Deck 5: Historical Development of American Education

Question 1

Thomas Jefferson's Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge is an important benchmark in the history of public education because it

A) was the first legislative attempt by a state to take over schools and use them for social, political, and economic purposes.
B) represents the first time a national leader took the initiative to create a national system of public education.
C) marked a transition in the broad purpose of schooling from religious instruction, as had existed in the colonial period, to public schools based on the needs of a democratic society.
D) challenged the ability of the federal government to intervene in the affairs of public schools.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The ___________ recreated the socioeconomic class-based dual track school systems.

A) French
C) colonists
B) Canadians
D) Puritans

Answer 2

C

Question 3

____________________ taught the Latin and Greek languages required for admission to colonial colleges.

A) The dual track system
C) Town schools
B) Latin grammar schools
D) Jefferson schools

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Summarize the development of the American educational system from the revolutionary to early national era.

Question 5

Which group tended to have the greatest access to educational opportunities in colonial America?

A) children of enslaved Africans
C) daughters of Pennsylvania Quakers
B) sons of rural southerners
D) sons of the upper class in New England

Question 6

When Thomas Jefferson tried to establish public education in Virginia, his primary purpose was to

A) promote a knowledgeable citizenry.
B) provide education for all children.
C) require schools to teach general education and vocational skills.
D) require professional training for teachers.

Question 7

The role of women has changed considerably since colonial times.Similarly, educational opportunities for women have changed.What was the role of women during the colonial period? What were the educational opportunities for women at that time? What have been some of the influences since that time on changes in the role of women and in educational opportunities for women?

Question 8

The "Old Deluder Satan" Act was important because it

A) required towns to appoint a reading and writing teacher.
B) outlawed the teaching of religion in the schools.
C) required professional training for teachers.
D) introduced taxation for citizens.

Question 9

In 1647, the general court of _____________ passed the "Old Deluder Satan" Act into law.

A) Massachusetts
C) Florida
B) Virginia
D) Connecticut

Question 10

The Northwest Ordinance of 1785 required townships to

A) assist schools through the use of taxes.
B) designate land for the purpose of education.
C) hire professionally trained teachers.
D) teach agriculture in the schools.

Question 11

Matthew is the twelve-year-old son of a successful businessman in colonial New England.Which of the following schools is he most likely to attend?

A) dame school
C) town school
B) Franklin Academy
D) Latin grammar school

Question 12

What early American statesman advocated schools that taught the Bible and Christian principles and that were supported by a combination of private (controlled by religious denominations) and public funds?

A) Thomas Jefferson
C) Benjamin Rush
B) Benjamin Franklin
D) Noah Webster

Question 13

A distinguishing feature of the middle colonies was that they had

A) a variety of religions and languages.
B) Latin grammar schools.
C) limited school for members of the lower classes.
D) town schools.

Question 14

Schools in New England were designed to contribute to a person's

A) ability to think critically.
C) interest in becoming a community leader.
B) economic productivity.
D) knowledge about history.

Question 15

The involvement of the federal government in education has gradually increased since the colonial period.This influence can be seen in the judicial, legislative, and executive branches of the federal government.Identify and analyze key events and influences on education from these three branches of the federal government.

Question 16

Because of their acceptance of the child depravity theory, colonial teachers

A) used firm, harsh discipline.
B) developed inquiring minds.
C) focused on economic issues.
D) engaged in developmentally appropriate learning.

Question 17

Large southern plantations affected schooling for blacks and poor whites by

A) having agriculture as part of the curriculum.
B) limiting the locations of schools.
C) limiting the number of school days available.
D) limiting opportunities for their education.

Question 18

In colonial times, the town school was

A) criticized by the church.
C) locally controlled.
B) designed to teach vocational skills.
D) a form of higher education.

Question 19

Which of the following statements best reflects the motivation for creating schools in colonial America?

A) Schools were most often organized to support the growing economic prosperity in the colonies.
B) Schools were most often organized to insulate and educate colonial groups on the basis of religious or cultural needs.
C) Because of the small number of children living in the colonies, schools were seen as unnecessary, and most education took place in the home.
D) From the very beginning of colonial settlement, public schools were considered vital to the political, social, and economic survival of the colonies.

Question 20

The hornbook was primary designed for children to memorize _____________________.

A) the alphabet
C) words and sentences
B) syllables
D) all of the above

Question 21

The middle school was designed to

A) address concerns of parents about personal safety in high school.
B) create more opportunities for career education.
C) permit a gradual transition from childhood to adolescence.
D) shift large enrollments out of overcrowded junior high schools.

Question 22

Clergy choose to study Latin and Greek as the principle language of study.What language did prospective students planning a commercial career study?

A) French
C) German
B) Spanish
D) All of the above

Question 23

Which of the following is most opposite to the common school in its underlying philosophy and purpose?

A) Latin grammar school
C) monitorial school
B) New England town school
D) one-room school

Question 24

The educational efforts of people such as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Noah Webster most directly culminated in which of the following?

A) the development of the common school by leaders such as Horace Mann during the nineteenth century
B) the creation of normal schools for the preparation of teachers
C) the establishment of the idea that all students should receive both elementary and secondary education
D) the belief that public education in the United States was clearly superior to education in private schools

Question 25

The elementary school that was open to the children of all social and economic classes was the

A) common school.
C) normal school.
B) Latin grammar school.
D) town school.

