Deck 14: Education

Question 1

Proponents of bilingual education argue that it:

A) maintains cultural boundaries that are important to social order.
B) identifies the immigrant and foreign national children to authorities.
C) eases the transition of non-English-speaking children into the all-English mainstream.
D) helps identify immigrants with better aptitude.
E) insures people get jobs after school.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Nancy has been labeled a slow learner. She is placed in classes along with other slow learners on the basis of various testing and evaluation procedures. This testing and placement is known as:

A) standardizing.
B) the hidden curriculum.
C) tracking.
D) segregation.
E) best-interests placement.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The stratification of students by ability, social class, and various other categories is referred to as:

A) discrimination.
B) tracking.
C) status allocation.
D) functional differentiation.
E) academic positioning.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Dropping out of school affects the larger society because:

A) dropouts pay less in taxes.
B) dropouts increase the demand for social services.
C) dropouts are less likely to vote.
D) dropouts have poorer health.
E) all of the above

Question 5

The back-to-basics movement:

A) focuses more on the fundamentals.
B) encourages bilingual education.
C) advocates a less structured school curriculum.
D) discourages competency tests.
E) stresses the development of social relations classes.

Question 6

Conflict theorists refer to the social attitudes and values taught in school that prepare children to accept the requirements of adult life and to fit into the social, political, and economic statuses the existing society provides as the:

A) hidden curriculum.
B) phenomenon of status fit.
C) formal curriculum.
D) existence of value-free education.
E) oppression of the social classes.

Question 7

Today scientific research in the United States is

A) more of a hobby than a career pursuit.
B) typically done by undergraduate students.
C) primarily supported by corporate and government funding.
D) occurring almost exclusively in the area of computer science.
E) most developed and funded in the social sciences.

Question 8

The fastest growing group of college students is currently:

A) African Americans.
B) people 25 years and older.
C) working-class males just out of high school.
D) high school dropouts.
E) foreign students.

Question 9

The single most important factor contributing to continuing innovation in American society is the:

A) work done by garage and basement hobbyists.
B) continuous effort to recruit foreign geniuses.
C) performance of high-caliber academic and research universities.
D) increased attention to standardized testing in science education.
E) raising the status of scientists to the level of national sports heroes.

Question 10

The back-to-basics movement has improved:

A) student ability in math.
B) the scores of the lowest level-students.
C) the performance of the gifted.
D) the range of electives available to students.
E) the abilities of students from diverse backgrounds to get along.

Question 11

What was the basic message of the report titled A Nation At Risk ?

A) It attacked the Japanese educational system.
B) It praised the American educational system.
C) It encouraged schools to add more electives to the curriculum.
D) It attacked the effectiveness of the American educational system.
E) It found the European educational system superior to the American system.

Question 12

Since 1980, the majority of college students have been:

A) female.
B) black and Hispanic.
C) older students.
D) male.
E) foreign students.

Question 13

Which of the following is a latent function of education?

A) providing child care
B) teaching basic academic skills
C) transmitting cultural knowledge
D) generating innovation
E) socializing students to become competent citizens and workers

Question 14

According to conflict theorists, schools:

A) promote individualism in the name of maintaining order.
B) socialize everyone to find success through a common curriculum.
C) socialize students into values dictated by the powerful.
D) make education fun for people for diverse backgrounds.
E) level the playing field in the jobs market.

Question 15

According to conflict theorists, America s educational system:

A) requires a great deal of individual creativity.
B) encourages social conformity.
C) encourages cultural diversity.
D) involves a great deal of one-on-one instruction.
E) enables children from the lower classes to move into the middle classes.

Question 16

As of 2011, what is the approximate total enrollment in two- and four-year colleges in the United States?

A) 5.9 million
B) 8.3 million
C) 11 million
D) 19.7 million
E) 25.4 million

Question 17

The introduction of African American and women s history into our schools resulted largely from:

A) community boards.
B) political activism.
C) economic need.
D) the need for greater variety in what students learn.
E) research by social scientists demonstrating the need.

Question 18

One of the latent functions of the education system in the United States is:

A) providing child care.
B) providing children with a least one nutritious meal per day.
C) slowing down the entry of young people into the workforce.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 19

In the United States, the coordinated national policy toward education for the gifted is called:

A) home schooling.
B) No Child Left Behind II.
C) There is no national policy for education of the gifted.
D) de jure education.
E) the Gifted and Talented Funding Act of 2008.

Question 20

According to the functionalist view, which of the following is NOT a function of education?

