Download or read book Trapped in Mediocrity written by and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Katherine Baird, an economist, clearly spells out how our educational system is trapped in mediocrity. She points the direction to where we need to go to get out of the trap and carefully examines each factor that has lead to the current state in education.
Download or read book Trapped in Mediocrity written by Katherine Baird and published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. This book was released on 2012-08-09 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Our students aren’t learning, we’re falling behind other countries, and many of our college graduates are even functionally illiterate. We offer our kids a weak and poorly thought out curriculum; too many teachers do not make good use of classroom time and follow lesson plans that are superficial and repetitive; almost all state governments define “proficiency” at low levels of competency; and because kids with very uneven skills populate a classroom, teachers spend considerable time on review before introducing new material. This dismal picture is tempered by the fact that the hard work and dedication of countless teachers and administrators means that many students get an excellent education. But it doesn’t temper it much. As a group, even our top students are not as strong as are those in a large majority of other rich countries. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Katherine Baird, an economist, starts by clearly spelling out how our educational system is trapped in mediocrity. Yet, she doesn’t just expose where we are. She identifies the steps to get out of the trap. We need to (1) dramatically reform our education’s governance structure, (2) establish high expectations for all students, (3) provide adequate support to meet those expectations, and (4) introduce strong incentives for students to work hard in school so they do their part in meeting higher standards. Clearly, it isn’t as simple as it sounds, but Baird carefully examines each factor that has led to the current state in education and then spells out how a combination of policies will weaken the forces that keep our schools mediocre and instead make them ones worth copying
Download or read book Trapped in Mediocrity written by Katherine Baird and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2012 with total page 255 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Katherine Baird, an economist, clearly spells out how our educational system is trapped in mediocrity. She points the direction to where we need to go to get out of the trap and carefully examines each factor that has lead to the current state in education.
Download or read book The Meritocracy Trap written by Daniel Markovits and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2020-09-08 with total page 450 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A revolutionary new argument from eminent Yale Law professor Daniel Markovits attacking the false promise of meritocracy It is an axiom of American life that advantage should be earned through ability and effort. Even as the country divides itself at every turn, the meritocratic ideal – that social and economic rewards should follow achievement rather than breeding – reigns supreme. Both Democrats and Republicans insistently repeat meritocratic notions. Meritocracy cuts to the heart of who we are. It sustains the American dream. But what if, both up and down the social ladder, meritocracy is a sham? Today, meritocracy has become exactly what it was conceived to resist: a mechanism for the concentration and dynastic transmission of wealth and privilege across generations. Upward mobility has become a fantasy, and the embattled middle classes are now more likely to sink into the working poor than to rise into the professional elite. At the same time, meritocracy now ensnares even those who manage to claw their way to the top, requiring rich adults to work with crushing intensity, exploiting their expensive educations in order to extract a return. All this is not the result of deviations or retreats from meritocracy but rather stems directly from meritocracy’s successes. This is the radical argument that Daniel Markovits prosecutes with rare force. Markovits is well placed to expose the sham of meritocracy. Having spent his life at elite universities, he knows from the inside the corrosive system we are trapped within. Markovits also knows that, if we understand that meritocratic inequality produces near-universal harm, we can cure it. When The Meritocracy Trap reveals the inner workings of the meritocratic machine, it also illuminates the first steps outward, towards a new world that might once again afford dignity and prosperity to the American people.
Download or read book Mediocracy written by Alain Deneault and published by Between the Lines. This book was released on 2018-05-15 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There was no Reichstag fire. No storming of the Bastille. No mutiny on the Aurora. Instead, the mediocre have seized power without firing a single shot. They rose to power on the tide of an economy where workers produce assembly-line meals without knowing how to cook at home, give customers instructions over the phone that they themselves don’t understand, or sell books and newspapers that they never read. Canadian intellectual juggernaut Alain Deneault has taken on all kinds of evildoers: mining companies, tax-dodgers, and corporate criminals. Now he takes on the most menacing threat of all: the mediocre.
Download or read book The Art of Non Conformity written by Chris Guillebeau and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2010-09-07 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you've ever thought, "There must be more to life than this," The Art of Non-Conformity is for you. Based on Chris Guillebeau's popular online manifesto "A Brief Guide to World Domination," The Art of Non-Conformity defies common assumptions about life and work while arming you with the tools to live differently. You'll discover how to live on your own terms by exploring creative self-employment, radical goal-setting, contrarian travel, and embracing life as a constant adventure. Inspired and guided by Chris's own story and those of others who have pursued unconventional lives, you can devise your own plan for world domination-and make the world a better place at the same time.
