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

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...

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

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

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

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

Needed: A License to Drink Essay -- Drinking Alcohol Essays

Needed: A License to Drink Mike Brake is a writer for the communication department at the Oklahoma State Department of Education he wrote an article, â€Å"Needed: A License to Drink,† proposing a national system of licensing on drinking, with appropriate penalties. This means in order to drink one beer a person would have to obtain a license. The article is from Newsweek (March 14, 1994). Underage drinking is everywhere; high school, parties, and at college. How do they get the alcohol? The answer is simple get into the right crowd and alcohol will be as easy to get as juice. There is always going to be someone to buy for underage drinking no matter what the situation. Being twenty-one just means you do not have to hide drinking anymore and that is it. Drinking today is very popular becoming a huge social factor especially in college. With this drinking some people become dependent on the alcohol devoting all their time to drinking. Then drinking does not become a social factor any longer, these people drink because they need it. When this happens the person has a problem and has become an alcoholic maybe for life if they do not get help. About 88% of college students including underage drinkers drink or at least tried alcohol. Of this 88% only a small percentage of people become alcoholics. (Alcohol Alert). Brake’s Proposition What do we do with this alcoholic problem? Mike Brake has proposed a national license for drinking with appropriate penalties. Just like studying to get a permit to drive the same would steps would have to be taken to obtain a beet license. If an alcoholic is arrested on an alcoholic related offense they would loose their license and if they are found attempting to buy alcohol the... ...of alcoholics I think that this will increase the chance that the person will not go back to the bottle. At least more people would know that the person has a problem. This isn’t going to solve the problem but it could help. In conclusion a beer license isn’t going to help the drinking problem at all. Alcoholics are still going to the alcohol that they want. The beer license is only going to cost the 90% of the population who does not have drinking problem who in the first place do not need the license. Works Cited Ask Jeeves. What is Prohibition. 5 Mar. 1999. http://web.ask.com/redir Alcohol Alert. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Oct. 2000. http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa2a.htm Prohibition in the 1920’s Thirteen Years That Damaged America. 6 May 1998. http://www.geocities.com/Anthens/Troy/4399/

