Endangered species

An endangered species is a species of organisms that will likely become extinct. The phrase 'endangered species' colloquially refers to any species that fits this description whereas conservation biologists typically with it refer to species that are designated Endangered in the IUCN Red List, wherein "endangered" is the second most severe conservation status for wild populations, following Critically Endangered. 3079 animals and 2655 plants are Endangered worldwide, compared with 1998 levels of 1102 and 1197, respectively. The amount, population trend, and conservation status of each species can be found in the Lists of organisms by population. Many nations have laws that protect conservation reliant species: for example, forbidding hunting, restricting land development, or creating preserves.

Conservation status
The conservation status of a species indicates the likelihood that it will become extinct. Many factors are considered when assessing the conservation status of a species; e.g., such statistics as the number remaining, the overall increase or decrease in the population over time, breeding success rates, or known threats. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the best-known worldwide conservation status listing and ranking system. Over 40% of species are estimated to be at risk extinction. Internationally, 199 countries have signed an accord to create Biodiversity Action Plans that will protect endangered and other threatened species. In the United States this plan is usually called a species Recovery Plan.

IUCN Red List

IUCN Red List refers to a specific category of threatened species and may include critically endangered species. The IUCN Red List uses the term endangered species as a specific category of imperilment, rather than as a general term. Under the IUCN Categories and Criteria, endangered species is between critically endangered and vulnerable. Also critically endangered species may also be counted as endangered species and fill all the criteria. The more general term used by the IUCN for species at risk of extinction is threatened species, which also includes the less-at-risk category of vulnerable species together with endangered and critically endangered.

Climate change
Before anthropogenic global warming, species were subjected mainly to regional pressures, such as overhunting and habitat destruction. With the acceleration of anthropogenic global warming since the industrial revolution, climate change has begun to influence species safety. Nigel Stork, in the article "Re-assessing Extinction Rate" explains, "the key cause of extinction being climate change, and in particular rising temperatures, rather than deforestation alone." Stork believes climate change is the major issue as to why species are becoming endangered. Stork claims rising temperature on a local and global level are making it harder for species to reproduce. As global warming continues, species are no longer able to survive and their kind starts to deteriorate. This is a repeating cycle that is starting to increase at a rapid rate because of climate change therefore landing many species on the endangered species list.

Conservation
Captive breeding Captive breeding is the process of breeding rare or endangered species in human controlled environments with restricted settings, such as wildlife preserves, zoos and other conservation facilities. Captive breeding is meant to save species from extinction and so stabilize the population of the species that it will not disappear. Private farming Whereas poaching substantially reduces endangered animal populations, legal, for-profit, private farming does the opposite. It has substantially increased the populations of the southern black rhinoceros and southern white rhinoceros. Dr Richard Emslie, a scientific officer at the IUCN, said of such programs, "Effective law enforcement has become much easier now that the animals are largely privately owned... We have been able to bring local communities into the conservation programmes. There are increasingly strong economic incentives attached to looking after rhinos rather than simply poaching: from eco-tourism or selling them on for a profit. So many owners are keeping them secure. The private sector has been key to helping our work.

Special education
Special education or special needs education is the practice of educating students with special needs in a way that addresses their individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials, accessible settings, and other interventions designed to help learners with special needs achieve a higher level of personal self-sufficiency and success in school and community than would be available if the student were only given access to a typical classroom education. Common special needs include learning disabilities, communication disabilities, emotional and behavioral disorders, physical disabilities, and developmental disabilities. Students with these kinds of special needs are likely to benefit from additional educational services such as different approaches to teaching, the use of technology, a specifically adapted teaching area, or a resource room. Intellectual giftedness is a difference in learning and can also benefit from specialized teaching techniques or different educational programs, but the term "special education" is generally used to specifically indicate instruction of students with disabilites. Gifted education is handled separately. Whereas special education is designed specifically for students with special needs, remedial education can be designed for any students, with or without special needs; the defining trait is simply that they have reached a point of underpreparedness, regardless of why. For example, even people of high intelligence can be underprepared if their education was disrupted, for example, by internal displacement during civil disorder or a war. In most developed countries, educators modify teaching methods and environments so that the maximum number of students are served in general education environments. Therefore, special education in developed countries is often regarded as a service rather than a place.Integration can reduce social stigmas and improve academic achievement for many students. The opposite of special education is general education. General education is the standard curriculum presented without special teaching methods or supports.

