writings

COUN6311D

Week 3 Discussion

MY ADVOCACY AND LEADERSHIP PLAN

School advocacy and leadership plans are created and implemented based on school needs and school-conducted needs-based assessments (American School Counselor Association, 2012). However, every school counselor has causes and topics about which they are passionate. School counselors can express their interests through programs, small groups, curricula, involvement in extracurricular activities and groups, and even in sponsoring or developing programs.

This week, you get to share your thoughts of how to address a school counseling challenge with your colleagues. This is your time to explain what type of program, curriculum, activity, etc. that you would create if a need existed in your school environment.

To prepare for this Discussion:

•Review the Learning Resources.

•Select a school counseling social justice advocacy topic from the following choices in which you are interested:

oCollege/Career

oEquity for all students

oGifted and Talented programs

oSocial-Emotional Development (this is the one I chose)

oDiscipline/suspensions

oTransgender/Gender-noncomforming youth

oUndocumented youth

oAchievement Gap

•Research the scope of the problem and a gap related to schools

•Complete The Advocacy Issue and SMART Goal template located in the required resources

Post  your completed The Advocacy Issue and SMART Goal template which addresses the following:

•Describe the Problem (Identify and describe the topic, problem, and gap. Use resources to support your points.). The advocacy issue for a student-centered challenge based on your research, data, and its effect on students in terms of student achievement, attendance, or behavior.

oTarget population and age group

oWhy is this a problem?

oImpact in your school community?  (Include data/resources to support your points. Use APA formatting to cite your sources.)

•ASCA SMART Goal

oThe measurable goal for an initiative to address the problem using the ASCA SMART format

Support your statements with evidence from the Learning Resources and media, as well as your research.

 

ECON 3311: MONEY & BANKING

HOMEWORK #6

Define the following terms:

central bank   monetary policy

Federal Reserve  IORB rate

Board of Governors   federal funds rate

Federal Open Market Committee   quantitative easing  

Central bank – an institution charged with controlling the nation’s money supply

Federal Reserve – a government institution that was established in 1923 by congressional act

Board of Governors – located in Washington D.C and represents the centralized decision-making of the Fed, consist of 7 governors.

Federal Open Market Committee– is a gathering of all seen governors and all 12 presidents of the District Banks

Monetary policy – policy implemented by the central bank that influences the flow of money and credit in the economy

IORB rate – the interest rate that the Fed pays banks for their deposited reserves

Federal funds rate – banks that lend reserves charge an interest rate to other banks who borrow reserves.

Quantitative easing – Federal reserve put large amounts of reserves into the banking system

Answer the following:

1. Go to http://research.stlouisfed.org/publications/ and go to Page One Economics. Filter the year to 2020 and scroll down to the publication “Independence, Accountability, and the Federal Reserve System”. Read the 5-page article and answer the following:

a. The first section describes policy events that we will discuss later in the semester. Go to the second section and how and why the Federal Reserve maintains a degree of independence from the political branches of government.

b. From the third section, state which part of the Federal Reserve is representative of national interests and which part is representative of regional interests.

c. From the fourth section, describe the difference between how Fed governors are put into their positions versus how District Bank presidents are put into their position. Which is most closely tied to the political process?

d. From the final section, state the ways in which the Fed is accountable to Congress.

2. Write out a simple balance sheet for a bank. State the three ways in which a bank’s assets can generate revenue, and rank those assets according to their riskiness.

3. Go to https://fred.stlouisfed.org/ and click on the “Category” link below the search box. Find the heading “Money, Banking, & Finance” and click on “Monetary Data”, then “Reserves”, and then “Reserves of Depository Institutions: Total”. Answer the following:

a. In which year did bank reserves first show an accelerated increase? What was special about that year?

b. We described the behavior of quantitative easing (QE) in class. Looking closely at the graph, can you identify the periods of QE? (HINT: Look for periods of obvious increase in bank reserves.)

c. What is it called when the Fed maintains plentiful reserves the banking system?

4. a. How can the Federal Reserve control the federal funds rate through its administration of the IORB rate?

b. Go to https://fred.stlouisfed.org/ and click on the “Categories” link under the search box. Click on “Money, Banking, & Finance” and then “Interest Rates”. Click on “FRB Rates” and then on the series “Federal Funds Effective Rate”.

Change the graph range to 5Y and describe the pattern of the federal funds rate over this period.

c. Go back to the “Interest Rates” page and click on “Prime Bank Loan Rate” and then on the series “Bank Prime Loan Rate”.

This is the interest rate that banks use as a base rate for their loans. In other words, an increase in the prime rate will typically result in an increase in all bank lending rates, including business loans, variable rate credit cards, auto loans, etc. It can be considered a short-term rate.

Change the graph range to 5Y and describe the pattern of the prime rate over this period. How does it compare to the series from part a?

d. Go back to the “Interest Rates” page and click on “Treasury Constant Maturity”. Scroll down and look at the series “Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 30-Year Constant Maturity, Quoted on an Investment Basis”.

This is the interest rate offered on 30-year Treasury bonds that the government uses to borrow. It is one of the major long-term interest rates in the US economy.

Change the graph range to 5Y and describe the pattern of the 30-year Treasury rate over this period. How does it compare to the series from part a?

e. Using your answers to parts b – d, do interest rate changes by the Fed (as indicated by your answer to part a) seem to influence short-term and long-term market interest rates in the same way? Explain.

 Financial Planning

** Discussion Question  

Topic 2: Credit Score

We can all agree that a good credit score is an advantage when buying a car or home, starting a business, or finishing a college degree.

For this discussion, you are a financial counselor responsible for helping people with poor credit get back on track. With that in mind, engage in a conversation related to at least ONE of the following:

· Create a plan to help your clients understand, repair, and monitor their credit scores.

· Share key things they should be doing to improve their credit scores.

 Financial Planning

** Discussion Question  

Employability Skills and Your Life 

Topic 1: Employability Skills and Your Life

Throughout this course, you have engaged with materials and activities related to the following employability skills: Problem-solving to find creative, effective, ethical, and evidence-based solutions to economic and financial challenges. Productivity to plan and organize your finances as new priorities and needs emerge. Technology to complete tasks and goals, communicate complex financial data effectively, and stay competitive. Agility to embrace change and adapt so you can achieve the results you desire. Think about what you have learned about these skills and how you have applied them. Then think about three main areas of your life:

· academics,

· personal, and

· professional.

With the above in mind, engage in conversation and address ONE of the following:

· Which skill from this course do you think will be most useful in your academic life? What is the one action you could take using that skill to make a positive change?

· Which skill from this course do you think will be most useful in your personal life? What is the one action you could take using that skill to make a positive change?

· Which skill from this course do you think will be most useful in your professional life? What is the one action you could take to use that skill to make a positive change?

 

Week 1

1.Opportunity Costs

What do economists mean by “opportunity cost?”  What are your opportunity costs in taking this course?

2.Demand v. Quantity Demanded

What is the difference between a decline in the quantity demanded and a decline in demand? Give an example of something that you now buy less of. Is it an example of a decline in the quantity you demand or a decline in your demand?