Deck 17: Education

Question 1

Which of the following statements about education is NOT true?

A) It is a way of transmitting knowledge, values, norms, and ideologies from one generation to the next.
B) It prepares young people for adult roles.
C) It prepares adults for new roles.
D) It results in the complete transformation of the individual.

Answer 1

It results in the complete transformation of the individual.

Question 2

The interactionist perspective on education is concerned with:

A) patterns of inequality within educational institutions
B) what actually goes on in the daily life of schools and classrooms
C) the bureaucratic structure of schools
D) the ways in which educational institutions contribute to social equilibrium

Answer 2

what actually goes on in the daily life of schools and classrooms

Question 3

Which of the following perspectives is concerned with how educational institutions supervise the assimilation of children and immigrants into society?

A) conflict theory
B) functionalism
C) interactionism
D) the ecological perspective

Answer 3

functionalism

Question 4

The idea of mass education is:

A) based on the model created in the United States
B) a product of the civil rights movement of the 1960s
C) a result of the spread of capitalism
D) a result of the spread of Christianity throughout the world

Question 5

Mass education differs from elite education in all of the following ways EXCEPT that it:

A) it focuses on socialization of all young people for membership in society
B) is a hallmark of modernity
C) links mastery of standardized curricula to national development
D) stresses preparing a small number to run the institutions of society

Question 6

In what decade did many of the world's nations begin developing systems of mass education?

A) 1900
B) 1930
C) 1950
D) 1980

Question 7

By what decade had all the nations of the world adopted the basic model of mass education systems?

A) 1900
B) 1930
C) 1950
D) 1980

Question 8

The decline in the birthrate that caused a marked decrease in elementary and high school enrollment had a less severe impact on college enrollment because:

A) colleges do not accept all applicants
B) governments continued to subsidize colleges despite declines in enrollment
C) many colleges closed
D) there was a large increase in the number of older students

Question 9

In The Adolescent Society, James Coleman argues that schools function to:

A) create a social world of adolescents that is separate from adult society
B) increase career opportunities for minority students
C) increase the rate of degree inflation
D) perpetuate the stratification system in society

Question 10

In The Adolescent Society, James Coleman argues that schools create a social world that is separate from adult society because:

A) adolescents are naturally rebellious
B) schools lack adequate resources
C) the family fails to satisfy the emotional needs of adolescents
D) they cannot provide the same kind of individual attention that the family can

Question 11

The "youth culture" in contemporary American society is a result of:

A) emphasis on youth in the mass media
B) rising expectations regarding educational attainment
C) the failure of schools to educate adolescents adequately
D) the process of secularization

Question 12

Schools perform all of the following social functions EXCEPT:

A) individual personal growth and development
B) preparing new generations of citizens to fit into society
C) serving as a tool for solving social problems
D) transmitting democratic values

Question 13

Different segments of society have different expectations of the school. These conflicting goals have included all of the following EXCEPT:

A) better preparation for a technologically advanced society
B) maintenance of their subcultural identity and language
C) parental involvement in the educational process
D) providing custodial services so that both parents can work

Question 14

The term educational attainment is used when referring to

A) the amount of knowledge attained by an individual
B) the actual number of years of school an individual has completed
C) a student's score on an I.Q. test
D) a combined score of years of school attended and I.Q. score

Question 15

Which of the following terms best describes the actual number of years of school an individual has completed?

A) educational achievements
B) educational aptitude
C) educational attainment
D) educational track score

Question 16

Which of the following groups is the LEAST likely to finish high school?

A) Whites
B) Blacks
C) Hispanics
D) Asians

Question 17

Since 1980, college attendance has:

A) increased only for Hispanic males.
B) increased only for Black females.
C) increased only for White females.
D) increased for Hispanics, Blacks, and Whites.

Question 18

Which of the following groups are most likely to be tracked into high ability groups?

A) Poor students
B) Black students
C) Hispanic students
D) Students with high SES

Question 19

Tracking programs in educational institutions are thought to contribute to:

A) educational success for all students.
B) educational inequality.
C) educational equality.
D) none of these

Question 20

Which of the following statements about tracking systems in schools is TRUE?

A) Their main purpose is to keep careful records on student achievement.
B) They can make average students feel less valued.
C) They encourage lower achieving students to excel.
D) They exist to maintain close supervision over teacher performance.