Identifying students with special needs

Some children are easily identified as candidates for special needs due to their medical history. They may have been diagnosed with a genetic condition that is associated with intellectual disability, may have various forms of brain damage, may have a developmental disorder, may have visual or hearing disabilities, or other disabilities. For students with less obvious disabilites, such as those who have learning difficulties, two primary methods have been used for identifying them: the discrepancy model and the response to intervention model. The discrepancy model depends on the teacher noticing that the students'

achievements are noticeably below what is expected. The response to intervention model advocates earlier intervention. In the discrepancy model, a student receives special education services for a specific learning difficulty (SLD) if the student has at least normal intelligence and the student's academic achievement is below what is expected of a student with his or her IQ. Although the discrepancy model has dominated the school system for many years, there has been substantial criticism of this approach (e.g., Aaron, 1995, Flanagan and Mascolo, 2005) among researchers. One reason for criticism is that diagnosing SLDs on the basis of the discrepancy between achievement and IQ does not predict the effectiveness of treatment. Low academic achievers who also have low IQ appear to benefit from treatment just as much as low academic achievers who have normal or high intelligence. The alternative approach, response to intervention, identifies children who are having difficulties in school in their first or second year after starting school. They then receive additional assistance such as participating in a reading remediation program. The response of the children to this intervention then determines whether they are designated as having a learning disability. Those few who still have trouble may then receive designation and further assistance. Sternberg (1999) has argued that early remediation can greatly reduce the number of children meeting diagnostic criteria for learning disabilities. He has also suggested that the focus on learning disabilities and the provision of accommodations in school fails to acknowledge that people have a range of strengths and weaknesses and places undue emphasis on academics by insisting that students should be supported in this arena and not in music or sports.

Individual needs
A special education program should be customized to address each individual student's unique needs. Special educators provide a continuum of services, in which students with special needs receives varying degrees of support based on their individual needs. Special education programs need to be individualized so that they address the unique combination of needs in a given student.

Methods of provision
Schools use different approaches to providing special education services to students. These approaches can be broadly grouped into four categories, according to how much contact the student with special needs has with non-disabled students (using North American terminology):
Special schools

A special school is a school catering for students who have special educational needs due to severe learning difficulties, physical disabilities or behavioural problems. Special schools may be specifically designed, staffed and resourced to provide appropriate special education for children with additional needs. Students attending special schools generally do not attend any classes in mainstream schools.

If There's A Will, There's A Way

`If there's a will, there's a way' is one motto I would like to make my own. The saying means that if anyone was determined enough to get something done, that person would always find a way to do it. I believe that determination is the fighting spirit of a person. Without determination, a person would tend to give up too easily in getting what she or he wants. I remember a time when I played the piano and I could not get the timing of the piece correct. My exam was merely two weeks away and I panicked at the thought of not being able to play the piece of music correctly. I decided that I should practise really hard. I felt desperate and grave because no matter how hard I tried, I still could not play it correctly. I stopped playing for one afternoon and decided to listen to a tape in which the piece was recorded. After listening intently for several hours, I went back to the piano and tried playing the piece again. I was extremely happy when I got it right on my second try. Everything seemed clearer after that. The music seemed to flow right out of my fingertips. Needless to say, I did pretty well for my piano exam. From then on, I believe a lot in having determination. If I wanted to accomplish even the smallest task, I must not give up too easily or it will never be done. This new-found spirit in me will get me far in life. motto intently a saying taken as a guiding principle seriously

Essay - Where there is a Will there is a Way

There is nothing impossible in this world; it is only want of determination that brings about failures. With a strong will one can do wonders. The power of human will is extraordinary. At first sight many tasks may appear impossible of accomplishment and many are frightened away. Only a few have the necessary strength of will to pursue their goal; only they know what it is to struggle towards their ideal. Occasionally, even very small things like getting up early in the morning, studying for a specified number of hours, keeping to time, writing prompt letters, call for determination and strength of will. Most of us are often tempted to postpone too many things and the result is that we complain we do not have time to do them. In most cases, this is just an excuse. Many of us are also discouraged by apparent failures. We know the story of Bruce and the spider but we do not have the patience to wait for final results. Quick, if not immediate result, is what we want.

Failure is a stepping stone to success but we wish to keep to success avoiding the steps. There is no short cut to success and the earlier we realise this, the better it is for us. Great achievements in various fields have been possible because of men who did not mind initial failures. The pioneers who wanted to fly got their limbs broken in their attempts to fly; but this did not prevent their trying again. The result is today we have supersonic planes which can take us from one continent to another in a matter of hours. Many of us know how to swim or to ride a bicycle. When we took the first plunge, may be we did not like the feel of the cold water; the first fall from the bicycle may have caused bruises. But we did not allow these to stop us from trying again. Probably we failed the second time too; but very soon we mastered the technique and today we do not have any regrets for persisting in our attempts. Impossible is a world to be found in. the dictionary of fools - is what Napoleon, the Great, is reported to have declared. It is good to remember this whenever we feel like giving up. All of us possess the will-power. Only some of us use it. The others do not use it and put the blame for their lures on others. This is what we should never do. If we wish to realize our ambition, it is not enough to have one; we should always strive towards it unmindful of the inevitable failures on the way. Where there is a will, there is a way.