Irish Americans are one of the most vocal and proud ethnic groups in the United States, as anyone who's ever seen a St. Patrick's Day parade knows. Over 35 million Americans (over 12% of the population) report to be from Irish stock, a surprising number given that the population of Ireland is just shy of 6 million. Irish Americans have made names for themselves in all facets of American society, from politics to the arts to sports and beyond, and their history in this country goes back to the very beginning.

The first Irish Americans came to America before there was even a United States, arriving in the colonies primarily as servants. By the 1820s, many Irish men began arriving in the US to fulfill migrant labor roles, such as building the canals that crisscrossed the Northeast industrial areas, as well as other manual labor roles. Pockets of Irish communities began springing up in the major cities of the East Coast, notably Philadelphia, Boston, and New York.

But it was in the 1840s that Irish immigration in the United States took off, thanks to the terrible famine that was sweeping through Ireland at the time. The so-called Great Potato Famine caused the potato crops - which served as the staple of the Irish diet at the time - to die in the ground, leading to widespread starvation and disease. Many Irish took their chances with the so-called "coffin ships," taking poorly maintained vessels to America and Canada in a desperate attempt to escape. While many died on the passage, ultimately millions of Irish arrived in America's shores in a space of a few years. In 1840, nearly half of all immigrants arriving in the United States had come from Ireland.

While these immigrants received a cool reception from a xenophobic America at first, over time Irish Americans began to thrive in every facet of this country. They have a great tradition of political service, with notable examples being John F. Kennedy, Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill, and Al Smith, the first major party Catholic presidential candidate. The Irish are also known for their contribution to the arts, specifically the written word, with great authors including F. Scott Fitzgerald, playwright Eugene O'Neill, and short story writer Flannery O'Conner. Famous athletes of Irish descent include Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, legendary heavyweight champions John L. Sullivan, Jack Dempsey, and James J. Braddock, and tennis great Jimmy Connors.



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Most school systems have some kind of exit exam for graduating seniors. These exams generally test only to see if the student is capable of passing math or reading at a 10th grade level. There seems to be no comprehensive exit exam to test for Science or History knowledge. Of course, we don't even count the so called minor courses that students take in school. Such as the arts, computers, physical fitness and work skills, to name a few.

We know that "No Child Left Behind" was brought about so that more children would finish high school with a diploma. According to researchers, implementations of NCLB has changed how education is delivered and to whom. Schools spent more time teaching reading and math courses. Many teachers and school districts across the U.S. felt pressured to teach to the test.

So, what to do. President Obama has suggested that we change NCLB so that the assessment of our students takes in all the factors that go into a good education. Unfortunately, too many lawmakers can't seem to figure out how to implement a balanced approach to this idea. Many lawmakers fear how the public might react to more testing, narrowing the focus of the curriculum, and the unrealistic expectation that schools can change the achievement levels of disadvantaged children simply by focusing more on testing.

The Broader, Bolder Approach to Education campaign has made recommendations on how schools can be held more accountable for a more balanced set of learning goals. They suggest that States will need to design better accountability by using experimentation. Their recommendations involve using highly trained inspectors who will visit schools and observe and evaluate teaching quality, student behavior, students written work, and the school's overall climate for providing a positive learning environment. They further suggest that school districts should coordinate with health and social service providers to ensure appropriate early-childhood and after-school programs are made available to all children.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress is a federal test given to a sampling of U.S. students. Presently, these samplings only provide information on how states compare in reading and math. These tests should be expanded to include more areas taught in public and private schools and should test a large enough sample which includes a more diversified population of students.

When it comes to preparing our young people for college, fewer than one quarter of last years graduating seniors who took the ACT scored at the college ready level in all four subject areas. The average composite score across all areas tested (English, math, reading and science) was 21.1 on a 36 point scale. There was nearly 1.5 million test takers in last years graduating seniors from across the U.S. The percentage of those that met the college ready benchmarks in each subject area were as follows: English - 67%, reading - 53%, math - 42%, and science - 28%. The ACT scores for graduates of 2009 showed only 4% of black students and 10% of Hispanic students meeting the college readiness benchmarks in all four subject areas. The organizations vice president said that a number of factors contributed to students falling short of college readiness benchmarks. Many of the high schools did not properly prepare their students with the correct courses. The core courses in most high schools are four years of English, and three years of math, science and social science. These courses should be taken in a set order so that a student can build on the information acquired. If these courses are not rigorous enough for the students to acquire college level skills and knowledge then students will have a difficult time passing the ACT.



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So, how do we ensure that our students have the knowledge and skills necessary to graduate from high school, pass the entrance exams for college or compete in our global world?

The answer seems to be in setting a national standard of expectations in how we educate our children. These standards exist in all our states, but, they are not the same across the board. They tend to be too low and too different from each other. We need a single national standard for all areas of learning. We need to set our goals high. All children should be capable of learning at a higher standard then they currently are.

No Child Left Behind does not set a national standard. Instead, they allow the individual states to set their own standards. Most states adopt low standards because they can produce higher passing rates, which make the schools look good in the eyes of the parents and community. Most parents don't know what the proficiency levels are for their student's grade level.

Currently, only three states have proficiency standards equal to those of the most educationally demanding nations, this is according to the American Enterprise Institute's study along with Harvard University. Those states are Massachusetts, Missouri and South Carolina. According to the same group, Georgia and Tennessee students who are declared proficient are often neither literate or numerate.

So far, 47 of the nation's governors have signed a plan to develop national standards in reading and math. This should also include all the core academic areas of English, science and social science. It has been suggested that this could be addressed in NCLB, which is coming up for reauthorization.

A suggestion was made that the law might link some percentage of the per-pupil federal funding according to how difficult the state standards were. This could result in giving the larger amount of funding per pupil to the states with the highest standards. Over time, the various definitions of proficiency would become more rigorous, as states competed with each other for federal dollars. I suggest this would not be the best idea.

Instead, we need a national set of standards that evolves accordingly with the global economy. Our schools should be equipped with the necessary tools to allow our students to build on the information they acquire over the course of their educational experience. Schools should be safe, positive environments in which our children want to learn. They should be open to the community in order to teach beyond the classroom. Our students need to learn what it means to be part of a community. They need the tools that will help them to survive in today's global community. We, as a nation, need to set our educational goals for our young people high.

Currently, many of our schools across the nation are in trouble of losing teachers, extracurricular activities, field trips, special programs and much more. We are having to tighten our belts because the economy is not good. But, this is not all due to the economy. Our schools have been run into the ground because of poor management, unwise decisions and a lack of community involvement. It's time for change.



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If you are completely in charge of your children's education, then you might have a hard time with teaching them some study subjects. Take spelling, for example. Spelling is very important for young children since it is the basic foundation for a good English education. If one does not know how to spell correctly, then you will have a hard time learning proper English in the future.

However, teaching the correct way of spelling might be a challenge, most especially if your kids are very hyperactive and they find study time boring. You certainly don't want to teach them if their minds are not set to it because they will only end up forgetting it. So therefore, you will need to modify your teaching strategy in order for your kids to listen and learn.

One good way for your kids to learn the value of good spelling is for them to try spelling fun words. For example, if your kids love their pet dog or cat, have them spell out the name of their pet in a black board or paper. Once they are finished, check their work and then teach them on how to spell the word if they made a mistake. You can also have a spelling bee and the winner will receive a special prize, like candies or a toy. I'm pretty sure your kids will be doing all they can to learn how to spell right!

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