Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 12

Leadership - Essay Example These situational theories are highly dependent upon factors like the particular situation, task, people, environmental variables and organization. Fiedler had proposed a situational theory, which proposed that there is no singular way of handling particular situation (Davidson and Omar 1352-1706).The different leadership approaches adopted by the managers at varied situations have different impact on the employee morale and performance (Dong and Liu 1352-1706). When a leader adopts autocratic approach, there is negative impact on the employees’ performance and outcome. When a leader adopts transformational and goal setting leadership, there is an increase in the employee performance and morale. Although, there is no singular leadership theory, which would help to increase the organizational outcome, moral and performance of the employees, yet the management of the organization needs to focus on application of several leadership theories. A distinction should be made between the task and relationship oriented managers. Task oriented managers lay emphasis on the tasks in hand, than on the enhancement of the leader member relationship (Fish 1352-1760). These kind of managers focus on the organizational structure, task delegated to the members and the position and power of the employees. It has been observed that the employee performance and morale increased with the motivation received from the managers. The employee morale and performance is also dependent on the way the manager conducts themselves and motivate the employees of the organization. The organizational outcome is also directly related and proportional to the motivation and the guidance of the leaders (Fontaine 125-135). The development plan would be to implement leadership program, which would highlight the basic leadership approaches like transformational, goal setting theories, which Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 37 Leadership - Essay Example The chosen leaders need to have enough knowledge on the forms of leadership that will foster student learning and teachers’ cooperation. This paper seeks to discuss key characteristics reflected in teacher leadership that positive impact on teachers. Theory of leadership is a fundamental characteristic of teacher leaders. The concept of leadership is a vital organ when it comes to development of effective leadership. The fundamental distinctions of leadership models are providing direction and exercising influence. The different ways employed in carrying out or executing these functions is what makes a leadership theory (Wilmore, 2007). Capturing the attention of school personnel is an important aspect in leadership. The above is a significant characteristic factor that contributes greatly to positive teacher leadership. In most institutions, students and teachers are found to posses low attention to initiatives from the leaders. In effecting leadership, such leaders should be able to capture the attention of these teachers and students in a variety of ways. The leaders can engage in using formative and summative student assessments aligned along the new standards (Wilmore, 2007). The leaders should develop capacity building. As much as assessment captures teachers and students attention, must a robust response to the dilemmas and conflicts created in order to generate productive change. Effective response is brought through development of a strong, in-house, systematically aligned, professional development strategies (Wilmore, 2007). The leaders should create and develop a sustained competitive edge in their jurisdictions. When the leaders create competitive but interactive forums among the teachers and the students, they will be able to sensitize on the positive impacts of their leaderships. Positive creation of competition facilitates empowerment of the teachers towards performing their tasks. Empowerment fosters accountability

September 11th the terrorist attack Essay Example for Free

September 11th the terrorist attack Essay The terrorist attack on September 11 will always be remember as the most terrifying day in American History. These attacks left people around the world with feeling of disbeliefs and anger. As consequences, many of American people are blaming all Muslim citizens for the attacks, accusing them as terrorists. There are an estimated of 3 million muslins living in the United States. The majority of them practice the Islam religion. Islam is a religion that means peace with ones heart, mind and soul. It also means peace with god and to live according to the sacred book. Unluckily, most Muslim people in America share the same religion as the terrorist organization, led by Osama bin Laden, who is the primary suspect for the September 11 attack. As result, many Muslim American are paying a high price for their similarities with the terrorist. They are being humiliated, harassed and discriminated against. There are more than 200 cases of hate crimes reported in Arabic American anti Discrimination Society since the attacks. For instance, a news station reported a week after the attack an Arab American passenger was kicked off the airplane because of the way she looks. In addition, some on these incident children are the most affected. Muslim children because they are more sensible and constantly interacting with their peers, especially on public school. I have seemed discrimination against Muslim people in my classroom at PCCC. One day after the attack a classmate thought it would be funny to point at on Muslim classmate. I did not find it funny, instead I found very insulting toward her, especially because I know her and I know she is not bad. All these case are true history and people live constantly in pain. Many of them are people with dream and ambition. On September 11 every one saw how destruction could be done in a powerful nation like America. Unfortunately, these events have left many loses including lives of people and economically impact. But we also learned that not all Muslim are terrorist. They are peaceful people like you and me.

