Martin Luther King and Alice Walker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Martin Luther King and Alice Walker - Essay Example Martin Luther King's epiphanies however, were such that they changed the face of a nation. When the Other Dancer is the Self by Alice Walker takes a beautiful and pertinent look at what drives women and particularly little girls. Beauty is something we all strive for, especially in today's media conscious world. It is really a connection between self confidence and self esteem that Alice Walker talks about. In the beginning of her memoir she speaks about being beautiful or 'cute' and having attention poured upon her. She remembers everything she is wearing and even what the day was like until the change occurs. In some instances where a tragic event changes a person's life they forget the good times, when everything seemed to be alright and focus rather on the event that changed their lives. Alice Walker has a vivid memory of the times when her confidence was high. There are essentially two paragraphs that describe these times and then one line that explains the change. That one line has its purpose in that effectively closes a chapter. Walker writes: "It was great fun be ing cute. But then, one day, it ended."(Walker 55). Alice Walker remembers then the tiniest detail of what changed her life and that scar that seemed to rip a gaping hole through her existence. There are actually two turning points within this story that both deal with the 'self' and the coming of age into a world where ones physical appearance no longer matters as much. When Alice Walker was shot, she had been known as a certain person and she feels thereafter that she was no longer that person. She remembers being changed and asking those around her whether or not she had changed. "Years later, in the throes of a mid-life crisis, I ask my mother and sister whether I changed after the 'accident.' 'No,' they say, puzzled. 'What do you mean'" (Walker 56). In this journey Walker begins to ask herself whether the change was part of her imagination. She wonders if that change was something so small yet significant that others could not see it. There are two ways of looking at this chang e or turning point. The first transition is when she was shot and when she imagined this change as being all-encompassing. The second change is when she realizes that it really made no difference and the way she sees herself is not necessarily the way the world sees you. Take for instance an acne sufferer: their condition has cleared up but they are so fixated on the one blemish that does not clear up that they believe this all other people see. They are often shocked when those around them honestly never noticed it. Alice Walker's perception of herself changed when her child likened her blind-eye to the way the world looks from a distance. This is a remarkable definition of the 'self', and once a new way of defining the 'self' is recognized, it puts everything else into perspective. Women are eternally concerned about their appearance perhaps still due to the old way of thinking in biological terms. Hundreds of years ago, a woman's future relied on finding a man and being able to k eep him. He was her security, which meant that keeping him from straying was important and therefore preservation of appearance was also imperative. This mind-set has not yet been abolished. The way others view our appearance is very much dependent on how we view ourselves and what we are aware of within that self. Alice Walker was more confident after the

Job Hunt Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Job Hunt - Assignment Example The accounting functions will include assessing the compliance of the financial statements with the relevant accounting standards. The main responsibilities of the professional being appointed as the internal financial auditor of the Financial Company will encompass auditing the financial reports of the company in accordance with the relevant accounting standards. The professional will also be liable to convey or report the standard and reliability of the financial statements produced by the company over a certain period of time. The Financial Company operates nationwide in the USA as one of the largest and most successful financial consultant firms, with its headquarter located in the City of Oak Brook, Illinois. The company can also be considered as one of the most respected and recognized brands across the nation with the intensive and constant efforts of more than 3000 employees. According to the present day context, it can be identified that the organization serves around 68 thousand business and individual customers through financial consulting in terms of tax planning, portfolio designing and business planning. With due regards for your kind considerations, I would like to thank you for providing a great opportunity to me with the offer of candidature in your interview session for the job vacancy of an internal financial auditor. I certainly appreciate for taking your time out of your busy schedule and talking to me concerning the post of Internal Financial Auditor in your organization. I would like to state in this regard that it was a pleasure to talk to you and obtain unambiguous learning of the expectations which the company has from me as a professional. After thinking about your offer and my job requirements, I believe that the respective position will provide me an incredible opportunity to apply my academic

Role Of Public Health Practitioner

