Outputs and Outcomes in Public Sector Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Outputs and Outcomes in Public Sector - Essay Example Such outcomes should be classified as outputs as they reflect what the institution has accomplished; they do not reflect what (or how much) students have learned. Nor do they answer the questions outlined above; in fact, they do not measure changes in the students as a result of their college experience. As opposed to outcomes that measure aggregated statistics on an institution-wide basis, student learning outcomes are concerned with attributes and abilities, both cognitive and affective, which reflect how the student experiences at the institution supported their development as individuals. Students are asked to demonstrate acquisition of specific knowledge and skills, generally: In a coordinated effort to answer these results-oriented questions, higher education governing and monitoring bodies have been working to address this need for accountability. They have (and are continuing to do so) reviewed and revised the standards that institutions use to demonstrate their efficiency and effectiveness. At the national level, both the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) have advocated the need to increase awareness, the value, and necessity for measuring and reporting student learning as outcomes. However, because of the decentralized structure of accreditation of higher education in the United States, it has become the responsibility of the regional higher education institutional accreditation associations to develop standards by which to hold institutions accountable through evaluation, including the imposition of student learning outcome measures. (McMurtrie 2000) In the past, prescriptive standards that regional accrediting bodies established to accredit individual higher education institutions have been inputs- and outputs-based, focused on measuring and reporting the processes and structures concerning the delivery and use of institutional services. To increase accountability practices, regional accrediting bodies are placing more pressure on institutions to measure what students learn by applying assessment processes, replacing traditional standards with less prescriptive standards seeking outcome measures--institutional outcomes and student learning outcomes. Furthermore, several of the regional accreditors are requesting their member institutions to prepare assessment plans that measure outcomes, especially student learning outcomes, within the institution. (Hernon 2002) Student learning outcomes might be envisioned as applying only to undergraduates, when, in fact, they could be appropriate to graduate students, be they master's or doctoral students. At the same time, such measures could be appropriate for other constituent groups that the library serves. Moving beyond student learning outcomes, research outcomes are appropriate for graduate students, especially doctoral students, and for the faculty. As we noted in An

Public Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 3

Public Relations - Essay Example Yet another source cites the ‘Institute of Public Relations’ which gives the definition as â€Å"Public Relations practice is the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organization and its publics† (www.buildingbrands.com). The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines public relations as â€Å"The business of inducing the public to have understanding for and goodwill toward a person, firm, or institution; also: the degree of understanding and goodwill achieved†. (www.merriam-webster.com). The worded definitions of ‘public relations’ may be different but they invariably point in the same direction i.e. the establishment of the identity of an organization, person or society into the psyche of the general masses whereby they come to understand the basic tenets of the philosophy and the setup of that organization which enhances the mutual understanding between the two for any fruitful and meaningful exchanges. The definitions however are oriented towards the positive aspects of public relations as they are invariably considered to be an effort to establish goodwill and harmony between two groups and talk nothing of any negative aspects which the organization may have. Therefore the orientation of public relations of an organization is always aimed at highlighting the positive aspects. More positivity can be induced when both the merits and demerits of the organization are shared with the public to give them a true picture, in order to avoid misunderstandings later. The ‘harmonization of private and public policies’ which is the ultimate aim of public relations according to the PRSA can be achieved only if the facts are presented accurately, precisely and supported by easily comprehensible data. Organizations like government departments, hospitals, educational institutions, private companies, religious societies, etc. have a distinct

Social Networking Essay Example for Free

