Sufficient Budget for K-12 Inner City Schools Essay Example for Free

Sufficient Budget for K-12 Inner City Schools Essay Catherine Gewertz (2008) in â€Å"Pennsylvania Lawmakers Eyeing Cost of School Finance Revamp† outlines the recent legislature actions over the education sector. A 2007 legislative costing-out study released in November reveals that, to deliver quality education, $2,500 more is needed for every child in the Keystone State. The 2008 fiscal budget amounting to $27. 2 billion provides $9. 4 billion for pre-collegiate education, 6. 1 percent more than the previous year. It also provides $75 million for 11,000 preschool students and $20 million for the expansion of full-day kindergarten programs. Other expansion measures include: providing laptops for high school students, boosting high school coursework, expanding dual-enrollment options and foundation funding. The state board of Pennsylvania is seeking to require high school students to pass three competency exams before graduating beginning 2008. Schools need financial resources in acquiring the needed school facilities and paying teachers’ salaries. Donations from other individuas may add to the resources of schools but they are not substantially enough in the long run. The struggles are even tougher for inner city schools where students fare less in terms of economic status compared to students studying in private learning institutions. For the most part, inner city schools depend on the financial aid mandated by the law. The United States Congress plays a key role in determining the portion of the fiscal budget that will go to the funding necessary to run public schools such as those situated in inner cities. With the growing number of prospective student, it is important to foresee the financial support and other resources needed to address the rise in the demand for education. More importantly, financial support is direly needed in expanding the quality of education in inner city schools so that students will be able to learn substantially instead of learning minimally due to severe limitations in education resources. For K-12 inner city schools, a lot of budget cuts in the education sector will affect our available resources. The most immediate consequence is the deterioration in teaching facilities’ number or quality. A limited funding deprives students of learning materials such as books. Another result is that K-12 schools become unable to acquire at least a decent number of computers for their students. Both books and computers greatly assist students in their learning endeavors; the inability to make use of them will only make the learning process tougher. While it may be difficult for Congress to guarantee that a computer is devoted for every student in K-12 schools, it is more disheartening if Congress still remains unable to allocate budget for at least a few computers for every K-12 school. Few available computers are better than nothing at all because students can just take their turns in using them. For K-12 school teachers, the lack of the most relevant and updated books can hamper the ease of facilitating student learning. When teachers use outmoded books because there are no other options, it becomes more difficult for them to hand-out the most accurate information possible. Teachers cannot easily create informative lesson plans suitable to their students. With books being the primary teaching material resource, outmoded books will negatively affect the content of the lesson plans that teachers are required to make. The article of Gewertz (2008) provides information on some of the recent developments in the education sector insofar as the Congressional budget allocation is concerned. The 2008 pre-collegiate education budget amounting to $9. 4 billion—6. 1 percent more from the previous allocation—may not be enough to cover all the financial needs of all K-12 schools across America. Nevertheless, the budget can fill some of the basic but urgent needs of these schools including my school. Part of the budget surplus can be used to purchase additional chairs or blackboards. The increase in the budget allocation for pre-collegiate education also translates to better quality of education for K-12 students. More relevant and up-to-date books can be purchased given the same number of students. Similarly, it also translates to more students accommodated in K-12 schools. Another benefit is the possibility of raising the compensation for teachers who are qualified for the job, thereby attracting potential teachers who can deliver quality education to students. The $20 million for the expansion of full-day kindergarten programs is a helping hand for inner city schools. The same holds true for the $75 million budget allocation for 11,000 preschool students. As for the school where I am currently teaching, the budget increase can mean more kindergarten students who will enjoy their full right to quality education. It also means that current kindergarten programs in my school will be preserved instead of being temporarily or permanently suspended. Although more students signify more work for teachers, it also means that kindergarten students will have more fellow students to interact with. Consequently, students will not only gain formal learning; they will also have social development within the premises of the school. Part of the prospects Congress looks into is the plan to provide laptops for high school students. Even though that plan requires higher funding, I think it is only proper. I personally think that students in my school will learn more if they are able to use laptops or, at the least, desktop computers as part of their academic pursuits in Information Technology. My students may find the use of modern computers with internet connection as a whole new territory. Nevertheless, it is just a small price to pay compared to the immense increase in the learning capabilities that they will have. With computers connected to the internet or school database, my students will gather more information most relevant to their academic requirements. Research will become easier as more sources of information are made available and access to them becomes faster. I think acquiring more computers for my school is a two-fold adjustment. On one hand, students will enjoy the benefits of gathering more information faster. On the other hand, our students will first have to be oriented and taught about the basic skills needed to make the most out of computers, let alone operate them. The challenge for teachers’ including myself is not only to ensure that our students are able to learn many educational things out of using computers but also to ensure that they understand the basic processes behind such use. Reference Gewertz, C. (2008). Pennsylvania Lawmakers Eyeing Cost of School Finance Revamp. Education Week, 27(19), 14.

