Annotated Bibliography On The Voting Booths Of America Are...

Annotated Bibliography Linda Feldmann Staff writer of The Christian,Science Monitor. Why the Poll Booths of America are Empty. The Christian Science Monitor: 1. Oct 03 2000. National Newspapers Core. Web. 12 Dec. 2016. This source focuses on the decline in voter turnout over the past few decades with the lead up to the 2000 Presidential election year. Comparing elections from 1960, the various experts have not been able to pinpoint a solid reason until a several people from Harvard come up with an interesting theory. There was a spike of people making time to vote in 1992, showing that the American people were not happy with the economy. This leading to the idea that people are on the whole, satisfied with Government in the way in how politics affects their lives. There is more to pull from this spin on why people do not go to the polls, and I feel that this article can add another angle to the polling drought that affects the US elections. I found it by searching â€Å"Low Voter Turnout† in the National Newspapers Core database. Keisling, Phil. Vote From Home, Save Your Country. Washington Monthly (2016): 1. Academic Search Premier. Web. 12 Dec. 2016. This article presents the impression of a national vote by mail can do upon the political map of the United States and significant analyses why there implies such considerable objection to this technique for casting votes. Subjects covered are a summary of the vote by mail operation in two states, Colorado and Oregon.

‘The Making of Modern Russia’, 1856-1964 Free Essays

a) To what extent do these sources agree that Russian government policy on agriculture consistently failed and that peasants resisted it under both Tsarist and Communist rule? Source1 concerns the emancipation statute of 1861. Western historian Ronald Hingley cites the introduction of redemption payments â€Å"serfs resented receiving too little land for their needs† this undermines the fundamental aims of the policy. Source 1 makes reference to how the Mir was in charge of paying the redemption payments for the whole village. We will write a custom essay sample on ‘The Making of Modern Russia’, 1856-1964 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Hingley points out that â€Å"individual peasants were bound in various ways to their village communes†; peasants were detained in their villages until the payments were received. Hingley notes the creation of Special Courts delegated to discipline unruly peasants â€Å"the flogging of recalcitrant peasants† this is evidence of peasant rebellion, mainly due to the fact they were in a poorer position after emancipation than they were before the policy was introduced. Source 1 suggests agricultural policies were a failure, and provoked peasant uprising, due to the hope the emancipation edict gave peasants of being free. Source 2, meanwhile, presents a mixed view on Stolypin’s agricultural reforms. Unlike Source 1 from 1992, this piece of evidence was documented circa 1906. It is therefore unaffected by later analysis or post-Communist interpretation. The first quote is from Stolypin himself, stating that the government has placed â€Å"its wager† on the â€Å"sturdy and the strong†, this indicates that past agricultural reform, such as emancipation have failed, as further â€Å"wagers† or reforms were needed. The other two quotes deal with Stolypin’s reforms more directly. The second quote is from a Tsarist Official. It provides direct evidence of rebellion by peasants towards Stolypin’s reforms â€Å"The peasants were very hostile to the Law of 9 November† rebellions were commonplace, peasants feared that if land belonged to an individual as opposed to the commune, a consequence would be some would be left with nothing. The third quote is from a peasant, it is important to not that 10% of the peasants in Russia did take up Stolypin’s proposals. Segei Semenov endorses Stolypin’s reforms anticipating a â€Å"bright new future† this challenges the notion that all agricultural policies consistently failed. Stolypin’s reforms were based on good principles that could have revitalized agriculture in Russia. This does suggest that this reform did bring some success, but the general consensus confirms that many peasants preferred social security resulting in the failure of the policy. Source 3 is an excerpt from a meeting between Churchill and Stalin during the Second World War. We se Stalin’s personal view regarding the collective farm policy, it is thus a subjective piece of evidence. Stalin implies suggests that the collective farm policy was a failure; he refers to the policy as â€Å"a terrible struggle†. Stalin insinuates peasant resistance against the policy, stating some kulaks were â€Å"wiped out by their labourers† the resistance was a product of peasant reluctance to work on collectivised farms. The farms provided little reward or incentive to the actual peasants growing the grain resulting in the dramatic deterioration of the quality and quantity of the grain. Source 3 ends with an important comment that food supply had been â€Å"vastly increased† this indicates policy victory. However modern evidence undermines Stalin’s statement, STATISTIC more and more people were dying of famine during the period of collectivization. Although, Source 3 opposes the view that agricultural policy failed, its reliability is debateable and should be questioned before it is taken into account. Source 4 is an extract from Eduard Shevardandse’s ‘The future belongs to Freedom’ Source 4 describes the Virgin Land Schemes introduced by Khrushchev/. One must note that the writer was a Communist Youth League activist, and may have been more likely to exaggerate the support the peasants actually gave to the scheme. There is no mention of opposition to the scheme, on the contrary Shevardandse describes the â€Å"trains packed with young volunteers† this stands for optimism on part of peasantry towards the scheme. Source 5 confirms the implication in Source 4 of support in some measure for the project as the scheme did successfully increase the amount of grain produced between 1958 to 1965 from 100 to 114. While the evidence in Source 4 may be true to some extent, the reliability of the source is questionable. The other factor source 4 presents is the relative success of the scheme. Source 5 does seem to disagree with the statement that the policy failed due to the increase in grain production. In Source 4 it is suggested that the policy could have been a triumph had it not been for â€Å"stupid decisions† which weighed down many successes. These â€Å"ill-conceived strategies† included lack of coherence between the crops and the terrain, and deficiency of storage place for the grain, consequently the â€Å"crops rotted in the fields†. Source 5 reinforces the feeling that the scheme was a failure, as the agricultural output during the seven year plan only increased by 14%, the target for 1965 was 170, only 114 was achieved. Source 6 also argued that Khrushchev’s policy was for the most part unsuccessful. However the failure is blamed on Khrushchev’s inheritance of â€Å"a generation of neglect†. The reliability of some sources must be taken into consideration. Some sources suggest subjectivity and bias such as Sources 3 and 4. Policies such as Stolypin’s land reforms and Khrushchev’s Virgin Land Schemes are shown to have limited success, but ultimately they both failed to reach targets required. By and large, all the sources do converge in the belief that most of the agricultural policies did fail consistently to a degree. Similarly there is evidence that it was resisted by Peasantry both under Tsarist and Communist rule. How to cite ‘The Making of Modern Russia’, 1856-1964, Papers

