Jones-Blair Case Anaylsis Essay

Strategic Issues and Problems: The Jones Blair Company competes in a 50-county area throughout Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Louisiana. Their major business and financial center is located in eleven county Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan areas. Jones Blair Company is a privately held corporation that produces and markets paint under the Jones-Blair brand name. A large portion of the maturing paint industry, $10 billion, is established from architectural coatings and the annual growth rate is expected to equal that of general inflation in the coming years. Dollar sales have increased at an average annual rate of 4 percent per year over the past decade. The company has been very successful in maintaining their margins even with increased research and development material and labor costs. A small number of regional paint manufacturers have competed successfully against paint manufacturer that distribute their products national. Major producers of paint for the architectural coatings segments account for 60 percent of sales in the architectural coating segments. The competition is pretty stiff when it comes to private store brands or specialty stores. Even with the growing success of Jones Blair it is not enough and in order to reach their business goals at a time when growth is nonexistent, Jones Blair must take immediate action and surge their sales team and change their sales energies. Mass merchandisers pose a serious threat to the future achieved sales levels of Jones Blair Company. Jones Blair Company is currently looking for solutions for gaining more consumers through marketing their architectural coatings and sundries in the southwestern United States. Market Segmentation The market of Jones Blair can be divided to two groups: Dallas-Fort Worth area and Non Dallas-Fort Worth. Among these two areas, there are the contractors, the DIY households and the professional painters. From reading case, I gathered that the estimated dollar volume of architectural paint and allied products sold in Jones Blair’s 50 countries service area in 2004 was $80 million (excluding contractor sales). The DFW are accounted for 60 percent or $48 million, while the remaining 40 percent or $32 million is sold in the other areas outside the DFW area. 70 percent of the DFW sales are accounted for by do-it-yourselfers while the other 30 percent is sold to professional painters. In the other areas outside of the DFW area 90 percent of sales are accounted for by do-it-yourselfers while the other 10 percent is sold to professional papers. (See Exhibit 2). This would means the percentage of the market segment is as following: DFW ($48 millions) Non-DFW ($32 millions) Professional Painters 70% ($33.6 millions) 30% ($9.6 millions) DIY households 30% ($14.4 millions1) 70% ($22.4 millions) Plan of Action The senior management team has examined the paint industry, especially the architectural paint markets, and they have yet to come to a conclusion. The president of Jones Blair, Mr. Alexander Barrett, is planning to have another meeting with his executive team where they will each present their suggestions and he has exclaimed a decision must be made. Recommendations Jones Blair executives have developed four alternatives to relieve the company’s marketing problem (which are outlined as follows): a) Cut price by 20% b) Spend additional $350,000 on corporate advertising; c) Hire one additional sales representative d) Do Nothing (Status Quo) a) Cut price by 20% Compared to other leading national brands, Jones Blair is priced relatively high. This is based on the extremely high quality and performance of the products. By cutting price, Jones Blair will be able to stay competitive in price with other the other products on the market. b) Spend an additional $350,000 on corporate advertising This money will be used to increase awareness. Most of it will be spent on television ads targeted mainly in the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) area at the do-it-yourself market. Brand image is important to consumers and television ads are a great way to get their name out. Most of this population is aware of this product and only some of this population would purchase it. c) Hire an additional sales representative Hiring an additional sales representative will allow Jones Blair to focus on new markets. These markets should be outside of the DFW area and allow for new cities and states to recognize Jones Blair. d) Do Nothing (Status Quo) Since Jones Blair has continually seen profits each year; they should maintain their current marketing objectives and do nothing. Jones Blair has done an excellent job of this in the past by watching the margins and controlling costs. By doing nothing, the company will not need