Free Essays On Shakespeares Sonnet 65 :: Sonnet essays

Analysis of Sonnet 65 Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea, But sad mortality o'ersways their power, How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea, Whose action is no stronger than a flower? Oh how shall summer's honey breath hold out Against the wrackful siege of battering days, When rocks impregnable are not so stout Nor gates of steel so strong but time decays? Oh fearful meditation! where, alack, Shall Time's best jewel from Time's chest lie hid? Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back? Or who his spoil of beauty can forbid? Oh none, unless this miracle have might- That in black ink my love may still shine bright. This sonnet shares several similarities in imagery as sonnets 63 and 66, and also to the theme of time and Rome as seen in Spencer's translatory sonnet sequence, _Ruins of Rome by: Bellay_. To best understand this sonnet we must realize to what or whom the pronouns refer to. My explication relies on "their" in line 2 referring to both time and ruin, a theme sustained from sonnet 64. 1-2: 'Only depressing mortality can overturn the tyranny of time and ruin, considering that brass, stone, earth or sea cannot prevent it'. Thus, death is an escape from time and the ruin which it imposes. The second quatrain is reminiscent of the thematic imagery of Rome's susception to time in sonnet 9 of _Ruines of Rome_: "Why were not these Romane palaces / Made of some matter no lesse fime and strong? . . . All things which beneath the Moone haue being / Are temporall, and subject to decay." Echoing the elements in the first line of the sonnet, Shakespeare is iterating the inability to avoid and preve nt time. "Battering days" also shares this imagery as "Time's injurious hand crush'd"; which, to note further, appears as "iniurious time" in Spencer's work. Knowing this, he appeals to dreadful and injurious knowledge in line 9: 'where should we hide time's most precious jewel [our youth] from the vault it is held in'. the reason I believe the jewel to be a symbol of youth stems from sonnet 63, in which time steals "away the treasure of his spring." Spring here, and in many other sonnets of Shakespeare, refers to youth and sexual prime.

