text stringlengths 9 72.5k |
|---|
“Hundreds of thousands of young people are now paying the price for their deception. |
Over the last decade, rising numbers of vocational courses have been accredited for inclusion in official school league tables as equivalent to GCSEs. |
But a report last year by Alison Wolf, professor of public sector management at King's College London, claimed the system created “perverse incentives” for schools and led to pupils being pushed towards qualifications simply to boost official rankings. |
The Coalition has now outlined plans to axe more than 3,000 equivalent courses from league tables by 2014. |
According to figures, some 552,575 pupils – 88 per cent of the total – were entered for at least one of the equivalent qualifications set to be axed by the Government last summer. This was up from 483,206 – 74 per cent – in 2007. |
A total of 1.9m of these qualifications were awarded to pupils. |
In many cases, courses were sat by just a handful of children across the country. |
It emerged that a qualification in drinks service was sat by five pupils, call centre skills was taken by nine, party décor by 11 and cake decorating by 40. But a course in health and safety was sat by 6,025 pupils, while another test in hazard control was taken by 16,641 schoolchildren. |
Separate figures show that between 1998 and 2010 fewer pupils took GCSEs in core academic subjects. The proportion of school-leavers with a GCSE in geography fell from 41 per cent to 26 per cent, history dropped from 33 to 31 per cent and modern languages plummeted from more than three-quarters of pupils to just 43 per... |
The Government has now introduced the English Baccalaureate – a school leaving certificate that rewards pupils taking GCSEs in academic disciplines. It is expected to trigger a sharp rise in entries this summer and in 2013. |
But a school leader has said it is "morally wrong" to undermine teenagers' GCSE efforts with talk that the exams are too easy. |
Brian Lightman, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said pupils are working extremely hard, and should not be told that their achievements are not enough. |
OWN has ordered extra episodes of the megachurch drama “Greenleaf” and given an early Season 2 renewal to Ava DuVernay‘s “Queen Sugar,” the network announced Monday at the Television Critics’ Association’s summer press tour. |
“When we saw the first cut from Ava we knew right away that we wanted a second season,” said Erik Logan, president of OWN, in a statement. |
The show, which will begin production in Louisiana and Los Angeles this month, chronicles the lives of the estranged Bordelon siblings — Nova (Rutina Wesley, “True Blood”); Charley (Dawn-Lyen Gardner, “Unforgettable”); and Ralph Angel (Kofi Siriboe, “Awkward”) — who come together after a family tragedy to run an ailing... |
The series is executive produced by Oprah Winfrey, DuVernay and Melissa Carter. DuVernay developed “Queen Sugar” for television, wrote its pilot and will direct multiple episodes of the show’s first season. Warner Horizon Television produces the show. |
Megachurch drama “Greenleaf,” which was also renewed for Season 2 ahead of its series premiere, will have second season of 16 episodes, three more than it had in Season 1. |
“Queen Sugar” premieres on Tuesday, Sept. 6, on OWN. |
Commonwealth Court Judge Robert Simpson had little choice but to issue a partial injunction on Pennsylvania’s voter ID law. |
Michael Dimino, constitutional and election law professor at Widener University, said the directives last week from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court were tough and clear. |
Last month, the state Supreme Court returned the case to Simpson. |
Simpson was directed to stop the voter ID law from taking effect in this year’s election if he found that the state had failed to meet the requirement under the law of providing easy access to a photo ID or if he believed it would prevent any registered voter from casting a ballot. |
Pennsylvania’s voter ID law requires voters to show a state-approved photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport. |
Previously, the law required identification only for people voting in a polling place for the first time, and it allowed nonphoto documents such as utility bills or bank statements. |
Simpson’s ruling Tuesday indicated that the law will likely pass muster after the November election. |
“He gave something of a preview that he thought the efforts to give people ID’s were moving along even though they were not moving along as quickly as he had hoped,” Dimino said. |
Still, the cornerstone issues at the center of the controversy over the law — how voter ID’s are issued and whether it engenders voter discrimination or suppression — will remain. |
“It’s sort of a little like kicking the can down the road,” said Bill Rosenberg, a political science professor at Drexel University. |
The state has reduced the burden of meeting the requirement of the law. |