to spend any additional money. e) Alternative Recommendations a.) Cut price by 20% In 2004 architectural product sales volume was $12,000,000. Jones Blair has a current net profit of $1.14 million, and to stay profitable it must maintain this amount. $12,000,000*.35= $4,200,000 If Jones Blair reduced its price by 20% the contribution margin will drop to 15%. ($12,000,000)*.15 = ($1,800,000) If the company drops the price by 20% the company will see a 33% increase in sales. ($1,800,000 * .33) =$4,200,000 ($594,000) STRENGTHS: Jones Blair will sell more products, because it will be able to compete with its competitors in price. WEAKNESSES: May not be able to sell enough in volume to cover cost of goods sold. If the price is more competitive with other companies it may not be looked at as superior quality. b.) Spend additional $350,000 on corporate advertising. The marketing department proposes a television campaign targeted at the DFW do-it-yourself market. This will cost an additional $350,000, but will significantly increase the awareness of Jones Blair products. Research has proven that brand awareness is a major factor in purchasing decisions. If Jones Blair does agree to use this method the company will need to make at least $122,500 to break even and cover the cost of this new promotion ($350,000/.35= $122,500). Most of the DFW consumers are do-it-yourselfers, so a television ad will be beneficial in this market. STRENGTHS: Consumers will become aware of Jones Blair. Do-it-yourselfer’s account for 70% of volume in the DFW area. Advertising is proven to increase awareness, and awareness is a critical factor in consumer purchasing decisions. WEAKNESSES: Almost doubling current advertising costs ($360,000+$350,000). This recommendation requires a large budget and has little guarantee of results because about 75% of the viewing au dience does not buy paint. Consumer buying process shows household buyers choose a store first, not a brand; therefore, cooperative ad is required, not brand advertising. c.) Hire an additional sales representative. Sales outside of our home territory DFW are crucial for maintaining competition in the market. A sales rep would cost the company $60,000 a year. So the company would need ($60,000/.35) about $171,428.58 of additional profits to cover this. 120 retailers are located outside of DFW. If we look at our current dollar amount needed to stay profitable $4,200,000 and divide that by stores…$4,200,000/120= $35,000 So… $171,428.58/$35,000 = about 5. So the company would require a new sales rep to acquire at least 5 new accounts a year to breakeven. STRENGTHS: New clients may bring more opportunity to the table through word of mouth. Doesn’t cost the company a significant amount of money to do. WEAKNESSES: Does not promise new clients. It’s only concentrating on most profitable market, DFW. d.) Do nothing (Status Quo) Jones Blair will not change any of their marketing strategies. STRENGTHS: Does not cost the company any extra money to maintain current objectives. Jones Blair is currently making money, why change? WEAKNESSES • Jones Blair will not always be profitable in the future; the cost of research and development will only increase. Needs to stay competitive in the market and not looking into long term vision of the company. Final recommendation Jones Blair needs to look into the future and envision the company competing with competitors. Its best bet is to focus on the consumers in its main home market, DFW. If they can gain awareness of the home market, sooner or later word will spread throughout all of their markets and business will boom. Making a $1,000,000 minimum income looks like pocket change. Right now Jones Blair can afford this and still have a $400,000 profit. Target Market The target market for Jones Blair is consumers in its main home market, DFW. Specifically the consumers in their architectural coatings and sundries arena. Marketing Mix Promotion: Jones Blair Company advertising can potentially boost their clientele bringing more awareness to the DIY segment in the southwestern area of the United States. This was essentially the objective of the executive meeting and advertising is proven to increase awareness, and awareness is a critical factor in most consumer purchasing decisions. Place: The Company distributes its product through 200 independent paint stores, lumber yards and hardware outlets. With the expanded advertisements Jones Blair can expand to their marketing scope connecting with more consumers, especially in the southwestern area of the US. Price: Almost doubling current advertising costs ($360,000+$350,000), advertising would be the best way to reach the masses in the regions that are going unnoticed. Product: Architectural coatings and sundries supplied throughout the southwestern United States.

