Inner City School Systems Essay example -- essays research papers

The school system in America has long been an issue of discussion and debate amongst people everywhere. The discussions and debates often stem from evaluating the current educational system in order to determine if significant social issues, including increasing regional poverty and declining literacy rates in specific urban regions are related to economic differentiations in the educational system. Many policy analysts have considered the issue of educational funding allotments in order to determine a system that provides greater equity between socio-economically disadvantaged inner-city schools and wealthier suburban, middle class schools (Kozol 83). The foundation for the necessary funding changes have stemmed from the recognition that school funding differences relate directly to sociological issues, including the creation of a cycle of poverty and illiteracy in under funded urban settings. One of the most significant issues raised in public education in recent years is the radical difference that exists in funding levels between wealthy and poor school districts (Zuckman 49). Many states have allotted educational funding related to tax revenues, and this has determined a higher level of educational spending in wealthy neighborhoods and a much lower level of spending for inner-city poor and rural poor communities (Zuckman 49). The differences in these educational settings have had a direct impact on the outcomes for students. Because a positive educational setting is a d...

Philosophy Reflection Paper Essay

The Oxford English Dictionary defines philosophy as â€Å"Knowledge, learning, scholarship; a body of knowledge; spec. advanced knowledge or learning.† By this definition we can gather that philosophy is, essentially, the pursuit of knowledge or understanding on a much higher level than usual. In the following paper I will present my views on philosophy as a whole by examining what I believe philosophy is supposed to do, as well as how it can benefit the life of any individual willing to invest time in it and the societies that promote such thoughts. Ever since its very beginnings in 6th century BCE, philosophy has been used as a tool to help better understand complex questions regarding logic, knowledge, truth, and even human existence itself. I have long considered philosophy to be a method of deeper understanding when it comes to the human life. Why is this? Perhaps it is because a large part of philosophy is focused on argument, debate, and overall interaction with fellow humans, as opposed to other methods that do not focus on these aspects. It is my belief that if we were to attempt to answer by ourselves the difficult questions life poses, then our lives would be very dull and difficult to properly question. Allow me to expand on what I briefly mentioned at the end of the previous paragraph. Each and every one of us is, in my opinion, a prisoner of our respective perception. From birth our minds are plagued by outside influences that shape our mind regardless of how much we try to avoid it. These influences can take on many different forms such as: media, parents, teachers, etc. What ideologies these influences plant in our minds also depends on a number of variables such: nationality, class, race, etc. This, in turn, leads to bias and prevents anyone from being 100% subjective in any matter. We cannot know any one thing or pass off one of our perceptions as absolute truth. In fact, what you are currently reading is only my interpretation of what I have perceived. Therefore, the only way to truly gain an improved understanding of our life and the world we live in is to explore our different perceptions by sharing and challenging these views with others in debate and/or argument. As Socrates once said, â€Å"The unexamined life is not worth living.† In other words, if you are not going  to break out of your own prison of perception, then your life will be bland and very difficult. Approaching matters in a philosophical fashion is great for people as individuals, but it is also extremely important in societies as a whole. When members of a particular society strive to be thoughtful of their own views instead of just bashing the views of others, then there is an increase of tolerance and open-mindedness. Through this tolerance the society can then obtain a higher sense of fraternity and respect for one another. Societies that promote debate and an open-minded outlook tend to be more democratic and infringe on the rights of the people less. Take Ancient Greece for example, Ancient Greece is where philosophy was born and just also happened to be unlike any other society at the time. Slavery did exist and the women were not considered true citizens, but when compared to other, much more tribal cultures at the time, the Greek people experienced a freedom unheard of in any other part of the world. Modern countries would do well to incorporate philosophy in areas such as: government/politics, education, etc., and thankfully many do. Given the topics discussed in this paper, I find it hard to believe that the introduction of philosophy into one’s life would not be beneficial in many ways. Analysis and consideration of all views, the careful contemplation of oneself and the environment around them, and the intellectual freedom and open-mindedness that such a practice lends to the societies it is promoted within. I can say with confidence that I believe philosophy is an integral part of human life and should be promoted on an international scale in order for countries to work together to logically solve global problems. â€Å"Philosophy is the highest music.† – Plato â€Å"Philosophy.† Def 1. Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. Draft Revision Sep. 2010

Azeotrope Definition and Examples

An azeotrope is a mixture of liquids that maintains its composition and boiling point during distillation. It is also known as an azeotropic mixture or constant boiling point mixture. Azeotropy occurs when a mixture is boiled to produce a vapor that has the same composition as the liquid. The term is derived by combining the prefix a, meaning no, and the Greek words for boiling and turning. The word was first used in a publication by English chemists John Wade (1864–1912) and Richard William Merriman in 1911. In contrast, mixtures of liquids that do not form an azeotrope under any conditions are called zeotropic. Types of Azeotropes Azeotropes may be categorized according to their number of constituents, miscibility, or boiling points: Number of Constituents: If an azeotrope consists of two liquids, it is known as a binary azeotrope. An azeotrope consisting of three liquids is a ternary azeotrope. There are also azeotropes made of more than three constituents.Heterogeneous or Homogeneous: Homogeneous azeotropes consist of liquids that are miscible. They form a solution. Heterogeneous azeotropes are incompletely miscible and form two liquid phases.Positive or Negative: A positive azeotrope or minimum-boiling azeotrope forms when the boiling point of the mixture is lower than that of any of its constituents. A negative azeotrope or maximum-boiling azeotrope forms when the boiling point of the mixture is higher than that of any of its constituents. Examples Boiling a 95% ethanol solution in water will produce a vapor that is 95% ethanol. Distillation cannot be used to obtain higher percentages of ethanol. Alcohol and water are miscible, so any quantity of ethanol can be mixed with any quantity to prepare a homogeneous solution that behaves like an azeotrope. Chloroform and water, on the other hand, form a heteroazeotrope. A mixture of these two liquids will separate, forming a top layer consisting mostly of water with a small amount of dissolved chloroform and a bottom layer consisting mostly of chloroform with a small amount of dissolved water. If the two layers are boiled together, the liquid will boil at a lower temperature than either the boiling point of water or chloroform. The resulting vapor will consist of 97% chloroform and 3% water, regardless of the ratio in the liquids. Condensing this vapor will result in layers that exhibit a fixed composition. The top layer of the condensate will account for 4.4% of the volume, while the bottom layer will account for 95.6% of the mixture. Azeotrope Separation Since fractional distillation cannot be used to separate components of an azeotrope, other methods must be employed: Pressure swing distillation applies pressure changes to change the composition of a mixture to enrich the distillate with the desired component.Another technique involves the addition of an entrainer, a substance that alters the volatility of one of the azeotrope components. In some cases, the entrainer reacts with a component to form a nonvolatile compound. Distillation using an entrainer is called azeotropic distillation.Pervaporation involves separating components using a membrane that is more permeable to one constituent than the other. Vapor permeation is a related technique, using a membrane more permeable to the vapor phase of one component than another. Source Wade, John, and Richard William Merriman. CIV.—Influence of Water on the Boiling Point of Ethyl Alcohol at Pressures above and Below the Atmospheric Pressure. Journal of the Chemical Society, Transactions 99.0 (1911): 997–1011. Print.