essay 1 - 717 Words

Rhetorical Analysis Matt Lamkin’s â€Å"A Ban On Brain-Boosting Drugs is Not the Answer† first appeared in Chronicle of Higher Education in 2011. In this essay Lamkin aims to convince his reader not to deter improper conduct with threats, but to encourage students to engage in the practice of education. Lamkin tells us â€Å"If colleges believe that enhancing cognition with drugs deprives students of the true value of education, they must encourage students to adapt that value as their own† (642). Appeal to logic, consistency, and compare/contrast are techniques Lamkin skillfully uses to create a strong effective essay. Lamkin uses logos, or appeal to logic, by using effective and valid evidence, such as statistics and observations of credible†¦show more content†¦Through the use of consistency and details, it becomes clear to the readers that his solution is the best one. Lamkin also uses consistency in his essay to function as support for his compare/c ontrast technique. About midway through till the end of the essay Lamkin uses compare and contrast to effectively make his point He begins by comparing cheating to unfair competition to state â€Å"simply calling the drug unfair tells us nothing on why colleges should ban them† (641). This promotes the reader to start questioning why the colleges want to ban this drug in the first place. He then goes on to compare putting the drug in water, to making it fair or unfair. Lamkin says â€Å"shouldn’t colleges put them in drinking water instead? It would be unfair for wealthy students to use them if less privileged kids can’t afford them† (641). By doing this he steers the reader away from the opposing solution. He then starts to contrast the idea of the drug being bad to actually being beneficial as Lamkin states â€Å"Ritalin might enable a student to engage more deeply in college and to more fully experience its internal goods† (641). The reason for this is to show that the policy weather prohibition or universal access, is unlikely to be effective. But for the rest of the essay he contrast his solution to promote education and the honor code to the opposing solution ofShow MoreRelatedECHS Application Essay #11022 Words   |  5 Pages Looking down, I saw a stack of red towels with a note on top. Trying not to drip too much water on the floor, I leaned forward to read the note on top. Written on it was the following: â€Å"Feel free to use, Savannah! P.S. Good luck on that essay! – ECHS.† Essay? I thought. And how would they know I would be here? Curiously, I plucked a towel from the stack, and then draped it around my shoulders. Tightening the towel around my shoulders, I began walking down the hall. It was too cold and wet toRead MoreMKT 571 Quizzes week 1 6 Essay2577 Words   |  11 PagesQuiz  Week  1  Ã‚   1  One  of  the  most  critical  steps  in  the  defining  process  of  market  research  is   defining  the  problem,  the  decision  alternatives,  and  research  objectives   2  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹ Wabash  Bank  would  like  to  understand  if  there  is  a  relationship  between  the  advertising  or  promotion  it   does  and  the  number  of  new  customers  the  bank  gets  each  quarter.  What  type  of  research  is  this  an   example  of?  Ã‚   Casual   3  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹ How  does  the  market  demand  curve  change  (as  a  function  of  marketing  expenditure)  during  recession?  Read More Type 1 Diabetes (Juvenile Diabetes) Essay2177 Words   |  9 PagesType 1 diabetes, is an incurable but treatable disease which can occur at any age but is mostly found in children due to the high levels of glucose in the blood (Eckman 2011). Juvenile diabetes affects about 1 in every 400-600 children and more than 13,000 are diagnosed yearly (Couch 2008). Type 1 Diabetes means your blood glucose, or blood sugar, is too high. With Type 1 diabetes, your pancreas does not make insulin. Insulin is a hormone, which helps glucose gets into your cells to provide energyRead Morehow to get free essays615 Words   |  3 PagesIn this essay I will explain how to get free essays and the pros and cons of this method. Go to studymode.com and sign up for a free acount. Type everything I am doing into this box and then click submit work. From here you can now access a non premium essay (so a not so good one) and are free to cheat in your course work at any given time. The one thing you must bare in mind though is the fact that most of the free essays on here are kinda bad and you probably wont get higher than a c/low bRead MoreAnylitical Essay Topic: the No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander Mccall Smith1418 Words   |  6 PagesAlexander McCall Smith, the author of the award winning novel The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency spoke in a recent interview in The Sydney Morning Herald (December 2006) about his famously optimistic views of Africa and its people. The works of many African authors express rather grim and bleak views in comparison to McCall Smith’s view. In a â€Å"Foreign Correspondent† interview McCall Smith says Botswana is a very beautiful country and th at Africa transformed him into a best selling novelist and madeRead MoreEssay 1. 