Deck 14: Education

Question 1

Which of the following is a negative lesson that can be learned by children in schools with a competitive environment?

A) A rising tide lifts all boats.
B) Their classmates are their friends.
C) They should be motivated by curiosity.
D) They should be motivated by fear of failure.

Answer 1

They should be motivated by fear of failure.

Question 2

In 1991 Albert _____, former president of the American Federation of Teachers, pointed out that unlike many other countries, in the United States "there is little connection between what students are supposed to learn, the knowledge on which they are assessed, and what we expect our teachers to know."

A) de Salvo
B) Einstein
C) Shanker
D) Schweitzer

Answer 2

Shanker

Question 3

Critics of educational reforms such as private schools, charter schools, and voucher systems point out that these trends are working against

A) segregation and home-schooling.
B) inclusiveness and desegregation.
C) high-quality learning.
D) the separation of church and state.

Answer 3

inclusiveness and desegregation.

Question 4

Many problems in U.S. schools are related to the lack of student interest. According to the chapter, this is the downside of

A) upward mobility.
B) boring teachers.
C) American youth.
D) compulsory education.

Question 5

Public schools are primarily controlled at the _____ level.

A) federal
B) state
C) local
D) family

Question 6

What is one of the problems related to local control of public schools identified in the chapter?

A) Schools are funded with state taxes, so local control means some taxpayers have no say in how their money is spent.
B) Schools are funded with federal taxes, so local control means some taxpayers have no say in how their money is spent.
C) Schools are funded with local taxes, so wealthier areas have better schools than poorer ones.
D) Schools are funded with local taxes, so poorer areas have better schools than they deserve.

Question 7

Kathy, a student in a typical U.S. school, is not a competitive person. Which of the following is NOT an area in which her participation is determined by competetion among her classmates?

A) Enrolling in Freshman English
B) Playing on a varsity athletic team
C) Being cast in a lead role in a play
D) Playing first trumpet in the marching band

Question 8

Despite the arguments about whether boys or girls are being failed more by the schools, the fact remains that for every statistic that indicates a gender gap, there is an even larger gap by

A) social class and race.
B) earning power.
C) age.
D) gender identity.

Question 9

According to Zuckerman, the system of American education is no longer relevant because

A) the subjects have not been updated for the 21st century.
B) democracy no longer requires an educated citizenry.
C) it is no longer focused on preparing people to work in factories.
D) it is a factory-based school system for an information age.

Question 10

In Mrs. Clark's third-grade classroom in a Wisconsin suburb, subjects begin and end _____. This is an example of the preoccupation with order and control in American schools.

A) whenever Mrs. Clark wants them to.
B) when all the kids agree that it is time to move on to something new.
C) at the same time.
D) sometime before lunch.

Question 11

What education act was signed by George W. Bush in 2001 in an effort to standardize public education in the United States?

A) Higher Education Opportunity Act
B) Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
C) The Common Core
D) No Child Left Behind

Question 12

According to the chapter, which course is most likely to be opposed in U.S. public high schools?

A) Survey of British Literature 1800-1950
B) The Life and Teachings of Karl Marx
C) Particle Physics and the Big Bang
D) Survey of 19th Century Russian Literature

Question 13

In 1940, about 38% of people in the United State age 25 to 29 had completed high school. What was that figure for 2013?

A) 99.9%
B) 86.6%
C) 68.8%
D) 28.4%

Question 14

The formal system of education in all societies is _____, because the avowed function of the schools is to teach newcomers the attitudes, values, roles, specialties, and training necessary for the maintenance of society.

A) conservative
B) progressive
C) transformative
D) to nurture individualism

Question 15

Americans' faith in education is based on the assumption that

A) an educated citizenry is more patriotic.
B) educated people earn more money and pay more taxes.
C) a democratic society requires an educated citizenry.
D) educated people are easier to manipulate.

Question 16

Approximately what percentage of public high school students in the United States will drop out before graduation?

A) 54%
B) 30%
C) 15%
D) 5%

Question 17

In the United States there are 14,000 school districts across the 50 states. However, until the current millennium, there had been no attempt to

A) measure graduation rates.
B) develop a standardized curriculum.
C) reduce the percentage of truant children.
D) research educational theory.

