Deck 11: Problems of Education

Question 1

Harold W.Stevenson conducted a comparative study of students in the United States and Asia.He discovered that __________.

A)contrary to popular belief,American schoolchildren perform better than do those in Asia
B)students in some of the better Asian schools had scores that were similar to those of American students
C)Asian students performed as well or better than American students through the fifth grade,but then,the American youngsters far outperformed their Asian counterparts
D)All of the above
E)None of the above

Answer 1

E

Question 2

According to the text's discussion of the "failure" of the American educational system,__________.

A)educational policy makers believe that schools must do more to increase the overall level of student achievement
B)most teachers believe that parents should not play a major role in their children's education
C)an increasing majority of parents are electing to "homeschool" their children
D)All of the above
E)None of the above

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The Bush administration and Congress have developed a program,known as __________,whose components include developing national achievement tests,encouraging failing students to accept tutoring,and punishing schools and school districts that fail to raise student test scores to national averages.

A)No Child Left Behind
B)Education First
C)Children Empowered
D)Back to the Basics
E)Let's Encourage Our Children

Answer 3

E

Question 4

The gap in educational attainment between blacks and whites has narrowed considerably since the beginning of the twentieth century,mainly as a result of the __________.

A)discontinuation of achievement tests
B)infusion of federal monies to support African American education
C)increase in the minimum amount of education received by almost all Americans
D)modified admission standards
E)None of the above

Question 5

In his research,educator Robert Slavin determined that among fourth graders __________.

A)whose parents graduated from college,70 percent were reading at or above the basic level
B)whose parents were high school dropouts,32 percent were reading at or above the basic level
C)whose homes had magazines,newspapers,encyclopedias,and at least 25 books,about 70 percent scored at or above the basic level
D)All of the above
E)None of the above

Question 6

The __________ approach to educational problems focuses on intergroup disputes that arise out of the desire to maintain or defend a group's status in a particular community.

A)functionalist
B)labeling
C)value-conflict
D)social disorganization
E)institutional

Question 7

The __________ approach to educational problems views the system of compulsory education in the United States to be the result of meeting the needs of a capitalist economy for skilled and disciplined workers.

A)functionalist
B)social disorganization
C)labeling
D)Marxian conflict
E)interactionist

Question 8

One reason educational attainment is stressed so strongly is that it is positively correlated with __________.

A)feelings of superiority
B)socioeconomic status
C)democratic participation
D)positive peer group evaluations
E)religious sanctification

Question 9

Which of the following groups has/have attained equal access to quality education?

A)blacks
B)Hispanics
C)Native Americans
D)All of the above
E)None of the above

Question 10

At various times,_______________ urged educational systems to add more computers and networks to their classroom

A)Bill Clinton and George H.W.Bush
B)Ronald Reagan and Al Gore
C)Al Gore and Newt Gingrich
D)George W.Bush and Bill Clinton
E)Bob Dole and Bill Clinton

Question 11

The __________ approach to educational problems views them as resulting from students who come from homes that are socially disorganized.

A)conflict
B)labeling
C)functionalist
D)value-conflict
E)interactionist

Question 12

The quality of education available to central-city residents is lower than that available to white suburban residents.This is explained by __________.

A)central-city residents having lower IQs
B)central-city schools having fewer resources
C)county-wide busing
D)educational values that stress achievement
E)prejudiced school administrators

Question 13

An approach discussed in the text analyzes the difficulties experienced by schools when they attempt to change their organization and their procedures in order to improve student performance.This reflects which perspective?

A)conflict
B)interactionist
C)labeling
D)social disorganization
E)functionalist

Question 14

Recent research by Stanford Dornbusch and his colleagues at Temple University shows that students use labels like "slacker" and "nerd" to __________.
A)None of the above

A)personally belittle and embarrass each other
B)categorize one another and to explain how they sort themselves into cliques that perform quite differently in social and academic settings
C)facilitate "rating and dating"
D)All of the above

Question 15

__________ percent of all American children between the ages of 7 and 15 are enrolled in school.
A)65

A)78
B)85
C)90
D)98

Question 16

In some metropolitan areas,over 90 percent of the students in public schools are black and Hispanic.The main reason for this is __________.