A) transmitting cultural knowledge
B) screening and tracking students
C) teaching academic skills
D) socializing children
E) all of the above

Question 21

Manuel returned to school for certification in computer science despite the fact he has ten years of work experience in this field. Schooling will not affect his performance, but will get him a raise. This is an example of:

A) functional illiteracy.
B) the hidden curriculum.
C) de facto segregation.
D) reverse sexism in performance evaluation.
E) the credentialized society.

Question 22

Over the past 90 years, the percentage of Americans in the adult population who have not completed high school has:

A) declined slightly.
B) decreased substantially.
C) risen slightly.
D) remained about the same.
E) risen dramatically.

Question 23

Many minority students do not apply to college because:

A) there is no financial aid available.
B) they do not think college will help them.
C) they can find good jobs without attending college.
D) colleges cater to white students more than minority students.
E) their families cannot afford to pay the tuition.

Question 24

When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, In the field of public education, the doctrine of separate but equal has no place, what was NOT addressed?

A) de jure segregation across the developed world
B) geographic dispersion of diverse ethnic groups
C) de facto segregation and white flight
D) de jure segregation in the southwest
E) the long-term effects of slavery on property

Question 25

The amount of money spent on education per pupil:

A) has a significant effect on students success or failure.
B) can counter the influence of family background.
C) cannot outweigh the influence of family background in students.
D) is equal in all parts of the country as a result of the 1954 Supreme Court decision.
E) is a critical feature of schools which have the most merit scholarship winners.

Question 26

Since the mid-1980s, the number of black undergraduates attending American colleges and universities has:

A) declined.
B) begun rising slightly.
C) not increased appreciably.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 27

The goal of ______ is to teach academic subjects to immigrant children in their native languages at the same time as they earn English.

A) native language instruction
B) English as a second language
C) the Immigration Language Project
D) bilingual education
E) acculturation

Question 28

In Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, what did the United States Supreme Court ban?

A) de jure segregation.
B) de facto segregation.
C) busing.
D) standardized testing.
E) credentialism.

Question 29

Approximately what percent of the nation s white students attend central-city schools?

A) 3%
B) 13%
C) 33%
D) 40%
E) 53%

Question 30

Approximately what percent of children aged five to 17 in the United States speak a language other than English at home?

A) 2%
B) 8%
C) 14%
D) 24%
E) 33%

Question 31

Which of the following was NOT a conclusion of the Coleman report of 1966?

A) The educational gap between whites and minorities widened in the higher grades.
B) On all tests critical to future job advancement, minorities scored significantly below whites.
C) Schools do not play as important a role in student achievement as once thought.
D) The United States egalitarian beliefs counterbalance class inequalities in education.
E) Race was a significant variable in education.

Question 32

Urban school segregation has been especially difficult to eliminate due to the phenomenon of:

A) de jure segregation.
B) white flight from the central cities.
C) massive immigration of minorities.
D) the hidden curriculum.
E) self-segregation of minorities.

Question 33

Which of the following characterizes the credentialized society ?

A) Credentials do not necessarily cause the recipient to perform the job better.
B) A degree or certificate has become necessary to obtain a large number of jobs.
C) Colleges and universities have become gatekeepers, allowing only certain people to obtain credentials.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 34

Regarding racial segregation and education, today it is generally agreed that:

A) de facto segregation is no longer a concern.
B) significant progress on desegregation in urban areas has been made.
C) no significant progress on desegregation in urban areas has been made.
D) de jure segregation is on the rise.
E) cities have been far more successful than rural areas in reducing segregation.

Question 35

The term white flight refers to the:

A) movement of white Americans to suburbs.
B) movement of white Americans back into inner cities.
C) phenomenon of educated white people leaving America.
D) upward social mobility afforded to white middle-class Americans.
E) exodus of white workers from jobs which have become integrated.

Question 36

Which factor(s) influences the educational success of foreign-born children?

A) being given less because they are seen as temporary
B) parents educational attainment and direct discrimination in the classroom by hostile teachers
C) parental income, parents; educational attainment, and age of entry
D) having to go back and forth to the country of origin to straighten out visa status
E) constant disruptions in their education by going to the home country for relatives events and then coming back late

Question 37

Jonathan Kozol went on a hunger strike to protest what he believed was the unfairness of:

A) tracking.
B) the hidden curriculum.
C) the Nation s Report Card.
D) No Child Left Behind.
E) the Equality of Educational Opportunity Report.

Question 38

Which of the following is the most important factor in school achievement?