11440 Words   |  6 PagesThe number is 954 and here is a list of things that they have done. 1.) calling 911 reporting he was in fear of his home being blown up, because I was manufacturing methamphetamine in my house. (although he never left his house or warned the neighbors) Leading the Police and Fire Department to respond by threatening to knock my door down unless I opened it. I had been taking a shower at the time this occurred. I was terrified and confused having no inclination as to why they were at my door. WearingRead MoreZiyin 1 1 Essay1327 Words   |  6 Pagesarguments, and it is how you can change peoples minds. I believe an effective argument is when people read and form an opinion about your work, they can agree with you. It can even change the audiences mind if they think the opposite before reading your essays. In Eric Weiner’s Geography of Bliss, he exemplifies my definition of good rhetoric. Eric Weiner uses the three base components to persuade and convince audiences who are looking for happiness and do not know what happiness really is to be o n hisRead MoreEssay 11280 Words   |  6 PagesEssay 1 Carolyn Rudy 1. The nation is at war, and your number in the recently reinstated military draft has just come up. The problem is that, after serious reflection, you have concluded that the war is unjust. What advice might Socrates give you? Would you agree? What might you decide to do? Read the Introduction, Chapter 2 Crito and the Conclusion Chapter 40 Phaedo by Plato. Some people think war is justified because; it is in order to counter terrorism. I think theyre wrong becauseRead MoreAmericas Founding Documents Essay709 Words   |  3 PagesActivities Read the instructions for the following activities and type in your responses. At the end of the lesson, click the link on the Summary screen to open the Student Answer Sheet. Use the answers or sample responses to evaluate your own work. 1. Three-Fifths Compromise How do you feel about the Three-Fifths Compromise? Was it a wise decision by the framers of the constitution to keep the nation united, or was it an unacceptable compromise even at the cost of the nation breaking up over theRead MoreTv, Bad Influence on Kids Essay637 Words   |  3 Pagestwo, 2-page essays for this assignment: Essay 1--Persuade your reader to accept the argument, that television programming such as MTV is corrupting young children. (the pro side) Essay 2--Persuade your reader to reject the argument, and defend the credibility of television programming such as MTV. (the con side) Essay should be well reasoned and include references to support your conclusion. Please submit both essays together as one assignment in the space below. Label each essay with the subheading:

How and Why are Latinos Becoming a Powerful Group in American Politics Essay Example For Students

How and Why are Latinos Becoming a Powerful Group in American Politics? Essay How and why are Latinos becoming a powerful group in America Politics? The vice president Joe Biden calls the Hispanics powerful force in America politics Hispanic, Latinos has become a bigger group since 2011, the number has increase a lot. A high number but Hispanic has made big changes in America, help out in some ways. Where fighting for the dream act and know there giving us a chance to have a job and a license. Latinos are coming to the United States for more opportunities and have another life. But Latinos are being part of America by having a lot of population. They come by immigration or by Latinas moms having a lot of kids that’s how Latinos are growing in the United States The census Bureau says the 52 million Hispanic in this country are accounted for 6.7% of the nation’s populations in 2011 and the pew reason center has predicted hardly a third of the U.S population. Latinos are growing even more they say we become a higher name seen 2011 know there’s more; Joe is surprise with the amount is in America. If had to be emotional, fill all of you with the pride how the first day those dreamers were eligible to apply for deferred action thousands line up after block after block Biden said. People is trying to get dream act but some of the can’t apply for it, know they could get there license and there permission to work on the U. S .everyone in this room, maybe more than anyone in the country understands we’ve got a lot more to do, and we will not rest in this administration until we find a permanent path. Joe Biden gave some good speech, they’re going to be more Hispanic voting in America and that’s something good. there are good and bad for Hispanic are becoming a large group in a few years where going to be more His. .e Mexicans and Puerto Ricans. It’s no surprise that states with larger Latino population have larger number of unemployed latinos within states, Latinos are more likely to move within a county indicating they are more likely to move for employment opportunities. In conclusion, Latinos are getting famous in the United States and they are being involved in America politics. Having some many people in the United States like Latinos is having a cause and effect. But Latinos are taking over of most jobs and Americans don’t like it because Latinos have a lot of population. In the United States we have so many Latinos because of immigration and Latinas mom having more than 3 kids for each couple. That’s how we becoming a large population and making a big impact in the United States. After 2050 Latinos are going to be the majority of any other race in the United States.