What Ways Does An Individuals Behaviour Change?

What Ways Does An Individuals Behaviour Change? This essay will explore whether an individuals behaviour truly changes when they are part of a group through the consideration of various perspectives, methods and underpinning epistemological assumptions and will take the viewpoint that an individuals behaviour does change when s/he is part of a group, however it is necessary to consider the context, such as societal and cultural factors and the importance of experience, interactions, social norms and values as one branch of social psychology, or one form of experimentation cannot fully predict or explain group and individual behaviour. The most prominent debates, theories and studies in relation to group behaviour will be discussed from a multi-perspective position, mainly exploring the social and cognitive aspects of group behaviour, as well as the methodology of experimentation and how group behaviour is measured. This will ensure that a reductionist approach to the subject is avoided. Key factors involved in group behaviour incl ude; obedience, conformity, groupthink, social identity theory (Tajfel, 1979), prejudice, stereotypes and schemas, which will be discussed and evaluated alongside relevant research throughout the essay. This is due to how these factors influence how an individuals behaviour changes under group influence, for example how Aschs line test portrayed the effects of majority influence (Asch, 1952). A group has been defined by some theorists as two or more individuals who perceive themselves as being members of the group or social category (Turner, 1982; Brown, 2000). Group behaviour refers to a situation in which individuals interact in small or large groups, within these groups there may be certain norms, values which are internalised within the individual (Vygotsky, 1978), communication patterns and status differentials. The majority of research conducted in the area of group behaviour is mainly based in the experimental psychology perspective; however critical and qualitative psychologists argue there is a lesser focus on the study of behaviour in context which ideally involves the acknowledgment of the impact of society and culture on group behaviour (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Fox Prilleltensky, 1997; Gergen, 1973; Himmelweit Gaskell, 1990; Renshon Duckitt, 2000), social roles, environments, experiences, relationships, and a movement away from laboratory based measurements. Within mainstream psychology there is still a focus on the cognitive and affective aspects of behaviour, whilst individual level processes which are fundamental in social and group processes are not always acknowledged. According to Nafstad Blakar (Nafstad Blakar, 2012); A full-fledged social psychology cannot be based on experimental laboratory research alone. This is because it is necessary to concentrate on methodological approaches for future research as much of the quantitative experimental psychology involved in addressing and measuring group behaviour does not acknowledge core social aspects such as social life, social behaviour and human development as social beings. One key area within group behaviour is obedience. The study of obedience entails the tendency to comply with orders from an authority figure and where group behaviour is concerned obedience entails an individual adapting their actions in order to comply with the groups wishes or rules. Concerned with the atrocities committed during Nazi Germany, Milgram explored the effects of obedience under the influence of authority (Milgram, 1974). Participants, who witnessed the confederate being strapped into a chair with electrodes in another room, were given the role of teacher whilst a confederate of the experimenter was given the role of learner; The teacher was expected to administer an electric shock for every wrong answer in what they were lead to believe was an experiment about learning, the shocks increased at 15 volt increments and when the participant refused to administer the shocks, they were given standard instructions (prods) by the experimenter, who wore a lab coat, therefore ac ting as an authority figure within the group. 65% of participants administered the full 450 volts, suggesting that obedience is related to situational pressures. In order to attempt to explain why individuals would behave in the way they did during the experiment, Milgram proposed the agency theory. The agency theory according to Milgram consists of two states; the autonomous state, in which individuals make decisions on their own ideas and beliefs, and the agentic state, in which in which individuals give up responsibility and defer the responsibility to those of a higher status. Although the agency theory does attempt to explain rare occurrences such as the obedience in events such as the Mai Lai Massacre and Nazi Germany, there may be other explanations for the obedience, as suggested by French and Raven (French Raven, 1959) who suggested