Curriculum Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Curriculum Leadership - Essay Example The Newton County School requires that its teaching fraternity evaluate the effectiveness of the current curriculum and determine if there is need to make some adjustments. The curriculum is dynamic in nature since it changes with the alteration and modifications in the job market. For instance, there are changes in technology, administration skills, and business management among other developmental aspects of the current job market. It would be wise to equip students with such advancements to increase their suitability. This work would focus on some of interview conducted to ascertain the need of some changes in the Newton county school’s curriculum among other issues related to the school’s curriculum formulation. The school leaders must, however, adhere to the school policies and standards as stipulated by the government’s and school’s strategic plan. Furthermore, the school administration is charged with the responsibility of standardizing the curricul um as per the required standard set by the Georgia Department of Education. The formulation of such policies is done with the encouragement of the parent and community input in the operation of the school district. Public opinion or participation is also involved in the formulation of the curriculum or policies (Hlebowitsh, 2005). The most important consideration is that the county’s curriculum must match that of other counties, as required by the Education Act of the United States. The policies are centered on various issues such as school district organization, school board operations, general school administration, fiscal management, business management, facility expansion programs, personnel, instructional programs, students, and inter-organizational relations. Under instructional program policies there are sections addressing policies on curriculum design processes, gifted student programs, scheduling for instruction, policies on unstructured break times, media programs, promotion, and retention of students. The interview session The main purpose of the interview session with the county’s education officer was to ascertain whether the county’s education system was at par with other counties’, as required by the U.S. law. I got a chance to ask him what factors are considered before a certain curriculum is considered obsolete. The term obsolete has been never applicable in any education system; what applies is updated system which requires improvement and adjustment. The county requires school administrators, parents, work force representatives to meet at the end of each year and discuss the current advancements that call for change in the school curriculum. He further argued that counties are in competition; hence, no county would wish to lag behind, as far as school curriculum is concerned. The aim of any education system is to produce a whole round personality ready to be absorbed in the job market. The end product of an educa tion system should have good ethics, technology knowledge, physically fit, be morally upright and flexible in terms of relevant changes in the job market. Hence, it requires a comprehensive curriculum to train such students. The director also mentioned that he does not call for overworking them. The children’

Secrets of the FBI (Ronald Kessler) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Secrets of the FBI (Ronald Kessler) - Assignment Example It shows they are not able to effectively get the information they need so they resort to blackmail. This will increase accountability to the service. The second issue of agreement is the exposure about their training. 20 weeks training, shooting accuracy of 80% and above, firing 3900 rounds of ammunition in 20 weeks and training in surveillance, undercover tactics is a show of good training and even the enemy would be scared of this. There are also some things mentioned that are not agreeable. First, the very exposure of the internal operations of the service is totally unacceptable. This was also expressed by two callers who expressed much pessimism about the revelation. It aids the enemy and causes violent aggression to any American in any building across the world. Secondly, the financial exposure would send the economists back to their drawing board about the amount of funds spend on this training. It implores a waste of hard earned cash from the consolidated fund. Given that it is being aired live, it may send the wrong picture to the public about government expenditure and priorities. Someone in Criminal Justice requires knowing this because the revelation would create caution to him/her. The way any American is viewed globally totally changes and there is also need to invent new methods of operation to increase their