Role Of Public Health Practitioner The writer seeks to critically analyse the role of the public health practitioner in general, taking into consideration the current socio-political context, the knowledge and skills needed for the role, challenges that exists in fulfilling the public health role and the approaches. In the second part of this work, the writer has chosen an initiative and will critically appraise how well the identified initiative meets the criteria for good public health. Public health skills and competencies will be identified and discussed in this initiative including health promotion theories and approaches. See Appendix-1. The public Practitioner role, knowledge and skills The writer has found it appropriate to start by defining public health though there are many definitions. The Public Health Resources Unit (2008) state that the purpose of public health is to: Improve health and population wellbeing; disease prevention and minimise its consequences; prolong valued life and health inequalities reduction (PHRU, 2008). PHRU states that all these can be achieved through: taking a population perspective; mobilising the organised efforts of society and acting as an public health advocate; enabling people and communities to increase their own health and wellbeing; acting on the social, economic, environmental and biological determinants of health and wellbeing; protecting from and minimising the impact of the health risks to the population and ensuring that preventive, treatment and care services are of high quality evidence-based and of best value (PHRU, 2008). Public health as defined by Webster and French in (Tones Tilford, 2001) comprise of three aspects which are population-level health promotion; the epidemiological analysis and health professional trained in medicine. Naidoo and Willis (2000 p. 181) looks at public health being characterised by several factors and embraces three domains; the health promotion of the whole population, health protection-a concern for the prevention of illness and disease and health service improvement-a recognition of the many factors that contribute to health The public health practitioners have autonomy on specified areas and continually own work area and support others to understand it and practitioners are likely to work in multi-agency and multi-disciplinary environment, whereas general practitioners work as a part of a larger team led by someone working at a higher level (PHRU, 2008). An approach to public health is described by the Faculty of Public (2000) with emphasis on the collective responsibility for improvement in health and prevention of disease; recognizes the key role of the state, linked to a concern for the underlying socio-economic and wider determinants of health as well as disease. This approach is multi-disciplinary, incorporating quantitative as well as qualitative methods; emphasizes partnerships with all those who contribute to the health of the population (FPH, 2000). Sir Donald Acheson, (1988) defines public health as the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting, protecting and improving health through the organised efforts of society. He also describes the role as planning and evaluation of services as well as undertaking the surveillance of disease and co-ordinating the control of communicable diseases and public practitioner provide epidemiological advice on priority setting. Naidoo and Willis (1998) states that this will include public health practitioner skills for example communication, planning, networking, management and the use of research based evidence. A public health practitioner is identified by Naidoo and Willis (2001) and Donaldson and Donaldson (2006) as a trained person with a role to make people and the environment healthier, to carry out researches, to advocate and work collaboratively with the community on identified projects. The public practitioner is required to implement health initiative by the government that are aimed at improving health inequalities in society. Naidoo and Willis (2008) also points out that there are three principles that underpins the health practitioner for example empowerment, participation, equity and collaborative working which concurs with World Health Organisation (WHO, 1986). Reducing health inequalities is a priority and all health professionals have a role to play in the targeting of individuals whose health status is below average, or who may not access current health services for a variety of reasons. The 10 year NHS Plan (DOH, 2000) set a new statutory objective for NHS to allocate resources to contribute to a reduction in health status. Public health practitioners work to increase individual knowledge concerning the body function and ways of preventing illness, raising competence using health care system and awareness about political and environmental factors that influence health. Community capacity can be built by increasing their abilities to participate in promoting their health. The government White Paper, Saving Lives (DOH, 1999) on public health strategy for England first response to Acheson Report set a national agenda for action to reduce health inequalities for example it gave a commitment to action on living standards and tackling poverty, child poverty in particular, pre-school education, employment as a poverty way out, transport, urban regeneration, crime reduction and housing improvement for disadvantaged areas, as well as preventative activities through a strengthened public health workforce (Hogstedt et al, 2008). The governments strategy in Our Healthier Nation in Department of Health 1999a is to ensure that the public health labour force was knowledgeable and skilled, well staffed and resourcefully supplied to deal with major task of delivering health strategies. Health professionals with their knowledge and skills are expected to play a part in meeting the aims set in the White Paper (DOH, 1999). Public health practitioner skills includes acting as leaders knowledgeable and quipped to manage strategic change and working in partnership with other agencies, focus on health promotion for community development, familiarising with public concepts and use evidence in guiding work were appropriate. Socio-Political Context Donaldson and Donaldson (2006) states that in the UK in 1980s there were serious failures in the standards of care which was provided in public health. Communities before were seen as passive recipients of service and service users were not valued according to McKnight (1998) in (Gorin and Arnold, 1998). Naidoo and Willis (1998 p. 9) states that modern public health acknowledges the importance of living conditions to promote health, action on health inequalities, physical and social regeneration of neighbourhoods, development of healthy public policy on food, transport and the workplace. Public health system lacked sufficient hospital beds, staff, buildings and equipment (Tones and Tilford, 2006). According to Naidoo and Willis (2001) the public health movement emerged with the noble idea of educating the public for good health. Under the Public Health Legislation of 1848 public health workers were appointed to regularly publicize health advice on safeguards against contamination. It was noted that there was a rise of the sanitary reform in which the local government focusing on environmental issues. The National Health Service and