Social Networking Essay Social Networking A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of Technological Institute of the Philippines College of Engineering In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements in Bachelor of Science Industrial Engineering By: Jessica P. Tumambing Approved By: Ms. Federa Acknowledgements The author would like to express his sincere appreciation to all those that have assisted in the completion of this Thesis. Ms. Federa Ms. Federa has been an excellent professor. The author could not have completed the research without her guidance and ongoing support. Respondents Author would like to thank all the people that took the time to respond to the questionnaire and assisted in gathering the primary data. Friends and Family Finally the author would like to thank his friends especially to my very best friend for their great help and for enduring me. Their assistance has been very motivating. I would also like to thank my family for their support, with special mention to my Mom and Dad, for always covering my back and providing me with encouraging words DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to my parents who have always been my nearest and reverse nearest neighbors and have been so close to me that I found them whenever I needed. It is their unconditional love that motivates me to set higher targets. I also dedicate this to my best friend (Jhae Jimenez) who is my nearest surrounder and have provided me a strong love shield that always surrounds me and never lets any sadness enter inside. ABSTRACT Social Networking Sites are experiencing a rapid growth; there seems to be no limit to their size. Many Social Networking Sites boast with millions of members using their networks on regular basis to communicate, share, create, and collaborate with others. Popular examples of these Social Networking Sites are Facebook, LinkedIn and Bebo. Although most of these sites lack decent business models, they are valued at millions of pounds. Google paid 1.5 billion dollar for YouTube when it wasn’t even earning a single penny. The reason successful Social Networking Sites have become so valuable is due to the amount of people that are using it; and people are exactly what organizations are after. This report aims to find out whether Social Networking Sites have the same value in the context of recruitment. Academic literature extensively discusses online recruitment, however not much is said about recruitment on Social Networking Sites: ‘Sociocruitment’ Research revealed that professionals are quite optimistic about Sociocruitment. Although users of Social Networking Sites had a disperse opinion on organizations contacting them on these websites; not many were negative. The contemporary research furthermore harvested information from a range of sources to create understanding of key issues allowing readers to familiarize themselves with the concept. Finally the report makes suggestions on how organizations can engage in this new media. TABLE OF CONTENTS Approval Sheet I Acknowledgement II Dedication III Abstract IV Table of Contents - V CHAPTER 1 Background of study - 1-2 Statement of the Problem 3-4 Significance of the Study 5 Assumption of the study 6-7 Scope and Limitations - BACKGROUND OF STUDY This thesis explores Social Networking sites as a medium of expression for sexual identity construction; more specifically the research question aimed to explore how gay and lesbian individuals use social networking websites as a means to construct and explore their sexual identities through self presentation on conventional social networking sites (SNS) available and used by everybody versus LGB SNS which are primarily used by Lesbian/Gay and Bisexual individuals and groups. Through the conduction of eight semi- structured interviews with an even number of four males and females and a content analysis of each participant’s social networking profiles, the research explored how sexual identities were presented and played out on these sites by the variation and degree of information that was disclosed by the sample study. Overall the aim was to explore the advantages and disadvantages social networking entails for the gay community through a comparison of both types of SNS, exploring how self presentation and sexual identities are negotiated and managed through the two while determining if these sites were in fact a safe location to play out sexual identities if they are a site of identity restrictions. From research up to this point it has struck me that there is limited research concerned with the disadvantages of social networking and identity experimentation for gays and lesbians. Thus this present study aims to acquire if gay individuals feel  they can perform their sexual identities more comfortably and honest in one ahead of the other or if they feel the need to ‘conceal’ their sexual identities on certain social network sites which are accessible to all e.g. Facebook and reasons why. The basis of this study is to get both sides of the story, addressing the positives but also taking into account the negatives and weighting up which SNS is less restrictive on sexual Page 2 of 39 identity construction. Self presentation will be a dominant theme in drawing research, extending on the existing research exploring the differences of presentation between the two sites. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace allow you to find and connect with just about anyone, from a coworker in a neighboring cube to the girl who played Emily in your high school production of â€Å"Our Town† thirty years ago. Browsing these sites can make you feel connected to a larger community, but such easy, casual connection in an electronic environment can also have its downside. A False Sense of Connection According to Cornell University’s Steven Strogatz, social media sites can make it make it more difficult for us to distinguish between the meaningful relationships we foster in the real world, and the numerous casual relationships formed through social media. By focusing so much of our time and psychic energy on these less meaningful relationships, our most important connections, he fears, will weaken. Cyber-bullying The immediacy provided by social media is available to predators as well as friends. Kids especially are vulnerable to the practice of cyber-bullying in which the perpetrators, anonymously or even posing as people their victims trust, terrorize