Intercultural communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Intercultural communication - Essay Example Today, many people believe that the city is the world leader in many things such as arts, communication and finance. For instance, the city prides itself as having one of the finest and multifaceted ports in the world. Additionally, New York City serves as headquarter to several organizations and corporations including United Nations. Besides being one of the major economic hubs in United States, New York City is also centre of media and communication, publishing and fashion designing (Unites States Census, 2011, p. 1). Demographics Historians describe New York City as the city that continually receives the highest number of immigrants. This is the reason why many refer to it as â€Å"melting pot† referring to the highly populated regions on the eastern parts of the city. With over 800 languages, it is clear that people from different backgrounds have come to live in the city. However, English is the most common language that many New Yorkers speak. According to census report of 2010, New York City has a population of 8,175,133 people. The greatest demographic features of the city remain cultural diversity, as there are people from different backgrounds living there, and population density. ... You will find people from at least every nation in the world living in New York. In fact, the city is home to Indians from the northern hemisphere, Chinese, Jewish community, Africans, and even Koreans. Nevertheless, in terms of race and ethnic composition, the whites top with 58 percent followed by Hispanics at 18 percent and Blacks at 14 percent (Unites States Census, 2011, p. 1). Language spoken at home With almost every community in the world represented in the city, people living in New York speak over 800 languages. In their homes, people from the same background can choose to speak their mother tongue. However, the most dominant language of communication in New York is English, and many immigrants have mastered this language in order to communicate with the natives. Certain homes also use Spanish and it is actually the second most popular language in New York City, Of course, not forgetting the other languages although very few number of New York residents use them. According to the census of 2010, children aged over five years, irrespective of the background of their parents, speak English as their primary language in addition to another language. However, the fluency in speaking English depends on one’s background. Socioeconomic levels New York being an economic hub, the expectations are that many people living there are doing well socially and economically. However, depending on one’s background, the socioeconomic levels are not the same for all residents of New York City. Truth is, many New Yorkers are above the scale economically. However, it is important to note that in any society. We have the low class, middle class and upper class people. Majority of New York residents are middle class with well-paying jobs or own some business

Fixing Urban Schools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Fixing Urban Schools - Essay Example This project concluded that members of the school board, mayors, foundation leaders and city council need to have an idea on how to improve school systems. One of the vital elements of reform policies that can transform performance in schools is giving responsibility to other school members other than just superintendents. Most superintendents maintain their jobs for approximately three years. The school officials normally hire a different superintendent serious and confident enough to advance a school and raise the performance of students. Three years is not enough to achieve set goals. When a superintendent leaves, he or she leaves behind partially implemented plans and unfulfilled goals. This report declares that big city leaders face issues of political and intellectual types. The political issue is the complexity of developing and maintaining a strong coalition that can conquer the resistance to change that many large organizations face, whose constituency consists of opposing civil employees and interest groups. Only a number of communities have enjoyed the advantage of both a system of political support and strong ideas. Political support is important because it plays a huge role in making ideas come to life. It is not clear how to solve the issues faced by city schools. Without proper direction, the millions of young people’s future living in the city are at stake. This is because they need the public school system to shape their employment ability and their entry into society. (Hill & Celio, 1998). Apart from teachers, members of the school board, mayors, foundation leaders and city council need to have an idea on how to improve school systems. One of th e vital elements of reform policies that can transform performance in schools is giving responsibility to other school members other than just superintendents. Most superintendents maintain their jobs for approximately three years. The school officials normally hire a different superintendent serious and confident enough to advance a school and raise the performance of students. Three years is not enough to achieve set goals. When a superintendent leaves, he or she leaves behind partially implemented plans and unfulfilled goals (Hill & Celio, 1998). The reasons why public schools face these issues is poverty, racial isolation, social instability and labor unrest. It is also helpful if local leaders can gather the needed administrative and political support to attain such reforms. The biggest challenge faced by urban schools relates to the reality that the term connotes worries concerning experiences of education for minority and poor youth. Improving public schools hence communicate s the idea of conquering inequalities in occupational, educational, and social opportunity throughout economic and racial groups. Overview of Current Policy: The policy of fixing urban schools encourages school restructuring as a way to allow improvement in the achievement of students and the effectiveness of an organization. This happened with the appointment of state officials and local appointed boards to run schools. The move prevented any bureaucracy in the management of urban schools. Because of bureaucracy, schools normally have a poor relationship with community and parental networks. This relationship is important because it helps facilitate the effective education of children. Creating a sense of community for public schools is a suggestion by many scholars. They claim that this is what separates different schools socially. For example, catholic schools run based on functional communities. This means that the