Community Care Act (1990) was introduced which was a significant piece of public health legislation which brought changes in the way health services was delivered, which includes massive closure of health care institutions and people were cared for in the community (Donaldson and Donaldson, 2006). Naidoo and Willis (2006) notes the publication of Health of the Nation (1992) strategy which targeted five key areas which includes coronary heart disease, cancer, mental health, sexual health and accidents. However Donaldson and Donaldson (2006) pointed out that Personal Hygiene era noted that the main causes of death and disability shifted from infections to chronic illnesses, such as heart diseases, stroke, cancers, respiratory illness and accidents where lifestyles play a causative role. Another role of the public health practitioner is to promote and protect individuals and the wider populations health and wellbeing by preventing the spread of infectious diseases and protection against chemical radiation or other hazards. Lifestyle changes such as stop smoking, better nutrition and more physical activities can improve health and reduce the burden of diseases like obesity, coronary heart disease and cancer. Naidoo and Wills (2001), state that the intervention of the public health practitioner was health education with an emphasis on individual behaviour. The Public Health Act of 1994 focused on housing, sanitation, safe water and food. Ewles and Simnet (2001) states that public health was introduced by the New Labour Party in 1997 matching with same principles as World Health Organisation adopting similar policies to the Jakarta (1997) declaration with emphasis on infrastructure and investment, with empowering the service user to make informed choices. The Minister of Public Health was then introduced in 1997 (Donaldson and Donaldson, 2006) which led to the creation of Health Development Agency in (1998) with the aim of maintaining and publicizing evidence based for health improvement and advising on standards for public health and health promotion carrying out campaigns in addition to the formation of public health observatories which were linked with universities in order to monitor health and highlight areas of action and evaluating progress by local agencies with the aim to improve health and reduce inequality. Naidoo and Willis (2000, p. 139) also states that the New Labour government created a Minister for Public Health in 1997 with a responsibility to co-ordinate health policy across different sectors and highlight the impact of different policies. New reforms were also introduced in The New NHS-Modern, Dependable (DoH, 1997) with intention to replace the internal market with integrated care led by primary care groups of General Practitioners and community nurses whose responsibilities are commissioning and providing health care services for their local population. The New Public Health was introduced focusing on heath promotion and education using the bottom-up approach and focusing on public health rather than acute services. Tones and Tilford (2001) cites the Acheson enquiry which raised concerns regarding critical inequalities in health that in society the worst off are more ill and die earlier resulting to Green Paper (2003) with aims to reduce health inequalities. Three areas were prioritised by the report in relation to health inequalities, assessment of all relevant policies, for example the health of families with children and further reduction of income inequalities and poverty. The Department of Health (2003) Tackling Health Inequalities 3 year programme was set up to tackle health inequalities. It had four topics to support families to break the cycle of poverty, engaging communities and individuals to ensure relevance, responsiveness and sustainability as well as preventing illness and providing effective treatment and care culminating in addressing the underlying determinants of health. Tones and Tilford (2001) furthermore notes the reformation of the NHS by the Labour government to create a health service fit for the needs of 21st century Britain which is better, faster, more convenient service for patients that is fair and free to everyone. A variety of measures were introduced to improve quality of life in run down areas with a range of strategies to work towards quality homes for all. The New Labour implemented a policy of providing good housing in collaboration with the private sector in order to protect and meet the needs of the most vulnerable people (Naidoo and Willis (2001). Challenges that exists Challenges that exist in the public health sector are the current economic situation faced by the government which can cause difficulty in securing funding. The other challenge is failure in understanding or valuing the work of public health professional which can undermine their effectiveness and generate a defensive culture and negatively affects their moral; a lack of defined standards for public health practice and; a lack of clear accountability for health improvement. The shortage of some technical skills for example needs assessment, analysis and interpretation of information, critical appraisal and implementation skills; limited number of eligible applicants; sub-optimal working arrangements with local authorities manifesting in lack of consistency of local community plans and health plans. The other challenges are inadequacy of health as opposed to health service information systems and surveillance system for communicable and non-communicable disease. The other challenge is the difficulty in accessing public health evidence of promptly in a useable form; duplication of activity, in marshalling epidemiological information and evidence of effectiveness of health programmes. Lastly limited partnership between academic and public health service departments; limited pooling of resources and expertise between Health Boards and the NHS and other agencies and a lack of milestones by which to measure success (Review of the Public Health Function in Scotland, 2000). Part 2: Health initiative (Sure Start) The writer has chosen to focus on Sure Start which is a government programme aimed at delivering the best start in life for every child by bringing together early education, childcare, health and family support. The following are responsible for delivering Sure Start within Department for Children, Schools and Families: The Early Years, Extended Schools and Special Needs