Causes and Treatments of Sepsis

Causes and Treatments of Sepsis Sepsis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitals today. It has been defined as the bodys response to an infection when organisms invade the body (Baudouin 2008). Its an infection which is caused by micro organisms or bacterias that invade the body. Sepsis can lead to acute organ dysfunction followed by multi-organ failure and death. In the early stages of sepsis the immune response can be characterised as a systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) (Chamberlain 2008). This is the bodys response to a variety of severe clinical insults. It is characterised by the presence of two or more of the following features: Temperature >38ÂÂ °C or 90/min, Respiratory rate > 20/min or PaCO2 12 x 109/l altered mental status, blood glucose>7.7mmol/l in absence of diabetes (LTHTR Sepsis Care Pathway 2009).Sepsis is defined as SIRS in response to infection (I, Mackenzie 2001). The surviving Sepsis campaign was launched in October (2002) aiming to increase awareness of sepsis, severe sepsis and septic shock among healthcare staff and the general public, develop evidence based guidelines for the management of severe sepsis and ensure that guidelines are put to practice globally. In the Nice Clinical guideline 50- acutely ill patients in Hospital they made key recommendations to ensure early identification of the acutely ill patient and prevent deterioration of condition thus reduce patient mortality, morbidity and length of stay, to reduce ICU admissions and re admission. Initial management of a critically ill patient includes: Immediate assessment of the airway, breathing and circulation Baseline observations HR, RR, BP, O2 sats, capillary refill, EWS and AVPU to assess level of consciousness A brief history A limited examination of the relevant systems of the body. A secondary assessment after stabilisation of the patient including a more thorough history, detailed examination by system and appropriate investigations. The golden hour an early window of opportunity immediate resuscitation with oxygen and fluids prevents secondary injury to organs as a result of hypoxemia and hypovalaemia helping to reduce mortality and morbidity. The timing of clinical intervention is essential to the survival of septic patients (Chamberlain 2008). Respiratory failure is common and may develop at any stage so repeated assessments are necessary. A depressed conscious level is the most common cause of airway obstruction (I, Mackenzie 2001). A clear airway does not indicate effective breathing. Failure of gas exchange may be caused by lung problems (pneumonia, lung collapse, pulmonary oedema), failure of the mechanics of ventilation. Respiratory failure is suggested by signs of respiratory distress including dyspnoea, increased respiratory rate, use of accessory muscles, cyanosis, confusion, tachycardia, sweating. The diagnosis is made clinically but may be confirmed by pulse oximetry and arterial blood gases. Patients with a depressed conscious level may not react normally to hypoxia and signs of respiratory failure may be difficult to detect. Patients with inadequate ventilation, gas exchange or both require ventilatory support. This usually necessitates intubation and mechanical ventilation although in some patients gas exchang e and oxygenation can be improved by the application of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) by face mask or non-invasive ventilation. As per LTHTR sepsis care pathway (2009) high flow oxygen to be given to maintain a target of >94% using a non rebreath mask. Oxygen to be reduced when patient stable. In critically ill patients, high concentration oxygen should be administered immediately and this should be recorded afterwards in the patients health record (BTS guideline for emergency oxygen use in adult patients 2008). Tachycardia and hypotension are almost universal findings in the septic patient and result from a number of cardiovascular problems. In early sepsis, and in patients who have been partially or fully fluid resuscitated, the low blood pressure and high heart rate are associated with a high cardiac output and a low peripheral vascular resistance with warm peripheries and bounding pulses. In contrast, patients who have not been significantly resuscitated or have presented late in the course of their illness have a low cardiac output and high systemic vascular resistance. These patients are peripherally cold, sweaty, with weak, thready pulses and they need urgent resuscitation. However resuscitation aims to restore circulating volume, cardiac output and reversal of hypotension (I, Mackenzie 2001). Initially infuse i/v crystalloid or colloid rapidly guided by the clinical response. The optimal resuscitation fluid however, remains the subject of debate. Fluid resuscitation of severe sepsis may consist of natural or artificial colloids or crystalloids. Fluid challenge should be administered and repeated based on response (increase in blood pressure and urine output) and tolerance (V, Jean-louis 2004). Administering large volumes of fluid to patients with known cardiac disease or myocardial dysfunction related to their acute illness is a problem. Ronco, C et al (2004) argued that it is the quantity of fluid given rather than the type of fluid explaining that more crystalloid is needed to achieve the same effect as colloid but colloids are more expensive and carry their own risks. Adequacy of fluid infusion can be facilitated by repeated fluid challenges in which a pre defined amount of fluid e.g. 250 or 500mls is in fused over a set time. Sherman et al (2007) states that aggressiv e volume resuscitation and administering broad spectrum antibiotics should be given early to all septic patients using 2-4litres of normal saline. All patients should be monitored closely to see the response to resuscitation (urine output mental status, BP). If the patients blood pressure is 40mmgh lower than the patients normal BP fluid challenges nacl 0.9% 500ml given over 5-10mins (ALERT 2003). LTHTR Sepsis Care Pathway 2009 states if patient hypotensive give up to 3 boluses of 500ml (0.9% Saline) to maintain MAP>65/systolic 100mmgh. Urinary catheter hourly urine measurements. Perform investigations to confirm or clarify problems that are clinically evident, or to look for complications that are likely. Bloods including FBC, coagulation screen, UE, Liver function, Amylase, cardiac enzymes, Glucose, lactate and ABGs. Other tests may include a blood glucose, ECG and