Crimson(1996) by Edge of Sanity free essay sample

Dan Swano and the gang are a Swedish progressive death metal group similar to that of Opeth and even featured Mikeal Akerfeldt in this album. Crimson is one giant track lasting 40 minutes in length and tells the story of a a child who was born to become a god. He then has to get rid of a witch that haunts the world and he can then become the god of the world. The one track present in this album is intimadating due to its length but if you manage to get through it, congrates, you made it through the entire story present in this album. Granted, this isnt the longest song I know(that title goes to Dopesmoker by Sleep which is an hour long), but like I said, the length is intimadating so if you have the courage to go through and listen to this mammoth, youre welcome to jump in. We will write a custom essay sample on Crimson(1996) by Edge of Sanity or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This album is now officially in my top 10 because of Swanos cleverness, talent, and absolute genius behind this album. Of course the one problem I have with this is the small bits of repitition in this album, its everywhere. To some, the length can also be a turn off because, well, we must all have ADD or something. All in all, it is a wonderful release in my eyes, keep it up guys. Your doing great. Thats all I have to say for this album so I will give it a rating of a 9/10. As always, this is the Grim Reaper, signing off.

Nestle Australia Limited Information System Analysis samples for Stude

Question: Discuss Nestle Australia Limited Information System Analysis? Answer: Introducation: Nestle is a food and beverage company headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is actually one of the largest food and drink producing companies in the world. It was formed in the early years between 1866 and 1900 after which it grew and developed to be an international company. The company on different parts of the world with a large number of branches in almost every part of the world. With this fact in mind, Nestle Australia is one of the main and largest branches of the company that deals with the consumers in Australia (Mitra et al, 2014). The Nestle Company specializes mainly in the production of various brands of foods and drinks which may include the following: baby food, coffee, dairy products, bottled water, nutritional cereals, pet foods to name just but a few. Therefore, means that most of the companys branches will also focus on production and distribution of those same products. Nestle Australia one of the largest food and beverage producing companies in Australia being ranked at position 179 in the country. It was established around the year 1908 and has been operational to date. The company has focused on the manufacture of products like processed milk, coffee (e.g. instant coffee and other drinks), baby foods, nutritional snacks, chocolate and sugar confectionary, pet foods, culinary products, among others (Stuckler et al, 2012). In addition to that, the company has a large number of product brands which include the following: Nescafe, Kitkat, Nespresso, Maggi and milo, butter menthol, cerelac to name a few of them. Additionally, the head offices of Nestle Australia Limited are located in Rhodes Australia which is the center of all the business operations. To be able to meet the consumer needs and demand, the company has established a number of factories, distribution centers and office branches in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Basically , it is clear that Nestle Australia Limited operated under the Nestle Company in Switzerland. Being one of the best companies, then it is clearly a business that utilizes the modern accounting systems to carry out its operations and that the reason why its the best company to use for this assignment. Literature Review Current Organizational Structure A businesss organizational structure are the internal rules and regulations, laws and policies that govern and indicate how business operations are to be carried out and by who. Basically it shows what is to be done, by who and at what time the activities should be done. The organizational structure of Nestle Australia is a simple that enables the companys management and running to be easy and possible. The company is a publicly owned company with a large number of branches in most parts of the country. Apparently, the number of branches is around 406, 250,000 shareholders and is still capable growing and attracting more investors. Nestle Australia Ltd has a large number of product brands which are manufactured in the companys factories and distributed to the consumers accordingly. The company has always earned a large revenue over the years from the sale of those products which is one of the reasons as to why it is still in the market and able to operate. In addition to that, it has always met the consumers needs and market demand level through the help of its factories that are located in different parts of the country. The company has employed a good number of trained, skilled and experienced employees who enable the running of the business operations on a daily basis. Without forgetting the management team, the Nestle limited is managed by a group of board of directors who carry out the responsibility and duty of directing, organizing, planning and controlling the business operations in the company. The business has been able to succeed with this kind of organization structure with the help of the joint venture that it has created with many other companies in the world; which include: Dairy Partners like Fonterra, Cereal Partners like General Mills, Beverage Partners like Coca Cola Company to name a few of them. With this in mind, its is obvious that the business has a very developed accounting system to help it manage all these organizational