Growth and Development in Chhattisgarh: a Credible State

Chhattisgarh :Credible state with incredible potential Introduction Creation of the State of Chhattisgarh The creation of Chhattisgarh on November 01, 2000 fulfilled the demand for separate statehood that was originally raised in 1925 and subsequently rejected in the post independence era by the State Reorganisation Commission set up in 1954. The ‘Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2000’ was eventually passed by both houses of Parliament and approved by the President of India on August 25, 2000. This paved the way for the creation of the 26th State of India on November 01, 2000.The creation of the new State of Chhattisgarh has succeeded in granting a sense of identity to its people and has provided them with the unique opportunity to chart their own destiny. General Profile Chhattisgarh located in central India has been carved out of the sixteen eastern and south-eastern districts of undivided Madhya Pradesh. It is a landlocked state bound in the north by Uttar Pradesh an d Jharkhand, in the east by Orissa, in the south by Andhra Pradesh and in the West by Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.Chhattisgarh is the tenth largest State in India with an area of approximately 135000 sq kms. The state now consists of 27 districts in 5 divisions with capital in Raipur and high court at Chhattisgarh. The population of the state as per 2001 census is 2,55,40,196(prov. ) In terms of population the State ranks 16th. 80% of the total population lives in rural areas. A large portion of the State’s population comprises of tribals, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. State has a population density 189 which is fairly low as compared to India.Sex ratio is 991 per thousand of males and ranks 5th in India in this regard. The literacy rate is 71. 04% which is still quite low. Competitive analysis of Chhattisgarh For a comprehensive analysis of the state it is important to assess the State’s potential in terms of its inherent strengths and weaknesses. The SWOT analysis which I am going to present is not intended to be exhaustive. However, it is indicative of some of the primary issues that the State will need to contend with, going forward with its strengths and opportunities. . WEAKNESSES ThreatsThe absence of large local markets, skilled labour, adequate physical infrastructure and low urbanisation are some of the key weaknesses of the State. Landlocked and limited local markets As a virtually landlocked area, the State has to depend heavily on its road and railway network, which is to a considerable extent limited. Additionally a large rural population coupled with low per capita income limits the size of the local market. However, a few cities in the State have demonstrated the potential to develop into substantial local markets, which is evident from their current levels of per capita spending ? Low telephone density The telephone density in the State is low as compared to the national average. This particularly inhibits the effici ent functioning of the service industry that depends heavily on Information and Communication Technology (ICTs). Opportunities Low skilled labour The relatively low level of industrialisation in the State has limited the development of skilled labour. The current availability of skilled labour is further restricted to select industries only due to the absence of a divergent industrial base Limited physical infrastructureState still have vast area of undeveloped land and regions that have been untouched by modern development. While this is the result of years of prior neglect in developing proper physical infrastructure but now constitutes the weakest link in the progress towards economic development Frequent droughts Although the average rainfall in Chhattisgarh compares well with several other states, neglect of traditional water preservation practices in recent times has led to frequent droughts. Further, the proportion of irrigated area in the State is only 16 percent of the t otal cultivable area.There is however, potential to raise the proportion of irrigated area to 75 percent of the total cultivable area Low urbanisation The State ranks low on urbanisation index with limited number of urban centres, which are confined to central Chhattisgarh. Low urbanisation and lack of adequate physical infrastructure are the key reasons why Chhattisgarh is low on national perception, and also ranks low on development indicators along with the perceived potential for development. THREATS Over dependence on natural resourcesThe State must take care to use its natural resources judiciously. An emphasis on balanced and all-round development would be essential to ensure environmentally sustainable growth. Having said that, there is little doubt that the optimal utilisation of natural assets holds the key to State’s development process Political compulsions Political will at all levels is a must to enable any kind of change. Any disruption in the pace or direct ion of proposed reforms could hamper the swift movement towards economic development Suspicion of and opposition to changeThe people of the newly formed State being accustomed to prior neglect, may look upon any kind of change with doubt or suspicion. The State must, in the spirit of participatory democracy, take steps to build consensus and infuse a sense of confidence in its people with specific reference to the objectives, direction and pace of economic development While it is absolutely essential to understand the weaknesses and threats (significant but not exhaustive), it is the aggregate of strengths and opportunities that infuses the State and its people with a sense of optimism about the future.STRENGTHS Rich natural resources Undoubtedly the biggest strength of the State, Chhattisgarh used to contribute 46% of mineral revenues to undivided Madhya Pradesh and is ranked second in the list of mineral producing States in the country. It has rich deposits of limestone, iron-or e, copper-ore, rock phosphate, manganese ore, bauxite, coal, asbestos and mica. In fact Chhattisgarh, along with Orissa and Jharkhand constitute over 80% of the nation’s coal reserves. Chhattisgarh also has proven reserves of diamond – which can, in the future, be a large source of income for the State.Although the State already has a substantial presence of core industries, a large part of the mineral potential is yet untapped, providing Chhattisgarh with a unique opportunity to use its mineral wealth to spur economic development. Apart from minerals, Chhattisgarh also possesses a large forest cover encompassing approximately 44% of the total geographical area. However, the