individuals in front of their peers. The devastation of these online attacks can leave deep mental scars. In several well-publicized cases, victims have even been driven to suicide. The anonymity afforded online can bring out dark impulses that might otherwise be suppressed. Cyber-bullying has spread widely among youth, with 42% reporting that they have been victims, according to a 2010 CBS News report. Decreased Productivity While many businesses use social networking sites to find and communicate with clients, the sites can also prove a great distraction to employees who may show more interest in what their friends are posting than in their work tasks. Wired.com posted two studies which demonstrated damage to productivity caused by social networking: Nucleus Research reported that Facebook shaves 1.5% off office productivity while Morse claimed that British companies lost 2.2 billion a year to the social phenomenon. New technology products have become available that allow social networks to be blocked, but their effectiveness remains spotty. Privacy Social networking sites encourage people to be more public about their personal lives. Because intimate details of our lives can be posted so easily, users are prone to bypass the filters they might normally employ when talking about their private lives. What’s more, the things they post remain available indefinitely. While at one moment a photo of friends doing shots at a party may seem harmless, the image may appear less attractive in the context of an employer doing a background check. While most sites allow their users to control who sees the things they’ve posted, such limitations are often forgotten, can be difficult to control or don’t work as well as advertised. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 1. Informatics Manila Students – The main target of the study, for the students to be aware of the impact of social media to them 2. Parents – This study will be beneficiary to parents of the students, for them to be aware of the impacts of social media usage. 3. Informatics College Manila – The study will also be beneficial to the educational institution for the awareness on the impact of social media usage. 4. Future Researchers – They will benefit from the study through the information they could gather.

Gourmet foods company introduction of new drink

Gourmet foods company introduction of new drink Gourmet Foods Company is the strong retailer of Pakistan. Their product line is Retail, Bakers, Sweets, Beverages and Milk. To fulfil their aim to be the best company of the Pakistan they need professional marketing plan which will help the company to achieve its objectives more successfully and resourcefully, and getting a strong position in the market. When establishing a proficient marketing plan every phase of the marketing plan must be significantly examined and comprehensively researched. This consists of examining market research and check-up current situation. Once we have carefully evaluate the internal and external business environment and observe the business in broad the most appropriate marketing strategies will be selected and these strategies will be managed by effectively monitoring outside problem and opportunities and modifying internal competence procedures. The Challenge Introducing a new product in the market. The product will be low priced drink gourmet mix fruits providing the best quality with a satisfaction of customer. The product will be from major stock and it will be no doubt a customer-centred product. Gourmet introduces its new product gourmet mix fruits with 1 billion of marketing support. Situation analysis Company Analysis: Goals: The main goal of the company is to get the strong and secure position in the market. Focus: The focus of gourmet is introducing new products in the market as gourmet cola, gourmet lemon UP, Malta, soda ice cream, gourmet apple, and other products of bakers and sweets. Environment: The environment is neat and clean and well organised. However some people have some affair regarding their quality but it is generally accepted that their environment is healthy and their products no doubt are quality products. Strengths: Gourmet has a strong position in Pakistans market. And it has covered Lahores market as it has 90 outlets only in 1 city. Weakness: There are some health issues regarding Gourmets drinks like teeth problem, throat problems. Moreover lack of outlets in other cities of Pakistan. The Market Analysis Check up both the inside and outside business environment. It is very important that Gourmet carefully analyse both the internal and external aspects regarding its business as both the inside and outside environment and their individual effects will be important qualities in relation to Gourmets success and strength in the food industry. Internal Business Environment: The inside business environment and its impact is that which is within the control of business. The main part in the internal environment is effectiveness in the production, through management skills and effectual channels. To efficiently control and monitor the inside business environment, gourmet should have an eye on its operations and should take actions on factors which may affect it. External Business Environment: The outer business environment is also strong aspect that that can affect a whole business and, a whole market indeed, whatever it do not affect the company directly. There is no doubt that changes in the outside environment can possibly provide the chances or can create threats for Gourmet Foods and it should be well aware of it. A continuous change in the market, changes customer attitudes and values, and demographic example reliably impact the achievement of