structure operations. In other words, the accounting information systems help the business come up with effective policies and principles (especially to gov ern the finance sector), that help both the management and the employees to carry out the operations. Operational Problems Resulting from the Structure Every organizational structure always has some challenges that come in handy. However, it is vital for a business to device ways of solving those solutions with as much ease as possible (Amrollahi et al, 2014). The following are some of the challenges that Nestle Australia likely faces with its organizational structure: Challenges in demand prediction Nestle Australia operates in very many towns in Australia. Also, because it a very well-known company that operates under the popular and famous Nestle Switzerland, it certainly has a large and wide range of market share. With the production of different brands of products, it has a very wide market segmentation. With this fact, it has cover all of these factors in its operations which becomes an immensely difficult job especially since it is supposed to know the change way earlier or before. However, with the presence of the accounting information systems in place, the business will be in a position to predict future market demand as well as analyze the market. This will certainly help it to have a clear understanding of the market structure and therefore be able to meet the demand. Challenges in meeting the market demand It is difficult for an organization to meet the exact consumer demand level or quality especially for a food and beverage business. For the case of nestle Australia, with the fact that it has very large and wide market share and segment, it is sometimes difficult for it to meet the market demand. However, this is especially when the raw materials seem to cost more or are not easily available which means they are lacking. This fact interferes with the production levels which affects the quantity and quality of products produced hence low sales and then no profit. This affects the operational schedules of the business in general and therefore its success levels. Lack of support from the joint ventures Nestle Australia has created some joint ventures with some other industries and business to be able to support its business operations. This means that some of its operations highly depend on those other industries and the companies that work directly with Nestle. Therefore, in that case, the company can be faced with challenges in case its partners do not give the expected support towards nestle. For instance, Nestle uses Coca Cola Company to market its ready to drink teas and coffees like Nestea. Therefore, it becomes a challenge for nestle in case Coca Cola does not offer that support. Nestle Australia Limited and ERP System Acquisition Just as mentioned earlier, Nestle Australia operates under the Nestle Company S.A. The company decided to acquire and install the ERP system software to be able to manage and control its business operations effectively and efficiently. Therefore, this caused a change for Nestle Australia as well because it had to keep with the pace of the whole companys objectives and goals. Therefore, the ERP system is the best system for Nestle. It is currently using it as the new software system under the management of SAP. This system has brought a lot of benefits to the companys business operations (Galliers et al, 2014). It is currently able to harmonize all the productions, distributions, supply chain operations and the data standards of all the products and brands with the help of the ERP system. This systems has basically played an important role in making its business operations in whole of Australia effective and efficient. Therefore, this brings out the point that the best acquisition met hod is the ERP system. Also, it becomes clear that the company has also been using the accounting systems to conduct its operations in different departments. Nestle Australias Sales Flowchart System Control Problems in the Sales Flowchart System A sales flowchart system shows the procedure that are undertaken to complete a product sale or service offer. However, even though the sales process may seem simple and direct, it has some challenges that may lead to lack of completion. These include the following: Lack of perfect order description Some businesses use online selling which means that the customer must look at the product or service features and then order the item. However, some customers may overlook some characteristics which may lead them into making the wrong order, therefore, when the order is received and delivered to the customers, they may not go through with payment (Salleh et al, 2015). This is a challenge that a business like Nestle may face and therefore it ends up not getting the payment hence no profits and the sale system fails. Technical errors The system flow charts depend on technology and technological machines e.g. the internet, computers and business internal systems. Also, these kind of materials requires technical support like electricity, expertise, skills and manpower which helps them to run and function accordingly. Therefore, if the expected technical support is not available, then the sale system will not be completed and hence no business profits. TASK 2 Development and Adoption of Accounting Software Packages It is obviously clear that Nestle Australia is highly developed in terms of technology usage. The company certainly uses highly rated technology and materials in its product production. In addition to that, for its accounting operations the business has adopted the usage of the most updates systems and accounting software to manage its financial operations. However, the company has not only used the systems to manage its financial operations but also its supply chain, distribution, marketing