Question 1

What is a major objection that is usually raised against a voucher system?

Accepted Answer

A) Students attending private schools tend to outperform their public school counterparts on standardized tests. 
B) Voucher programs would primarily benefit low-income families. 
C) Voucher programs will create a more heterogeneous student population. 
D) Voucher programs would drain funds away from the public schools, and thereby cause their quality to decrease. 
A) Students attending private schools tend to outperform their public school counterparts on standardized tests. 
B) Voucher programs would primarily benefit low-income families. 
C) Voucher programs will create a more heterogeneous student population. 
D) Voucher programs would drain funds away from the public schools, and thereby cause their quality to decrease.

Question 2

What are some of the criticisms of voucher programs? How would a voucher program be modified to address these concerns?

Accepted Answer

There are three main criticisms. First,

Question 3

Relative to other countries, U.S. spending per pupil for public elementary and secondary education is

Accepted Answer

A) among the lowest in the world. 
B) roughly average when compared with other countries. 
C) among the highest in the world. 
D) higher than in most other developed countries but less than in developing countries. 
A) among the lowest in the world. 
B) roughly average when compared with other countries. 
C) among the highest in the world. 
D) higher than in most other developed countries but less than in developing countries.

Question 4

Public elementary and secondary school administrators have a strong incentive to

Accepted Answer

A) attempt to increase their funding levels. 
B) be efficient since their budgets are determined by politicians. 
C) cater to the preferences of students and parents. 
D) do all of the above. 
A) attempt to increase their funding levels. 
B) be efficient since their budgets are determined by politicians. 
C) cater to the preferences of students and parents. 
D) do all of the above.

Question 5

When a good or service is supplied under competitive conditions, economic analysis indicates that with the passage of time, the quality of the product will

Accepted Answer

A) tend to improve, but its real price will generally rise. 
B) tend to improve, and its real price will generally fall. 
C) decline, and its real price will generally rise. 
D) decline, and its real price will fall. 
A) tend to improve, but its real price will generally rise. 
B) tend to improve, and its real price will generally fall. 
C) decline, and its real price will generally rise. 
D) decline, and its real price will fall.

Question 6

Which of the following is true?

Accepted Answer

A) The achievement scores of African-American students tend to be lower after one to two years in voucher programs. 
B) Most parents of students in charter schools and voucher programs indicate they are dissatisfied with their children's schools. 
C) Voucher programs targeted at low- and middle-income families will tend to decrease racial integration in highly segregated communities. 
D) The impact of charter schools on student achievement is inconclusive. 
A) The achievement scores of African-American students tend to be lower after one to two years in voucher programs. 
B) Most parents of students in charter schools and voucher programs indicate they are dissatisfied with their children's schools. 
C) Voucher programs targeted at low- and middle-income families will tend to decrease racial integration in highly segregated communities. 
D) The impact of charter schools on student achievement is inconclusive.

Question 7

Which of the following factors helps explain why public school administrators have little economic incentive to operate efficiently?

Accepted Answer

A) Public schools have substantial monopoly power. 
B) The funding levels for public schools are determined by politicians rather than directly by consumers. 
C) It is expensive for consumers to switch from a public to a private school. 
D) All of the above are true. 
A) Public schools have substantial monopoly power. 
B) The funding levels for public schools are determined by politicians rather than directly by consumers. 
C) It is expensive for consumers to switch from a public to a private school. 
D) All of the above are true.

Question 8

If elementary and secondary schooling were produced entirely by private firms and purchased by parents with their own money,

Accepted Answer

A) parents would have a strong incentive to search out those schools offering their children the best education at the best value. 
B) schools would better cater to the desires of parents and supply education more efficiently. 
C) schools would face much stronger competition from one another that would tend to increase the quality of schooling. 
D) all of the above would occur. 
A) parents would have a strong incentive to search out those schools offering their children the best education at the best value. 
B) schools would better cater to the desires of parents and supply education more efficiently. 
C) schools would face much stronger competition from one another that would tend to increase the quality of schooling. 
D) all of the above would occur.