Download or read book Credibility Matters written by Martin Kuscus and published by WestBow Press. This book was released on 2021-10-12 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DO YOU WANT TO LIVE A LIFE OF SIGNIFICANCE? Martin Kuscus emerged as one of the rare breed of credible leaders that shaped the South African democratic landscape. In his searing memoir Credibility Matters, we are exposed to a journey of very humble beginnings, the volatility of youth and how powerful defining moments led to a life of significance. Remarkably, he exited the public sector scandal and skeleton free. Martin had the privilege to be invited to sit at the table with luminaries like President Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon. He graced venues like the United Nations, New York Stock Exchange and the commanding heights of power and influence locally and internationally. It is absolutely astounding how Martin remains anchored in humility, unquestionable integrity and continues to exemplify servant leadership. The world is facing a crisis and that is a crisis of credible leadership. Our leaders on the broader spectrum of society are no more trusted, believed or respected. The central message of Credibility Matters is to challenge and encourage the reader to live life with the highest degree of credibility in a world where compromise reigns supreme. It offers practical tools on becoming a trusted and respected voice that shapes the thinking, behavior and values of our world for the better. The post-pandemic world yearns for a fresh breed of credible leaders that can bring about a dispensation that is more humane, inclusive and give people a greater sense of meaning. Will you answer the call?
Download or read book Awakenings written by Leslie Fieger and published by Leslie Fieger. This book was released on 2010-10-20 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book was written to be a bedside reader. It is collection of ideas, insights, tips, tools and techniques that will empower you to realize your dreams. Read one of the short chapters before going to sleep each night and you will be inspired and empowered to create the successful and fulfilling life you both desire and deserve.
Download or read book 365 Questions for a Woman s Soul written by Katherine J. Butler and published by Tyndale House Publishers. This book was released on 2018 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edition asks the deep questions for which people's souls long for answers. Some questions do not have tidy answers, but by wrestling with them in relationship with God's Word, believers can gain perspective, wisdom, and a better understanding of who God is and why He allows events to unfold as they do.
Download or read book Moving Past Mediocre written by Nick Matiash and published by . This book was released on 2019-05-24 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You wanted to be an astronaut, a doctor, or even the President of the United States. When you were a kid your mind ran wild with imagination, daydreaming about all that you would accomplish and how amazing life would be. But at some point, the large life that you felt destined to live simply shrunk. It's been minimized by experiences that have left you jaded, limitations that you've perceived, and people around you telling you to, "be realistic." The sky that you once thought to be the limit has been replaced by a painfully claustrophobic ceiling. There's more life to be lived, and there's a part of you that knows it. Whether it be in life, love, health or business...you feel like you're missing something. Like you overslept on the day they were handing out all the rules to success and fulfillment and missed your chance to grab a copy. You feel trapped by a life that you didn't sign up for, and crave the wide open space of possibility and potential that a younger you once knew. This book is the guide that will open your world back up and allow you to truly live life on your terms. In these pages you will find: - The unseen patterns of your mind that have caused you to run in place for years. - The foolproof methods to bring those patterns into the light and have your way with them. - A way to navigate your life with awareness once you've uncovered the obstacles that previously stood in your way. You weren't given a pulse and a heartbeat to waste on a life that you merely exist in. You are here to smile big, laugh loud, and love hard. You are here to make a lot of money with your natural set of gifts. You are here to create something that you are left in awe of. This book is the pathway to all of that. This book is the key that will unlock your mind to what's possible. This book is for people who accidentally stumbled into a mediocre life-and are ready to move past it. "I was sort of anti-coaching because I thought it was a little fluffy, but I'd been following Nick for awhile and felt called to give him a shot. Long story short: my business has doubled TWICE in the last 6 months. He's legit!" -Dave "In working with Nick I've become more present with my daughters, coming home from work less stressed and not worried about doing everything under the sun, and frankly, my wife loves who I've become. Working with Nick has been absolutely life changing." -Keegan
Download or read book Good Enough written by Daniel S. Milo and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philosopher Daniel Milo offers a vigorous critique of the quasi-monopoly that Darwin's natural selection has on our idea of the natural world. In popular thought, Darwinism has even acquired the trappings of an ethical system, focused on optimization, competition, and innovation. Yet in nature, imperfect creatures often have the evolutionary edge.
Download or read book Mediocrity in Ten Easy Steps written by Al Michaud and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2000 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mediocrity is quite dishonored, unobserved and totally unorganized. This book tries to bring the subject to real life. Based on experience the author hopes to provide benchmarks in the development of people so they can determine and manage their own direction. Readers may use the guideline to move up or, like a happy crab, sideways. Each chapter and subject uses a liberal dose of tongue and cheek to balance actual experiences in guiding the reader. There is constant and tiresome repetition to validate the theme of mediocrity. Readers may be amused, enraged, challenged but hopefully, not bored as they plow through the pile of droppings seeking the pony of truth. Al Michaud was born in North Carolina and graduated from the University of Illinois after a calm spell in the Navy during World War II. Recognizing the difficulty of hitting a moving target, Al moved through several careers with major and minor organizations specializing in real or impending disasters of a large scope. After retiring as a Vice President of Conrail, Al formed a one man consultancy giving ridiculous advice to credulous clients. Now he is enjoying life in a four stoplight town in Western North Carolina and chuckling at the eternal and perpetual repetition of all life’s artifacts. .