Information Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Information Systems - Essay Example It makes switching cost or consideration of an alternative costly that it discourages customers to switch to another system. The classic example we can cite is SAP procurement system. The program is being used by many big businesses across the globe that includes industry leaders such as BMW, Ericsson, BASF Corp., Audi, Burger King, just to name a few. SAP markets its product to its customers by stating that it could â€Å"boost contract spending and and enforce compliance with procurement guidelines† (SAP, 2012). The â€Å"contract boost spending† just meant that its potential customers will have more business because it will lock in their clients to their business and will make it extremely costly for them to find an alternative because the present system (using SAP) reduces procurement cost by â€Å"automating, simplifying and accelerate the business’ procure to pay process for goods and services (SAP, 2012). It thus emphasize operational efficiency that the consideration of an alternative would be prohibitive in terms of cost, human resource and time spent looking for another supplier because SAP will already streamline the purchase of goods and services. In other words, the system (SAP) will make the products and services exchanged between suppliers and customers to be cost effective or cheap as long as the customer will buy solely from the supplier that uses SAP. To further simplify how informational technology lock in the relationship between the supplier of goods, services or information and its customer, we can further cite the popular computer tablet of Amazon which is the Kindle Fire. Kindle Fire makes a good case of how a supplier locks in or lures its customer it uses this to differentiate itself from its dominant competitor, iPad of Apple. Amazon knows that it has the advantage of deep informational database over Apple which is its online bookstore Amazon and would like to capitalize on this advantage to take away Apple iPadà ¢â‚¬â„¢s market share on the computer tablet business. Instead of offering numerous apps and competing with the technical features of iPad which Amazon knows it cannot measure up, Amazon instead offered numerous books and magazines for free with their Kindle Fire and will sell the same if a customer will purchase them using the iPad. It is short of saying that many books and magazines are free if you buy Kindle Fire and it will cost you a lot if you buy iPad. In addition, Amazon also offer their Kindle Fire way cheaper than Apple’s iPad and market it more as a book and magazine reader to differentiate from iPad. Above all, Amazon also offers unlimited cloud storage for books and magazines for free that was procured from Amazon. In the same vein, the same services of cloud storage will cost a lot if customers will buy it from their iPads because they have to buy the books at premium prices from Amazon which were free with Kindle and they have to pay again if they want to save it in Amazon’s cloud storage. In the examples stated, it showed that informational technology is not just used to make business efficient, but also made as a tool to keep existing customers and make the alternative costly for them. Information technology will not only make switching costs expensive but could also be used as a strategic capability that would serve as a barrier to new entrants into its markets. The classic example we can use to illustrate how companies make

Size of financial sector Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Size of financial sector - Essay Example Moreover, profitability across all the financial sectors has improved except the insurance sector and it is anticipated to remain strong in the first quarter of the year 2015. Unfortunately, for the insurance and the building society the forecast suggests otherwise. The number of employment in the banking and insurance sector has decreased in comparison to other sectors while the training expenditure has risen. Department, I. M. F. M. C. M. (2014) suggests that this is a clear indication of the existence of shortage of skills and talents in the financial labor market. The financial sector has enormously grown over the last decades. Gloria (2015) illustrates that the parameters that measure these growths are: quantity of the financial market; the share of the GDP; wages; and employment. For instance, the economy of the UK has grown faster since the financial crisis of 2007/2008. It expanded by approximately by 1.9% in 2013. The growth is also attributed to the securitization in the financial market; intermediation of credit; and the subsectors of finance in the financial sector. On the other hand, the insurance sector has been steadily growing (at a steady pace). In addition, the growth is also evident in the increase in the financial claims and contracts such as bonds, stock, fund shares, and derivatives. Before the 200/2008 financial crisis, central banks use a simple modality that would effectively maintain and stabilize the inflation rate. However, in 2009 the interest rates were slashed to a level close to zero (zero lower bound). Jeucken’s (2001) notion indicates that below this benchmark would hav e been practical but wouldn’t have achieved the desired results. Central bank faced an uphill task of dealing with the increasing rate of unemployment as well as the collapse in the output. At some instances central banks have adopted the unconventional