A)high birthrates among blacks and Hispanics
B)drug use
C)because whites have left the city;blacks and Hispanics have moved in
D)county-wide busing
E)integrated neighborhoods

Question 17

The __________ approach to educational problems views the schools as agents of social control whose task it is to reinforce society's values and to control deviance through discipline.

A)interactionist
B)functionalist
C)labeling
D)class conflict
E)social disorganization

Question 18

Busing has been employed in the attempt to achieve school desegregation.One study of busing describes a community that actively resists change.This community is called a __________.

A)backlash tract
B)reactionary neighborhood
C)resistance bastion
D)defended neighborhood
E)neighborhood on the offense

Question 19

If it wants to be __________,a society has a responsibility to provide equal access to quality education for all of its citizens.

A)successful
B)competitive
C)egalitarian
D)democratic
E)communistic

Question 20

The __________ approach to educational problems identifies how schools that label students as "underachievers" can become "factories for failure."

A)interactionist
B)functionalist
C)conflict
D)social disorganization
E)value-conflict

Question 21

Massive _____________ seemed to be the MOST likely cost-cutting intervention for most of the nation's largest states in 2010 because they faced huge budget deficits as a result severe economic recession and mortgage crisis of 2008.

A)teacher layoffs
B)decreases in technological upgrades
C)enrollments
D)increases in teacher in-service training
E)none of the above

Question 22

Schools have been compared with prisons,mental hospitals,and other such institutions that have been called total institutions.Schools do exhibit one of the key traits of total institutions,which is __________.

A)a first-order priority placed upon custody
B)many "clients" locked up for most of the day
C)administrators who place a high priority on maintaining their authority
D)a record is kept that hinders your future employment
E)"clients" are shunned by family and friends

Question 23

Asian Americans make up 4 percent of the U.S.population but represent __________ percent of the students now attending America's elite Ivy League schools.

A)1
B)6
C)12
D)15
E)20

Question 24

In 1991,the Supreme Court held that the Oklahoma City schools __________.

A)must continue to adhere to a 1972 busing order because they had failed to eliminate segregation
B)could be released from a 1972 busing order on the grounds that they had taken "all practicable steps" to eliminate segregation
C)were racist in their orientation toward public education
D)would have to continue busing students from ghettos to better,suburban schools
E)None of the above

Question 25

According to the text,the most significant outcome of the Perry Project was
A)None of the above were significant outcomes.

A)decrease in criminal behavior.
B)increase in use of welfare services.
C)its effect on educational attainment.
D)increased pregnancy rates.

Question 26

Historically,which of the following is/are (a)major factor(s)in the lower educational attainment of blacks in comparison to whites in the United States?

A)Most blacks lived in the South.
B)Blacks in the North competed with immigrant groups.
C)Blacks have been subject to discrimination.
D)All of the above
E)None of the above

Question 27

Project Star,a systematic longitudinal study conducted in the Tennessee schools,confirmed that smaller classes __________.

A)have no impact on the quality of instruction
B)seem to decrease the quality of instruction
C)yield results that are about the same in comparison to larger classes
D)yield better results in terms of providing high-quality instruction
E)None of the above

Question 28

According to the text's discussion of the debate over school choice,__________.

A)Democratic candidates at all levels of government generally favor a system of vouchers that parents could "spend" in sending their children to any kind of school they wish
B)Republican candidates are usually opposed to any type of school voucher plan
C)critics of school vouchers fear that such a system would encourage better-off families to remove their children from the public schools
D)All of the above
E)None of the above

Question 29

An estimated __________ children experience domestic violence each year.

A)500,000
B)1 million
C)2 million
D)3.3 million
E)over 10 million

Question 30

Early-childhood education programs like Head Start are considered investments in "__________."

A)human capital
B)the global future
C)America's legacy
D)capitalist profits
E)corporate America

Question 31

The __________ Project on School Desegregation notes that during the Reagan administration,there was an explicit policy not to pursue school districts that failed to make progress toward desegregation.