and advertising operations as well (Lunkes et al, 2015). The business has used these packages to manage the revenues earned to increase and improve its production, expansion and growth and development rate and plans which is pretty good for it. It has basically adopted the systems especially in its accounting departments amongst other department to manage their operations. Current Market Size for Nestle Australia Limited Nestle Australia is listed as one of the largest companies specializing in food and beverage in Australia. Its operations spread to some of the large towns like New Zealand and Rhodes where it has grown at a high rate and developed its business activities. The company has a large number of product brands which are preferred by a good number of consumers I the country. The fact that it produces that large number and variety of product brands, it means that the number of consumers is large and the variety is wide as well. This means that the company has a very wide and large market share and segment in the food and beverage industry. In addition to that, the company also operates under the well-known, popular and famous Nestle Company, SA. This gives it more credit when it comes to the quality as well as the price of its products and services offered. I can say that, the business has been using its accounting information systems to control and manage its market share and thats why it h as kept its large market till now. It has been able to know and predict the market demand and make sales using the accounting information systems. Leaders in the Food and Beverage Market and their Competitive Advantage Every business has a competitor in its business industry which helps it work harder towards being better and producing the best product or service for its consumers. As for Nestle Australia Limited, its competitors in the food and beverage industry include the following companies: Coca Cola Amatil, JBS Australia, George Weston Foods Inghams Enterprises to name just but a few. All of these businesses specialize in the production of food and drinks that are very highly rated in termed of quality and prices. This is the case for Nestle Australia as well which gives all a chance to compete for the market. The companies have a competitive advantage over Nestle with the fact that their business operations are less involved with illegalities like that of Nestle. Nestle SA, is known for its famous child abuse because of dealing with baby food and therefore that attribute affects Nestle Australia as well. In addition to that, these companies have quite a larger market share than that of Nestl e Australia and therefore increases their competitive advantage factor against Nestle. Challenges Faced by Accounting Software Users in Nestle Australia Lack of experience For the users to be able to operate the accounting software of a business, they must have the skills, expertise and experience needed to operate them (Hovelja et al, 2015). Therefore, if the Accountants of Nestle Australia software do not have the required qualification there are high chances of not being able to deal with the packages. Technical challenges like electricity and enough manpower to support the software operations Recommendations Nestle Australia Limited should ensure that all its employees have the requires skills and knowledge to operate the software; especially those that use the systems in their daily activities Also, Nestle should ensure that all the required support is available including the manpower, computers, systems, internet and electricity to enable the effectiveness of the packages. References Galliers, R.D. and Leidner, D.E., 2014.Strategic information management: challenges and strategies in managing information systems. Routledge. Amrollahi, A., Ghapanchi, A.H. and Talaei-Khoei, A., 2014. Three decades of research on strategic information system plan development.Communications of the Association for Information Systems,34(1), p.84. Missimer, M., Robrt, K.H. and Broman, G., 2017. A strategic approach to social sustainabilityPart 1: exploring the social system.Journal of Cleaner Production,140, pp.32-41. Lunkes, R.J., Fey, V.A., de Oliveira, P.D.T.R., Campelo, L.M., Sellera, P.E.G. and Curvo, N., 2015. Development of an information system at the Strategic Management Support Office of the Brazilian Ministry of Health.Revista Cubana de Informacin en Ciencias de la Salud,27(2). Salleh, S.M., Kassim, E.S., Sari, N.A.M. and Yunus, N.A.M., 2015. Conceptualizing User Bonding on Strategic Information System Development Success.Advanced Science Letters,21(6), pp.2024-2027. Shapiro, C. and Varian, H.R., 2013.Information rules: a strategic guide to the network economy. Harvard Business Press. Born, S., Nurhadi, L., Ny, H., Robrt, K.H., Broman, G. and Trygg, L., 2017. A strategic approach to sustainable transport system developmentPart 2: the case of a vision for electric vehicle systems in southeast Sweden.Journal of Cleaner Production,140, pp.62-71. Cassidy, A., 2016.A practical guide to information systems strategic planning. CRC press. Hovelja, T., Vasilecas, O. and Vavpoti?, D., 2015. Exploring the influences of the use of elements comprising information system development methodologies on strategic business goals.Technological and Economic Development of Economy,21(6), pp.885-898. Alwan, Z., Jones, P. and Holgate, P., 2017. Strategic sustainable development in the UK construction industry, through the framework for strategic sustainable development, using Building Information Modelling.Journal of Cleaner Production,140, pp.349-358. Mitra, A. and Neale, P., 2014. Visions of a pole position: Developing inimitable resource capacity through enterprise systems implementation in Nestl.Strategic Change,23(3-4), pp.225-235. Stuckler, D. and Nestle, M., 2012. Big food, food systems, and global health.PLoS Med,9(6), p.e1001242.