there are five different types of power; legitimate power, reward power, coercive power, expert power and referent power. It is also important to note that the agency theory is more of a description of how society works, rather than explaining why individuals obey authority figures against their better j udgement in some situations. The theory of groupthink could also be applied in order to explain the phenomological behaviour in Milgrams study, as groupthink entails group decisions which are often irresponsible, dangerous, made under extreme pressure and dominated by a powerful leader, therefore Milgrams theory alone by not be sufficient in exploring individual and group behaviour. There are several ethical issues within Milgrams study such as the lack of debriefing, the distress caused to the participants and deception about the nature of the study. Also, despite Milgram carrying out several variations of his original experiment, the experiment has methodological flaws. Due to the laboratory setting of the experiment there was a distinct lack of ecological validity as the obedience portrayed in compliance with an authority figure does not necessarily represent and cannot be generalised to real life social interactions. It has been suggested that Milgrams experiment became caught up in the broader processes of psychologisation (De Vos, 2009). This is due to the power of science and the authority of experimentation which is suggested in the study, specifically where the experimenter acts as an authority figure within the peer-group, urging participants to continue with the experiment. Also, it has been argued that the experiment dramatizes peoples capacity for violence (Brannigan, 2004) and only demonstrates a short-term measure of obedience (Stainton Rogers et al, 1995). Taking these points into consideration, the need for a multi-perspective view of group behaviour can be reiterated as a concentration on laboratory experiments alone does not fully account as an explanation of group behaviour and obedience, this is further evidenced by the suggestion that Milgram does not make a concise conclusion concerning the study. We are led to no conclusions about obedience, really, but rather are exhorted [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] to be impressed with the power of your situation as an influence context (Parker, 2000). Further replications of Milgrams original study were conducted in order to address some of the issues which were presented within the experiment, such as ethical issues (Burger 2009) and methodological flaws (Meeus and Raaijmakers, 1995), therefore taking a further qualitative stance on the original study. A solely experimental approach to the study of obedience within individual and group behaviour may not necessarily be useful, although the phenomenon of obedience is portrayed in Milgrams experiment, no true conclusion or explanation is drawn due to a lack of acknowledgement of social, political and cultural factors, and a reliance on quantitative and experimental social psychology. Another area of study within individual and group behaviour is conformity. Conformity is the influence on an individual which may alter their beliefs or behaviour in response to the pressure of a group in order to internalise or fit in with a group. According to Man (Man, 1969) there are three types of conformity; these are normative, which is a desire to be liked by the group, informational, which is a desire to be correct and identification which is conformity to a social role. Aschs well known line study explores normative conformity due to the participants attempts to avoid rejection from the group and informational conformity due to the participants desire to be correct. Asch suggests that an individual will attempt to internalise with a group and display the effects of majority influence (Asch, 1952). The experiment consisted of a participant who was given a selection of lines and was asked to judge which was most similar to a comparison line in the presence of others, who were actually confederates of the experimenter who were instructed to purposely give incorrect answers. 5% of participants conformed to all of the trials, 33% conformed to over half of the trials and 25% did not conform at all. Several variations of the original experiment were conducted; when one confederate was present none of the participants conformed, however when more than three confederates were present strong conformity occurred. This suggests the effects of majority influence and pressure on the individual to act in a manner in accordance to a group, the desire to be liked and avoidance of rejection from the group. Aschs line study distinctly lacked ecological validity due to its artificial laboratory setting, which suggests that the experiment had low ecological validity and may be difficult to generalise to a real-life situation. A replication of Aschs original experiment in which the participants were British engineering, mathematics and chemistry students