Gourmet foods production the market and the reaction they get from their consumers. Another aspect that has a great impact on its production is technological atmosphere so Gourmet should have met the latest technological standards. SWOT Analysis SWOT is an abbreviation of Strengths Weakness Opportunities and Threats. SWOT analysis is a organized and proper method much used in general management as well as marketing circumstances. SWOT analysis consists of exploratory the present activities of the company to evaluate its Strengths and find out its Weakness and then using this and external research data to put out the Opportunities and Threats that exist in the market. Strengths: Gourmet has been a main part of Pakistans market for a long time. The products position is loaded with sloppiness, and this is an position many people have taken it deeply as it has covered the market of Lahore which is considered a most prominent city of Pakistan due which its becoming familiar. It has almost 90 outlets in Lahore so people have to travel a little to get gourmet drinks. This familiar branding is one of gourmets best strengths. It is providing the best quality and enjoyment to their customers and its supply is continuously increasing day by day because of its wide variety of tastes. Furthermore, Gourmets bottling system is one of their extreme strengths. It allows them conduct business in all over the Pakistan; bottling companies are locally measured and controlled by independent business people who are allowed to sell products of the Gourmet food company. It is just because the Gourmet Company does not have absolute ownership of its bottling network. Weaknesses: It is generally accepted that the weaknesses for any organization require to be both minimised and scrutinized in order to successfully attain effectually and efficiency in their businesss performance, gourmet is no exemption. Although domestic business as well as many others markets of Pakistan are flourishing. Gourmet didnt open its outlets in others major cities like Gujarat, Jhelum, is just because they have low consumer power. Moreover major part of its customers are the universities and colleges which shows that the general public customers are less in number this is because other brands are also available with more market share and goodwill than gourmet. Additionally, Gourmet has an issue of having a teeth problem which cause health problems. It also has got sugar by which constant drinking of Gourmet may also cause health trouble. Being addicted to Gourmet is a health problem, because drinking of Gourmet daily has an effect on your body as well. Opportunities: Product identification is the considerable factor affecting Gourmets competitive position. Gourmets brand name is known well throughout Pakistan today. The most important concern is that above the past few years has been to get this name product to be even better standard. Packaging changes have also affected determinant of productivity. In other markets the product life series is in more of a progress trend Gourmets advantage in this area is mainly due to its business powerful branding and it is able to utilize this area of constant effectiveness to finance the domestic warfare. Threats: Currently, there are many threats the Gourmet foods is facing. One of the major threats is the threat of new businesses and companies in competition for which the management of gourmet is thinking more on securing their market position. In addition to it rivalry is among challenging firms in industry. Its direct competitors Marat Cola (in beverage) nestle have strong impact on its market share because these are also good reputed businesses. Another and very familiar threat which almost every business faces is the threat of substitute product. The units in which Gourmet deals are very common due which its almost every unit have its substitutes like Pepsi, Coca Cola, united king sweets etc are also dealing in the same products. The market share to the competition is low. Objectives and issues Gourmets objectives are: Its goal is to achieve 15% market share in one year Jan,2011 to Dec,2011 To achieve almost 30% returns in starting 1 or 2 months. Promoting the product and increasing the acknowledgement. Compete for the survival. Marketing Strategy Gourmet is going to compete in the market where it has many direct and indirect competitors who have large number of customers. Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy is strategy. Market segmentation Dividing the market into minor groups with separate needs, features, or actions who might want separate products or marketing mixes. The division is on the basis of geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioural methods. Targeting market: The product we are going to offer is suitable for which market. After analysis Gourmet found that the city of Punjab (Gujarat) is the market where there are more chances of growth of gourmets new product. As the market is big and already have other brands but the opportunity is that the targeted customers are more interested in their local brands than international or other brands. As this is the targeted market so a major part of sales of gourmet mix fruits will be distributed to this market which will be approximately 60% and other 40% of sales will be distributed in other cities of Pakistan. The price would be reasonable as compare to its competitors and easily affordable. There is no authorized outlet of Gourmet in Gujarat so this product will be easily available at almost every retailing shop. Positioning When the process of market segmentation is done and it is decided which segment of the market Gourmet will compete in developed a clear picture of its targeted segment and