Group. Britain had the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe in the mid-1990s which led to the need of health promotion (UNICEF, 2001). In UK the Child Act, 2004 provides the legal underpinning childrens services set out by the government in the Green Paper in 2003, Every Child Matters as a Governments approach to the well being of children and young people aimed at giving all children the support they need to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well being which concurs with Ottawa Charter. The Childrens Plan (2007) was then published with a ten year strategy with aims to improve educational outcomes for children, improve childrens health, reduce offending rates among young people and eradicate children poverty by 2020 (DCFS, 2007). Health promotion works through concrete and effective community action in setting priorities, making decisions, planning strategies and implementing them to achieve better health (Ottawa Charter, 1986). For that reason the government therefore planned to deliver the best start for every child in bringing together early education, childcare, health and family support through Sure Start (Asthana and Halliday, 2006). Sure start is a public health approach that takes a population perspective, tackling causes of ill health and this is done by teaching mothers on breast feeding avoids lifestyles focus and its marginalisation of socio-economic and environmental influences on health which is in line with Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation (1999). The Department for Education and Skills (2000) set up Sure Starts core aims, targets and initiatives in their guidance document at the beginning of the programme (DES, 2000, pp. 1-2) were to improve health by accessing appropriate healthcare; enable informed choices about continuing a pregnancy or not; support teenage parents in caring for their children. Ewles (2006) support the idea that there is evidence to support the use of behaviour modification in conjunction with changes in caring for the vulnerable children and levels of activities involved in pre and post birth which concurs with the governments programme responding to Acheson report (1998) in Tackling Health Inequalities. This is seen by Beattie (1991) as objective reality of empowerment based on actual situation on community level. By promoting and protecting the health of pregnant and parenting teen mothers and their children Sure Start seem to be inline with Bradshaws taxonomy (1972) of health and social needs. Teenage parenthood is identified by Sure Start as both a cause and a consequence of social exclusion (Social Exclusion Unit, 1999) and this can be a normative need. Social Exclusion Unit (1999) also predicted the problems that involve a greater than average risk of being poor, unemployed and isolated. This is in accordance to the Acheson report (1998) which focuses on health inequalities and defines public health as the art and science of the prevention of disease and the promotion of health through the organised efforts of society. According to McLeod (2001) teenage mothers when compared to other mothers they have been seen as more likely to experience poverty and social deprivation and even in adult life, although these likelihoods might be a meaning of their deprived status relatively than of becoming a parent early per se (Ermisch and Pevalin, 2003). According to Bradshaw taxonomy this could be identified as a comparative need which concerns problems which emerge by comparison with others who are not in need. Furthermore he state that one of the most common uses of this approach is the comparison of social problems in different areas in order to determine which areas are most deprived. According to Social Exclusion Unit (1999) the government policy objective is to promote continuous learning among young people through Sure Start focusing on prevention of conceptions and secondly focussing on supporting teenage mothers primarily by measures to strongly encourage them to complete their education and keep in touch with the jobs market. This concurs with Naidoo and Willis (2001) who views public health as working together with others on shared programmes on the other hand to ensure that health promotion activities were achieved. Sure Start use collaboration, education and participatory approaches. Furthermore Dugan (1996) encourages public health practitioners to use participatory approach as a process that has rewarding effects and increases local talent and capacity, provides flexibility and systematic process for people. Micklewright (2002) assets that seven out of thirteen indicators in the second annual statement on poverty and social exclusion connecting to children and young people are measures of education and gaining skills. Educational approach enables health promoters to work with the community as partners giving guidance and not taking control but listening and taking their perspective on board. Educational approach expressed by Naidoo and Willis (2001) enriches the community with knowledge, information and developing skills that will enable them to make informed choices with regards to their health behaviour. Whereas community development aims at empowering people to work together to influence the social, economic, political and environmental issues that influence them (Naidoo and Willis, 2000). World Health Organization believed that people needed to hold some degree of control over their living and working conditions in order to develop lifestyles conducive to health (WHO, 1986). Ottawa Charter defines health promotion as the process of enabling people to increase control over, and improve their health (WHO, 1986). In conclusion public health practitioners role is to influence and identify those factors that promote the health of the population and contributes to reducing health inequalities, and able to influence teams and organizations and valuing professional development. For health practitioners to work effectively, good and effective communication skills are required that enables them to use appropriate verbal and non verbal communication skills to deliver relevant information to various people. It is essential that studies are conducted that primarily focus on the whole range of public health roles within health practice with particular emphasis given to examine the effects of these roles on public health professionals, and the education and training that will be necessary for these roles.