HSA 515 Dealing with Fraud Essay

As the Chief Nursing Officer of the state’s largest Obstetric Health Care Center, this author is responsible for complaints regarding fraudulent behavior in the center. The purpose of this report is to (1) evaluate how the Healthcare Qui tam affects health care organizations, (2) provide four examples of Qui Tam cases that exist in a variety of health care organizations, (3) devise a procedure for admission into a health care facility that upholds the law about the required number of Medicare and Medicaid referrals, (4) recommend a corporate integrity program that will mitigate incidents of fraud and assess how the recommendation will impact issues of reproduction and birth, and (5) Devise a plan to protect patient information that complies with all necessary laws. Qui Tam (from the Latin phrase â€Å"he who sues on behalf of the king†) is a well-known mechanism used by private individual to assist the government in enforcing specific laws (Ruhnka, Gac, & Boerstler, 2000). The False Claims Act of 1863 is one of the most important examples of the Qui Tam mechanism that was enacted during the Civil War to prosecute war profiteers who were caught overcharging the Union Army (Ruhnka, Gac, & Boerstler, 2000). Showalter (2012) states that the whistle-blower (aka relator) files the suit as a kind of â€Å"private attorney general† on behalf of the government in a qui tam case. Evaluate how the Healthcare Qui tam affects health care organizations. Healthcare qui tam affects health care organizations in many ways. The most popular and inconvenient way is financial losses. If an organization is accused of qui tam, a suit is filed and if the company is found guilty of fraud, they stand to incur a financial loss due to having to repay money to the government. Ruhnka, Gac, & Boerstler (2000) state that intentionally fraudulent activities such as billing for services not provided, billing for services or equipment that is not medically appropriate, or violating clearly stated billing rules are unacceptable and should be prosecuted whenever they occur. Qui tam effect on health care organizations has not been a positive one. Cruise (2003) state that qui tam actions has forced organizations to develop a new cadre of operating guidelines and procedures collectively called â€Å"compliance programs† resulting in organizations having to pay $600 – 700 million per year to a consultant industry to advise them on the intricacies of this new era. Health care organizations have adopted Federal Sentencing Guidelines as a part of their compliance programs due to the laws governing Medicare fraud and abuse (Cruise, 2003). Examples of Qui Tam cases that exist in a variety of health care organizations. Healthcare is on the rise in the United States. Medicare and Medicaid is the largest of the government sponsored healthcare plans and provide health care coverage for as many as 95 million Americans, at an estimated cost in 2012 of more than $900 billion (Raspanti, n.d.). Raspanti (n.d.) state that the primary reason for the rise in healthcare cost has been the large degree of fraud committed against these two major government health care programs. Raspanti (n.d.) state the following are examples of qui tam cases, but not limited to: â€Å"Kickbacks: The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits any offer, payment, solicitation or receipt of money, property or remuneration to induce or reward the referral of patients or healthcare services payable by a government health care program, including Medicare or Medicaid. These improper payments can come in many different forms, including, but not limited to: referral fees; finder’s fees; productivity bonuses; discounted leases; discounted equipment rentals; research grants; speaker’s fees; excessive compensation; and free or discounted travel or entertainment. The  offer, payment, solicitation or receipt of any such monies or remuneration can be a violation of the Federal Anti-Kickback statute, 42 U.S.C.  §1328-7b(b), the Federal False Claims Act, as well as various other federal and state laws and regulations. Ghost Patients: The submission of a claim for health care services, treatments, diagnostic tests, medical devices or pharmaceuticals provided to a patient who either does not exist or who never received the service or item billed for in the claim. Up-Coding Services: Billing of government and private insurance programs is done using a complex series of numerical codes that identify the specific procedure or service being performed. These code sets can include: the American Medical Association’s Current Procedural Terminology (â€Å"CPT†) codes; Evaluation and Management (â€Å"E&M†) codes; Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (â€Å"HCPCS†) codes; and International Classification of Disease (â€Å"ICD-9†) codes. Government health care programs assign a dollar amount it will pay for each procedure code. Up coding occurs when a health care provider submits of a claim for health care services, treatments, diagnostic tests or items that represent a more serious and more expensive procedure than that which actually was performed. Up coding can be a violation of the Federal False Claims Act. Bundling and Unbundling: In many cases, government health care programs have special reimbursement rates for groups of procedures that are typically performed together, such as laboratory tests. One common type of fraud has been to â€Å"unbundle† these procedures or tests and bill each one separately, which results in greater reimbursement than the group reimbursement rate. Attorneys in the national qui tam whistleblower practice of Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti successfully represented the lead relator in one of the largest cases of â€Å"unbundling† in the history of false claims litigation, United States ex rel. Merena v. Smithkline Beecham Clinical Labs, which resulted in a recovery of $328 million for federal taxpayers. False Certification: When physicians, hospitals and other health care providers submit bills to government health care programs they are required to include a number of important certifications, including that the services were medically necessary, were actually performed, and were performed in accordance with all applicable rules and regulations. Additionally, health care companies such as pharmaceutical companies and pharmacy benefits managers that provide products or services to government  health care programs are required to certify that they are satisfying all obligations under their contracts with the government. One common type of