Writing a Sample Essay on Decline in Citizenship and Voter Turnout

Writing a Sample Essay on Decline in Citizenship and Voter TurnoutA sample essay on decline in citizenship and voter turnout can be a very powerful tool for a student of history or any other subject as well. Here is how to create such a simple sample essay using an outline.First you will need to take a few minutes to write out your student's research. Make sure that you do not include any direct quotes from your student's study and use this part of the essay to construct your summary of facts and figures, not your thoughts. The author is most likely to be surprised at the reactions that you get when you turn in the assignment, so you want to have a feeling for how they will react to the information you present.Now it is time to write about the research skills that you learned from your student. You are going to need to write a very simple summary, but remember to make sure that you include all of the most important information so that you can get a feel for how you did.In the next fe w paragraphs you are going to need to tell about your student's involvement in the research. This can be done in a brief paragraph or in a chapter devoted to this topic. Either way, you need to give your reader a very brief summary of their experience.Next you will need to look at the political issues that will come up when you conduct your research. This part of the essay should cover two things: voting and citizenship. These are not the only issues that you need to cover, but you are going to need to include them so that you know where you stand on the issues.The last paragraph is a two part section that will include the conclusion of your student's thoughts. You should include a summary of the thoughts that they have expressed in this section, as well as how they relate to your research.When you write this section of your student's paper, you will need to use the outline that you created earlier. In this section you are going to use a good summary that you created earlier and sum marize all of the information that you wrote in the research section. This will help your student make a strong statement about the problems that are affecting our country today.