Question 26

The G.I.Bill of 1944

A) aided expansion of the military academies.
B) resulted in increased funding for schools with large enrollments of African American students.
C) provided federal funds for veterans to subsidize their education.
D) represents the first time the federal government assisted higher education.

Question 27

Junior high schools emerged as a result of

A) pressure from parents and community leaders.
B) recommendations from the National Education Association.
C) the desire for a transitional institution between elementary school and high school.
D) the influence of child psychologists.

Question 28

After compulsory school laws were passed, providing public secondary schools became the responsibility of the

A) local districts.
C) federal government.
B) states.
D) county.

Question 29

Which of the following terms is closest in meaning to the intended outcomes of the late-nineteenth-century "Americanization" approach to educating immigrants?

A) assimilation
C) multiculturalism
B) pluralism
D) separation

Question 30

Which of the following pre-1800 ideas about education in America was most prominent in the educational reforms that accompanied the common school?

A) Public education could provide religious instruction without violating the social and democratic purposes of public schools.
B) Citizens at the local level should have most of the authority in the affairs of public schools.
C) It was essential that those who controlled education be those best educated in the affairs of education.
D) The most important task for public education was to ensure creation of the elite leadership that would make democratic government work.

Question 31

Interest in the monitorial method of instruction faded because it

A) provided limited content coverage.
B) proved too costly.
C) was replaced by the common school.
D) was too difficult to manage in large classes.

Question 32

The Freedmen's Bureau intended to

A) eliminate limitations on travel after the Civil War.
B) help former slaves adjust to freedom.
C) provide free legal assistance for businesses.
D) promote teacher training.

Question 33

Much of the tension that existed between Booker T.Washington and W.E.B.Du Bois in the African American struggle for education focused on

A) whether African Americans had the right to attend the same schools as white children.
B) the caution with which Washington approached educational equality and the urgency with which Du Bois asserted was necessary.
C) the degree to which Washington's approach to educational equity restricted the access of African Americans to economic and social equity.
D) all of the above.

Question 34

The Committee of Ten recommended that high-school programs emphasize

A) classical literature.
C) mathematics and science.
B) college preparation.
D) vocational education.

Question 35

Normal schools were important for women because they

A) included content related to domestic skills.
B) offered courses at convenient times.
C) provided opportunities for higher education.
D) were staffed by women.

Question 36

New York's educational system found its roots in the Reformed Church of the __________ colonists.

A) Irish
C) Swedish
B) English
D) Dutch

Question 37

Certifying teachers to teach in one-room schools in the 1800s was the responsibility of the

A) local representative to Congress.
C) mayor of the community.
B) local school board.
D) state department of education.

Question 38

The change that opened the door to the high-school movement was

A) improved professional training for secondary teachers.
B) court rulings enabling tax support for public schools.
C) mandates by the state department of education on the curriculum.
D) the increased need for schooling due to westward expansion.

Question 39

The educational policy of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has historically stated that

A) all children should have equal educational opportunities.
B) community members should participate in educational policy making.
C) minority children need minority teachers.
D) the school curriculum should include issues related to ethnicity.

Question 40

The Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education report was significant for high schools because it represented a shift from

A) college preparation to a comprehensive orientation.
B) federal control to local control.
C) noncertified to fully certified teachers.
D) private to public funding for schools.

Question 41

What role did the Founding Fathers give to education in the new federal government under the U.S.Constitution?

Question 42

How did Noah Webster reason that American cultural identity and unity could be developed through the use of language?

Question 43

In what ways were the Middle Atlantic colonies religiously and culturally diverse, and how did this diversity affect the types of schools being established?

Question 44

Events in the United States during the twentieth century such as the G.I.Bill, Title IX, and educating students with disabilities tended to highlight most directly

A) the increasing lack of interest by the American public in the role of public schools in society.
B) a continued emphasis on the role of education in promoting a sense of nationalism and creating an "American" culture.
C) the increasing influence of the national government in the affairs of public education.
D) the increasing lack of direction leading to the decay of public education in this country.

Question 45

Give one clear example of how the history of American education reflected the problems of race, gender, and ethnic groups.

Question 46

Describe the differences of the southern colonies' educational patterns compared to the New England and Mid-Atlantic colonies.

Question 47

Identify and discuss who was advantaged and who was disadvantaged by the educational opportunities provided by the dual-track system of schools in the colonial period.

Question 48

How did the reports by the Committee of Ten and the Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Education influence education in America?

Question 49

In the late nineteenth century, the federal government provided education for Native Americans with the purpose of

A) assimilating Native Americans into the white society.
B) encouraging higher employment for Native Americans.
C) promoting religious values.
D) preserving Native American traditions.

Question 50

What is meant by the term assimilationist education? What impact did this have on American education in the late 1800s and the first half of the 1900s?

Question 51

What factors in the southern colonies contributed to the types of educational opportunities provided to blacks and poor whites?

Question 52

How did Booker T.Washington and W.E.B.Du Bois influence the education of minorities?

Question 53

What role did the American Revolution play on the development of the American education system?

Question 54

What are the characteristics of the common school? How did it differ from the academy?