Theme Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Theme Analysis - Research Paper Example She is referred to as a â€Å"debutante† and one who has â€Å"come of age†. This generally happens in high social circles. In other rare circumstances, age is of little consequence. One may refer to a person- young or old, has having â€Å"come of age† when he has surmounted a serious problem and emerged from it victorious. It is to be understood that chronological age does not really matter; it is the mature way the person handles the situation that counts. What is important is the ability to make a wise and sane decision that could change one’s life considerably and even forever. But that choice must be in one’s best interests. This situation, however, is rare and is more the exception than the rule. The Civil War in America left the Southerners swamped with difficulties as a result of the freeing of the slaves – the direst of which was economic in nature. There was much damage to life and property. All that could have contributed to economic recovery was in ruins – plantations, farms, buildings, the transportation system – everything, resulting from the emancipation of a million slaves. The family of Abner Snopes was no exception. Snopes earned the reputation of â€Å"barn burner† simply because he was just that – a barn burner. His younger boy, Sarty was a namesake of Colonel Sartorius Snopes, appears in court with his father who is accused of the aforesaid crime recently committed. The boy hopes he will not be interrogated for he would be forced to testify against his father who is, of course, guilty as alleged. Snopes is described as a wiry figure who was often dressed in a stiff black coat. His voice was cold and harsh, level and without emphasis – a brief but fitting description for a person addicted to crime – more specifically, arson and theft. It might be mentioned here that Sarty has inherited his father’s way of thinking – foremost being that people

Making a theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Making a theory - Essay Example More over it has got a five button mouse, which will assist the user working in a natural way.2 Using a pen tablet with its matching point will help the user to get the design displayed on the screen exactly what he draws on the tablet. The pressure sensitivity is yet another feature of the product, it lets the user to have a control over the software tools such as brush size, opacity and other things can be controlled dynamically.3 The tablet has a Ergononic design with sloping control palm , in addition to multiple cod positions for generator work and space flexibility. Above all it has enhanced resolution and available in various sizes. The Grip Pen has 11024 levels of tip and eraser pressure sensitivity for control, battery free technology, multi-position pen stand three nib styles and tilt sensitivity. The five button mouse has a smooth and accurate tracking without ball or optic functioning with battery free technology.. Previously were using only a scanner or a Paint Brush soft ware to draw something, and then came Auto Cad, which too helped in drawing diagrams of machines and tools with help of pre fixed shapes such as straight lines, circles, rectangle, etc. But INCUOS.3 has gone forward more steps further and the easy way to develop a graphic design is very clearly seen in this method. The flexibility which this product gives has all the reason behind my attraction towards this product. When you find your imagination take its shape with colors and you get the chance immediately to view your dream spot or painting or thought with a realistic touch, the happiness you get is immeasurable. The INCUOS.3 Graphic Pen Tablet , I would say with least hesitation that, is it a yet another invention, a miniature of a dream factory. Usually a cinema world is called a dream factory, where those things we imagine are given life for quiet some time and there we get a partial but better satisfaction that

Does the SIP Clearly Identify the Areas of Weakness Reflected in Essay - 1

Does the SIP Clearly Identify the Areas of Weakness Reflected in District, State, or National Assessments or Other Data - Essay Example This essay discusses that SIP enabled the identification of various weaknesses among students in coping with their studies. Furthermore, it also enabled the identification of the varieties of difficulties that students experience during their learning program, as well as the fact that the proficiency level varies between African American students and Caucasian students. Sip enabled the identification of the variety of problems faced by the school, such as the status of struggling students as well as their difficulties in learning. as such, these students require appropriate support in order to improve their proficiency levels in all their subject areas., such as improve in Algebra proficiency scores from 32% to 40%, improve English proficiency score from 75% to 83%, and to improve the school attendance by both students and staff by 99%. The objectives of this SIP include focusing on individual students and helping them to improve their achievement. Teachers hold conversations with st udents regarding simple issues like why they have failed to understand specific problems of a course.   They regularly analyze data to understand whether students are maintaining state-level standards. As Schafer Elem School develops its improvement plan for the year, the school comes from a backdrop of poor performance as the students perform poorly in various subjects thereby resulting in consistent poor results save for mathematics.