true potential of the minor forest produce is yet to be assessed and utilised. The State has abundant but untapped water resources – essential for harvesting the potential of agriculture. Surplus power Chhattisgarh is fortunate to be one of the few States that are currently power surplus. Th is could be an important criterion for Industrialists making project and investment decisions, to Chhattisgarh’s advantage. Presence of low grade coal makes Chhattisgarh an ideal location for setting up of low cost pit head based thermal power plant, capable of generating power to meet the requirements of other States . By exploiting its unique location along with large coal reserves, Chhattisgarh has the potential to become the power generating hub of India Favourable labour climate Though the relative skill base is low, the presence of a large number of willing and able-bodied people contributes to the presence of a substantial workforce. The State has a high worker participation rate (male and female) and a high labour force in the 15-39 age group. It also has one of the lowest losses in person-days in the country attributed to labour problems Relatively low land cost With a lower population density and urbanisation ratio, the State would be able to offer land at extremel y competitive prices for some time to come ? Fiscal position The fiscal deficit situation of the State is currently under control. It also has reliable sources of public finance and possesses no deficit on account of either the State Electricity Board or Road Transport Corporation. This is contrary to the situation in other states, wherein these agencies are the principal contributors to the fiscal deficit. Political Leadership and Bureaucracy The number of bureaucrats and government employees compared to the other States in the country.This has also resulted in one of the lowest expenditures in the country on government functioning. The presence of a strong, committed and focussed leadership is an asset. OPPORTUNITIES ‘New State’ advantage The fulfilment of the demand for a separate State has given a new sense of identity and pride to the local people. Being a new State and with limited legacies of the past, this is a historic opportunity for Chhattisgarh. It can lev erage on this status to undertake reforms and frame policies to aid rapid social and economic development.No past legacies provide the State with an opportunity to prepare policies which are based on contemporary economic principles and which help create responsive governance. Location advantage The geographic location of the State is strategic – it borders seven states in the country. NH-6, which connects the west to the east, passes through some of the most industrialised areas of the State. Chhattisgarh could use this geographic locational to its advantage to develop a logistics and warehousing network to service the region. Demand for Energy in the countryWhile the rest of India faces acute power shortages, the same is not true of Chhattisgarh. Further, in view of the presence of large coal reserves in the State and the fact that it is situated in the middle of the national power grid makes it an ideal location for setting-up coal pit-head based thermal power plants. P artnership The State recognises the opportunity of an increasingly borderless world and the resulting benefits of forging partnerships with national and international communities, private and developmental institutions to spur economic development. Value additionCurrently a large part of exports from the State is in form of raw material (across minerals, agriculture and forest produce). The state could capitalise on the abundant availability of basic raw material to encourage setting up of processing units for ensuring value addition and subsequently increasing avenues for employment and enhanced income Service industry India has made rapid strides in the service industry in the past few decades. The State could potentially capitalise on these areas of country advantage, specifically in the field of information and biotechnology.It is precisely this aggregate of strengths and opportunities that gives the State a positive and optimistic outlook on the future and the confidence to d raft its Vision Statement. ————————————————- Chhattisgarh Economy The union ministry of Statistics, has included Chhattisgarh as one of the top four states posting 10. 8 per cent GDP growth during 2011-12. It may be termed as a ‘big success', as this was the third year the state has maintained over 10 per cent GDP growth which is more than the national average of 6. 5 %.Chhattisgarh’s success factors in achieving high growth rate are growth in agriculture and industrial production. Agriculture Sector Agriculture is counted as the chief economic occupation of the state. About 80% of the population of the state is rural and the main livelihood of the villagers is agriculture and agriculture-based small industry. The majority of the farmers are still practicing the traditional methods of cultivation, resulting in low growth rates and productivity. The farmers hav e to be made aware of modern technologies suitable to their holdings.Providing adequate knowledge to the farmers is essential for better implementation of the agricultural development plans and to improve the productivity. When a very substantial portion of the population is dependent on agriculture, a situation where nearly 80% of a state's area is covered only by one crop, immediate attention to turn them into double crop areas is needed. Also, very few cash crops are grown in Chhattisgarh, so there is a need to diversify the agriculture produce towards oilseeds and other cash crops. Chhattisgarh is also called the â€Å"rice bowl of central India†.Chhattisgarh has a limited  irrigation  system, with  dams  and  canals  on some rivers. Average rainfall in the state is around 1400  mm and the entire state falls under the rice agroclimatic zone. Large variation in the yearly rainfall directly affects the production of rice. Irrigation is the prime need of the st ate for its overall development and therefore the state government has given top priority to development of irrigation. Industrial sector Power sector Chhattisgarh is one of the few states of India where the power sector is effectively developed.Based on the current production of surplus electric power, the position of the State is comfortable and profitable. Strategically located in central India, Chhattisgarh's large surplus of power can be easily transmitted without losses to any of India's four grids. Chhattisgarh is in the chronically deficit western grid, and is linked to the southern and northern grids. Chhattisgarh provides