Janeen Saylor Essays - Christianity, Christian Theology, Religion

Janeen Saylor BIBL 104-07: New Testament Studies Professor Sara Wells Regent University September 29, 2016 What are the key areas of continuity between the teaching of Jesus and the Gospels and the teachings of Paul in his letters? Some keys are the resurrection, justification, in Christ and the Lord's Supper. Resurrection- Jesus taught the disciples of what was going to happen his death and that he would be risen three days later Mark 8:31(NIV) "He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and after three days rise again." Paul also taught this in 1 Corinthians 15:1-7 he states he personally was taught of these things and that Jesus was telling what would happen in us four it shows three days later Christ had been risen. Justification in Christ- Jesus taught that his death is justification and by people having faith that he died for them we would benefit from it with eternal life. John 8:24 (NIV) Paul puts in his letter in Romans 6:23 (NIV) with us being sinners and we die by sin but, because of Jesus we have eternal life. The Gundry text also states that "God had provided justification, and the good news of d eliverance from sin by the giving of God's righteousness to everyone who believes in Jesus Christ." (A Survey of the New Testament) Lords Supper- During the last supper Jesus had with his disciples we see him talk of communion and taught them how to preform it and the significance of it. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NIV) the new covenant Jesus makes with us sinners in the event of taking communion. "In Acts 9 Luke records the events surrounding Paul's conversion. Jesus himself called Paul and sent him to be an Apostle." (carm.org) "An example is below showing Jesus and Paul were in agreement." (carm.org) "Jesus: Truly, truly I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgement, but has passed out of death into life. (John 5:24, carm.org) "Paul: Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1, carm.org) So we come to the conclusion that both Jesus and Paul were teaching the same things just wording it a little different. Anyone can misconstrue words and pick things apart, as it is shown God's word prevails both thru Jesus and his disciples. Works Cited Carm.org Gundry, Robert H., A Survey Of The New Testament 5 th edition, Print 2012 The Holy Bible (NIV) New International Version

Start-to-Finish Ecology Research Paper Writing Guide

Start-to-Finish Ecology Research Paper Writing Guide An ecology research paper is academic writing based on an original scientific investigation on a particular ecological topic, analysis of gathered information, and interpretation of the research findings. Ecology research papers may focus on different aspects, such as biogeochemistry and ecosystem science, evolutionary patterns and processes, community ecology, organismal biology, population biology, and chemical ecology, and commonly researched areas, such as sustainability, conservation, and environment. Questions you should ask yourself before beginning the research paper investigation and writing process include: How do I begin the ecology research paper and what ecology topic do I choose? Where do I find information and what gaps exist in various ecology topics of interest? How do I formulate the research paper’s title and thesis statements? What form of scientific investigation do I need to use in my research paper and why? This ecology research paper writing guide provides a step-by-step analysis of tips that help you respond to the above questions. Regardless of the requirements that should be followed when writing an ecology research paper, the first important element entails deciding what to research and write about. Therefore, identifying an ecology research paper topic is an important first step in the writing process. Picking a Suitable Topic for Your Ecology Research Paper Writing Topics that disinterest you and those that may not be too challenging contribute to loss of enthusiasm and diminish the efforts you may put towards researching and putting the research paper together. Therefore, choose topics that interest and challenge you to improve your attitude towards the topic and the research process. The following steps are essential when selecting research topics in ecology. Brainstorm for ideas. Generate topic ideas by exploring the strong opinions you have on current environmental issues such as sustainability, conservation, and environment. Try to remember recent topics or information acquired recently that piqued your interest in topics such as community ecology, ecosystem science, or population biology, among other ecology research areas. Other ways of brainstorming for ideas entail exploring issues that you are interested in knowing about, gaps in the literature that you can fill, and class aspects that need in-depth research and analysis. Research general background information. Scan through ecology journals, articles, and books for an overview of the research topic. Reading general information on various topics allows you to see how ideas relate and the scope of