Question 18

According to the chapter, school is analogous to a conveyer belt with people of all social classes getting on at the same time. They leave the conveyer belt

A) by social class-the lower the class, the longer the ride.
B) by social class-the lower the class, the shorter the ride.
C) with all the necessary skills and abilities that prepare them to be citizens of a democracy.
D) with all the necessary skills and abilities that prepare them for college.

Question 19

In the 1990s, studies conducted at Wellesley and by the American Association of University Women argued that _____ were being shortchanged by schools. In the 21st century, other researchers say that _____ are the ones who are not being well-served by schools.

A) Latinos; Blacks
B) Blacks; Latinos
C) girls; boys
D) boys; girls

Question 20

Which of the following is a statistic the chapter cites as support of the idea that schools serve girls better than boys?

A) On average boys are a year and a half behind girls in math and science.
B) Each year men receive more bachelor and master degrees than women.
C) Boys are less likely to be held back a grade, drop out, and be suspended from school.
D) Boys are less likely than girls to graduate from high school .

Question 21

Critics of the Common Core argue that it

A) is based on flawed assumptions.
B) allows the states to make up their own standards.
C) takes control away from parents.
D) promotes cultural biases.

Question 22

California officials predicted that by 2014, all 6,063 public schools serving _____ would be declared in need of restructuring under No Child Left Behind.

A) the Central Valley
B) the southern part of the state
C) poor students
D) chronic failures

Question 23

Supporters of _____ argue that states have "dummied down standards" and that students should be held to a higher expectation.

A) federal control of schools
B) local control of schools
C) No Child Left Behind
D) the Common Core

Question 24

One advantage to the Common Core is that if children change schools, the curriculum at their new school will be similar to their old school. In the United States, families move on average once

A) in any given child's lifetime.
B) every two years.
C) every five years.
D) every 10 years.

Question 25

According to Thornburgh, "Dropping out of high school today is to your societal health what _____, an indicator of a host of poor outcomes to follow, from low lifetime earnings to high incarceration rates to a high likelihood that your children will drop out of high school and start the cycle anew."

A) smoking is to your physical health
B) dropping out of college used to be
C) exercise is to your physical health
D) joining the military has always been

Question 26

In 2013, eighth graders eligible for _____ averaged 27 points lower in math than students who were not.

A) free school lunch
B) the football team
C) extra tutoring
D) a community-service award

Question 27

Which of the following was a principal aim of the No Child Left Behind Act?

A) Make schools accountable for the success or failure of their students.
B) Ensure the gaps that plague education in the United States.
C) Create a common core of standard before the states did.
D) Increase teachers' flexibility to teach however they think best.

Question 28

Data confirms that the higher the educational attainment, the

A) higher the sense of self-esteem.
B) more likely the next generation will not go to college.
C) greater the amount of student debt.
D) higher the income.

Question 29

Who set the standards for the Common Core, which have been adopted by 43 states and the District of Columbia?

A) State education departments
B) Parents, teachers, school administrators, and experts across the country
C) The United States Congress
D) U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare

Question 30

Achievement gaps in reading, writing, and mathematics persist between minority and White students. With the exception of _____ students, minority students are much more likely to be below the basic levels of math upon entering high school.

A) African American
B) Latino
C) Asian American
D) African immigrant

Question 31

In 2009-2010, 38% of schools were labeled as _____ under the No Child Left Behind Act.

A) making adequate yearly progress
B) failing to make adequate yearly progress
C) exceeding adequate yearly progress
D) exempt from adequate yearly progress

Question 32

Under No Child Left Behind, a single statewide assessment system given annually to students from third to eighth grade is used to measure

A) each child's adequate yearly progress.
B) the school's adequate yearly progress.
C) each child's advancement in learning in three key subject areas.
D) which children will be left behind.

Question 33

Assessment tests given to kids in fourth through eighth grade show that average reading and math scores are _____ for children in high-poverty schools compared to students in low-poverty schools.

A) higher
B) lower
C) about the same
D) not recorded

Question 34

The term _____ is used for the percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds who are not enrolled in school and have not earned a high school diploma or equivalency.

A) status dropout rate
B) dropout rate
C) nongraduation percentage
D) precollege percentage

Question 35

What is a state-driven initiative to develop international benchmarks for all states so that all students are prepared to be competitive in a globalized market?