Question 21

Which of the following student groups is more likely to be tracked into high ability groups in school?

A) Asians
B) Blacks
C) Hispanic
D) Native Americans

Question 22

The term "degree inflation" refers to the:

A) increase in the educational levels required to qualify for many jobs
B) increasing cost of a college education
C) increasing number of institutions that offer advanced degrees
D) phenomenon of granting degrees to people who have not completed the requirements for the degree

Question 23

Among the effects of "degree inflation" is:

A) encouraging less advantaged students to advanced study
B) increased educational expense
C) lessening of the amount of time devoted to formal education
D) fewer students seeking college degrees

Question 24

The main reason for leaving high school before graduation is:

A) expulsion for unacceptable behavior
B) insufficient finances to continue
C) poor academic performance
D) pregnancy

Question 25

All of the following are among the results of dropping out of high school before graduation EXCEPT:

A) available jobs pay low wages
B) improved self-esteem
C) less chance of getting a job
D) lifelong economic effects

Question 26

Functional incompetency is used to describe those who?

A) are unable to read
B) are unable to pass a high graduation exam
C) are unable to read, write, maintain a budget, and other similar skills
D) cannot pass the G.E. D.

Question 27

Sam dropped out of school to go to work at 15 to support his mother. Now he finds that he does not have the skills he needs to get a job, he cannot read well enough to even complete a job application. He is an example of someone who

A) is considered a failure
B) is functionally incompetent
C) academically deficient
D) is mentally deficient

Question 28

Tests of educational achievement comparing Asian and American children indicated that:

A) American first graders had math scores equal to those of Asian children
B) Asian children scored lower than American children in reading skills
C) Asian children scored lower than American children in math
D) American children as a group had lower math scores than Asian children

Question 29

The difference in achievement scores of American and Asian children is the result of:

A) Asian parents value education more than American parents
B) Asian teaching methods of drill and rote memory
C) greater stress and anxiety of Asian schoolchildren
D) longer hours in school for Asian children

Question 30

The chief factor that keeps some students in school or college longer than others is:

A) higher social class
B) intellectual ability
C) the availability of public higher education
D) the per pupil expenditure in high school

Question 31

In his analysis of public education, Ray C. Rist concludes that:

A) IQ is the best predictor of students' success in school
B) schools prepare students to enter the labor market at approximately the same level as their parents
C) teachers' attitudes toward their students are an important factor in the students' subsequent careers
D) upper-class children are smarter than those from working-class families

Question 32

The key factor in inequality in higher education is:

A) ability to pay
B) innate student ability
C) per pupil expenditures
D) student-faculty ratios

Question 33

Human capital theory sees education as:

A) an investment like any other
B) a way to meet the needs of skilled workers
C) favoring the rich over the poor
D) unrelated to upward mobility

Question 34

The most significant contribution of studies like the High/Scope 20-year study of preschool children is:

A) the evidence that boys consistently have higher academic achievement levels than girls
B) the finding that the high cost of exemplary pre-school programs outweighs the total social benefits of such efforts
C) the indication that the quality of teaching is the most important factor in student achievement
D) their documentation of the benefits of a good pre-school program for disadvantaged children

Question 35

The element of the school structure having the greatest impact on the student is the:

A) bureaucratic nature of the school
B) guidance counselor
C) other students
D) teacher

Question 36

Which of the following has been identified as a significant barrier to educational reform?

A) dwindling numbers of students
B) lack of public support for education
C) the bureaucratic nature of school systems
D) the poor preparation of teachers

Question 37

It has been found that open classrooms:

A) improve attendance by working-class and minority students
B) increase rates of school completion
C) lead to increased teacher burnout
D) produce consistent improvements in student performance

Question 38

An analysis of the impact of first grade teachers on a student's subsequent adult status found that:

A) quality of teaching had no effect on student performance
B) outstanding teachers can raise the IQs of students
C) the most reliable predictor of students' subsequent success was the amount of money spent per pupil
D) the most significant indicator of how well a student will do in school is the student's IQ

Question 39

The Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954), was important for schools because it:

A) ended the legal base for segregated education for minority children
B) prohibited the use of the Bible in public schools
C) required all teachers to be certified
D) upheld the legality of the pledge of allegiance to the flag