topics. Key research words can be sourced from the read articles and books. Focus on the topic. Once you have selected a probable topic, ensure it is manageable and that it is not too broad or too narrow. If it is too broad like â€Å"the environment,† limit the topic by defining a geographical area, population, time frame, culture, or a specific discipline in ecology. For instance, you can limit the topic â€Å"environment† by geography by focusing on the environmental impacts of industrial production in Quanzhou, China. Define the topic as a research question. Formulate questions about the topic to develop clear ideas on how to amend the topic by limiting or broadening the scope. For instance, if the topic idea is sustainability, the research question could be, â€Å"How has sustainability practices enhanced ecological agriculture?† A focused research question would be, â€Å"How has sustainability practices enhanced ecological agriculture in Japan?† Thus, a suitable research topic would be â€Å"The role of sustainable practices in enhancing ecological agriculture: a case analysis of Japan’s agricultural system.† Viable ecology research paper topics are as follows: Assessing the Impacts of Human Activities on Communities and the Ecosystem Function Across Spatial Scales; Predicted and Actual Effects and Ramifications of Land-Use and Climate Change on Biodiversity in Agricultural Settings; A Systematic Review of the Role of Species’ Physiological Limits in Improving the Precision of Ecological Niche Models; Analysis of The Neuroethology of Learning and Memory in Honeybees and Bumble Bees; Assess the Factors that Affect Bee Health. Developing an Appropriate Thesis Statement for Your Ecology Research Paper Your research paper should have a strong thesis statement that articulates the unifying theme of your paper. Depending on your chosen topic, the thesis statement could present an argument, provoke different thoughts, or describe ideas. The thesis should define what the research is about and guide the intended audience through your ideas to help make sense of your paper. The statement will minimize possibilities of you engaging in disconnected thoughts likely to lose the readers’ interest. When creating a thesis statement: Write in point form the topic and main ideas that should be discussed. Free write the essential thoughts you have about your paper. Make connections between the major points of your paper and highlight causes, applications, and implications of your arguments. In this case, ask yourself why you are writing the research paper. Combine the above ideas into a sentence or two to come up with a thesis statement. The thesis statement should present a point of view that readers and other writers can agree or disagree with. Moreover, it should provide reasons for choosing specific viewpoints. Additional Tips for Creating a Good Thesis Statement. Begin the process with a question. As noted above, the answers you come up with from the question can become your thesis statement. For instance: Question: What are the benefits of climate controlled storage? Answer: A major benefit of climate controlled storage is that it maintains a consistent temperature and protects artifacts from extreme temperatures. Thus, the thesis statement can be, ‘Climate controlled storage units are important because they maintain a consistent temperature and protect artifacts from extreme temperatures.’ In addition, correlate your thesis statement to the type of research paper you are writing; that is, is your research argumentative, persuasive, or informative? The Structure of an Ecology Research Paper A scholarly research paper has six main sections, but the number of segments may vary depending on the topic, the purpose of the research paper, and its length. The sections include the title, the abstract, the introduction, the body, the conclusion, and the reference section. In most cases, the body section contains other sub-divisions such as methods, results, and discussion. Title of the Research Paper Different writing conventions have diverse requirements concerning how the title page of your research paper should appear. The common elements that cut across all conventions are the name of the author, the title of the research paper, and the assignment or the publication date. Abstract The abstract is a brief section of your research paper that describes your study, states its significant and major findings, and summarizes the major points. Although the section comes before the actual paper, it is appropriate to write it last. Introduction The introduction should occupy about 10% of your entire research paper. However, the length may vary depending on the topic and the availability of segments such as problem statement, the significance of the research, and objectives. Whether the noted segments are stand-alone elements of the introduction or not, you should include information about: The objective of the research; Background information on the study topic; The significance of the research topic and the paper to the intended audience; Thesis statement, purpose statement, and an outline of the paper. The introduction of