Download or read book Simulating Social Phenomena written by Rosaria Conte and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-06-29 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book experts from quite different fields present simulations of social phenomena: economists, sociologists, political scientists, psychologists, cognitive scientists, organisational scientists, decision scientists, geographers, computer scientists, AI and AL scientists, mathematicians and statisticians. They simulate markets, organisations, economic dynamics, coalition formation, the emergence of cooperation and exchange, bargaining, decision making, learning, and adaptation. The history, problems, and perspectives of simulating social phenomena are explicitly discussed.
Download or read book Practical Virtues written by Floyd H. Flake and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2004-11-02 with total page 418 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As pastors of one of New York City's largest churches, Reverend Floyd Flake and his wife, Reverend M. Elaine McCollins Flake, are frequently sought after by those in need of guidance. Throughout their ministry, the Flakes have drawn from a distinguished array of stories, letters, hymns, narratives, and poems -- from James Baldwin and Maya Angelou to Arthur Ashe and Colin Powell -- to inspire families to live ethically in an often unethical world. Now, with Practical Virtues, they've gathered their favorites into a single, indispensable collection, paired with spiritual exercises for the soul.
Download or read book The Motivation Manifesto written by Brendon Burchard and published by Hay House, Inc. This book was released on 2014-10-28 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Motivation Manifesto is a poetic and powerful call to reclaim your life and find your own personal freedom from Brendon Burchard – the world’s #1 high performance coach and #1 New York Times bestselling author of High Performance Habits. “It’s a triumphant work that transcends the title, lifting the reader from mere motivation into a soaringly purposeful and meaningful life. I love this book." —Paulo Coelho The Motivation Manifesto is a call to claim our personal power. World-renowned high performance trainer Brendon Burchard reveals that the main motive of humankind is the pursuit of greater Personal Freedom. We desire the grand liberties of choice—time freedom, emotional freedom, social freedom, financial freedom, spiritual freedom. Only two enemies stand in our way: an external enemy, defined as the social oppression of who we are by the mediocre masses, and an internal enemy, a sort of self-oppression caused by our own doubt and fear. The march to Personal Freedom, Brendon says, can be won only by declaring our intent and independence, stepping into our personal power, and battling through self-doubt and the distractions of the day until full victory is won. Recalling the revolutionist voices of the past that chose freedom over tyranny, Brendon motivates us to free ourselves from fear and take back our lives once and for all. In this life-changing personal growth book, Brendon presents his nine declarations for personal power and motivation, drawing on insights from his own personal journey and from the lives of some of history's greatest leaders and thinkers. Each chapter focuses on one of the nine declarations, offering practical strategies and exercises to help you apply these principles to your life. Whether you're seeking to overcome self-doubt, boost your confidence, or achieve your goals, The Motivation Manifesto is an invaluable guide to unlocking your full potential. With its inspiring message and actionable advice, this bestselling book is a must-read for anyone who wants to unleash their inner greatness with the power of determination, resilience, and an empowering mindset.
Download or read book Closing Time written by Lacey Fosburgh and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2016-07-05 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The real story behind the murder of a Manhattan schoolteacher that became a symbol of the dangers of casual sex: “A first-rate achievement” (Truman Capote). In 1973, Roseann Quinn, an Irish-Catholic teacher at a school for deaf children, was killed in New York City after bringing a man home to her apartment from an Upper West Side pub. The crime made headlines and the ensuing case quickly evolved into a cultural phenomenon, spawning both a #1 New York Times–bestselling novel and a film adaptation starring Diane Keaton and Richard Gere, and sparking debates about the sexual revolution and the perils of the “pickup scene” at what were popularly known as singles bars. In this groundbreaking true crime tale, Lacey Fosburgh, the New York Times reporter first assigned to the story, utilizes an inventive dramatization technique, in which she gives the victim a different name, to veer between the chilling, suspenseful personal interactions leading up to the brutal stabbing and the gritty details of its aftermath, including the NYPD investigation and the arrest of John Wayne Wilson. An Edgar Award finalist for Best Fact Crime, this classic of the genre is “more riveting, and more tragic, than the Judith Rossner novel—and 1977 movie Looking for Mr. Goodbar” (Men’s Journal).
Download or read book What Extraordinary People Know written by Anthony Moore and published by Sourcebooks, Inc.. This book was released on 2019-08-06 with total page 59 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What's the secret to "extraordinary?" Being stuck in mediocrity sucks. It's easy to identify the symptoms of this disease in your life: are you chronically bored? Do you wake up knowing today is going to suck? Are you constantly fighting off feelings of emptiness, exhaustion, and knowing you're wasting your life? Well, eff that! Every moment of every day, you can choose to be extraordinary. You can choose to become someone you're incredibly proud to be, who accomplishes amazing goals and achieves greatness. What Extraordinary People Know guides you through how to be free of the mediocrity trap: starting with the inspiration, tools, and kick in the ass you need to get your life going in high gear—from behavioral change and personal growth expert Anthony Moore. As someone who took his own life from ordinary to extraordinary, Moore has created a three-step path to breaking free of Mediocrity and becoming the hero of your own life. Are you ready to win?