electricity to several other states because of surplus production and its power hubs are  Korba  and  Bilaspur. Korba in Chhattisgarh is really the Power Capital of India.Apart from NTPC and State Electricity Companies, there are a number of private generation units of large and small capacity. The state government has pursued a liberal policy with regard to captive generation which has resulted in a number of private players coming up. As per a study made by the Power Finance Corporation Ltd. , New Delhi, the state has potential of 61000 MW of additional thermal power in terms of availability of coal for more than 100 years and more than 2500 MW hydel capacity. To use this vast potential, substantial additions to the existing generation capacity are already under way.Non conventional energy sources have been accorded very high priority. A special agency called CREDA (Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency) has been set up, and over 1200 villages in dense forests are being electrified using off-grid energy. Micro-Hydel power potential is also being tapped in a big way, and several projects have been identified for viable private investment. Chhattisgarh is emerging as the Power Hub of India – which has the capacity to cover half the demand-supply gap in the entire country. Steel sector The steel industry is on e of the biggest heavy industries of Chhattisgarh.Bhilai Steel Plant, operated by  SAIL, with a capacity of 5. 4 million tonnes per year, is regarded as a significant contributor to the growth of the state’s economy . More than 100 steel rolling mills, 90 sponge iron plants and ferro-alloy units are in Chhattisgarh. Along with Bhilai, Raipur, Bilaspur, Korba and Raigarh have become the steel hub of Chhattisgarh. Today, Raipur has become the center of the steel sector, the biggest market for steel in India. Aluminium sector Bharat Aluminum Company Limited(BALCO), which has a capacity of around one million tonnes each year is the major contributor in this sector.Exports * Handcrafted wood, iron and steel, terra cotta, bell metal and handloom items are major attractions in the international market. * Chhattisgarh is the only state offering quality fabric in Tassar Silk/ Kosa, which has good export potential in the UK, France, Switzerland, Norway, the USA, Canada, Australia, So uth Africa and Japan. * The state has vast potential for exporting processed foods, organically grown cereals, herbal and medicinal products. * Agricultural products such as rice are presently exported in huge quantities to neighbouring countries .Derivatives and intermediates of rice products, processed foods and biodiesel have a huge potential for exports. * Mineral-based products including steel and pig iron, steel castings, forging and equipment, structural steel, cement and silico-mangnese are also exported from Chhattisgarh. Unlocking Natural Resources Realising the true potential of natural resources in Chhattisgarh would be one of the most immediate priorities of the state. This would ensure economic benefits to more than3/4th of the population and help create large markets within the State that would help propel growth in the secondary and the tertiary sectors.Unlocking the true potential of the natural resources would be contingent upon the State’s ability to addres s the issues facing agriculture, forestry, minerals and the water resources sectors as follows: Agriculture is the primary occupation of the people of Chhattisgarh. About 80% of the population depend on it for their livelihood. It is thus vital to the economy of the State, and any initiatives undertaken in this sector would have a lasting impact on the economy. Water being an important input for sustaining agricultural activities, its effective utilisation becomes vital for economic development.Chhattisgarh has sufficient water resources, but this resource largely remains untapped. In terms of the irrigation potential, it is estimated that 43- lakh hectare area can be irrigated as against the existing irrigation potential of 1. 34 lakh hectare Forestry has a significant role in the economic development of Chhattisgarh. 44% of the State is covered with forests, ranking it third in India in terms of forest cover. The State boasts of an abundance of minor forest produce like Tendu leav es, Sal seed, Mahua seed, gum, etc. , which have enormous economic potential Minerals: Chhattisgarh is rich in minerals.It produces 20% of the country's total cement produce. It ranks first in the nation for coal production and second in reserves, third in iron ore production and first in tin production. Limestone,  dolomite  and  bauxite  are abundant. It is the only  tin-ore producing state in the country. Other minerals include corandum,  garnet,  quartz,  marble,  alexandrite  and  diamonds Chhattisgarh has not fully realised the potential of its abundant mineral wealth. The presence of vast reserves of coal, iron ore, limestone, diamond, etc. have positioned the State second in the country’s list of mineral producing statesTOURISM Chhattisgarh, situated in the heart of  India, is endowed with a rich cultural heritage and attractive natural diversity. The state is full of ancient monuments, rare wildlife, exquisitely carved  temples,  Buddhistà ‚  sites,  palaces,  water falls, caves, rock paintings and hill plateaus. Most of these sites are untouched and unexplored and offer a unique and alternate experience to tourists, compared to traditional destinations which have become overcrowded. For tourists who are tired of the crowds at major destinations will like the  Bastar district, with its unique cultural and ecological identity.Conclusion Comparatively being a newly born state, Chhattisgarh is progressing by leaps and bounds. The global winds of changes can easily be sensed here. With its rich heritage it is competing with other states on number of counts and has been recognized at various forums for its achievements. It is both the land of opportunities and challenges. I, through this presentation could voice some of the challenges, which the state is facing, however with its inherent strengths, I am sure, the state will grow and develop at a high pace and can become leading state in the country.The people of Chha ttisgarh are determined to make the things happen, the way they have envisaged. The people are enterprising and are now well versed with change process. The state has exhibited growth pattern higher than targeted in recent past and would continue the trajectory. And therefore I must say in the end that Chattisgarh is the credible state with incredible potential. Now I would like you all to please watch this one minute video to get a feel of Chhattisgarh.