Communication Roles Essays - Roman Catholic Devotions,

Communication Roles In my life, the five most important roles I fill are as follows: father, head of household, son, student, and friend. Each role is very challenging and requires a lot of attention. I am twenty-eight years old and a single father of one. My son Alec lives with me and is the central part of my life. Raising a child requires different communications skills then other relationships. When I talk with Alec, I have to understand that he is just learning the tools of communication and needs time and more importantly patience to allow him to attain them. This is where I think I need practice. Patience does not come naturally to me and I have had to develop it in a short period of time. But as any skill, it still can use further honing to allow me to communicate with my son more effectively. The role of head of household comes with the above role. I am again raising my son on my own, and because of that, little communication is necessary. There is no one else to discuss household decisions with. I do seek advise from my parents and I use their praise or lack of praise to evaluate my performance. This leads me to my next role, that of son to my parents. I have a very good relationship with my parents. I have noticed that as I have aged, the relationship between them and myself has grown stronger. I think the main reason for this is, we now can identify with each others situations. So, if you ask my parents about me, they would probably say, I was the best son in the world, as most parents would. The next role is the easiest to evaluate. The evaluation of how good of a student I am, comes from my grades. I have no problem there. I haven`t seen any low grades in some time. I enjoy school and interacting with professors and fellow classmates. The last role, the role of friend, is probably the hardest to me. I have a life the is quite full and when I am needed by my friends, I find it hard to tare myself away from other things. I am not good at managing time. My friends usually get left out of the loop. Speech and Communications