Question 40

The landmark decision on the desegregation of public schools came in the Supreme Court case:

A) Abington School District v. Schempp (1963)
B) Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
C) Engle v. Vitale (1962)
D) Murray v. Curlett (1963)

Question 41

In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the Supreme Court held that:

A) school facilities for blacks were inferior
B) school facilities for white and black students were comparable
C) segregation in and of itself had a negative effect on black students
D) segregation in and of itself had no measurable effect when school facilities for white and blacks were essentially equal

Question 42

In most modern school systems the primary school is based on the:

A) open classroom model
B) departmental model
C) modular classroom model
D) a combination of the open/departmental model

Question 43

All of the following were among the findings of Coleman's analysis of segregation patterns in schools EXCEPT:

A) Although de jure segregation had been almost entirely eliminated, de facto segregation was common.
B) Desegregation policies that focus wholly on within-district segregation tend to worsen the problem.
C) Segregation in public schools was no longer a problem.
D) Segregation was due largely to white flight.

Question 44

In an effort to be more aware of the causes of school violence, teachers are being taught how to:

A) recognize bullying
B) send students to detention programs
C) personally break up fights
D) find the snitches in the classroom

Question 45

The basic debate over the benefits of home schooling versus public schooling is:

A) a value of private rights over public rights
B) a matter of degree
C) supported by those who develop home schooling programs
D) an issue of public support in terms of tax dollars for schools

Question 46

Which of the following categories has seen an increase in average annual earnings since 1979?

A) Those without a high school diploma
B) High school graduates
C) Male college graduates
D) Female college graduates

Question 47

Research from the Perry Preschool Study found

A) no differences between those who went to preschool and those who didn't.
B) those who didn't attend preschool were more successful.
C) those who attended preschool were more successful.
D) none of these

Question 48

Research has shown that students who had first grade teachers that were caring, stressed the Importance of schooling, and gave slower students extra attention, were more likely to end up:

A) in lower status groups.
B) in middle status groups.
C) in higher status groups.
D) as juvenile delinquents later in life.

Question 49

The cost/benefit analysis of the Perry preschool program shows:

A) the program was more expensive than the benefits gained
B) the benefits were greater than the costs
C) the costs/benefits were comparable to similar programs
D) the benefits were slightly greater than the costs

Question 50

John Yinger's research indicates that the major factor in determining school segregation is

A) attitudes of the community
B) the administration of the school system
C) segregation in housing
D) lack of federal funding for segregation programs

Question 51

According to research conducted by Comer, what factor does NOT contribute to neighborhoods that are undergoing severe strain?

A) unemployment
B) drug addiction
C) integration
D) poverty

Question 52

The most common form of violence experienced by high school students is:

A) rape
B) murder
C) theft
D) property damage

Question 53

Yale psychiatrist James Comer proposes that reform efforts involve which of the following in planning?

A) schoolchildren
B) parents
C) principals
D) all of these

Question 54

The Comer Model of institutional change will be managed by:

A) principals
B) teachers
C) educational consultants
D) teams

Question 55

A major stumbling block in efforts to bring about school reform is:

A) lack of parental involvement
B) unwillingness of student
C) reduced school funding
D) none of these

Question 56

Early studies of student achievement have:

A) found that school choice improves achievement
B) found that vouchers are not effective in school choice
C) provide little support for school choice and cash vouchers
D) supported all school choice efforts

Question 57

Of the following, all are motivating factors in parents' choices to home school their children EXCEPT:

A) prevent negative peer influence
B) combine religious and secular curricula
C) provide a wide variety of peer contacts
D) eliminate exposure to violence

Question 58

The rate of growth of home schooling is about:

A) 3% per year
B) 5% per year
C) 7% per year
D) 9% per year

Question 59

Critics of home schooling in Europe have noted that in many societies there is a trend towards:

A) valuing private rights over public rights and public goods
B) valuing things that are for the good of society
C) placing an individual in a home school setting for the good of society
D) seeking homes in which young children may be schooled

Question 60

Over the last 70 years in the United States, the median years of school completed has ____________, but looking specifically at the last 20 years, the median years of school completed has ______________.