chest x-ray. You may consider sending samples for microbiology to confirm the presence of infection, i.e. blood cultures should be taken, sputum if suspecting chest infection and mid-stream urine (MSU) or catheter specimen of urine f suspecting urine infection. Blood cultures are only to be taken when there is clinical need to do so and not as routine (DOH 2007). Indepth search for the source of sepsis with rapid institution of appropriate antibiotic therapy. Delayed or initially ineffective antibiotic therapy has been shown to be associated with worse prognosis and if it is important that all likely microbial culprits are covered by the empiric antibiotic which can be altered when culture result s are available (Ronco, C et al 2004). Monitoring is not dependent on expensive equipment, but it requires the continuous presence of trained nursing staff. Clear documentation aids the assessment of subtle changes in the patients clinical state. Patients with severe SIRS / sepsis should have observations recorded hourly. Record body temperature, pulse, blood pressure, urine output, CVP, respiratory rate and SpO2 (if available). Accurate fluid balance is essential. An accurate Early Warning Score is essential as per LTHTR trust protocol along with every set of observations taken. EWS used widely throughout the trust it acts as an assessment of recognising deterioration in patients an identifies at risk patients. It requires the charting of observations such as systolic BP, HR, RR on a regular basis each is given a score from 0-3 and then added together to give an EWS. This is then used to trigger further assessment of the patient by senior nursing or medical staff and referral to critical care outreach who support nurses at ward level to tackle early detection and treatment to prevent intensive care admissions. Early detection and recognition of a patient that is deteriorating is vital (DOH 2007). The initial antibiotic prescription is a best guess, and will depend on the clinical picture of the patient, local patterns of antibiotic resistance and the local availability of antibiotics. It should be broad enough to cover the most likely pathogens, but not so broad as to encourage antibiotic resistance. The advice of a local microbiologist or infectious diseases specialist is valuable. Surviving Sepsis Campaign (2008) states the choice of antibiotics should be guided by the susceptibility of likely pathogens in the community and the hospital, as well as any specific knowledge about the patient, including drug intolerance, underlying disease, the clinical syndrome.ÂÂ   The regimen should cover all likely pathogens since there is little margin for error in critically ill patients. There is ample evidence that failure to initiate appropriate therapy promptly (i.e., therapy that is active against the causative pathogen) has adverse consequences on outcome. Although restricting the use of antibiotics, and particularly broad-spectrum antibiotics, is important for limiting super infection and for decreasing the development of antibiotic resistantÂÂ  pathogens, patients with severe sepsis or septic shock warrant broad-spectrum therapy until the causative organism and its antibiotic susceptibilities are defined. Shermon et al (2007) states that early use has been clearly demonstrated to reduce the mortality in sepsis an if no known source of infection is present then give broad spectrum antibiotic therapy to cover aerobic and anaerobic infections. LTHTR Sepsis Care Pathway (2009) states antibiotics to be given in first hour and all antibiotics to be reviewed after 48hours. Medical staff have been implicated in the spread of infectious agents between patients. All staff must wash their hands before and after attending to a patient. Equipment should not be shared between patients if possible, but where this is necessary the equipment should be thoroughly cleaned between patients. Staff should protect themselves and their clothes from becoming contaminated with biological material by wearing disposable aprons and gloves. Visitors should be discouraged from moving between patients. Wounds, including drain sites and intravenous cannulae sites, should be inspected, cleaned and dressed at regular intervals. Intravenous cannulae and central lines should be removed as soon as practical. Ensure correct documentation is filled in i.e. Vascular access device tool, wound charts and care plans as per trust protocol. In conclusion sepsis remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitals today. Many authors have looked at best practice in the early recognition and treatment of sepsis. It is vital that nurses and clinicians recognise and treat critically ill patients for the best outcome to reduce the risk of deterioration and potential cardiac arrests. NPSA (2007) Recognising and responding appropriately to early signs of deterioration in hospitalised patients. Within LTHTR trust and other trusts there are many policies in ensuring this with the early recognition policy, early warning scores to help assist the staff on recognising the deteriorating patient and sepsis care pathway to assist with the treatment of the deteriorating patient. With the use of these policys and the help of critical care outreach teams within the trust early recognition and treatment within the golden hour reduces the morbidity and mortality thus educing admissions into the intensive care unit. It appears that there remains much discussion into which fluid works best during fluid resuscitation. Trust protocols should be followed. Recognition of at risk patients can only be achieved by appropriate and timely assessment and monitoring. Nice made key recommendations in patients at risk policy, assessment and monitoring, response, critical care and staff competencies the LTHTR policy Procedure for the timely recognition and response for patients at risk of deterioration encompasses these key recommendations. There is no predictive scoring system which gives accurate predictions of outcome for individual patients. Survival from an episode of severe sepsis is dependent the patients age, previous health and the time delay before the onset of medical intervention, as well as the appropriateness and quality of medical care. Few countries have limitless resources, and so difficult decisions face all intensive care doctors when deciding between the potential benefits for one critically ill patient and need for provision of healthcare to several less critically ill patients (I, Mackenzie 2001). Word Count 2008