fraud has been to falsify these certifications in order to get a health care claim paid or to obtain additional business† (Raspanti, n.d.). Stanton (2001) acknowledges that in a healthcare facility, with Medicare, each false claim is considered an individual billing whether for a specific medical item or service. Penalties can rise quickly with suspension or delay payment of future claims for a facility if it has been accused of submitting false claims (Stanton, 2001). Devise a procedure for admission into a health care facility that upholds the law about the required number of Medicare and Medicaid referrals. In order to avoid health care qui tam, healthcare organizations must stay abreast and compliant with Medicare and Medicaid laws. When a patient enters a facility for illness or an appointment, there are steps to follow. At check-in, the patient gives insurance card and pertinent information to nurse. The nurse enters the information into the system. The patient waits for the doctor to assess the illness to determine the needs of the patient. â€Å"Physician inputs information into the system and system codes the treatment based on Medicare or Medicaid protocols; system confirms and red flags any treatment or medication that is not allowed; patient is discharged and Medicare or Medicaid is billed for services rendered by the hospital, physician, and for medication† (Burnaby, Hass, & O’Reilly, 2011). If for some reason, items billed are questioned or denied, the items are reviewed and resubmitted to Medicare or Medicaid for payment. Recommend a corporate integrity program that will mitigate incidents of fraud and assess how the recommendation will impact issues of reproduction and birth. Corporate Integrity Agreements (CIAs) are considered second chances for healthcare organizations. By using CIAs, the organization avoids exclusion from Medicare, Medicaid, or other Federal healthcare programs by establishing and implementing a compliance program per CIA regulations and guidelines (MetricStream, n.d.). Implementing CIAs is challenging and can cause financial strain; however it can â€Å"protect stakeholders and customers from risk, and build brand value† (MetricStream, n.d.) CIAs are implemented  for healthcare organizations to uphold certain standards and to fulfill the organizations’ missions and goals. CIAs are usually proposed due to allegations of fraud or abuse which are found to be true through audits or self-disclosures; and are drawn up for a period of three to five years and can extend up to eight years (MetricStream, n.d.). Ramsey (2002) suggests that a recommended integrity program should include stipulations such as â€Å"designation of a compliance officer and a compliance committee† – to ensure that the needed changes will be made; â€Å"a required code of conduct, mandated compliance policies and procedures† – stating that the organization is committed to complying with the laws; â€Å"training requirements† – to ensure that staff and physicians are knowledgeable and up-to-date on all requirements and processes required by the organization, the government and vendors; â€Å"review and auditing procedures† – to help reduce errors when reporting claims; and a â€Å"confidential disclosure program where employees internally may report possible violations of the law† . Once a CIA is implemented, to deter employees from committing fraud, a stern disciplinary action process should be enforced and followed. Devise a plan to protect patient information that complies with all necessary laws. Protecting patient information is a responsibility of all healthcare organizations and a plan or process must be in place to do so. In any situation, whether in an office, clinic, or in the field, there are important procedures that can be followed to protect a patient’s information and confidentiality (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). As a health care worker, you must â€Å"confirm the patient’s identity at first encounter, never discuss the patient’s case with anyone without the patient’s permission, never leave hard copies of forms or records where unauthorized persons may access them, and use only secure routes to send patient information and always mark confidential† (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). When in healthcare settings â€Å"conduct patient interviews in private rooms, never discuss cases or use patient’s names in public area, and always obtain patient’s permission before distributing his/her information to a staff member or healthcare worker† (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Always keep medical records and  computers used in a locked or secure box to prohibit unauthorized persons access. Creation and implementation of a protection and privacy plan can reduce legal actions under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Qui Tam cases impact healthcare organizations in various ways to include high penalties if found guilty, payback of monies received, and a negative image for the organization. Medicare and Medicaid fraud cases are the most common qui tam cases. In order to reduce fraud and abuse cases, healthcare organizations must improve their current admission procedure, their corporate integrity program, and their patient information protection system. Reference: Burnaby, P., Hass, S., & O’Reilly, A. (2011). Generic health care hospital: The road to an integrated risk management system. Issues in Accounting Education, 26(2), 305-319. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Measures to protect patient confidentiality. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/tb/education/ssmodules/module7/ss7reading4.htm Cruise, P. L. (2003). Deregulating health care ethics education: A curriculum proposal. Global Virtue Ethics Review, 4(3-4). MetricStream. (n.d.). Corporate integrity agreements. Retrieved from http://www.metricstream.com/solution_briefs/corporate-integrity-agreements.htm Ramsey, R. B. (2002). Corporate integrity agreements: Making the best of a tough situation. Healthcare Financial Management, 56(3), 58-62. Raspanti, M. S. (n.d.). Health care fraud and false claims. Retrieved from http://www.falseclaimsact.com Ruhnka, J. C., Gac, E. J., & Boerstler, H. (2000). Qui tam claims: Threat to voluntary compliance programs in health care o rganizations. Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, 25(2), 283-308. Showalter, J. S. (2012). The law of healthcare administration (6th ed.). Chicago: Health Administration Press. Stanton, T. H. (2001). Fraud-and-abuse enforcement in Medicare: Finding middle ground. Health Affairs, 20(4), 28-42.