A)Yale
B)Columbia
C)Princeton
D)Duke
E)None of the above

Question 32

In the decade since the first charter schools opened,the U.S.charter-school movement has produced about __________ in 29 states and the District of Columbia.

A)200
B)300
C)500
D)800
E)1,500

Question 33

In 2007,the Supreme Court reversed the landmark precedent set in the 1954 Brown v.Board of Education decision against school segregation,ruling that voluntary policies designed to select students based on race in order to achieve more integrated classrooms are __________.

A)illegal
B)racist
C)discriminatory
D)unconstitutional
E)prejudicial

Question 34

The Perry Project in a lower socioeconomic status neighborhood of Ypsilanti,Michigan,was an experiment in __________.

A)educational reform
B)preschool programs
C)working with delinquents
D)teaching about literacy
E)bilingual education

Question 35

According to recent research by Douglas Massey and Judith Denton on the persistence of residential segregation,__________.

A)the pace of school desegregation has been decelerating dramatically over the past few decades
B)very few school systems throughout the country have adapted successfully to the demand for desegregated public schools
C)without stronger enforcement of fair-housing laws and other measures to reduce racial segregation,it will be extremely difficult to accelerate the pace of school desegregation
D)All of the above
E)None of the above

Question 36

A specific difficulty encountered by Hispanic students in succeeding in school,which does not face most other minorities,is __________.

A)low IQ
B)language difficulties
C)the rural-urban distribution of Hispanics
D)skin color difference
E)family structure

Question 37

The major structural characteristic of modern school systems is __________.

A)large numbers of students
B)extensive bureaucratization
C)unscheduled learning
D)too few administrators
E)a radical value system

Question 38

Approximately __________ million students were being homeschooled in the United States in the spring of 2008.

A)0.5
B)0.7
C)0.85
D)0.96
E)1.1

Question 39

The National Education Association and The American Federation of Teachers are both examples of __________.

A)teachers' unions
B)educational foundations
C)political parties
D)government agencies
E)private businesses

Question 40

Americans generally believe that modern discoveries and practices can solve problems.In the schools,this has produced the use of cost accounting,systems analysis,and computer technology.This involves what your text refers to as __________.

A)the technological fix
B)the use of science as religion
C)the business solution
D)modernization
E)the tyranny of experts

Question 41

Which of the following statements describes the Race to the Top Fund?

A)It sets aside funds for school districts that allow homeschooled children to use their resources.
B)It sets aside over 4 billion in funds for school districts that safeguard values of "Americanism."
C)It sets aside over $4 billion in funds to award states that come up with comprehensive plans for school reforms.
D)All of the above
E)None of the above

Question 42

_______________ is aimed at providing independent,self-paced learning,and is an approach used in British elementary schools.

A)Illiberalism
B)Child-centered curriculum
C)Open education
D)Conservatism
E)Progressivism

Question 43

To the educational humanist,the basic aim of education is to __________.

A)train workers and soldiers
B)teach the students basic skills and discipline
C)promote the maximum self-development of each individual learner
D)satisfy the demands of the economy for trained workers
E)preserve the culture

Question 44

According to the ___________ view of educational policy,the basic aim of education is to promote the maximum self-development of each individual learner,paying specific attention to differences among interests,needs,abilities,and values.

A)Bush legacy
B)progressivism
C)daily living skills
D)humanism
E)None of the above

Question 45

Which of the following was NOT one of the recommendations made by the National Commission on Excellence in Education in A Nation at Risk?

A)salary increases based on seniority
B)longer school hours
C)more homework
D)more discipline
E)smaller classes

Question 46

The main criticism of voucher plans is that __________.

A)so many congressional disputes take place over the issue,thus preventing the government from addressing more important matters
B)regardless of their social class background,students are not served through this strategy
C)they are likely to be used most effectively by more highly educated and affluent parents,thus worsening the existing situation of stratification and inequality in education
D)they cost too much money
E)they are impractical

Question 47

In its report,A Nation at Risk,the National Commission on Excellence in Education called for high schools to concentrate on the "five New Basics." Which of the following is NOT one of the five?