defined its product, Gourmet will be able to develop the positioning strategy. Gourmet would arrange a perfect, unique, and desirable place relative to challenging product in the minds of directed consumers. Company will differentiate its product (Gourmet mix fruits) by adding some distinct features like a divers and quality taste in the same price range. The company will get the competitive advantage. Marketing Mix After deciding on its overall strategy Gourmet is ready to create planning the elements of marketing mix, one of the major concepts in modern marketing. The marketing mix is established for manageable, strategical tools that a firm mergers to create response it wants in the target market. The marketing mix consists of everything that a firm can do to influence the demand of its products. The tools are divided into 4 broad categories which are: Product Price Place promotion Product: Gourmet Foods is introducing a new product in the market which is a soft drink of mix fruits. It will be a different flavour than other soft drinks available in the market. The soft drink is going to launch with the brand name gourmet mix fruits. The packaging would same as before it has launched its existing carbonated drinks because it protects the product during shipping, and when it assemble in the shelf and when the customer is using it, it endorse the product and differentiate it from its substitute products offered by other companies. It also allows the business to plan promotional method, which can produce additional returns and advertisements. The drink would have a wide range from 240ml, 1 litter, 1.5 litters and 2 litters, it will also available in 5 litter family pack. No doubt the drink would have the best quality with lovely, nice and satisfying taste. After sales services would b given if there is any kind of problem regarding its quality like unpleasant taste or smell than it will be taken back and consumer ought to have his full payment back. However their will be a warranty 3 months within which the product should be used. Price: Marketing penetration means to sets a low primary price in order to breach the market quickly and deeply to attract a large number of consumers rapidly to increase market share Price sensitive market Inverse relationship of production and distribution cost to sales growth Low prices must keep competition out of the market Pricing strategies are vital to Gourmet because the price decides the total of sales and earnings per unit sold. Businesses should have to set a price that is more attractive and smart to their patrons and offer the business with an excellent level of profit. The product will be sold on ideal selling price which will be easily affordable. The cost of the product offered will depend on cost of production, cost of distribution and plus a fair rate of return. There will be no discount. Evaluating the cost Quantity Fixed cost (PKR) Variable cost (PKR) Total cost 240ml 8 7 15rs 1 litters 8 27 35rs 1.5 litters 8 37 45rs 2 litters 10 50 60rs 5 litters 20 85 110rs Place: The product would be distributed in the targeted market Gujarat, as it is manufacturing in Lahore so there would be a need of transportation and other market intermediaries like resellers and marketing services agencies. A van will be allocated distributing the stock to the targeted market well in time to save the customers from any inconvenience. Wholesalers will further distribute it to the resellers and finally the consumer will buy it. Company will hire the physical distribution firms that will also help it to move their stock from their point of origin to their final destination. The orders would be taken on internet or by the financial intermediaries like banks, credit companies, insurance companies, and other related units that help finance transactions or insure against the threats linked with buying and selling of product. Promotion: It includes all the means and ways through which a product can be promoted. One of the strongest way of promoting its product is products advertising. There are market intermediary that are the research firms, advertising companies, media firms, and market accessing firms that help the company goal and its products promotion to the target market. The ads will be given on famous Pakistani TV channels like Ptv, Ptv 2. It will also be advertised on news channels because this media have become so familiar and broad which will help the business in their product promotion. Moreover Gourmet also use another channel of advertising which is print media however it is not well developed but still is a useful mean of communication and selling activities. Conclusion: In the nutshell I would like to state that the Gourmet foods is flourishing company of Pakistan which deals in Retail, Bakers, Sweets, Beverages and Milk. No doubt that the company have secured good position in the market of Punjab (province of Pakistan). Gourmet is going well and as their focus is on introducing new and new products in the market, so the management of Gourmet decided to introduce a new product of beverages Gourmet mix fruits in the market giving a quality taste of different fruits in signal bottle. The targeted segment is another city of Punjab province named Gujarat which seems most suitable market for this act. The segmentation is on the basis of geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioural approaches. Hopefully it will be appreciated in all age levels and mainly in youngster. The design of the bottle is same as it already have for their beverage products. Gourmet is going to launch this product with the investment of 5 million of market support which includes all the aspects regarding the production, packaging and promotion of the product.