Future of Educational Finance Essay Example for Free

Future of Educational Finance Essay Gary Marx stated â€Å"identifying, monitoring and considering the implications of trends is one of the most basic processes for creating the future† (Stevenson, 2010 p. 1). The world of education is forever changing at a pace that gets more rapid as the years go on. The decisions made in the past have laid the foundation of education today, as will recent changes affect the future. Programs such as choice schooling and No Child Left Behind will impact school funding. Rulings such as the Lemon Test and separation of church and state will impact decisions that can potentially result in litigation and court rulings dictating educational decisions. In his work regarding educational trends, Kenneth Stevenson (2010) stated, â€Å"a continuing recession, escalating political polarization, rising racial/ethnic tensions, a growing national debt, and a widening divide between the haves and the have nots portend a future fraught with unprecedented challenges to and clashes over the form and substance of public education in America† (p.1). Analysis of the Lemon Test The Lemon Test was created by Chief Justice Warren Berger as a result of the court case Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) and is based on the principles stated in Everson v. Board of Education. The case of Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) centered on Rhode Island’s Salary Supplement Act. This act approved a salary supplement of up to fifteen percent for teachers who taught secular subjects in private religious schools or non-public elementary schools. The courts determined that approximately twenty-five percent of Rhode Island’s students attended non-public schools. Furthermore, ninety-five percent of the parochial schools were Roman Catholic. Pennsylvania offered a similar program that reimbursed non-public schools for expenses related to secular education and required schools to account for the expenses separately. Approximately twenty percent of Pennsylvania’s children attended non-public schools and ninety-six percent of the schools had a religious affiliation. The high courts looked at its own precedents and determined that, in order  for a law to be in compliance with the Establishment clause it, â€Å"must have a secular legislative purpose; second, its principal or primary effect must be one that neither advances nor inhibits religion; finally, the statute must not foster an excessive government entanglement with religion (Barnes, 2010, p. 2-3). The Lemon test was created to, â€Å"determine when a law has the effect of establishing religion† (The Basics, 2014, p. 3). The court applied the Lemon test to the Pennsylvania and Rhode Island supplemental funding programs and deemed that the programs in both states were unconstitutional (The Lemon Test, 2009). Both programs met the first requirement of the Lemon test as they had a secular purpose. However, the court determined that it was unclear if the programs met the second set of criteria as â€Å"while the aid was intended for secular use, it was not entirely secular in effect† (The Lemon Test, 2009, p. 1). The court decided that it did not need to establish if the programs met the second part of the Lemon test as they failed to meet the third criterion as both programs â€Å"excessively entangling state administrators with the operations of parochial schools† (The Lemon Test, 2009, p. 1). The Lemon test has â€Å"become an extremely influential legal doctrine, governing not only cases involving government funding of religious institutions but also cases in which the government promoted religious messages. Over the years, however, many justices have criticized the test because the court has often applied it to require a strict separation between church and state† (The Lemon Test, 2009, p. 1). The test has been the foundation for many of the court’s ruling regarding the establishment clause since 1971. The choice  The idea of vouchers for education was first introduced in early 1950 in a move to privatize education. In that same year, as a result of Brown v. Board of Education, the southern states put the first voucher program into action as a way to â€Å"enable white students of all income levels to attend the segregation academies and continue receiving a publicly-funded, all white education† (Save our Schools NJ, 2014). In 1989, Wisconsin’s more modern voucher programs, focused on poor children of all races. (Save our Schools NJ, 2014). Regardless of the nature of the voucher program, the impact is the same- taxpayer funds being diverted from public school funding. In 2002, the Supreme Court ruling of the case of Zelman V. Simmons-Harris  stated that it was not a violation of the Establishment Clause to provide scholarships for some students to attend private or parochial schools. This ruling had a subsequent impact on the development of S1872, also known as the Opportunity Scholarship Act. This act allowed for vouchers to go to private or religious schools. Changes from S1872 resulted in an almost $1 billion dollar revenue loss for school funding by the end of its fifth year (NJEA, 2011). In addition to the government revenue lost, a 100% tax credit is given to companies who donate to these funds thus losing additional revenue. The children given these scholarship vouchers are children from targeted failing school areas, which then result in that already failing district to lose additional weighted funding for those children. â€Å"Shifting a handful of students from a public school into private schools will not decrease what the public school must pay for teachers and facilities, but funding for those costs will decrease as students leave† (NCSL, 2014). A study by the American Federation of