a scientific research paper should also include a brief review of the relevant literature and state the hypotheses to be tested. Body This part of the research paper focuses on the study completely. The body should: Present relevant and current research that pertains to your ecology research topic. Provide evidence that supports your arguments objectively. Avoid drawing any conclusions regarding the research. The body section can be written in prose with each paragraph presenting new ideas or theme and supporting evidence. In such a case, the outline for the body is as follows: Paragraph 1: Main idea 1 Supporting evidence 1 Supporting evidence 2 Paragraph 2: Main idea 2 Supporting evidence 1 Supporting evidence 2 The noted outline can be used for all the major themes and ideas. Other elements that should be incorporated in the body paragraphs include: A topic sentence: the topic sentence in each paragraph should organize and encapsulate the entire ideas and content of the paragraph. The sentence should appear at the beginning of the paragraph. The questions you should ask yourself when writing the topic sentence include: What will the paragraph discuss? Why did I choose to include the information I have? Why is this paragraph essential to the context of my thesis statement and arguments? What point am I trying to make? If your topic sentence requires further elaboration, add one or two sentences that explain it. An introduction to your evidence. Research papers require students to incorporate evidence to support claims highlighted in the paragraphs and the research paper as a whole. The evidence may be in the form of quotes, figures, examples, and statistics. The evidence must be well integrated into the topic sentence, as well as your claim and opinions. In this case, you should ensure that the reader can transition from your opinions to evidence that supports your viewpoints. A concluding sentence. The concluding sentence acts as an element that reasserts how your paragraph contributes to the development of your claim and the research paper. It should also help in transitioning from the paragraph to the next. As noted earlier, some research papers are more elaborate and are based on the scientific method of inquiry. If your research paper is based on a purely scientific method of inquiry, your body section needs more than just paragraphs with topic sentences and supporting evidence. These types of research papers have other subsections, such as research methodology, results/findings, analysis, and discussion of findings. Research Methodology The research methodology section should elaborate the research design used to gather data for analysis. You should describe the methods and materials employed in detail to allow the reader to understand the basis of the stand and replicate the entire study where necessary. If the ecology research is based on human participants, describe your sampling process and data collection methods and procedures. Results/Findings This section of the research should highlight the main features of the gathered data. You should not provide a complete description of the details besides presenting data in tables and figures. However, some data cannot be presented in graphical forms, which implies that you can present the results in parenthesis. Discussion Interpret and evaluate the results presented in the earlier section critically. You need to compare your findings to your expectations and evaluate whether they agree with formulated hypotheses where applicable. Moreover, compare your findings with the results from similar studies in your chosen ecology topic. Respond to the research questions and draw conclusions. Conclusion The conclusion of your research paper should address your thesis statement by synthesizing the research presented in the paper. Summarize the main points of your research paper and findings of the study, as well as their implications and significance. A good conclusion should: Restate and not simply repeat your thesis statement; Offer summarized and synthesized findings of your research; State implications and recommendations for further study based on your study findings; Make sure not to introduce new content into the conclusion. Reference Section. The reference section highlights the literature cited. The references should be well articulated and in line with the appropriate formats as dictated by various writing conventions. Post Writing Tips from Our Writers to Polish Up Your Ecology Research Paper Proofreading your research paper is the major post writing activity you should engage in. You should review: Paragraph level issues, such as the sequencing of ideas, the presentation of topic sentences, the generalizations, the summaries, the use of transitions, and the presentation of evidence for your claims; Sentence level issues, such as the word choice, the sentence structure, the spelling, and the punctuation; Consistent use of a single system of documentation, appropriate citation of borrowed primary and secondary sources, and the accuracy of the works cited list. The proofreading should be done hours or days later to promote objectivity.