Dickens Era--Child Labor :: History

Dickens Era--Child Labor Even though many of you parents out there are in fact opposed to sending your children to work in these textile factories, there are, in fact, many parents who do feel differently. However, there aren’t enough of these kinds of parents to satisfy factory owners, so they went as far as to purchase innocent children from orphanages and workhouses. These poor children are now called pauper apprentices. They are forced into signing contracts that pronounced them the property of the factory. Because these Pauper apprentices are quite a bit cheaper to house and pay than adult workers these types of children labor workers have become extremely popular. These children work and live under terrible conditions. There are even children as young as three years old put into work in these factories. Normally, however they began work at age 5, and generally die before they reach age 25. This leaves them about four years away from working. Many of them are released at age 21. Punishment is a common activity in these factories. Because maintaining the speed the over lookers of these laborers can get very difficult after a while, the over lookers, with their hearts of stone, have no sympathy and punish the children for slowing down. They are either hit with a strap to make them work faster or sometimes get their heads dipped into the water boiler. If late to work or caught talking to their peers, they are punished as well. Runaways are immediately sent to jail as well as suspected runaways. The owners are supposed to supply their workers with meals. The quality of the food isn’t good and the quantity is meager. Often, these children have to eat while working causing dust and other particles to smother the food. I was given the opportunity to briefly interview one little boy from a factory. However, our interview was cut off because he had to return to his duties. He is an eight year old named Jeremy who works at the Quarry Bank Mill. It broke my heart listening to him: How old are you Jeremy? I’m eight How long have you been working here? Since I was 4 years old Jeremy, I noticed that your leg is injured, how long has your leg been this way? It’s been this way for a few years—I think it’s because I never get a chance to really rest it.

Cancer :: essays research papers fc

Cancer My friend, Matt, was diagnosed with cancer in May 2002. I was shocked when Matt’s girlfriend, Amber, told me that he had cancer, because Matt was only twenty-three years old when diagnosed. The type of cancer Matt has is called Leukemia, which is cancer of the white blood cells. This cancer starts in the bone marrow but can then spread to the blood, lymph nodes, the spleen, liver, central nervous system and other organs. Cancer affects many people each year including my grandmother who had cancer and now one of my close friends.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The type of Leukemia Matt has is Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), which causes his body many problems. Matt’s first symptoms of Leukemia started with him filling weak and fatigued, looking pale faced, and vomiting on occasion. Matt’s mother is a nurse at the Aiken Hospital, ambling her to know that something was seriously wrong with Matt. Matt’s mom took him to the Aiken Hospital where he was later diagnosed with Leukemia. Matt’s family and friends were shocked to find out he had this disease because of his young age. This is a disease that occurs most commonly in young children, but also affects adults. The doctors have no idea how Matt became infected with cancer. Some risk factors for some cases of cancer are smoking, exposure to massive amounts of radiation, and drugs used for the treatment of other cancers. Leukemia cells in the Acute Leukemia grow rapidly and require therapy right away (Veritas Medicine). This type of disease i s hard on the body because it affects the blood cells. Bone Marrow is the soft, spongy, inner part of bones (American Cancer Society). All of the different types of blood cells are made in the bone marrow. Bone marrow is made up of blood-forming cells, fat cells, and tissues that aid the growth of blood cells (American Cancer Society). The two types of blood cells are white and red blood cells. White blood cells (leukocytes) help defend the body against germs—viruses and bacteria (American Cancer Society). Red blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to all other tissues of the body(American Cancer Society). They also carry away carbon dioxide. Matt began to have a shortage of red blood cells, which caused his weakness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since Matt had this type of disease that grows rapidly his mom had to take him to a hospital in Charleston, South Carolina immediately.