Teachers in 2011 looked at the revenue lost in several states as a result of money being diverted to voucher programs. In most cases, these programs obtained funding by either increasing taxes or by reducing state aid to local school districts. Both the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program and the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program did just that. The Milwaukee program, in 2009, cost taxpayers roughly $130 million and the Cleveland program reduced Disadvantaged Pupil Impact Aid to the Cleveland public schools by $11,901,887 in 2007 (American Federation of Teachers, 2011). One of the most significant issues with voucher programs is the fact that they do not have the same monitoring and regulations as public schools in order to obtain funding. â€Å"Perhaps the biggest critique of market-based reforms, such as school choice and performance based accountability is that they will further exacerbate inequalities in education† (Fusarelli and Young, 2011, p. 92). Not all program funding is distributed in the programs based on poverty. Parents of special education students are not guaranteed special education services. In addition, many programs are not monitored for the way they appropriate money. When a review of the Arizona tax credit programs was conducted, it was discovered that â€Å"almost two-thirds of all voucher orga nizations kept more funds for overhead than allowed under state law† (AFT, 2011, p. 7). Per student revenue that local districts lose to  these programs is not guaranteed to be 100% applied to the students attending the private school. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education had a budget cut of $5 billion (The Education Trust, n.d.). In 2013-2014, over 35 states are providing less funding per students, more than 10% in fourteen of them. (Leachman Mai, 2014). With decreasing numbers such as these, voucher programs only continue to threaten to take limited funding away from local districts. Continued funding cuts will have an impact on the economic future of our country. As stated by Brimley et al. the more education provided, the more wealth developed; the more wealth created, the more funds available for investment; the more investment undertaken, the more wealth available for investment in physical and human capital: (Brimley et al., 2012, p. 3). The Impact of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) is the largest federal funding program in the history of the United States. No Child Left Behind is a, â€Å"reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which originated in 1965 as part of the War on Poverty† (Braden and Schroeder, n.d., p. 1). While NCLB provides additional funding from the federal government it also imposes mandates that states must follow. The supplementary funding provided under the No Child Left Behind Act is not necessarily enough for states to meet the standards required by the act. The main focus of NCLB is Title I funding which the federal government allocates to states to help provide an education to economically disadvantaged students. No Child Left Behind includes eight other forms of Title funding such as school safety, teacher quality, assessments, and American Indian education (Braden and Schroeder, n.d., p. 1). Title I funds are the most important part of No Child Left Behind as the majority of the funds are earmarked for Title I purposes and Title I funding holds states accountable for student achievement as evidenced on state assessments. The move towards holding states accountable for student achievement began prior to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Most states included accountability in their education reform acts during the 1990s (Ladd, 2001). By the year 2001, the same year as NCLB, more than forty states published a school report card, more than half had some type of school achievement rating, and numerous states offered assistance or sanctions to schools with low student  performance (Meyer, Orlofsky, Skinner, Spicer, 2002). In January of 2002, No Child Left Behind was signed into law and for the first time in history the federal government was involved in, â€Å"setting broad parameters, implementation timelines, and sanctions for state accountability systems† (Dun combe, Lukemeyer, Yinger, 2006, p. 1). States began to implement NCLB in 2002 during a time of financial difficulties. This created concerns based on the cost involved in funding a program of its magnitude as well as questions regarding the extent to which the NCLB program was funded. Most estimates concerning the cost of implementing the program were far from accurate. This prompted states, such as Connecticut and Utah, to pass legislation which allowed them to either ignore the parts of NCLB that required funding from the state or sue the federal government for a lack of funding (Duncombe et al., 2006). While NCLB involves many federal education programs, the act’s requirements in regards to school improvement, accountability, and testing are a priority. No Child Left Behind required states to test students in grades three through eight yearly in math and reading. Students in grades ten through twelve must be tested once. In addition students must be tested in science once in grades three through five, six through eight, and tenth-twelfth. In addition, states, school districts and individual schools are to â€Å"publicly report test results in the aggregate and for specific student subgroups, including low-income students, students with disabilities, Eng lish language learners, and major racial and ethnic groups† (New America Foundation, 2014). Another requirement of NCLB is that all teachers must be highly qualified. Teachers must pass a licensure exam and be certified by the state they teach in. Teachers