A)computer science
B)social studies
C)mathematics
D)English
E)foreign language

Question 48

__________ and the rising cost of tuition threaten access to state universities.

A)Globalization
B)Unification
C)Privatization
D)Bureaucratization
E)Urbanization

Question 49

Which of the following is assuming a central role in current educational policy?

A)high schools
B)public,two-year (or community)colleges
C)four-year colleges
D)ivy-league schools
E)graduate schools

Question 50

The average salary for elementary and secondary teachers is now __________ per year.

A)$17,600
B)$40,000
C)$49,600
D)$75,600
E)$130,600

Question 51

__________ began in the early 1900s,and is associated with the policies of John Dewey,who believed that education should stress the expression of individuality and learning through experience,originating with the learners' needs and interests.

A)Progressivism
B)Open education
C)Humanism
D)Pride and the Proud
E)The Bush Legacy

Question 52

In 2010,President Obama signed legislation that _________..

A)teaches students basic skills and discipline
B)ends the bank-based lending system for higher education student loans
C)privatized all systems for providing student loans for higher education
D)ends all systems for providing higher education student loans
E)none of the above

Question 53

Educational conservatives believe that the job of schools is to __________.

A)expand literacy and teach individualism
B)train sailors and soldiers
C)be value-free and encourage social experimentation
D)train workers and support the church
E)preserve the culture and transmit it to successive generations

Question 54

Total U.S.spending on education at all levels was estimated at 1.1 trillion dollars for the 2009-2010,which includes funds from ___________.

A)the Department of Health and Human Services
B)the Department of Agriculture
C)the Department of Education
D)All of the above
E)None of the above

Question 55

Georgia's much-publicized __________ Program,which provides higher education funds for students who maintain a B or better average,is becoming a policy model that may be replicated elsewhere in the nation.

A)Bootstrap
B)Head Start
C)Bottom Floor
D)Hope Scholarship
E)Financial Assistance

Question 56

Three years after the federal No Child Left Behind Act went into effect,fourth-grade minority students showed the greatest improvement in math scores;but according to test experts,it would take __________ years to close the existing gap between minority and nonminority students in math.

A)25
B)50
C)100
D)200
E)500

Question 57

The policy recommendations arising out of criticism of American education take two main forms: __________ and __________.

A)reactionary;reform
B)conservative;liberal
C)new;old
D)practical;impractical
E)public;private

Question 58

Which of the following statements about disparities in classroom size in the United States is TRUE?

A)Suburban schools average about 19 students per classroom in the early high school years;inner city schools average about 30 students per classroom.
B)Suburban schools and inner city schools average about 30 students per classroom in elementary school years.
C)Suburban and elementary schools average about 20 students per classrooms in elementary and high school years.
D)Suburban schools average about 5 students per classroom in early high school years;inner city schools average about 20 students per classroom.
E)None of the above.

Question 59

The liberal view of educational policy is based on __________.

A)humanitarianism
B)rationalization
C)empiricism
D)humanism
E)orientationism

Question 60

As a social institution in America,the __________ is MOST amenable to intentional change through social policy.

A)educational institution
B)family
C)political institution
D)economy
E)religious institution

Question 61

Compare and contrast the basic sociological approaches on educational problems.Give specific examples.

Question 62

How do social institutions respond to change? How are educational institutions in the United States responding to change?

Question 63

Educational conservatives believe that schools should get "Back to Basics." What do they mean? What are the difficulties in implementing this approach?

Question 64

Educational liberals believe that education should be "open" and "humanistic." What do they mean? What are the difficulties in implementing this approach?

Question 65

Considering the American emphasis on education,why is our educational institution under such intense criticism today? Trace these criticisms.Are they valid? Why or why not?

Question 66

Higher education has been subject to significant policy innovations and reforms.Discuss these changes,and analyze their effectiveness.

Question 67

What are the features of the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind program? Compare it to the Obama-Duncan and Race to the Top program,and discuss the pros and cons of both.