Cultural Diversity Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cultural Diversity Paper - Essay Example fornio died but before his death he wished his tomb to be inscribed that when he was born California was still Mexico and in his death, it is still Mexico. As Josà © was in California, he meets the love of his life Maria (Jennifer Lopez) who was a citizen of the United States and Maries her. However, Maria is illegally deported by the U.S. government to Mexico but manages to return to Los Angeles after two years through an arduous and long trip. In her return, she comes with their new child named Chucho. After 20 years, their eldest daughter Irene is getting married, and Paco and Chucho have grown-up. New add-ons to the family comprise Toni, Guillermo, and Jimmy. The movie gains energy after the marriage when Chucho unintentionally kills his rival Mejja, who was bothering him, and he becomes a fugitive. Afterward the Los Angeles Police Department shoots Chucho as Jimmy watched, this made Jimmy angry, and he followed the footsteps of Chucho of becoming a fugitive. Chucho’s gir lfriend gets pregnant and gives birth to Carlitos, but dies unexpectedly. Chucho blames the doctor and after stealing from a store he is jailed and Carlitos is brought up by his parents. After being released, he does not want to anything to do with his son but when he sees him he suddenly wants to take care of him. Nevertheless, his son does not like him but later they reconcile. The story ends with Maria and Jose recalling about their past (Nava, 1) The use of family or household as a character in the movie gives a point of reference for the numerous potential audience. However, simultaneously, the characters diversity and the narrative assessment of their choices in life tend to value integration over assimilation while the insinuations to Mexican religiousness insist on a certain degree of unreachability to the non-Chicano listeners. Therefore, the demonstration of family imitates the patterns already recognized with respect to the demonstration of space and language use. Concisely, from

Building Hisense brand equity through selected marketing programmes- A Thesis

Building Hisense brand equity through selected marketing programmes- A study on the relationship among brand equity, marketing mix elements and consumer respons - Thesis Example er to test the defined structural research framework and research hypotheses empirical research was conducted on the sample of Hisense consumers in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) and the multiple regression statistical method with the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS 11.0) are used to analyze the data. The concept of brand equity has received significant attention from both scientists and marketing practice, which resulted in a large number of articles and books on the subject (e.g. Aaker, 1991 and 1996; Aaker and Keller, 1990; Farquhar1990; Aaker and Biel, 1993; Keller, 1993; Agarwal and Rao, 1996; Yoo et al., 2000; Morgan, 2000; Rio, et al., 2001; Datta, 2003, Moore et al., 2002; Keller, 2003). The importance of brand equity consists of numerous benefits for companies that own brands. One of the benefits provided by high brand equity is the possibility of brand extension to other product categories. Generally, brand extension is defined as the use of an existing brand name for entry into a new product category (Aaker and Keller, 1990). When compared to new brand names, brand extensions have lower advertising costs and higher sales (Smith and Park, 1992). Successful brand extensions contribute to higher brand equity of the original brand (Dacin and Smith, 1994; Keller and Aaker, 1992); However, unsuccessful extensions may reduce the brand equity of the parent brand (Aaker, 1993; Loken and John, 1993). Aaker and Keller (1990) developed a model for consumer evaluation of brand extensions and a number of authors worked on generalization of this model (Barrett et al., 1999; Bottomley and Doyle, 1996; Sunde and Brodie, 1993). In addition, brand equity increases (1) willingness of consumers to pay premium prices, (2) possibility of brand licensing, (3) efficiency of marketing communication, (4) willingness of stores to collaborate and provide support, (5) elasticity of consumers to price reductions, and (6) inelasticity

Effect of Ability Tracking on Student Performance Essay Example for Free

