Program for International Student Assessment (PISA)

A final paper I am working on for one of my classes has to do with how the U.S. performs in the PISA exam in comparison to other countries. PISA is the Program for International Student Assessment designed by the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) and is taken every three years in 70 countries, since the year 2000. This exam is taken by 15-year-old students and the subjects tested are science, mathematics and reading. I think that this exam is well designed and it actually measures the so-called “21^st century learning skills” needed like critical thinking and problem solving for instance.

Overall, the U.S. ranks on average in reading (ranking 14 in OECD) and science (ranking 17) but then drops to below the OECD average in mathematics (ranking 25).

The top PISA performers are: Shanghai, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Finland, Canada, Japan and New Zealand.

Here is a very interesting video on how the exam works and its main features:

Linking school and work

We are getting closer to issue a request for sponsorship (RFS) for the defibrillators located in public facing areas in different facilities of the city government. I have to say that I have learned a lot during this process because there are so many details that came up during the process which are not always very easy to predict in advance. Furthermore, is very exciting to see the developing process of a project since inception. I am also very glad that I had the opportunity to contribute with my opinion and propose ideas for the (RFS).

Once the RFS is issued another interesting process begins, because different companies will bid on this opportunity, thus one offer must be chosen. After a company wins the biding process, the implementation process starts, which will probably be next year. I think it is very important to link what we learn in the academic field to what actually happens in reality. For instance, last semester I took a course where I studied the bidding processes that a government has to go through in order to outsource a service and now during this internship I am actually seeing real examples by learning a lot on how request for proposals and request for sponsorships actually work.

Strengths of my organization

I believe that the greatest strength of the Public Information Office, as the name of the office suggest, is its ability to communicate very clearly the goals and activities of the City to the community and inside the organization.  I also consider that it is very valuable that there is a lot of space for employees at this office to constantly brainstorm new ideas, which makes the work environment a very stimulating place to work.

Another important strength that I see at this office is how everybody works in a collaborative way and how this is an essential factor in order to achieve the goals of the organization and have a more stimulating working environment.  Furthermore, everybody demonstrates an incredible sense of community service, which I believe is indispensable for employees working at a public organization such as the City of Phoenix.

One thing I would try to change is to make some processes less bureaucratic because many projects take longer to be completed because of this. However, I also understand that is not that easy in a public organization where there are laws that describe how processes must be done.

Post II on Career Service Event

How to use LinkedIn in a job search?

Webinar with Jennifer Rhodes

November 15th 

I decided to attend this career service event because I believe LinkedIn is a great tool that helps us looking for a job and is becoming more and more popular.

Basically LinkedIn is a professional network that helps you connecting with people that otherwise you wouldn’t be able to do it. Plus, many companies are using it to check on potential candidates for different positions. I specially liked the following quote that Jennifer Rhodes used to describe the potentiality of LinkedIn  “Turn relationships into opportunities”.

Some of the main characteristics of this network are:

• Connect with people who work in a field that you are interested in
• Follow companies and groups you are interested in
• Share ideas/articles
• Get an idea of who might be a potential interviewer for a job
• Share Power Points and projects that reflects what you have been working on

LinkedIn has a job section where you can look for positions just typing key words. You can also have a premium account if you pay, however the basic accounts allows you to get a lot of information too. There is also an education section where you can look for any higher education institution you might be interested in.

Key suggestions for your profile

• Maintain connections
• Have a good summary in the profile section (brief professional history, top skills and experience and written in first person)
• Ask for other people’s recommendation about your professional skills
• Up date status weekly
• Have a professional photo in your profile

Some interesting figures about LinkedIn

• More than 225 M people world wide (64% outside the U.S.)
• More than 2.9 M companies
• More than 60 K college and universities

Interesting TED Talk

I want to share this TED talk video, where Michael Porter, a Harvard business professor, talks about the idea of solving social problems through business. I think he has an interesting point of view on how to address the current social challenges like poor nutrition, access to water, climate change, lack of skills and more because he proposes that addressing a social issue through business creates shared value (social value + economic value). For instance, reducing pollution emissions can actually generate profit and save money, thus there is an incentive to work towards this direction. He also puts as examples of organizations that are working on technology that saves water, organizations that train people in IT skills and many more.

Group 5, free write

The Free Prescription Drug Discount Program is one of the current partnerships that the City has. This discount card is free and it helps people save up to 65% on their prescriptions. It can be used by anybody, there are no restrictions on age, income and health status, and the only information you need to put in the card is your name and a 10-digit number. The card can also be used for dental, vision, veterinary, hearing and more services.

The City does not spend any tax dollar in this program; the program actually generates revenue, which goes to the general fund.

What I usually do regarding this program is to keep track on the figures. For instance, I see how many cards are being used in the different areas of the City and check that the revenue that the City receives corresponds to that number.

Puerto Piramides-Patagonia

I grew up in Patagonia, the South of Argentina, which is a very beautiful place. Patagonia is a region that contains 5 of the biggest provinces of the country. One of my favorite places in this region is Puerto Piramides, which is a small village located in the Northeastern of the province of Chubut.

 
 

Puerto Piramides is a famous place because people from everywhere come to do whale watching. Every year May through December, Puerto Piramides receives whales that choose this place to breed and give birth.

 

However, I used to go there during summer time (December to March), because the beaches and the landscape are just amazing. The weather sometimes is windy but in summer it gets hot enough to go inside the water.

 

Public Service

The organization where I am interning in is the City of Phoenix, thus is a governmental organization. The mission of the City of Phoenix is the following:

• “To improve the quality of life in Phoenix through efficient delivery of outstanding public services”.

We can see in its mission statement the organization’s goal is all about delivering good public services. Some of the main services that the City provides are:

Public safety, transportation, water services, neighborhood services, senior centers, recreational centers, garbage services, libraries, teen educational programs, parks maintenance, youth sports programs and many more.

The City of Phoenix also plans into the future its urban and economic development and how to make Phoenix a more sustainable city. 

The way the City of Phoenix provides services is also determined by its values which are: exceptional customer service, integrity and transparency, respect for diversity, personal empowerment, engaged teamwork, consistent professionalism and creativity and innovation for excellent results.