suggested low reliability within the original study, out of the 396 trials, a participant conformed with the incorrect majority on only one trial.. Aschs experiment has been referred to as a child of its time, due to the social, political and historical context in which Aschs experiment was conducted, as conformity was a social norm during Post-World War Two era, whilst the notion of individualism was rejected (Perrin and Spencer, 1980). The lack of reliability in the study may be due to a change in what is socially acceptable rather than a methodological flaw, and therefore it is of importance to acknowledge social norms and values whilst studying group behaviour as well as the notion that group behaviour cannot be based within experimental psychology alone (Nafstad and Blakar, 2012). One prominent theory which may be applied to real life examples of group behaviour is Social Identity Theory (Tajfel, 1979). Social Identity Theory details how membership to a group gives an individual a sense of social identity, these groups are important in enhancing an individuals self-esteem and pride, therefore individuals may attempt to increase the status of their own group, or simply discriminate against an out-group through social categorisation. Discrimination against an out-group occurs through prejudice and stereotypes which occurs through three cognitive processes; social categorisation, which is the decision about which group you belong to, social identification, which is more overt identification with the in-group, and social comparison which is comparison to the out-group which is believed to be inferior, this in turn increases the self-esteem of the in-group (Tajfel Turner, 1979). Although it can be argued that Social Identity Theory can provide a concise and full e xplanation for the formation if in-groups and out-groups, it does not clearly define how the process occurs and also is not a predictor of behaviour (Hogg, 2000). Therefore, although Social Identity Theory can explain some aspects of group behaviour, it may not be applicable to real world phenomenon as it cannot provide full explanation for real-life group behaviour such as acts of terrorism. In real-world research, such as a psychological approach to terrorism, it has been suggested that it is necessary not to allow cognitive biases to cloud the analysis of political situations (Abrahms, 2006; Scheier, 2007). Therefore, experimental psychology alone may not be useful in analysing and explaining real-life situations. However, Zimbardo (Zimbardo, 2002) argues that terrorism is all about psychology as it is key to understanding the motives, values and ideology of terrorists; therefore it is clear there is debate as to how real-life examples of group behaviour should be studied. Although many of the most prominent studies in the area of group and individual behaviour are based within experimental psychology, there is a tendency for discursive, critical and qualitative psychologists to argue that there is a need for the exploration of social norms, values and experiences, rather than the notion held by experimental psychology which simply acknowledges that these factors have an affect. When considering the experiments and debates which are discussed within the study of group behaviour, in order for future research to attempt to provide a more concise explanations of group behaviour it may be appropriate to concentrate on people on an individual level within context as well as their actions in a group situation, for example acknowledging their experiences, relationships, values and social roles in order to draw conclusions as to why individuals act in accordance to a group instead of simply displaying extreme phenomena such as in the cases of Milgram and Zimba rdo. It has been suggested that current mainstream social psychology is primarily characterised by the study of the interactions between the individual and groups through experimental study and as a result of this, context such as social and cultural levels have not been represented to their true extent (Doise, 1982/1986). References Abrahms, M. Why Terrorism Does Not Work, International Security, Vol. 31, No. 2, pp.42-78. Asch, S. E. Social psychology. New York: PrenticeHall, 1952 Brannigan, A. (2004) The Rise and Fall of Social Psychology: The Use and Misuse of the Experimental Method. New Jersey: Aldine Transaction. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Experiments by nature and design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Brown, R. (2000) Group Processes: Dynamics within and between groups (2nd ed.), Oxford, Blackwell. Burger, J. (2009). Replicating Milgram: Would people still obey today? American Psychologist, 64, 1-11. De Vos, J. (2009) Now that you know, how do you feel: The Milgram experiment and psychologisation. Annual Review of Critical Psychology, 7, 223-246. Accessed at: http://www.discourseunit.com/arcp/7.htm on 24th November 2010. Doise, W. (1982/1986). Lexplication en psychologie sociale/Levels of explanation in social psychology. Paris: Editions de la Maison des Sciences de lHomme. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Fox, D., Prilleltensky, I. (Eds.). (1997). Critical Psychology. An Introduction. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. French, J. R. P., Raven, B. The bases of social power. In D. Cartwright, A. Zander. Group dynamics. New York: Harper Row, 1959. Gergen, K. J. (1973). Social psychology as history. Journal of personality and social psychology, 26, 309-320. Himmelweit, H. T., Gaskell, G. (Eds.). (1990). Societal Psychology. London: Sage Publications. Hogg, Michael A.; Williams, Kipling D. (2000). From I to we: Social identity and the collective self. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice 4 (1): 81-97 Man, L (1969). Social Psychology. New York: Wiley Meeus, W.H.J., Raaijmakers, Q.A.W. (1995). Obedience in modern society: The Utrecht studies. Journal of Social Issues, 51 (3), 155-175. Milgram, S. (1974). Obedience to authority: An experimental view. New York: Harper Row Parker*, I. (2000). Obedience. Granta, 71(4): 99-125. Perrin, S. Spencer, C. (1980) The Asch effect: a child of its time? Bulletin of the British Psychological Society, 32, 405-406. Nafstad, H. E. Blakar, R. M. (2012). Ideology and Social Psychology. Social and Personality Psychology Compass. 6 (4), 282-294. Renshon, S. A., Duckitt, J. (2000). Political psychology. Cultural and crosscultural foundations. London: MacMillan Press Scheier, B. (2007) The Evolutionary Brain Glitch that Makes Terrorism Fail, WIRED. Accessed at: http://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2007/07/securitymatters_0712 on 25th October 2007. Stainton Rogers, R., Stenner, P., Gleeson, K. Stainton Rogers, W. (1995). Social Psychology: A Critical Agenda. Polity: Cambridge Tajfel, H., Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. G. Austin S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33-47). Monterey, CA: Brooks/Col Turner, J. C. (1982). Toward a cognitive redefinition of the social group. In H. Tajfel (Ed.), Social identity and intergroup behavior (pp. 15-40). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Zimbardo, P.G. (2002) Psychology to Play Key Role in National Centre on Terrorism. Monitor on Psychology, 33 (11), December 2002. Accessed at: on 23 January 2006.

An examination of how Sherlock Holmes abilities and techniques, :: English Literature

An examination of how Sherlock Holmes' abilities and techniques, allied to his personal characteristics, enable him to solve crimes There are many reasons to explain why Sherlock Holmes is one of the world's most famous fictional detectives. However, the main reason for this is that not only are the stories complex, but the actual character of Sherlock Holmes has extreme depth, with some subtle elements of his character only becoming apparent when he is in certain situations. This is why Sherlock Holmes is one of the most, if not the most interesting fictional characters to study. One of Holmes' most famous professional characteristics is his power of observation. An example of this is where Holmes is examining a room "Why, it's a dummyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦it is fastened to a hook" (The Speckled Band). This is a very unlikely thing for a normal person to observe; but not for Sherlock Holmes! However, Holmes' powers of observation would be worth nothing without his excellent reasoning and deduction abilities. An example of this is connected to the quote above (from The Speckled Band). After Holmes discovered that the bell pull (rope) was a dummy, and taking into account only facts that may be considered, by lesser men, insignificant he solved the mystery of a woman's death. "It would crawl down the rope.... sooner or later she must fall victim" (The Speckled Band). It is by Holmes' use of reasoning and deduction that one of his most famous personal characteristics also comes to light. This is his characteristic of making people around him feel beneath him, in other words, Holmes has a high level of self-esteem. He astounds people with his intelligence. He pretends that he does not mean to do this "I do not wish to make a mystery" (A Scandal in Bohemia). There is but one case that I have come across in which Sherlock Holmes is outwitted by someone, and when he realises that he has been outwitted, he is amazed "Holmes staggered back, white with chagrin and surprise" (A Scandal in Bohemia). He is especially amazed that it is a woman that has outwitted him. This has some, but only a slight, effect on his belittling characteristic "He used to make merry over the cleverness of women, but I have not heard him do it of late" (A Scandal in Bohemia). Holmes has a great store of knowledge that he has acquired over many years at his disposal, and this helps him greatly in his cases "my special knowledge of tobacco ashes enabled me to pronounce as an Indian cigar" (The Boscombe Valley Mystery). This yet again proves just how intelligent Sherlock Holmes is.