Question 9

When the government both provides education and covers its costs through taxation,

Accepted Answer

A) public schools have a strong incentive to supply a high quality education at a low cost. 
B) parents are in a weak position to either discipline poorly performing schools or alter the quantity or quality of schooling provided. 
C) competition between schools is greatly enhanced relative to a system of privately produced and funded education. 
D) public school administrators are driven to care more about pleasing parents than about pleasing teachers' unions. 
A) public schools have a strong incentive to supply a high quality education at a low cost. 
B) parents are in a weak position to either discipline poorly performing schools or alter the quantity or quality of schooling provided. 
C) competition between schools is greatly enhanced relative to a system of privately produced and funded education. 
D) public school administrators are driven to care more about pleasing parents than about pleasing teachers' unions.

Question 10

The achievement scores of American students are ____ than those of students in most developed countries, and spending per elementary student in the United States is ____ than that of most developed countries.

Accepted Answer

A) higher; less 
B) higher; greater 
C) lower; greater 
D) lower; less 
A) higher; less 
B) higher; greater 
C) lower; greater 
D) lower; less

Question 11

Competition between public and private schools is ____ at the college level than at the elementary and secondary level.

Accepted Answer

A) weaker 
B) of similar intensity 
C) stronger 
D) less important 
A) weaker 
B) of similar intensity 
C) stronger 
D) less important

Question 12

During the 2008-2009 school year, approximately how many students attended a charter school?

Accepted Answer

A) 100,000 
B) 600,000 
C) 1,400,000 
D) 2,100,000 
A) 100,000 
B) 600,000 
C) 1,400,000 
D) 2,100,000

Question 13

Which of the following is true about a voucher system?

Accepted Answer

A) A voucher system is one in which parents receive a certificate equal to the current value of educational expenditures per pupil at their school, and the parents may then use this voucher to finance their child's education at any school (public or private) of their choice. 
B) Under a voucher system, competition would be greatly increased among schools as they compete for students. 
C) Under a voucher system, the quality of teachers and the diversity of school program offerings would increase. 
D) All of the above are true. 
A) A voucher system is one in which parents receive a certificate equal to the current value of educational expenditures per pupil at their school, and the parents may then use this voucher to finance their child's education at any school (public or private) of their choice. 
B) Under a voucher system, competition would be greatly increased among schools as they compete for students. 
C) Under a voucher system, the quality of teachers and the diversity of school program offerings would increase. 
D) All of the above are true.

Question 14

What best explains why so many children attend public schools, instead of private schools?\

Accepted Answer

A) Public schools provide a significantly better education, as measured by SAT scores. 
B) Public schools have nicer facilities and better sports programs. 
C) When a student attends a public school they do not have to pay tuition. 
D) Private schools have catered only to the wealthy and therefore ordinary Americans would not be welcome in private schools. 
A) Public schools provide a significantly better education, as measured by SAT scores. 
B) Public schools have nicer facilities and better sports programs. 
C) When a student attends a public school they do not have to pay tuition. 
D) Private schools have catered only to the wealthy and therefore ordinary Americans would not be welcome in private schools.

Question 15

Between the late 1960s and 2009, the achievement scores of American students

Accepted Answer

A) fell. 
B) did not change. 
C) rose slightly. 
D) rose substantially. 
A) fell. 
B) did not change. 
C) rose slightly. 
D) rose substantially.

Question 16

Charter schools are

Accepted Answer

A) privately funded schools 
B) typically religious schools 
C) non-traditional schools funded and operated by the government 
D) government operated schools that compete with private schools by charging tuition and providing competitive services. 
A) privately funded schools 
B) typically religious schools 
C) non-traditional schools funded and operated by the government 
D) government operated schools that compete with private schools by charging tuition and providing competitive services.

Question 17

School voucher programs

Accepted Answer

A) make it possible for a broader range of consumers to obtain education more consistent with their preferences. 
B) are strongly supported by teachers unions because they increase the demand for and earnings of quality teachers. 
C) are strongly opposed by parents because they are pretty much satisfied with the quality of the schools currently available. 
D) reduce the educational options available to students and parents. 
A) make it possible for a broader range of consumers to obtain education more consistent with their preferences. 
B) are strongly supported by teachers unions because they increase the demand for and earnings of quality teachers. 
C) are strongly opposed by parents because they are pretty much satisfied with the quality of the schools currently available. 
D) reduce the educational options available to students and parents.