Early American Writers Essay -- essays research papers

Early American Writers In the literature of early American writers there is one common trait among all the writings: religion. Among Anne Bradstreet and Jonathan Edwards all speak of their opinion of religion, god, heaven, and material things. Anne Bradstreet was a puritan wife, originally from England but then moved to America. Upon moving and settling into her home, her poems became full of emotion and spoke about concerns from her heart. She was religious and believed that men had superiority over women. A common concern in these religious writers was the unimportance of material things on Earth. In Bradstreet's Upon the Burning of Our House July 10th, 1666, her house was burned to the ground. Nevertheless, she did not shed to many tears because she knew that "Thou hast an house on high erect," meaning that her real home was in heaven. She found comfort in god and her belief in her made her strong and able to move on in her life. When she starts thinking about all her possessions that she had lost she would "Raise up thy thoughts above the sky . . . " and remember these things do not matter, what matters is her "house on high." Jonathan Edwards also found comfort in god, "leading me to sweet contemplations of my great and glorious God." Jonathan was also a puritan from the early America, however, he was a preache...

VA Information Security

In your opinion, how well developed are your organization’s information security policies? Describe policies and measures used by your organization to ensure confidentiality, availability and reliability of data and information. Describe how the organization could (or does) protect from the loss its data. What steps could (or do) they take to make sure that data remains accessible in the event of a catastrophic event such as a fire or other natural disaster? What things do you think your organization could do to further enhance information security? Name: University: Course: Tutor: Date: In your opinion, how well developed are your organization’s information security policies? Describe policies and measures used by your organization to ensure confidentiality, availability and reliability of data and information. Describe how the organization could (or does) protect from the loss its data. What steps could (or do) they take to make sure that data remains accessible in the event of a catastrophic event such as a fire or other natural disaster? What things do you think your organization could do to further enhance information security? Information security policies are measures taken by organizations to ensure the security and safety of information of an organization (Stallings, 1995). The policies of an organization pertaining to information and data are bench marks and core resource in any organization. This paper looks at the information security situation in the United States Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) with an aim of analyzing the organization’s information security policies, standards and measures used by the organization to ensure confidentiality of its information. VA has in the recent years been on the spotlight concerning its information security breach specifically it has been accused of being very vulnerable to information security breaches. VA lacks information control system which is vital in access to the organization’s information system. VA also lacks enough physical protection of computer facilities, something which leaves its information stored in computers very vulnerable to burglary. In terms of the human factor in information, security the organization data and vital information is easily accessible to a wide range of staff some of whom do not require access to the information. VA is currently facing the threat of information security in the areas of personal identification information, loss of data, accessibility of data to unauthorized persons, or misuse of information and should deal with the above issues in order to ensure maximum information security. The information security policies at VA include well laid out procedures for implementing and handling of day-to-day data and information, controlling the employees’ access to data and information, careful selection of security controls. VA has enacted steps aimed at protection its information systems, further it has safeguarded the nearby buildings by making sure that recommended fire protection as well as other hazards such as floods and wind. The equipment at VA is also safe guarded from any hazards such as , natural, environmental, as well as unauthorized access. In addition, access of data in VA is well safe guarded by use of not-easy-to-hack passwards. These are comprehensive and in compliance with ISO standards. At VA, such are updated very regularly. There is also a full pledged department for supporting the information system of the organization. Since human factor plays a very vital role in information security, alongside the technological issues are human oriented efforts such as awareness campaigns and seminars aimed at enhancing security in VA. Examples of technological based security measures adapted by VA include the installation of firewalls, installation and constant upgrading and updating of antivirus software, Alongside the above, VA ensures the security measures are controlled through use of security alarms, when there is impending danger as well as ensuring that all incoming emails are scanned. VA has invested in qualified staff and therefore, the quality of security management is guaranteed. In terms of physical security, VA has invested in security management. In terms of reacting to security breaches, VA has a clear reporting system which culminates in thorough investigations and appropriate course of actions once breaches are reported to the management Disasters can, and do strike when least expected and if no proper systems are