Pros and Cons of Nuclear Power

As a result of the current global warming issues and the ever growing scarcity of our current energy resources we may be forced to resort to nuclear energy. The Department of Energy has already given its support to energy companies who have decided to construct nuclear power plants. It appears that nuclear power is the right course to take, but before this decision is finalised it is important to weigh the multiple advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power. There are many pros and cons, but they weigh up almost equally which makes it a hard decision to choose the right course of action, nuclear power or non-nuclear power. The first step to deciding on the use of nuclear power entails looking at its pros. These advantages include its low carbon emissions, its containable waste products, its low cost technological research, and its abundant supply of energy. Abundant supply of electrical energy at lower costs. Uranium can be used instead of oil to produce electrical energy. A ton of uranium can release significant amounts of energy once it undergoes the process of nuclear fission. By nuclear fission, the mere splitting of atomic nuclei can go into a series of chain reactions that can produce great amounts of energy to be converted into electricity. Coal heated power plants require millions times more fuel to create an equal amount of energy as one ton of uranium. A very low amount of carbon emissions are created from nuclear power. Since there is no fuel burning process involved in a nuclear reactor, the amount of carbon emission released from nuclear power plants is less than a hundredth of the carbon emissions released by the fuel burning power plants such as coal heated power plants. Nuclear wastes can be contained and controlled. This is unlike carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions which are released in the atmosphere beyond human control. Carbon dioxide emissions have been the biggest factor that affect global warming conditions. Nuclear technology entails low cost. The nuclear technology of fission is a natural occurrence that does not require further development or research to produce energy that can be converted into electricity. The splitting of a large nucleus causes a chain reaction of splitting other nuclei and releasing shooting neutrons that can continuously split more atomic nuclei creating energy in the process. The next step includes comparing these pros with cons. These include the possible accidents or disasters, the possible creation of nuclear weapons, the expensive price of creating the nuclear power plant, The disposal and safe storage solution of nuclear waste, and the possible terrorist threat to nuclear power plants and waste disposal sites. Nuclear accidents or disasters have happened and taken place on different occasions in different locations in the past. Two of the most widely known nuclear disasters that occurred are the Three Mile Island reactor in the US and the Chernobyl reactor in Russia. Even the countries of France and Japan have had leakages and accidents. Japan experienced a partial meltdown of uranium core in Ottawa in 1952 and several other accidents afterwards including the well-known Tokaimura incident in 1999. France experienced its first major nuclear disaster in 1992 while the most recent was in July 2008. The latest involved a plant malfunction which caused 30,000 litres of uranium enriched solution to leak into two of France’s rivers. The possible creation of nuclear weapons. The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty provides that every country has a right to undertake nuclear development for peaceful purposes. Many nations have taken its context as including the development of nuclear weapons because they feel threatened by other world powers. India feels threatened by Pakistan, while North Korea feels the same way about South Korea. Even developing countries will consider nuclear weapons to protect itself from possible threats of invasion. The setting up of nuclear power plants is expensive. Based on historical records, the actual costs incurred in building nuclear power plants have always exceeded the initial estimates. A report released by the US Congressional Budget Office in May 2008 disclosed that the actual costs incurred to build 75 existing nuclear power plants reached $144. 6 billion dollars. The estimated average cost of was $45. 2 billion. Nuclear waste disposal and storage solutions still have to be perfected. Nuclear waste is also known as Spent Nuclear Fuel or SNF. At the moment the only ideal system of treating SNF involves keeping them in temporary storage in deep disposal sites in the ground. However, SNF or nuclear waste disposal is still considered unresolved by many because there are no countries involved in deep ground SNF storage. Instead the nuclear waste is stored in dry-cask storages in steel lined silos with no definite disposal destination. Also uranium and plutonium have very long half lives and will take many years in storage to decay. The nuclear waste products are still considered radioactive for at least one thousand years. This could threaten homes and there residents if they have the radiation emissions enter their homes. Nuclear power plants and SNF storage silos are possible targets of terrorist attacks. Similar attacks like those launched by the 9/11 terrorists are likely possibilities which cannot be dismissed. This may seem unlikely but so did the attack on the twin towers. There are equal amounts of pros and cons for nuclear power usage and the decision to switch to it in the future is still uncertain. Although there are advantages such as the low carbon emissions and the large amount of energy produce from one ton of uranium the are still disadvantages including the possible nuclear disasters in the reactors and the possible terrorist threat. Either way it is necessary the choice is made soon otherwise our resources will be used up and we will be in a lot of strife.