who teach a specific subject area must demonstrate their subject knowledge by passing the subject knowledge portion of the licensure exam. NCLB specifies that states develop a plan â€Å"to ensure that low-income and minority students are not taught by teachers who are not highly qualified at higher rates than are non-minority and low-income students† (New America Foundation, 2014). In addition, NCLB give parents and guardians the right to know the qualification of their child’s teacher and if their child is receiving instruction from a paraprofessional and if so the qualifications of that individual. NCLB requires that school district’s notify parents in writing if their child will receive instruction from a teacher who is not highly  qualified for longer than four weeks (New America Foundation, 20 14). No Child Left Behind stated that all school districts in the United States were to guarantee that each child enrolled in their district would score proficient in the state’s reading and math assessments by 2014. Each state was given the freedom to define what grade level proficiency meant in regards to their state standards. NCLB required that schools make â€Å"adequate yearly progress† (AYP) towards achieving their goal. Proficiency rates increased yearly up to 2014 and individual states were allowed to choose their rate of increase. In order for a state to make AYP they must meet their goal for student achievement in reading and math every year (New America Foundation, 2014). Forty-three states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, a group of California school districts as well as the Bureau of Indian Education applied for waivers exempting them from being required to meet their targets and other requirements of NCLB from the Department of Education. In September of 2011, President Obama and Arne Duncan, Secretary of Education, announced that the Obama administration, â€Å"would allow states to request flexibility in meeting some of the requirements under NCLB in the absence of the law’s reauthorization† (New America Foundation, 2014). For a state to qualify to receive flexibility throu gh a waiver, the state needs to show they have adopted or will implement reforms to their, â€Å"academic standards, student assessments, and accountability systems for schools and educators† (New America Foundation, 2014). According to No Child Left Behind schools that do not make AYP for two consecutive years will be identified for school improvement, and will have to create a school improvement plan (SIP), and apply a minimum of ten percent of their federal Title I funds to professional development. Schools that do not make AYP for a third year will be under corrective action, and will be required to apply interventions to improve school performance, â€Å" from a list specified in the legislation† (New America Foundation, 2014). If a school fails to make AYP for a fourth year they will be, â€Å"identified for restructuring which requires more significant interventions† (New America Foundation, 2014). If a school fails to make AYP for a fifth year, â€Å"they must implement a restructuring plan that includes reconstituting school staff and/or leadership, changing the school’s governance arrangement, converting the school to a charter, turning it over to a private management company, or some other major change†Ã‚  (New America Foundation, 2014). Specific school districts that have a high percentage of schools that fail to make average yearly progress for multiple years could be, â€Å"identified for school improvement, corrective action, and restructuring† (New America Foundation, 2014). The Future of Church-State Relations As religion continues to hold influence on the American culture the U.S. judicial system remains the authority for interpreting the constitutionality of matters of religion. The separation of church and state comes as a result of America not having an established religion for all of the residents to follow; the people were given freedom of religion. According to Thomas Jefferson, God is acknowledged as the creator of mankind and government is not a divine organization therefore it is the responsibility of the citizens to oversee the institution of government. In 1791 the government discontinued support or promotion of any religion. The decisions made so long ago continue to greatly impact organizations such as schools today. In the classroom teachers are held accountable to the state that they will remain neutral on the subject of religion while on school grounds (The Boisi Center, n.d.). Cases such as Committee for Public Education and Religious Liberty v Nyquist (1973) and Mueller v Allen (1983) have kept the courts busy on the subject of funding religion in the educational system (Pew Research Center, 2008). The Free Exercise Clause permits students to practice their faith privately on campus as long as it does not cause disruptions to the academic day and students are not being persuaded to follow his/her beliefs. School vouchers and tax credits that were distributed from 1983-2002 were considered constitutional under the Establishment Clause as they approved a parent’s choice to have their child attend a religious school. The courts accepted these practices because they did not show intent to persuade on the side of religion (The Boisi Center, n.d.). During this time all over the country courts were hearing cases to oppose the allowance of vouchers to religious organizations as they felt it went against the separation of church-state. In some states courts ruled that vouchers could only be used for parents that wanted to move their child to a higher performing public school so that private religious schools did not receive state education funds. Now and in the future the United States  will continue