The state has eased the financial burden for people getting photo IDs, creating a free card issued by the Department of State. The state extended hours of operation at motor-vehicle offices and approving a signature waiver in certain cases of voter ID challenges. |
The decision by the state Supreme Court last week was somewhat unusual in that it gave Simpson little latitude. |
The state Supreme Court is comprised of three Republican justices and three Democratic justices. In sending the matter back to Commonwealth Court, three Republicans and one Democrat agreed on the ruling, with two Democrats dissenting. |
In the end, the judicial process played out. |
The Supreme Court was responsible for establishing the legal standard based on state law. Simpson was tasked with ruling on whether or not the state was fulfilling those obligations: making it easy for voters to get ID and how many IDs were being produced. |
Even if the enforcement is delayed, Pennsylvania’s voter ID law, widely considered one of the toughest in the country, appears to have passed judicial scrutiny for now. |
Other states, including Texas, have struck down similar laws. In Texas, the courts ruled the law violated the federal Voting Rights Act. |
“Just because it’s tougher than others doesn’t mean it’s illegal,” Dimino said of Pennsylvania’s law. |
Rosenberg suspects the law will end up being argued again, chiefly regarding whether its policies are reasonable or not. |
No one, he said, has argued that people not entitled to vote should be able to vote. Rather, the argument is whether the law erects a barrier for legitimate voters. |
“The bottom line is there does not seem to be evidence of voter fraud in Pennsylvania,” Rosenberg said. |
ROY HODGSON will hold summit talks with Sir Alex Ferguson before weighing up whether to extend an olive branch to Rio Ferdinand. |
Hodgson confirmed he would be speaking to Manchester United manager Ferguson about the fitness of Ferdinand, who turned down the chance to return to the international fold for the San Marino and Montenegro games due to a pre-planned recovery programme. |
Ferdinand then courted controversy by flying to Qatar where he was a TV pundit for the 8-0 win over San Marino, when he was the target for unsavoury chants from England fans. |
Hodgson wants to establish the truth about Ferdinand’s fitness regime, but at the same time stressed he was pleased with the efforts of Chris Smalling and Joleon Lescott. |
“They did very well,” said Hodgson. “Smalling was excellent and Joleon Lescott did a very, very good job as well, so I would have thought if there were two players who deserve to come out of this game with credit it’s the two centre-backs. |
Hodgson would privately admit his treatment of Lescott in leaving him out of the original squad was wrong, even allowing for the defender’s lack of starts for Manchester City, given how well he had done at Euro 2012. |
It is unlikely to be a mistake Hodgson repeats, which would further impact on Ferdinand’s future. |
“It would be unfair to suggest it was the performance of Smalling and Lescott which has culminated in us drawing with Montenegro,” added Hodgson. |
This replaces a previous version of the story that contained outdated and incorrect information. |
Local Joe’s Trading Post owners Jodie and Karen Stanfield were named Gold Award recipients for Alabama Retailer of the Year in 2017. The Stanfields were honored at the annual Alabama Retail Association luncheon in Birmingham on Tuesday. |
Local Joe’s Trading Post was recognized in the category for sales totaling between $1 and $5 million annually. The Stanfields were nominated by The Chamber of Gadsden/Etowah County. |
Earlier this year, Jodie Stanfield was named Alabama Small Business Person of the Year. |
Jodie has been in the restaurant business for 32 years. While he has been associated with TGI Fridays, LongHorn Steakhouse and Applebee’s, mostly in the Birmingham market, he returned to his native Etowah County eight years ago to combine his passion for food with his love for everything local. |
He and his wife, Karen, own and operate Local Joe’s, a farm-to-plate and barbecue restaurant, market, bakery and caterer in Rainbow City and Alexandria. There is also a licensed location of Local Joe’s in Cave Spring, Georgia. The meat is local, the produce is local, so are the jams, jellies, candles, baked goods, hone... |
“We sell a lot of items made in this area,” Jodie said during an interview in front of his Rainbow City location. He is one of four chefs for the restaurants, while Karen is behind the counter, in the office or scheduling catering jobs. |
“One only needs to taste the signature smoked turkey to understand why, exactly, Local Joe’s deserves to be Retailer of the Year,” said Heather New, president of The Chamber, Gadsden/Etowah County, who nominated the Stanfields for the honor. Besides great food, “they have always supported the community that supported t... |