in place for data recovery, massive damage and loss of information as well as equipment can be suffered. The cost is very high and sometimes it is irreparable. Any data protection measure must take into account the facilities, data, hardware and network safety (Summers, 1997). At VA, the data is invaluable and is crucial since it entails details of veterans’ information and if this was to be lost, it can not be regained. Perhaps the hardware, the facilities, and the networks can all be reconstructed. The data protection strategies at VA include, back ups; there exists hard copies of data stored in different locations. Such back ups also are available in online backups and disks. It will be wise though, for VA to include snapshots of disks to act as back ups in the event of data corruption as well as carrying out these back ups regularly. VA can significantly improve its information security by; training all staff on the information policies as well as standards and make sure such are comprehensive and updated (Neumann, 1995). This is necessary and relevant to VA because some of the information breaches reported there, in the past were related to lack of stringent policies. By ensuring that, evaluation of systems is done properly before system change over in order to avoid setbacks. By training employers on enhanced security measures such as use of passwords; ensuring commitment from top management to safeguard information. Virus attacks are common in computer networks; therefore it is highly commendable that, VA ensures installation of effective anti-virus software. There is a need to have secure and restricted areas for systems. Although data encryption is highly commended, access should be guaranteed to make sure that no an authorized person gains access to the back-ups. System hardening is highly recommended since data in VA system is potentially useful and of interest to hackers and therefore it is not unlikely that hostile networks may attempt to hack the information.

Educational administrators Essay

A stakeholder is an individual or an entity that stand to gain or lose from the success or failure of a system or an organization. From a business perspective the stakeholder analysis theory asserts that an organization should pay greater attention to its stakeholders’ suggestions and interests in order to incorporate them in the overall decision-making process. Just like it is in the business world, school organizations (institutions) involve several stakeholders such as students, teachers, the parents’, the government, community, etc. [Gross & Godwin, 2006] Each stakeholder has got a distinct role to play for instance; students are expected to be disciplined, participate in various school activities, and to perform excellently in their academics, the teachers on the other hand are expected to live to the expectations of the professional code of conduct, and to do all what pertains instructions giving, the parents on their part are expected to collaborate with changing demands of the school and to promptly pay fees. The government is expected to offer, technical, professional, and monetary assistance to the schools, while the community is expected pay taxes that are used in the running of the school activities. Just as the stakeholders roles differ, so does their expectations. Students expect an all-inclusive school environment that is rich in quality instructional giving methods and other social amenities such entertainment, sport facilities, etc; the teachers expect to be given reasonable remuneration packages and enough working space to professionally deliver to the students; the parents expect quality education for their children that will result into good results at the end of the school life; the government expects maximum adherence to the school curriculum and the production of happy and useful school products (students) who will fit well in various sectors of the economy; on the other hand the community expects the school to produce happy and useful products who will be called upon to play various tasks in the society. [ESD, 2005-11] Irrespective of whether the school performance is excellent or on a downward trend, all the stakeholders should work together, relate, share, and communicate more often in order to maintain the good performance or impr ove on the nose-diving performance. [Gallagher, Bagin, & Moore, 2005: p. 12] For the smooth running of the school, a proper communication system must be maintained. An administrator will not accomplish any goals in the school without adequate communication. A good communication system should always allow for the receiver to respond to the communicated message. It has been noted that school administrators fail not because they want to but due to their failure to plan. However, a good communication system will not exist without a proper plan. [Holliday (1988)] For, Harris, (2004) â€Å"Good communication does not happen by accident, it is planned, †¦ However, principals with a specific communication plan are able to provide needed support that leads to effective relationship building. † (p. 19). In a school setting communication is paramount in keeping the stakeholders fully informed about well-meaning changes that affect the realization of the school core objectives and also to keep a constant track of any changes in stakeholder expectations. One such well-meaning change in a school is curriculum development. The importance of curriculum changes is seen in the sense that a curriculum is the prime plan of the course of study that provides the learner with proper learning experiences under the guidance of a school. If a curriculum is not meeting the set goals of education then its change is always imperative. Again, it can be changed in order to meet the global innovations and changes of stakeholders’ expectations. [Walkin (1982)] However, to change a curriculum all the stakeholders must be contacted