to permit religious liberty to the people, the government will not be accountable nor will it dictate ones religious practices (The Boisi Center, n.d.). With the increased cases that continue to build against religion in schools and educational funding to religious private schools it is predicted that the future of church-state relations in educational funding will give more authority to the state education departments on the placement of funds. The state will seek more control of religious private schools, as the voucher program seems to be here to stay. The state is going to want more control of curriculum if they will be providing financial support (Pardini, 1999). Tax credit programs are also popular and seem to offer a compromise of church-state relations. Tax credits provide financial support to families that choose to place their child in private schools. As time progresses state government will advocate for an increase in charter schools, this will allow for state funds in the form of vouchers and tax credits to support schools that do not have a religious focus (Pardini, 1999). This battle will continue until a decision is m ade by the U.S. Supreme Court on the constitutionality of the Blaine Amendments. These amendments were established in 1875 to disallow states to financially support private schools that teach religion. At this time there are approximately thirty states that incorporate Blaine language in their constitution, which disrupts the success of vouchers being used by parents that wish to relocate their child to a higher performing and/or religious private school (DeForrest, 2003). Future Trends in Court Decisions and Power over Educational Financing The courts have had a hand in education dating back to the creation of the United States Constitution. Although there was no specific mention in the Constitution as to who was responsible, who carried the power in terms of financing education, education was valued in the early days, and many early settlers used the Bible to teach the young to read. As time went on people challenged the use of teaching the Bible in Public Schools. People used the First Amendment of the United States Constitution to argue about the intermingling of church and state and the use of direct government support for parochial, and private schools (Brimley, Verstegen, Garfield, 2012). The courts found themselves hearing cases of people challenging the use of government funds in schools other than public schools and, in the case of Pierce v. Society of Sisters  (268 U.S. 510-1925), the courts ruled for using public funds for church-related schools. Because of this ruling financing public schools has seen some great changes, and will continue to see changes. This court ruling could potentially change the makeup and the system of education in the United States. States will implement more stringent guidelines as to what they expect from schools in regards to performance standards since they are the ones providing the funds. These guidelines are the result of schools continuing to fail to meet state requirements, running low on funds due decreased income from property taxes, or the need for states take over more schools or shut them down, To date there has not been a proven method that will solve the problems of educational financing. Politics have a large influence in financing education. This was evident during the Bush administration, when money went into funding Laura Bush’s library after other school programs were cut. For nearly forty years the constitutionality of the way schools are financed has been scrutinized. There have been one hundred thirty-nine lawsuits in forty-five states promoting finance reform after the ruling of Serrano v. Priest (Education Next, 2010). The states are required by their individual state constitutions to provide an adequate education to all students. Currently there is no solution to the challenges of financing public schools so that all individuals feel like they are being treated equally. The debates and challenges have been going on for decades and will continue for years to come. Responsibility is placed on the states to ensure that their State Constitution requirements are being met and to provide funding for local schools. Conclusion As previously stated education as it is known today continues to change at a rapid rate and will continue to change forever as the world that we all reside in is ever changing. Technology has had a major influence on education, and the world in general. â€Å"If students are not being taught to use technology, and not being taught adequate math, science, and communication skills, the United States will continue to lose its superiority to other countries† (A Nation at Risk, 1983). In order for the United States to keep up with the competitive commerce, today’s students need to be pushed a little more to achieve more and not just be satisfied with mediocrity. There was a time when funding private and/or parochial  schools was not even an issue, as it was clearly understood that government monies was allocated for public schools. As time went on, needs changed, be it individual needs such as students with disabilities, or families of low income. With these needs came reasons to challenge the norm. Attorneys were contracted, and the status quo was challenged. Nobody could have predicted the changes that would happen nor is it possible to predict the future from today. It is impossible to guess the future of financing education because no one knows what the needs will be in fifteen to twenty-five years from now. It is crucial that past rulings be thoroughly examined to assist with preparing for future financial direction, although that is not the magic solution. 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