavior of their leaders. The study identified two dimensions of leadership: 1) consideration and 2) the ability to initiate structure (Mouton and Blake, 1984; Stogdill and Coons, 1957). Consideration was defined as the level to which a leader exhibits expressions of trust, respect, warmth, support, and concern for the welfare of subordinates (Lunenburg and Ornstein, 2004, p.150). Initiating structures was defined as the level to which a leader concentrates on organizational performance goals, organizes / defines tasks, establishes channels of communication, develops relationships with subordinates, and evaluates work performance (Razik and Swanson, 1995, p.42). The two categories were independent of one another. No correlation was found between a leaders uses of one type of categorical behavior with that same leaders utilization of the other type of categorical behavior. The University of Michigan (Likert, 1967) attempted to identify the correlation between a leaders behavior, group process, and group performance. Leadership studies concluded that effective leaders are both task- and relationship-oriented (Razik and Swanson, 1995). Lunenburg and Ornstein (2004) have a different opinion with previews writers because they have not considered the effects of situational factors like differences in tasks completed, of the group, and differences in the environment. These issues are connected to the actions that must be performed by the leader and consequently on the appropriate leadership behavior to be used in the given situation. According to the Ohio and Michigan studies the initiating structure is similar to task-oriented behaviors, and consideration is similar to relation-oriented behaviors. Important role of teachers, counselors, and other school staff exercising leadership roles are distinctly different from the traditional leadership role of the head. The questionnaires from Ohio State University are modified and have been used by different researchers in many survey studies. According to that research evidence the results were not satisfied for most criteria of leadership effectiveness (Bass, 1990; Fisher and Edwards, 1998; Yukl, 2006). The findings were inconsistent for the relationship between consideration and subordinate performance. Research revealed subordinates are more satisfied with a leader who is at least moderately considerate. Especially between 50s and 80s a huge amount of studies about effective leadership behaviors are concluded with effective leadership connecting with school goals and concern for relationships. Situational Theory Yukl (2006) argued that situational approach covers the social characteristics of the organizations and how they influence the type of leadership exhibited. Main important for this theory is that distinguishing characteristics of the organizational members are more important to leadership than personal traits (Glasman and Glasman, 1997; Lipham, 1973; Wildavsky, 1985). Yukl explained that there are many variables like the nature of the work performed, the type of the organization, and the features of the organizations peripheral elements. Studies for situational approach have been divided into two subcategories. According to the first subcategory leadership processes are compared in various types of managerial positions, organizations, and cultures. The second type of research emphasizes on leadership effectiveness by specific various aspects of the situation that have a bearing on the leaders attributes. Those approaches concerning aspects of leadership applying to some situations, but not others, are called contingency theories. Contingency Theory Contingency approaches specify the situational elements that describe the relationship among leaders traits, behaviors, and performance criteria. Contingency approaches include four sets of concepts: traits of leaders, characteristics of the situation, behaviors of the leader, and effectiveness of the leader. Lunenburg and Ornstein (2004) described that contingency theory it depends on the interaction of the leaders personal traits, behavior, and factors in the leadership situation. Fielder (1967) argued that leaders could improve their effectiveness by modifying the situation to match their style of leadership. During his study discovered important interactions, between leadership styles and situational variables. Fielder suggested that leaders could improve their effectiveness by modifying the situation to suit their style of leadership. Four contingency approaches of leadership are reviewed: The LPC Contingency Theory, Path-Goal Contingency Theory, Situational Leadership Contingency Theory, and Leadership Substitutes Contingency Theory. LPC Contingency Theory: Fiedler (1967) generalized the LPC contingency theory to analyze leadership through examination of the situation, the organizational members, and its tasks. The LPC contingency theory describes how the situation affects the relationship between leadership effectiveness and a trait measure defined the least preferred coworker (LPC) score. LPC score is defined by asking a leader to select one past or present coworker with whom the leader could work least well, and rate this person on a scale of varying adjectives such as friendly or unfriendly and efficient or inefficient. The total of the ratings on these bipolar adjectives scales is the leaders PLC score. The score identifying if the leader behavior are more relationship or task motivated. Path-Goal Theory: House (1971) emphasized on the leaders ability to motivate subordinates to reach goals, the rewards associated with reaching goals, and the importance of the goal. House proposed that leaders need to examine the situational variables and then apply one of the four leadership styles (supporting, participative, directive, or achievement oriented), the one that was more close to the situation. Bolman and Deal (1991) and Golman et al., 2002 discover that effective leaders have a repertoire of styles and the leaders effectiveness is based on his/her ability to frame the situation so that he/she can use the style most suitable for the task in the context. House (1996) reconstructed this theory by modernizing the conceptions of subordinate motivation and abilities, and task characteristics as situational