and their views collected. The current curriculum being used by the high schools in our state was lastly developed ten years ago. Many people have been complaining about it, and calls for its change have been received from several stakeholders in the state. As the chief principal in my school, the task of contacting all the stakeholders in order to get their views concerning the current curriculum efficacy lies wholly in my docket. I will prepare a comprehensive report concerning curriculum matters and a questionnaire; the two documents will be sent to students, teachers, parents, the state education department officials, and some members of the School Board of Governance. The response to these messages and others from other schools will be used to push the state education department to come up with a committee that will embark on the process of reviewing the current curriculum and facilitate changes were necessary. [Gallagher, Bagin, & Moore, 2005] In order to convince the stakeholders that a change of the current curriculum is necessary I will prepare a detailed report that will describe the national goals of education, the objectives of the current curriculum relative to the national education goals, my school performance in state tests for the last five years, and the performance or the last five years of other five schools in different school districts in the state. The report will also include several articles published in some of the leading newspapers and education journals in the state calling outlining the importance of changing the current curriculum. The purpose of this compressive report will be to impart the stakeholders with the necessary knowledge that will enable them to make a decision as to whether a change is necessary or not. In accompaniment of the report will be a five-question questionnaire that will be prompting the stakeholders to sincerely state their opinions on the issue. To compile the report I will need the assistance of several people. The students from various classes, class teachers, the subject heads, head of departments, principals of other schools in different school districts in the state, local education department officers, and several curriculum experts in the state. Two sources of data will be utilized in the study i. e. the primary and the secondary data sources; the primary source will include the data that will be collected direct from the people through observations or verbal interviews while the secondary ones will comprise of stored records, newspapers, and journal articles. In order to collect reliable and valid data I will employ two qualitative methods of data collection. These methods will be verbal and over the phone interviews and scrutinizing of test results presented to me by the respective class teachers, and other written materials. [Taylor & Bogdan, 1984] These two methods will enable me to get a clear picture of subject teachers’ comments, how the students have been performing relative to the national goals of education, curriculum objectives, and the syllabus requirements, and experts’ views on the impact of the current curriculum in meeting the socio-economic, cultural, and political needs of the students and the society at large. The construction of the five-question questionnaire will be guided by the above reports conclusions. Teachers will collect their reports and the questionnaire from the staffroom while the students will be given theirs via their respective class teachers, for those other stakeholders the post office mailing service will be the obvious option. Stakeholders will be required to take three to six days to study the report fill the questionnaire and mail back the questionnaire. [Gallagher, Bagin, & Moore, 2005] The returned questionnaires will then be analyzed the overall stakeholders verdict recorded. If a clear majority shows that they are for a change – which is the most probable verdict, then another report that describes the new stakeholders’ expectations in my school will be prepared but this time not targeting all the stakeholders but the state education department office whose one of its core mandate is to constantly review the existing curriculum. The report will also be copied to the school heads of all the schools in the state through their respective school district offices, and they will also be carrying out their own change communications, their reports will also be forward to the state education department. [Gallagher, Bagin, & Moore, 2005] In order to provide a feedback to all my schools stakeholders who participated in the change-communication process, I will publish the analyzed results in the local daily newspapers, local educational journals, and even non-print media. Students will also be issued with the same reports to read and to take to their parents, and thus as much people as will be practically possible will definitely be reached through these communication methods. These will help to build a sense of trust on the school among the school stakeholders, as their true feelings will be reflected in the communicated report. Again, this will serve as a positive precedent for future communications of positive changes. [Harris, (2004)] This report will also be made the main agenda in the normal biannual stakeholder meetings, and therefore there will be still a chance to convince the skeptics on the importance of the changes and also develop a time frame, and the other important deliberations that pertains the changes. In these biannual meetings other important changes pertaining the smooth running of the school will also be discussed such as entering into agreements with local colleges and universities in order to facilitate a smooth transition from high school to college education for our school graduates. [Gallagher, Bagin, & Moore, 2005] References: Bogdan, R. C. and Taylor, S. J. (1975). 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