Question 18

Recent studies indicate that the achievement scores of

Accepted Answer

A) students in charter schools are much higher than those of students in traditional public schools. 
B) African-American students tend to be higher after one to two years in voucher programs. 
C) students in charter schools are stable over time. 
D) students in charter schools are lower after two to four years. 
A) students in charter schools are much higher than those of students in traditional public schools. 
B) African-American students tend to be higher after one to two years in voucher programs. 
C) students in charter schools are stable over time. 
D) students in charter schools are lower after two to four years.

Question 19

A school voucher program targeted towards low- and middle-income families would cause

Accepted Answer

A) racial and economic segregation among schools to fall. 
B) per-pupil funding in the public schools to fall. 
C) salaries for outstanding teachers to fall. 
D) competition among schools to fall. 
A) racial and economic segregation among schools to fall. 
B) per-pupil funding in the public schools to fall. 
C) salaries for outstanding teachers to fall. 
D) competition among schools to fall.

Question 20

In 2005, average spending per pupil in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States was approximately

Accepted Answer

A) $4,585. 
B) $6,585. 
C) $8,585. 
D) $10,585. 
A) $4,585. 
B) $6,585. 
C) $8,585. 
D) $10,585.

Exam 23: Appendix:education: Problems and Performance

What is a major objection that is usually raised against a voucher system?

What are some of the criticisms of voucher programs? How would a voucher program be modified to address these concerns?

Relative to other countries, U.S. spending per pupil for public elementary and secondary education is

Public elementary and secondary school administrators have a strong incentive to

When a good or service is supplied under competitive conditions, economic analysis indicates that with the passage of time, the quality of the product will

Which of the following is true?

Which of the following factors helps explain why public school administrators have little economic incentive to operate efficiently?

If elementary and secondary schooling were produced entirely by private firms and purchased by parents with their own money,

When the government both provides education and covers its costs through taxation,

The achievement scores of American students are ____ than those of students in most developed countries, and spending per elementary student in the United States is ____ than that of most developed countries.

Competition between public and private schools is ____ at the college level than at the elementary and secondary level.

During the 2008-2009 school year, approximately how many students attended a charter school?

Which of the following is true about a voucher system?

What best explains why so many children attend public schools, instead of private schools?\

Between the late 1960s and 2009, the achievement scores of American students

Charter schools are

School voucher programs

Recent studies indicate that the achievement scores of

A school voucher program targeted towards low- and middle-income families would cause

In 2005, average spending per pupil in public elementary and secondary schools in the United States was approximately

The Economic Approach

A: Some Tools of the Economist

B: Some Tools of the Economist

A: Supply, Demand, and the Market Process

B: Supply, Demand, and the Market Process

A: Supply and Demand: Applications and Extensions

B: Supply and Demand: Applications and Extensions

Difficult Cases for the Market and the Role of Government

The Economics of Collective Decision-Making

Consumer Choice and Elasticity

A: Costs and the Supply of Goods

B: Costs and the Supply of Goods

A: Price Takers and the Competitive Process

B: Price Takers and the Competitive Process

Price-Searcher Markets With Low Entry Barriers

A: Price-Searcher Markets With High Entry Barriers

B: Price-Searcher Markets With High Entry Barriers

The Supply of and Demand for Productive Resources

Earnings, Productivity, and the Job Market

Investment, the Capital Market, and the Wealth of Nations

Income Inequality and Poverty

Appendix: Government Spending and Taxation

Appendix: the Economics of Social Security

Appendix: the Stock Market: Its Function, Performance, and Potential As an Investment Opportunity

Appendix: Great Debates in Economics: Keynes Versus Hayek

Appendix: the Crisis of 2008: Causes and Lessons for the Future

Appendix: Lessons From the Great Depression

Appendix: the Economics of Healthcare

Appendix: Earnings Differences Between Men and Women

Appendix: the Question of Resource Exhaustion

Appendix: Do Labor Unions Increase the Wages of Workers

Appendix: Difficult Environmental Cases and the Role of Government

Filters

The achievement scores of American students are than those of students in most developed countries, and spending per elementary student in the United States is than that of most developed countries.