Deck 10: Legal, Ethical, and Economic Responsibilities: How Can We Make Our Classrooms Fair

Question 1

For U.S. public schools, funding discrepancies between wealthy and poor school districts are reduced mainly by

A) state funding.
B) private grants.
C) federal funding.
D) fundraising events.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

From the standpoint of fairness, the main problem with tracking or ability grouping in classes is that

A) the placement criteria are vague.
B) children tend to know how they are viewed.
C) the performance measures are usually biased.
D) placement decisions are too vulnerable to pressure from parents.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

When is more equitable funding NOT a solution to the problem of underfunded schools?

A) during an economic recession
B) when all schools are underfunded
C) when a district raises its standards for teacher assessment
D) when corrective measures are called for under the No Child Left Behind Act

Answer 3

B

Question 4

W.E.B. Du Bois's main criticism of industrial schools for African Americans was that

A) the instructors were generally unqualified.
B) there were not enough to meet the demand.
C) they offered little instruction in the sciences.
D) they tracked African American students into manual labor.

Question 5

Tracking has been most effective at

A) nurturing future leaders.
B) creating equal outcomes.
C) supporting democratic goals.
D) retaining the lowest achievers.

Question 6

Improving graduation rates in the nation's most troubled schools will require

A) increased funding.
B) multiple intervention strategies.
C) full-time substance abuse counselors.
D) smaller classes.

Question 7

Self-segregation of African-American students is seen by Beverly Daniel Tatum as a means of

A) ostracism.
B) social support.
C) discrimination.
D) implanting values.

Question 8

The U.S. Supreme Court protected the existing system of local school funding in the 1973 ruling in San Antonio Independent School District v Rodriguez. One of the major arguments in the majority opinion was that the Constitution does not protect ________ rights.

A) civil
B) voting
C) property
D) educational

Question 9

The California Supreme Court's Serrano vs. Priest decision in 1961 declared that unequal school funding violated the _____ clause of California's state constitution.

A) equal rights
B) representation
C) equal protection
D) nondiscrimination

Question 10

Most opposition to funding schools from local property taxes is based on the idea that

A) poor kids in poor districts get a lower quality education.
B) most communities lack the resources to fund schools.
C) per-pupil spending does not affect learning outcomes.
D) local units lack the expertise to oversee modern education.