Morris :: essays research papers

Of French and English descent, Morris was born at Morrisania estate, in Westchester (present Bronx) County, NY, in 1752. His family was wealthy and enjoyed a long record of public service. His elder half-brother, Lewis, signed the Declaration of Independence. Gouverneur was educated by private tutors and at a Huguenot school in New Rochelle. In early life, he lost a leg in a carriage accident. He attended King's College (later Columbia College and University) in New York City, graduating in 1768 at the age of 16. Three years later, after reading law in the city, he gained admission to the bar. When the Revolution loomed on the horizon, Morris became interested in political affairs. Because of his conservatism, however, he at first feared the movement, which he believed would bring mob rule. Furthermore, some of his family and many of his friends were Loyalists. But, beginning in 1775, for some reason he sided with the Whigs. That same year, representing Westchester County, he took a seat in New York's Revolutionary provincial congress (1775-77). In 1776, when he also served in the militia, along with John Jay and Robert R. Livingston he drafted the first constitution of the state. Subsequently he joined its council of safety (1777). In 1777-78 Morris sat in the legislature and in 1778-79 in the Continental Congress, where he numbered among the youngest and most brilliant members. During this period, he signed the Articles of Confederation and drafted instructions for Benjamin Franklin, in Paris, as well as those that provided a partial basis for the treaty ending the War for Independence. Morris was also a close friend of Washington and one of his strongest congressional supporters. Defeated in his bid for reelection to Congress in 1779 because of the opposition of Gov. George Clinton's faction, Morris relocated to Philadelphia and resumed the practice of law. This temporarily removed him from the political scene, but in 1781 he resumed his public career when he became the principal assistant to Robert Morris, Superintendent of Finance for the United States, to whom he was unrelated. Gouverneur held this position for 4 years. Morris emerged as one of the leading figures at the Constitutional Convention. His speeches, more frequent than those by anyone else, numbered 173. Although sometimes presented in a light vein, they were usually substantive. A strong advocate of nationalism and aristocratic rule, he served on many committees, including those on postponed matters and style, and stood in the thick of the decisionmaking process.