Effect of Ability Tracking on Student Performance Essay Many factors can influence students’ academic performance. Some argue that more challenging course material can put less prepared students at a disadvantage, while others argue that insufficient challenge leaves bright students bored and unmotivated. In essence, the â€Å"one size fits all† approach to curriculum has for many years been set aside in public schools in favor of ability tracking. The fit of students to curriculum difficulty is argued by some to be the key to ensuring student success; it ensures that teachers give equal focus to students of all ability levels, and also can encourage students with lower ability to participate more in class because they are less likely to feel intimidated (Slavin, 1990).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Of course, how students are tracked varies; some schools allow students to be placed into an advanced class for one subject and a lower ranking class for others, while others do not allow this kind of mobility (Slavin, 1990). Even if done carefully, tracking can influence choice of peers and views toward other students. Gamoran (1992) finds that friendships are more easily formed among students in the same tracks than among students in different tracks. A related concern is that tracking leads to students being stigmatized, and ultimately leads to poor academic performance and negative attitudes toward education (Gamoran, 1992). Ansalone (2003) discusses how tracking may perpetuate the cycle of poverty, and the effect of tracking on learning compared to educational systems outside the United States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   So does ability tracking help or hinder performance? Analyzing historical and present academic performance of eleventh graders in the context of the level of challenge attached to their curriculum, may help to answer this complex question. Specifically, two hypotheses were tested:   First, improvements in performance (percentile rank) will be more pronounced for students with more challenging curriculum than those with less challenging curriculum. Second, Improvements in performance (percentile rank) will be more pronounced for students who have lower current GPAs but had more challenging curriculum than for student with higher current GPAs and less challenging curriculum. Data Sample   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The sample included 261 eleventh graders for whom no demographic data (e.g., gender, family income, parent’s education, race) were provided. The following variables were available: Grade Eight Performance Assessment (GEPA) scores in Algebra and Science. Track Rank scores indicating the level of challenge associated with each student’s curriculum. Eleventh Grade High School Performance Assessment (HSPA) in Math. Eleventh Grade Math SAT scores. 4)   Current Grade Point Average (GPA). Analysis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Track Rank scores in the sample ranged from 1.17 to 4.17, with a mean of 2.75 and a standard deviation of .68. To test the first hypothesis, percentile scores were calculated for each student’s GEPA scores, as well as their HSPA scores, and then difference scores were calculated between each of the GEPA percentiles and the HSPA percentile. Descriptive statistics for the percentile improvement variable are shown in Table 1. GEPA SCI Improvement (n=260) GEPA ALA Improvement (n=260) Mean -.00134 .00397 Std. Dev. .2206 .2927 Minimum -.574 -.889 Maximum .616 .828 Table 1. Descriptive Statistics for Percentile Improvement Scores Track Rank scores were not significantly correlated with percentile difference scores for either of the GEPA performance scores (see Table 2). Thus, the first hypothesis—that students with more challenging curriculum will experiences more pronounced score improvements than those with less challenging curriculum can be rejected. GEPA SCI Improvement (n=260) GEPA ALA Improvement (n=260) Track Rank r = .099, p = .112 R = .057, p =.362 Table 2. Correlation of Track Rank with Performance Improvement To test the second hypothesis, it was necessary first to determine whether some students had higher GPAs and lower Track Ranks, while others had lower GPAs and higher Track Ranks.   In fact, Track Rank was significantly correlated with GPA (see Table 3). This indicates that Curriculum difficulty is a strong predictor of GPA, and makes it impossible to test the remainder of the second hypothesis. GPA (n=261) Track Rank r = ..634, p = .000 Table 3. Correlation of Track Rank with GPA In contrast, both GEPA scores were significantly correlated with Track Rank (as shown in Table 2), and with GPA, HPSA and SAT scores (see Table 4). Additional data, such as demographics, would have allowed more detailed analysis of this sample. However, with the available evidence, in the current sample, the surest predictor of current performance is past performance. GEPA SCI Improvement (n=260) GEPA ALA Improvement (n=260) HPSA r = .706, p = .000 r = .481, p =.000 SAT r = .500, p=.000 r = .407, p=.000 GPA r = .383, p=.000 r = 4.91, p=.000 Table 4. Correlation of GEPA scores with later performance References Ansalone, G. (2003). Poverty, tracking, and the social construction of failure: International perspectives on tracking. Journal of Children and Poverty, 9(1): 3-20. Gamoran, A. (1992). The Variable Effects of High School Tracking. American Sociological Review, 57(6): 812–828. Slavin, R.E. (1990). Achievement Effects of Ability Grouping in Secondary Schools: A Best-Evidence Synthesis. Review of Educational Research, 60(3): 471–499.