A) increased; decreased
B) decreased; stayed essentially the same
C) decreased; increased
D) increased; stayed essentially the same

Question 61

The median number of years of school completed in the U.S. in 2008 was approximately:

A) 8.5
B) 10
C) 13
D) 15.5

Question 62

Which of the following countries has a higher secondary school completion rate than the United States?

A) Hungary, Germany and Ireland
B) France, Switzerland, Belgium
C) Iceland, Israel, Slovak Republic
D) All of the above

Question 63

An unintended consequence of tying school funding to "high-stakes testing" has been:

A) an increase in school funds
B) higher achievement on standardized exams
C) higher student dropout rates
D) a surplus of funds because few schools meet the necessary benchmarks

Question 64

"No Child Left Behind" is:

A) an education bill passed during the Bush administration that continued the trend of increasing school accountability through standardized testing
B) a euphemism for social promotion
C) a policy designed to eliminate degree inflation
D) the bill that established community colleges across the country

Question 65

The United States was able to recruit a number of new teachers in the last ten years thanks primarily to:

A) renewed efforts to attract people to the teaching profession
B) increases in wages
C) reduced workload
D) lack of alternative economic opportunity

Question 66

The average age of a school in the United States is:

A) less than 10 years old
B) about 20 years old
C) about 40 years old
D) over 50 years old

Question 67

_______________ is the term used when a political leader places his/her allies in administrative positions.

A) degree inflation
B) cronyism
C) patronage
D) hidden curriculum

Question 68

When a person is appointed to a job as a favor to someone else in the organization, this is known as:

A) patronage
B) cronyism
C) mobility
D) bureaucracy

Question 69

Community colleges are characterized by all of the following EXCEPT:

A) lower rates of degree completion than students at four-year institutions
B) overrepresentation of low-income students
C) innovative teaching and learning strategies
D) little racial or ethnic diversity

Question 70

Which of the following statements reflects the general trend with regards to language and instruction in the U.S.?

A) Despite budget cutbacks, the U.S. remains a world leader in secondary language acquisition with students starting a very young age.
B) It is common in the U.S. for students to have been introduced to study in several languages by the time they leave primary school.
C) There is no relationship between the primary language of instruction and economic inequality.
D) English-only instruction has replaced calls for instruction in student's native language.

Question 71

Reproduction theory states that:

A) the educational experiences of children of a given social class serve to keep them in that class once their schooling is completed.
B) girls who drop out of school to have children face significantly worse life chances.
C) school bureaucracy has grown as the number of schools has expanded.
D) the extensive use of standardized testing only produces students who have learned how to take tests.

Question 72

Paul Willis's research in an industrial community in England, and MacLeod's observations in an American high school, provide general evidence for:

A) human capital theory
B) reproduction theory
C) degree inflation
D) the effectiveness of high stakes testing

Question 73

All of the following countries have higher average mathematics scores than the U.S. EXCEPT

A) Netherlands
B) Estonia
C) Ghana
D) Singapore

Question 74

Most people who join the military have:

A) high school diploma or equivalent
B) some college
C) 4-year college degree
D) Masters degree or higher

Question 75

The 1944 legislation that afforded hundreds of thousands of veterans the opportunity to attend college or professional training programs is known as:

A) the educational attainment act
B) the GI Bill
C) the educational achievement act
D) the degree inflation act

Question 76

Higher literacy rates have been linked to which of the following?

A) increased warfare and conflict
B) lower fertility rates in overpopulated and/or impoverished regions
C) degree inflation
D) smaller educational bureaucracy

Question 77

The term "brain drain" refers to:

A) the loss of opportunity presented by high school dropouts
B) the funneling of poor people into community colleges
C) educated people leaving developing nations to pursue opportunities in developed nations
D) the gradual decline of U.S. educational outcomes relative to the rest of the developed world

Question 78

Investments in literacy alone are not enough to accelerate social change in a population. Instead, they must be accompanied by

A) an educational infrastructure that includes top-notch technical training
B) social policies designed to prevent "brain drain"
C) strategies to reach the most segmented and marginalized parts of a population
D) efforts to guard against dropouts

Question 79

Issues raised by conflict theorists with regard to education in the developing world include:

A) How independent are the schools from other social institutions, such as mosques and political parties?
B) How can schools be better organized?
C) How does learning take place in the classroom?
D) Whose children get to go to school?

Question 80

Educational institutions have a major effect on the communities that they are a part of.