School Finance Paper

Connie Findley University of Phoenix June 14, 2010 School Finance Issue Paper There is a popular myth that government sponsored public education is cost free to students, families and teachers (Darden, 2007). The economic crisis has resulted in a wave of reduced funding sources for school districts around the country. As state and city budgets have been slashed, the consequences for districts are dire (Trainor, 2010). Debates about how to improve public education in America often focus on whether government should spend more on education.Federal and state policy makers proposing new education programs often base their arguments on the need to provide more resources to improve opportunities for students (Lips at el. , 2008). The increasing number of budget cuts have left teachers, administrators, families footing the bill for classroom materials. The challenge has become to provide essential school supplies and classroom materials despite millions in budget cuts. Many districts has ra ised dozen of school fees for various students activities and added many items to school supply lists every year (Dyrli, 2008).In recent years there has been a great interest in the effect of school resources on academic achievement ( Froese, 1997). Answering whether spending more on public education improves academic achievement begins with establishing how much the United States spends on education. In 2007, the federal government spent $71. 7 billion on elementary and secondary education programs. These funds were spent by 13 federal departments ad multiple agencies. The Department of Education spent $39. 2 billion on K-12 education.The largest programs in the Department of Educations budget were education for the disadvantaged and special education (Lips at el. , 2008). The monies dedicated to states from the federal government is earmarked for certain programs. Allotted monies for school resources do not always equate to materials for classroom instruction. Many people believe that lack of funding is a problem in public education, but historical trends show that American spending on public education is at an all-time high (Lips at el. , 2008). Acknowledging that education excellence cost money, the vast majority of school districts have a tough time keeping pace.Schools are tempting to use several solutions to combat the budget crisis. Schools are collecting fees from parents, they can pretend not to notice as teachers quietly bear the expenses as an act of caring, or solicit or accept dollars that come from third-party sources (Darden, 2007). Academic researchers have sought to answer the question of whether education expenditures are correlated with student performance. However, there is a lack of consistent evidence on whether education expenditures are related to academic achievement.Despite the lack of consistent finding, leading researchers in the area acknowledge that any effect of per-pupil expenditures on academic outcomes depends on how money is spent, not how much money is spent (Lips at. el. , 2008). Existing evidence indicates that the typical school system today do not use resources well at least if promoting students achievement is the purpose. The high and increasing percentage of funding is allocated to non-classroom expenditures is evidence of the need to improve resource allocation in the nation’s public schools.According to the National Center for Public Education Statistics, only fifty two percent of public education expenditures are spent on instruction. This percentage has slowly been decreasing over recent decades (Lips at. el. , 2008). One problem school districts are facing is shrinking enrollment. These school districts are left with vacant buildings and hundreds of thousands of dollars tied up in desk, chairs, office supplies and equipment, computers and textbooks that may eventually find their way to the dump.At the same time, districts in growing communities struggle to accommodate an enrollment expansion with limited funding, facilities and equipment. Administrators may be forced to purchase and temporary classrooms (Trainor, 2010). One of the major areas that school administrators are focusing on is technology in the classroom. While many teachers are bearing the cost of glue, paper, pencils and other classroom materials essential for achievement, school officials are providing funding for instructional computer programs to help increase reading and math achievement.While purchasing new computers is not always an option many school districts are finding ways to provide computers without overspending. In an effort to reduce cost, some school technology leaders have formed groups to negotiate pricing with firms selling refurbished computers. Because every computer in a school setting does not need