Stop Cluttering Up the Classroom Walls

Stop Cluttering Up the Classroom Walls Despite a teachers best intentions, a cluttered classroom environment could be distracting students from learning. Too much visual stimulation in the classroom can be distracting, the layout may be unwelcoming, or the classroom wall color may have a negative impact on mood. These elements of  classroom environment  can have a negative or positive effect on student academic performance. This general statement is supported by a growing  body of research on the critical impact that light, space, and room layout have on a students well-being, physically and emotionally. The Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture has collected information on this impact: Features of any architectural environment can  have an influence certain brain processes such as those involved in stress, emotion and memory (Edelstein 2009).   While it may be difficult to control all factors, the choice of materials on a classroom wall is the easiest to manage for a teacher.  The  Princeton University Neuroscience Institute  published the results of a study,â€Å"Interactions of Top-Down and Bottom-Up Mechanisms in Human Visual Cortex,†Ã‚  they conducted that discusses how the brain sorts out competing stimuli. One heading in the research notes: Multiple stimuli present in the visual field at the same time compete for neural representation...   In other words, the more stimulation in an environment, the more competition for attention from the part of a students  brain needed to focus. Michael Hubenthal and Thomas O’Brien reached the same conclusion in their research  Revisiting Your Classroom’s Walls: The Pedagogical Power of Posters  (2009). They found that a students  working  memory uses  different components that process visual and  verbal information . They agreed that too many posters, regulations, or information sources could have the  potential of overwhelming a students  working memory:   The  visual complexity caused by an  abundance of text and small images  can set  up an  overwhelming  visual/verbal  competition between  text and  graphics for which students must gain control in order to  give meaning to information. From Early Years to High School For many students, the  text and graphic-rich classroom environments begin in their early education (Pre-K and elementary) classrooms. These classrooms may be decorated to an extreme.   Too often,  clutter passes for quality, a  sentiment expressed by  Erika Christakis in her book  The Importance of Being Little: What Preschoolers Really Need from Grownups  (2016).  In  Chapter 2 (Goldilocks Goes to Daycare) Christakis describes the average preschool the following way: First well bombard you with what educators call a print-rich environment, every wall and surface festooned with a vertiginous array of labels, vocabulary list, calendars, graphs, classroom rules, alphabet lists, number charts, and inspirational platitudes - few of those symbols you will be able to decode, a favorite buzzword for what used to be known as reading(33). Christakis also list the other distractions that are also  hanging in plain sight:  the number of  mandated rules and regulations alongside decorations including hand washing instructions, allergy procedures, and emergency exit diagrams. She writes: In one study, researchers manipulated the amount of clutter on the walls of a laboratory classroom where kindergarteners were taught a series of science lessons. As the visual distraction increased, the childrens ability to focus, stay on task, and learn new information decreased (33). Researchers from The Holistic Evidence and Design (HEAD) support Christakiss position. They assessed  hundred fifty-three U.K. classrooms to study the link of classroom environment to the learning of almost four thousand students  (ages 5-11).  Researchers  Peter Barrett, Fay Davies, Yufan Zhang, and Lucinda Barrett published their findings in  The Holistic Impact of Classroom Spaces on Learning in Specific Subjects  (2016).  They reviewed the impact of different factors, including color, on student learning, by looking at measures of progress in reading, writing, and math.  They found that reading and writing performances are particularly affected by levels of  stimulation. They also noted that math received  the most positive impact from a classroom design that is student-centered and personalized spaces. Environment Element: Color in the Classroom The color of the classroom can also stimulate or overstimulate students. This environmental element may not always be under the teachers control, but there are some recommendations teachers might be able to make. For example, the colors  red and orange are associated with negative impact on students, making them feel nervous and unsettled. In contrast, blue and green colors are calming colors.   The color  of an environment also affects children differently according to age. Younger children below five may be more productive with bright colors such as yellow. Older students, specifically high school students, work better in rooms painted in light shades of blue and green which are less stressful and distracting.  Ã‚  Warm yellows or pale yellows are also older student appropriate. The scientific research into color is extensive and color can affect children’s moods, mental clarity, and energy levels,  (Englebrecht, 2003).   According to the International Association of Color Consultants - North America (IACC-NA), a school’s physical environment has a  powerful psycho-physiological impact on its students:   â€Å"Appropriate color design is important in protecting eyesight, in creating surroundings that are conducive to studying, and in promoting physical and mental health.† The IACC has noted that poor color choices can lead to irritability, premature fatigue, lack of interest and behavioral problems.   Alternatively,  walls with no color can also be a problem. Colorless and poorly lit classrooms are often considered boring or lifeless, and a  boring classroom maybe likely to cause  students to become disengaged and uninterested in learning. â€Å"For budget reasons, a lot of schools don’t seek out good information on color,† says Bonnie Krims, of IACC. She notes that in the past, there was a common belief that the more colorful the classroom, the better for the students. Recent research disputes past practice, and that too much color, or colors that are too bright, can lead to overstimulation. An accent wall of bright color in a classroom may be offset by muted shades on the other walls.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The goal is to find a balance,† Krims concludes.   Natural Light Dark colors are equally problematic. Any color that lessens or filters  natural sunlight out of a room can even make people feel drowsy and listless (Hathaway, 1987).  There are multiple studies that point to the  beneficial effects of natural light  on health and mood. One medical study found that patients who had access to a scenic view of nature had shorter hospital stays and required lower amounts of pain medication than those patients who had windows that faced a brick building. The official  blog of the U.S. Department of Education posted a  2003 study  (in  California)  that  found that classrooms with the most (natural light)  daylighting had a 20 percent better learning rate in math, and a 26 percent improved rate in reading, compared to classrooms with little or no daylighting. The study also noted that in some cases,  teachers  needed only  to reposition furniture or move  storage to  take advantage of the available natural light in their classrooms.  Ã‚   Overstimulation and Special Needs Students Overstimulation is an issue with students who may have Autistic Spectrum Disorder  (ASD).  The Indiana Resource Center for Autism  recommends that teachers try to limit  auditory and visual distractions so that students can  focus on the concepts that are being taught instead of details that may not be relevant, and reduces competing distractions. Their  recommendation is to limit these distractions: Often when students with ASD are presented with too much stimulus (visual or auditory), processing may slow down, or if overloaded, processing may stop completely.   This approach may prove  beneficial for other students as well.  While  a  classroom rich in materials may support learning,  a cluttered classroom that overstimulates  may be too distracting to many students whether they special needs or not. Color also matters for special needs students. Trish Buscemi, the owner of  Colors Matter, has experience in advising clients what color palette to use with special needs populations.  Buscemi has found that blues, greens, and muted brown tones tend to be appropriate choices for students with ADD and ADHD, and she writes on her blog  that: The brain remembers color first! Let the Students Decide At the secondary level,  teachers could have  students make contributions to help shape a learning space. Giving students a voice in designing their space along will help develop student ownership in the classroom.  The  Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture  agrees, and notes  the importance of being able to have spaces that students can call their own. Their literature explains, Feelings of comfort and welcome in a shared space are vital to the level in which we feel invited to take part.  Students are more likely to  take pride in the space, and they are more likely to support each others efforts to contribute ideas and maintain organization.   Also, teachers should be encouraged to feature student work, maybe original pieces of art, displayed to elicit trust and student worth.   What Decorations to Choose? To reduce classroom clutter, teachers could ask themselves the following questions before putting that velcro or removable tape onto the classroom wall: What purpose does this  poster, sign or display serve?Do  these  posters, signs, or items celebrate or support student learning?Are the  posters, signs, or displays  current with what is being learned in the classroom?Can the display  be made interactive?Is there  white space in between wall displays to help the  eye distinguish what is in the display?Can students contribute to decorating the classroom (ask â€Å"What do you think could go inside that space?†) As the school year begins, teachers should keep in mind opportunities to limit distractions and reduce classroom clutter for better academic performance.