During National Small Business Week this year, the U.S. Small Business Administration named Jodie as the 2017 Alabama Small Business Person of the Year. While the national recognition went to him, Jodie places the success of the business on his staff. |
“We invest in people and buy things,” he said of Local Joe’s, heaping praise on his culinary-trained chefs and catering set-up crews. |
The Retailer of the Year judges were impressed with how Local Joe’s markets itself. “Their Facebook ‘check-in’ and get a free cookie is a smart way to appeal to the millennials and moms who shop there,” one judge said. |
The judges also praised Local Joe’s for its delivery program for companies with employees who are not able to leave the job site for meals. |
Local Joe’s, an Alabama Retail Association member since March, was one of 14 retail businesses honored as Retailers of the Year. This year’s winners came from a pool of more than 90 nominees. The Alabama Retailer of the Year awards, started in 1999, honor retailers who have demonstrated growth, innovation and a commitm... |
“Jodie and Karen Stanfield are retailers of the year EVERY year to the Local Joe’s customers, their 40 employees and the Rainbow City and Alexandria communities,” said Alabama Retail Association President Rick Brown. |
Middlesbrough are the latest club to be linked with a move for West Ham striker Jordan Hugill. |
Hugill, born in Middlesbrough, only joined the Hammers in a £10m deal in January - but has found opportunities at the London Stadium hard to come by. |
And the 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a switch to the Championship this summer, with Leeds expected to clinch a loan deal for the frontman earlier in the transfer window. |
However, a move to Elland Road failed to materialise and Hugill has been linked with several other clubs. |
Aston Villa showed an interest earlier this week and now, according to Teamtalk, Middlesbrough are set to enter the race too. |
Boro are keen to add a new striker after the departure of Patrick Bamford to Leeds and a move for the Boro-born star could be in the offing. |
Sam Vokes was thought to be Boro's top target but, with Burnley reluctant to let him leave, the report suggests that attention will now turn to Hugill who is thought to be keen on a return to Teesside. |
Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier resigned this morning, citing “a responsibility to take a stand against intolerance and extremism.” The president quickly attacked him. |
At 8:00 a.m. on Monday, CEO of Merck pharmaceuticals Kenneth Frazier announced his resignation of his position on the president’s Manufacturing Jobs Initiative, a group of business leaders initially assembled by the White House in January. |
The president’s condemnation today stands in stark contrast to his unwillingness to speak with similar boldness in denouncing white supremacists over the weekend. Conversely the president delivered a swift and unequivocal attack on a critic of his own moral ambiguity. |
With job growth and industry deregulation as the few remaining consistent messages coming from the president, directing the conversation to attack a major American industry would seem an unlikely political strategy. The president has not proposed policies to lower drug prices, but has rather suggested further deregulat... |
Meanwhile Frazier’s words represent a stand by a leader in the health-care industry whose moral mission is being tested, and which could inspire or pressure others to do the same. |
A COMPREHENSIVE policy with emphasis on use of science and technology to achieve self-sufficiency and excellence in the fields of agriculture, education, industries and energy is on the anvil in State. |
MP Council of Science and Technology (MPCST) has prepared the draft policy that has been circulated among selected academicians and bureaucrats for suggestions. After receiving suggestions, MPCST will submit the draft policy to the chief minister’s office next week. After internal scrutiny, the CM office will place the... |
A Special Task Force (STF) of scientists and academicians headed by Prof K I Vasu has prepared the draft. The STF deliberated for over 100 hours before finalising it. |
Doubling food grain and milk productivity, substantial increase in the number of matriculates and science graduates, diploma and certificate holders, ensuring productivity potential of forests for environmental stability, effective management of water resources and harnessing additional 50,000 million cubic metres of w... |
The policy outline is in keeping with the 11-point mission placed by President APJ Abdul Kalam before the State Assembly last year, MPCST director general Dr Mahesh Sharma told the Hindustan Times. The policy envisages a 15-point objective and also sets out the strategy and roadmap for its effective implementation. The... |