elements, and expanded the outcomes to include subordinate satisfaction and work unit effectiveness, but not leader traits. To be effective, leaders engage in behaviors that add to the subordinates environment in order to increase subordinates satisfaction and work effectiveness. House and Mitchell (1974) described another leadership behavior, participative leadership. Participative leadership seeks advice from organizational members and considers their opinions and suggestions in the decision making process. Yukl (2006) described that participative leadership involves various decision making processes allowing other members of staff, besides the leader, some influence over the decision. Participative leadership used to encourage democratic principles or to enhance effectiveness of the organization. Leithwood and Duke (1999) suggested another reason for generalizing participative leadership in schools, the site-based management (SBM) approaches. Access to SBM for decision making is given to any legitimate stakeholder in the school based on their expert knowledge, their democratic right to choose, and their critical role in implementing decisions. Murphy and Beck (1995) suggested SBM metamorphosis takes one of three forms; administrative-controlled SBM, professional-controlled SBM, and community-controlled SBM. Main important goal for administrative-controlled SBM is to pass authority to the local school administrators to make decisions on the budget, personnel, and curriculum for the best use of resources for the students benefit. Teacher-controlled SBM is generalized to make improvement in determining how money will be spent, selection of the curriculum, and choosing personnel. Educators participation in the decision making process will give them ownership in the decisions during implementation and leads to improved effectiveness (Clune and White, 1998; David, 1989). Community controlled SBM are concerning with the accountability of parents and the community. Parents and other community members have a majority of the input when deciding upon the curriculum so it will reflect their values. Leithwood and Duke (1999) stated an equal participation SBM does exist in the form of side councils that have decision-making power. Everyone works together to make the best school decisions possible. Situational Leadership Contingency Theory: According to Hershey and Blanchard (1977) the level of the workers maturity determines the task and relationship behavior for the leader. A worker of high maturity has both the ability and confidence to do a task, whereas a worker of low maturity lacks ability and self-confidence. At the other side Barrow (1977) believed maturity is a combination of many elements and the procedure used to weight and combine them was questionable. Yukl (2006) underlined Hershey and Blanchards theory made positive highlights of leaders to be adaptive and flexible in their behavior. Situational leadership theory emphasizes on leaders to be conscious of opportunities to increase the skills and confidence of workers. Leadership Substitutes Contingency Theory: The theory according to Kerr and Jermier (1978) makes a distinction between substitutes and neutralizers, which are two different kinds of situational variables. Substitutes include all the characteristics of the worker like task, or organization ensuring the worker will clearly realize their roles, know how to do the work, be highly motivated, and have work satisfaction. Examples of substitutes would be the exceptional ability of a worker, an intrinsically satisfying task, and a cohesive work group within the organization. Usually when workers have prior experience, they already have acquired t he skills and knowledge to accomplish their tasks. If workers are motivated by their work because is according to their interests, the leader may not need to motivate them. Neutralizers are any characteristics of the organization that block a leader from acting in a specific way or that cancel the results of the leaders actions. Example is the lack of interest of workers toward rewards. In many situations there so many neutralizers that it is difficult for a leader to succeed. There are two ways to make the situation more favorable for the leader either remove the neutralizers or make the leadership less important by increasing substitutes. According to Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Ahearne, and Bommer (1995) there is a low level of relationship between the leader and other members motivation of the organization affected by situation variables. Researches concerning substitute leadership theory based on some aspects of the theory, but other aspects have not been supported (Howel Dorfman, 1986; Pitner, 1986; Podsakoff, Niehoff, MacKenzie, Williams, 1993; Yukl, 2006). Yukl (2006) discussed that the main contribution of substitutes theory is to offer a different perspective on leadership by focus on leadership processes in groups and organizations. Main limitation of contingency theories is the lack of consideration of leadership processes that transform the way followers view themselves and their work. School Effectiveness Research School effectiveness and the related area of school improvement have been topics for an increasing body of academic research since the 1960s. School effectiveness research had its origins in the mid-1960s and early 1970s when a prevalent view in the research community, especially with regard to equality of opportunity, was that schools had little influence on childrens achievement that was independent of background and social context. In the late 1970s in the United States, Edmonds and, in the United Kingdom, Rutter responded by embarking on what was to emerge as the first phase of school effectiveness research. The two studies run independently by Edmonds and Rutter set out to investigate whether schools in their national contexts showed any effects when account was taken of the differences in their student populations. Their findings, arrived at independently, were similar: schools do make a small but highly significant difference to the life chances of their students. School effec tiveness research studies undertaken during the 1980s focused on improving the methodology and replicating the resea