A) The Common Core State Standards Initiative
B) Higher Education Opportunity Act
C) Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
D) No Child Left Behind Act

Question 36

Under NCLB, each state was permitted to set its own proficiency benchmarks to be determined by standardized tests. According to the 2007 report "The Proficiency Illusion," improvements in the passing rates on states can be largely explained by

A) improved teaching at schools in danger of failing.
B) setting a lower bar on the 8th grade test.
C) true growth in student learning.
D) declines in the difficulty of those tests.

Question 37

Amy Chua's book _____, a comic memoir about how she tried to raise her two daughters the same way her strict Chinese immigrant parents raised her, but was forced to pull back when her younger daughter rebelled, set off a firestorm of controversy.

A) The Joy Luck Club
B) Cultural Differences in Parenting Practices
C) The Hybrid Family
D) Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Question 38

According to Carey and Rosa, federal state, and local policymakers give _____ resources to students who have more resources, and _____ to those who have less.

A) less; more
B) more; less
C) unessential; essential
D) school lunch; school breakfast and lunch

Question 39

Janie is a fifth-grader in New Hampshire whose family is moving to Nevada in the middle of the school year. Which scenario is most likely, based on the fact that both states have adopted the Common Core standards?

A) Janie will be behind because her new school is ahead of her old school.
B) Janie will be able to more or less pick up where she left off when she gets to her new school.
C) Janie will have to repeat a grade in her new school system.
D) Janie will have to repeat a lot of subject matter that her old school already covered.

Question 40

Contrary to popular myths about the Common Core

A) schools systems and teachers can choose their own materials.
B) schools systems and teachers will use standardized materials.
C) schools and districts will be graded according to state-determined standardized testing.
D) states will be graded according to federally determined standardized testing.

Question 41

Which statement explains why youth from families with $200,000 or more income score more than 300 points higher on the SAT than youth from families with an income of $20,000 or less?

A) Social Darwinism shows that families who have high earnings are more intelligent and more deserving than families with low incomes.
B) Poor White people are physically and intellectually inferior to poor minorities, therefore, they cannot raise themselves out of poverty.
C) The end of No Child Left Behind means that schools in poor neighborhoods will not receive the funding they need to improve.
D) The many benefits of economic privilege include better nutrition, schools, medical care, and technology.

Question 42

Which term refers to sorting students into different groups or classes according to their perceived intellectual ability?

A) Tracking
B) Segregation
C) Integration
D) Testing

Question 43

Which of the following has a profound effect on student performance, because when students are overrated, they tend to overproduce and when they are underrated, they underachieve?

A) The Common Core
B) Teacher expectations
C) Accountability
D) Local funding

Question 44

School segregation was outlawed in a series of Supreme Court decisions between the 1950s and the 1970s. Today, at every level, children tend to go to a school

A) that has quotas for how many children of different races and socioeconomic classes can be enrolled.
B) that has many races and socioeconomic classes.
C) with diverse races of generally the same socioeconomic class.
D) with others like themselves in socioeconomic status and race.

Question 45

The funding of public schools through local property taxes can be considered discriminatory because

A) poor children and rich children in the same district benefit equally from tax money.
B) senior citizens whose children are grown must still pay taxes that support the local schools.
C) rich school districts can spend more than poor ones on each student.
D) rich "donor" school districts have to subsidize poor "taker" school districts.

Question 46

Which type of students are five times more likely to receive special accommodations for a learning disability when they take the SAT?

A) Students from New England prep schools
B) African American students from the inner city
C) Asian American students from Silicon Valley
D) Latino students from South Texas

Question 47

The chapter argues that the self-fulfilling prophecies associated with _____ are at least partly responsible for the tendency of students in the lower tracks to be low achievers, unmotivated, uninvolved in school activities, and more prone to break school rules and drop out of school.

A) social Darwinism
B) the Common Core
C) the tracking system
D) No Child Left Behind

Question 48

Students with a middle level of resources are more likely to attend which type of college?

A) Community college
B) Private liberal arts college
C) Public university
D) Private university

Question 49

For most individuals, having _____ college education translates into a lifetime of lower earnings and low-mobility jobs.

A) a community
B) no
C) a state
D) a private