Leadership: The MBTI Assessment

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality assessment that helps to assess one's psychological preferences based on a psychometric questionnaire. These preferences were extracted from the typological theories proposed by Carl Gustav Jung writings in his book ‘Psychological Types'. The MBTI focuses on normal populations and emphasizes the value of naturally occurring differences. [1] Also recognized commonly as a behavioral assessment tool, the MBTI uses a combination of 4 letters and each represent a clearly defined attribute. Altogether, the MBTI test consists of 16 different personality types that will describe one’s personality in alleged detail. The MBTI test has reviewed that I am type ENTJ which covers aspects of being extraverted, intuitive, thinking and judging altogether but in different extents. According to Dr. David Keirsey, he states that a person with type ENTJ is recognized as a ‘Fieldmarshal’ or basically someone who is a natural born leader as agreed by Joe Butt in his article on ENTJ. He adds that this attribute of Fieldmarshals are a rare breed that are natural at taking the lead, are structural organizers and have an act on devising contingency plans. These collectively form characteristics of a leader who will be decisive and are visionary in setting goals and direction. Having these traits of a leader, Fieldmarshals are expected to take up roles of higher responsibility and will usually take pleasure in them. However their strong devotion to their work may sometimes be a hindrance to their social lifestyles. Another prevalent characteristic of a Fieldmarshal is the tendency to emphasize on efficiency and are usually intolerant of prodigality. [5 &6] I have to admit that while reading the results and review of my personality type; it felt like a strong confirmation of how I evaluate myself. Most of the traits specified were indeed very accurate such that I am a natural leader. I have come to realize that not only do I have the tendency to lead others but I also enjoy taking responsibility and I feel more comfortable in planning ahead rather than doing things spontaneously. Being extraverted is also a spot on because I am that person who would walk across the room to get to know someone new and am not afraid to express my thoughts publicly. Looking at the basis of how the personality results were generated, I still do not comprehend how I only scored 1 in the ‘Thinking’ category as I usually make decisions based on facts and logic. Apart from the MBTI test, the Dominance Influence Steadiness Conscientiousness (DISC) test is also another credible assessment tool that provides an effective feedback and rational to help one identify his/her personal behavior and strengths, thus increasing self-awareness. The DISC assessment is a shorter test as compared to the MBTI and yet yields more specific results from over 19,000 personalized responses and 384 separate behavioral descriptions. [3&4] One other assessment would be the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) which measures thinking preferences in people. This model functions very similar to the others by incorporating cognitive style measurement. HBDI in short, adapts a concept of determining one’s dominant thinking style based on analytical, sequential, interpersonal and imaginative aspects. [7&4] Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger, who are both recognized experts in personality type and career development, agreed that the MBTI can serve as career counselors to guide and find jobs that are best suited for a person. [8] However the Army Research Institute commissioned a review on this and argued that there is no evidence for the utility of the test and further claimed that the classification scheme is limited and may be an example of stereotyping personalities. Other questions have been raised in David Pittenger’s report of how the MBTI instrument comes up short for what it purports to measure. Some of which are mainly concerns on the reliability and validity of the results. [9] Considering all that, the objective of the MBTI is somewhat achieved when it helps to facilitate self-awareness which can then lead to self- improvement. With critical feedback provided, one will be able to realize their potential essentially natural leaders, and also to reaffirm one’s focus on their strengths. As discussed, discretion may be necessary to protect one against undue reliance upon the MBTI especially in career choices.

Cambridge University Press Essay

In literature, the notions of a sovereign and a tyrant were always mixed. Philosophical and theological works have not delineated any clear boundaries between a sovereign and a tyrant. However, several professors have attempted to determine, whether it was permissible to resist a tyrant, and how easily a sovereign could turn into a tyrant. In order to decide whether it is possible to resist a tyrant, we should determine who a tyrant is, and what resistance is meant by the question. Bodin (1992) refers to a tyrant as â€Å"someone who makes himself into a sovereign prince by his own authority – without election, or right of succession, or lot, or a just war, or a special calling from God. † Furthermore, tyrants are identified as those who are â€Å"cruel, oppressive or excessively wicked† (Bodin, 1992). Although ancient writers discussed the possibility of resisting to tyrant, they have not evaluated the risks for such resistance. Any opposition, whether real or imagined (planned) would be equaled to treason. Furthermore, a tyrant is also a sovereign who possesses absolute power and unlimited rights. Bodin (1992) suggests that the nation does not have the right to kill or physically eliminate the tyrant; but it can ignore the decisions that contradict to the laws of nature and God (Bodin, 1992). In this context, we should also remember that to be a sovereign does not necessarily means to be a tyrant; but being a tyrant always implies being a sovereign. It is a matter of ethical and powerful boundaries that each sovereign is able to cross. â€Å"The first prerogative of a sovereign prince is to give law to all in general and each in particular† (Bodin, 1992). This is also a prerogative of a tyrant, but a tyrant gives law without distinguishing between wickedness and virtue (Bodin, 1992). In general, Bodin (1992) concludes that â€Å"it is never permissible for a subject to attempt a thing against a sovereign price, no matter how wicked and cruel a tyrant he may be†. The problem is in that we still lack a proper definition of what a tyrant is. We risk abusing a sovereign for high taxes, but that does not mean that this sovereign is a tyrant! A tyrant may have the right to punish conspirators, but this may also be a natural need to protect one’s right to live (Bodin, 1992). That is why we cannot make tyrants’ elimination lawful. References Bodin, J. (1992). On Sovereignty. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.