Importance Of College Education Essay

A college education is a necessary ingredient for a good job and comfortable lifestyle. In fact, all parents would love to see their children find successful, rewarding careers. Everyone rejoices when a child in their family graduates in college and finds a rewarding and fulfilling job related to one’s chosen field of interest. It’s no secret that a college education can help expand one’s horizons and increase one’s earning power.   Consider some of the statistics and one will be convinced of its importance. Around 84% say that it is extremely (37%) or very (47%) important to have a college degree in order to get ahead. About 62% of parents of high school students say that a college education is absolutely necessary for their child, another 35% say it’s helpful but not necessary, and only 3% say that it’s not that important. Strong majorities say it is absolutely essential that college students gain a sense of maturity and how to manage on their own (71%) and learn to get along with people different from themselves (68%). Americans are divided when it comes to the value of college education especially when the figures are mentioned. Forty-seven percent say that a person gets enough out of a college education to justify spending from $7,000 to $18.000 a year for it, as compared to 40% who think the expense is not justified. But there is no doubt that a lot of people regard a college education as a process that students must undergo to gain general life skills (Mullan, 2003). This, despite the fact that most schools have increased their tuition fees, excluding the cost of books, laboratory expenses and other miscellaneous expenses one incurs in the course of studying. For many families, college will be their second biggest long-term savings goal, other than savings for retirement. (Clark, 2004). There are now tools which can be used to help equip a person as he steps in college (The Education Imperative. Importance of a College Education). Surveys that were conducted regarding the importance of college education reveal that all leaders agree that a strong higher education system is vitally important to the well-being of American society. The U.S. Census Bureau states there is â€Å"a significant disparity between the incomes of those who graduate from college and those who don’t.† (How a College Education can pay off). The survey respondents were nearly unanimous in their view that â€Å"a strong higher education system is a key to the continued economic growth. In addition, the report found an overwhelming majority of leaders believe it is essential to insure that higher education is accessible to every qualified and motivated student. Approximately 92 % of respondents think that society should not allow the price of a college education to prevent qualified and motivated students from attending college. The leaders also agreed that the vast majority of qualified and motivated students can get a college education if they want one and that lack of student motivation and responsibility is a more important obstacle than lack of money (Mullan, 2003). Although education expenses are high, investing in a college education pays off. Recent studies show that employees with degrees earn, on average, 85 percent more than those with just a high school diploma.   They are given more opportunities in finding fulfilling jobs. This earnings gap is tremendous and can be as much as $1 million over a lifetime. Thus, parents need to encourage their children to continue higher studies rather than to work right after high school even if that entails additional expenses for them and more tightening of the belt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   REFERENCES Clark, W.   2004. Universal College Grant. Retrieved Feb. 10, 2007 at: http://www.clark04.com/issues/highereducation/    How a College Education can pay off. Retrieved Feb. 10, 2007 at: http://www.americanfunds.com/college/importance/college-benefits.htm    Mullan, M, 2003. College Students Stress Importance of   Education to Pupils, Retrieved Feb. 10, 2007 at: http://www.gazette.net/200338/collegepark/news/178428-1.html The Education Imperative. Importance of a College Education. Retrieved Feb. 10, 2007 at: http://gearup.ous.edu/college_importance.php