the most sophisticated capabilities, refurbished models provide access as well as word processing and other basic programs at an affordable price (Trainor, 2010). Providing update d and current textbooks is another recurring cost that school systems face.There is a large used textbook market which has existed for decades. Districts around the country regularly sell retired textbooks. Sometimes school systems replace relatively new textbooks because of a change in curriculum requirements (Trainor, 2010). School systems are wasting money of textbooks each year due to purchasing books that are already retired or by purchasing an older edition of a textbook. Teachers are using creative ways to supplement curriculums and information not found in textbooks but are required by the state to teach.School districts need a willingness to explore the possibilities of learning about the other three Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle (Trainor, 2010). When budgets are tight, district administrators must sometimes choose between supplies and other needs. To help bridge the gap, many teachers are buying more material than ever for their classrooms. The most recent study by the Nat ional School Supply and Equipment Association found that in the 2005-2006 school year, teachers spent and average of $552 on school supplies and instructional material (Dyrli, 2008).Some school systems have found themselves in court over the idea of providing a free education while asking parents to pay for school activities. In April 2006, the Indiana Supreme Court struck down Evansville-Vanderburgh School Districts $20 school activity fee, saying it was the equivalent of tuition charge and therefore violated the state constitution. The money was used to pay for music, drama, nurses, school counselors, alternative education and other needs. This fee was an attempt by this school system to balance the budget (Darden, 2010).One of the perks that teachers could look forward to during tax season is the tax credit offered to teachers. California Public School teachers in 2004 found out right before school started that they would no longer be able to deduct the cost of school supplies fr om their taxes. California cancelled its Teachers Retention Tax Credit, hoping to save about $400 million over two years (Vail, 2004). Nationally, teachers have similar, though much lower tax program for supplies. Most school districts have classroom budgets for such expenses, but teachers frequently dip into their own pockets to supplement the budget.The general public does not understand how much teachers spend out of their own pockets just to be able to do their jobs, but they do it because it’s the best for the students and they want the students to learn, achieve and be successful (Vail, 2004). Tax payers have invested considerable resources in the nation’s public schools. However, increasing funding if education has not led to similarly improved student performance (Lips at. e. , 2008). School systems across the country are now looking for ways to supplement their restricted and strained budgets.Many are looking at purchasing refurbished computers, recycled class room materials, charging fees to parents and adding more supplies to back-to-school list. While these efforts are not in vain they are only a starting point. School district are going to have to solicit funding from private corporations, form partnerships with business in community and find raise to help supplement declining funds. What does this mean for students and teachers? Teachers continue to purchase classroom materials essential to help students master core goals.Students are having to adjust to larger classrooms, sharing materials and equipment while goals and standards continue to rise. Teachers will have to bear the burden to meet federal mandates while working with less than adequate supplies. These barriers will force teacher and parents to provide creative alternatives for learning and building stronger relationships with each other in order to provide students with more learning opportunities.Reference Darden, E. (May, 2007). School law show me the money. American Sch ool Board Journal, 44-45. Dyrli, K. (2008). School supplies on a budget. World Wide Web. htp://www. DistrictAdministraton. com. Froese, V. (1997). The relationship of school materials and resources to reading literacy: An international perspective. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Lips, D. , Watkins, S. , and Fleming, J. (2008). Does spending more on education improve academic achievement? Backgrounder: The Heritage Foundation of America, 2179. Trainor, C. (2010). The other three rs. American School Board Journal, 50-51. Vail, K. (2004). Tax credit for school supplies? Maybe not. American School Board Journal, 8.