Global Warming An Inconvenient Truth Essay - 1200 Words

Global warming is defined as the process of gradual growth of average annual temperature of the atmosphere, the Earth, and the oceans. Global warming and climate change threaten the very existence of earths inhabitants. In 2006, former senator Al Gore created an amazing award winning documentary on global warming named â€Å"An Inconvenient Truth†. Yet there are still skeptics that can t decide on whether global warming is actually facts or a theory. People need to wake up and realize that this is real, just look around you. The Glaciers are melting, crazy weather patterns are happening, winters are getting shorter and summers are getting hotter. At the rate we are going we are destroying our Earth. Global warming is a man-made disaster that should be recognized all over the globe. This is an ethical crisis that deserves immediate action. The process of global warming is pretty simple. The sun’s light waves enter earth’s atmosphere and warm up the earth. They are then radiated back into outer space in the form of Mehdoun 2 infrared waves. Under normal conditions some of the infrared waves are confined on earth by its atmosphere. This keeps the temperature and atmosphere of earth at a balance so that its inhabitants can survive. Under our current circumstances, many of the infrared waves are being trapped along with the usual amount that we already have. This is causing the temperature of our earth to change from its usual balance to a hotter climate which is dangerous toShow MoreRelatedGlobal Warming : An Inconvenient Truth1258 Words   |  6 Pagesdocumentary on global warming entitled â€Å"An Inconvenient Truth† . The movie earned several awards including an academy award for best documentary and gore later received a noble peace prize. The movie discussed several different topics of great concern to global warming; such as permafrost, climbs in temperature, extinction of species, drought, and fatigue to name a few. Four writers in five different articles discussed the three topics of greenhouse gases, climate change, and causes of global warming. TheseRead MoreGlobal Warming : An Inconvenient Truth1258 Words   |  6 Pagesdocumentary on global warming entitled â€Å"An Inconvenient Truth† . The movie earned several awards including an academy award for best documentary and gore later received a noble peace prize. The movie discussed several different topics of great concern to global warming; such as permafrost, climbs in temperature, extinction of species, drought, and fatigue to name a few. Four writers in five different articles discussed the three topics of greenhouse gases, climate change, and causes of global warming. TheseRead MoreLearning about Global Warming through An Inconvenient Truth1672 Words   |  7 PagesAn Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 documentary directed by Davis Guggenheim that depicts Al Gore’s campaign to increase awareness of global warming. 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Its quiet; its peaceful. And all of a sudden, its a gear shift inside you. And its like taking a deep breath and going, Oh yeah, I forgot about this.  Ã¢â‚¬â€œAl Gore, An Inconvenient Truth - Inconvenient Truth â€Å"You see that pale, blue dotRead MoreAnalysis Of The Film The An Inconvenient Truth 892 Words   |  4 Pagesem{An Inconvenient Truth }em is a documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about the endeavor of Al Gore, former United States vice president, to convince the audience that global warming is a severe problem that has influenced the environment and the way humans lived. 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