agriculture universities, establishment of one advanced centre each for research and extension in the areas of agriculture/horticulture/animal husbandry in 11 agro-climatic zones of State, setting up of separate directorate for organic agriculture, separate department for `gau-sanrakshan’ (cow/cattle conservation) and ... |
Other action plans include promoting use of barren land for cultivation of oil-bearing species, setting up of a national institute for research and development, training and extension in non-conventional energy, mission mode research in hydrogen-based energy and introduction of system of energy audit for all consumers. |
The draft policy stresses promotion of telemedicine and mobile clinics based on modern and traditional medicine, setting up of university of Ayurveda in all nine divisions of State and adoption of Gujarat pattern on Indian systems of medicine in primary health care. There will be emphasis on building competitive enviro... |
Proper exploitation and research and development of minerals, developing employment opportunities, and decentralised rural industrialisation are also areas of focus. Promotion of new frontier areas like biotechnology and information technology and science popularisation at all levels are also thrust areas. |
The roadmap for implementation proposes creation of special monitoring cell at MPCST, setting up of specific task forces and expert groups to draft detailed mission proposals, a steering committee on S&T in the State Planning Board and an advisory committee to CM, and involving teachers and professors at school and col... |
More than a hundred motor sports enthusiasts came out in full force Wednesday night to support a bill seeking a 50-year lease for Guam Raceway Park in Yigo. |
More than a hundred off-road and motor sports enthusiasts came out in full force Wednesday night to support a bill that would authorize a 50-year lease for the Guam Raceway Park in Yigo. |
The Chamorro Land Trust Commission asked the proposed lease be split into two 25-year terms, among other things. |
Land Trust Executive Administrator Michael Borja said the Land Trust recognized the importance of keeping the raceway open for the greater good of the community; it's why the Land Trust passed a resolution in May top extend the 21-year license on a monthly basis. |
Borja said the license expired in June 2018, and the Land Trust has been in constant talks with the nonprofit group Guam Racing Federation on the matter. |
The commission, according to Borja, expects the license would be replaced by a lease agreement, but not necessarily under the terms spelled out in Sen. Tom Ada's Bill 342. Ada's bill seeks to authorize Land Trust to enter into a 50-year lease with Guam Racing Federation for the raceway park. |
"This bill authorizes (the Land Trust) to enter into a 50-year lease agreement because the law only allows them to get into a 25-year lease agreement," Ada said. |
Borja said the Land Trust would prefer the lease agreement be for a term of 50 years through two 25-year periods.That would allow both parties to examine or adjust terms, if need be. |
Ada said the Land Trust and the Guam Economic Development Authority would work on the details of the lease, with the Land Trust's commercial rules and regulations to guide those negotiations. |
A large crowd of racers gathered in front of the Guam Congress Building prior to the 5 p.m. start of the public hearing. The crowd filled the public hearing room, the second-floor viewing room and the lobby. |
Many were members of the Guam Racing Federation, which represents sports car racers, street racers, drag racers, drifters, motorcycle and bicycle racers, among others. |
Nobody testified against the bill. Those who testified asked senators to pass the measure. With a lease agreement for the raceway, racers, athletes, tourists and all other sports enthusiasts will continue to have a home, according to sports enthusiast Jennifer Camacho. |
Henry Simpson, general manager for Guam International Raceway and the voice of the Guam Racing Federation, said a 50-year lease will allow the federation to finish building the track. |
"This 50-year lease will allow us to bring in other associated businesses to the raceway, such as a gas station for regular and racing fuels, warehousing for race cars, driving schools, and other associated ventures that will utilize the track for our tourists, hotel residents and military alike," Simpson told senators... |
The raceway, according to those who testified, has attracted international attention through the annual Smokin' Wheels competition, which started in 1979, and other events. |
"The racing federation has their eyes set on a much larger goal of offering a world-class Formula 3 race track on Guam. We have seen the racing federation achieve the earlier goals and are excited to work with them to achieve this exciting future goal," Kenneth M. Rekhda, vice president of Duenas, Camacho and Associate... |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.