A) the overall quality of the school
B) the child s friends and family
C) the skill of the teacher
D) the number of books in the school library
E) the combination of quality teachers and per pupil expenditures

Question 39

Which of the following is true with respect to home schooling?

A) There is a self-selection factor because parents are highly motivated to bring quality education to their children
B) Parents make home schooled children slaves to testing.
C) Home schooled children are so poor they cannot go to college.
D) Home schooled children cannot deal with diversity.
E) Home schooled children never engage in extracurricular activities.

Question 40

Which of the following helps explain the low college graduation rates of minorities?

A) They received too much attention and easy grades in primary and secondary school.
B) They are poorly prepared and perceive themselves as not welcome.
C) The federal government gives them too much money.
D) Most of them go on sports scholarships and do not perform as well as hoped.
E) Sports scholarships mean working full-time on the sport that provided a scholarship.

Question 41

The back-to-basics movement strives to focus on the three Rs and de-emphasizes elective courses.

Question 42

High school dropout rates are higher among:

A) females.
B) the middle socioeconomic classes.
C) racial and ethnic minorities.
D) immigrants from eastern Europe who are offered jobs early.
E) children of Asian immigrants.

Question 43

Which of the following is one of educator John H. Holt s findings to support home schooling?

A) Home schooled students cannot use violence or go unsupervised, so they are better.
B) Home schooling is more oriented to social diversity than segregated schools.
C) Home schooled boys are more likely to support the U.S. military and our government.
D) The best learning takes place when children are allowed to pursue their own interests.
E) Home schooled girls are more likely to marry early and report satisfaction in marriage.

Question 44

What is the pattern of high school dropouts in the U.S. over the last century?

A) The dropout pattern has declined overall.
B) The dropout pattern has risen overall.
C) The dropout pattern has remained stable.
D) White dropout rates have matched minority dropout rates during the recession.
E) Dropout rates are no longer used as a measure; instead test scores are the standard measure to judge schools.

Question 45

Florida and Illinois depend on which of the following to offer wider opportunities for home schooling?

A) Internet-based education
B) community centers
C) public library resource centers
D) state-certified testing centers attached to regular schools
E) state-certified testing centers attached to public libraries

Question 46

What is the difference between de jure and de facto segregation?

A) De jure is what factually exists and de facto is by law.
B) De jure is by jury trial and de facto is handled by the police first-hand.
C) Both terms mean the same thing.
D) In ancient times, the de jure meant you needed a jury while de facto meant whatever the facts dictate.
E) De jure is by law and de facto is what factually exists.

Question 47

Most experts would argue American schools have been successful in equipping children with the academic skills needed to function effectively in society.

Question 48

The education process extends the socialization process started in the family.

Question 49

Critics of bilingual education contend that the United States has a long history of using the education system to help students assimilate into American society.

Question 50

Schools as formal institutions of education first emerged during the Industrial Revolution.

Question 51

The enrollment of older, non-traditional students has been a major factor in the ability of colleges to maintain student numbers.

Question 52

Compared to traditional societies, in modern industrial society, no distinction is made between education and socialization.

Question 53

What percent of male students in grades 9 through 12 report being threatened or injured with a weapon in school property?

A) 5%
B) 10%
C) 15%
D) 25%
E) 50%

Question 54

According to conflict theorists, the educational system operates as a means for maintaining the status quo.

Question 55

A new immigrant family with Spanish-speaking children going to public schools in the U.S. for the first time should make sure which of the following is available?

A) bilingual education
B) food assistance for the poor
C) medical assistance for the poor
D) local employment structure
E) government identification to protect against harassment in schools

Question 56

In a nation built by immigrants, which function of education became more important than family or place of origin?

A) cultural transmission
B) cultural conflict resulting in diverse identifications
C) placement in the growing employment structure
D) giving children a sense of family
E) helping people find ethnic networks

Question 57

In the United States, the family traditionally has been the primary agent for educating children.

Question 58

Which of the following is associated with dropping out of high school?

A) being from the South or the far North
B) low family income and speaking a foreign language at home
C) parents with substance abuse problems
D) family violence disrupting the individual s attendance
E) family debt levels

Question 59

To guard against bias in standardized test construction, the Educational Testing Service hires:

A) minority community leaders.
B) a staff of professional psychologists.
C) staff, teachers, college students, and professors.
D) professional question writers with experience in early education curriculum.
E) a staff of psychologists, sociologists, and social workers.

Question 60

An important latent function of the American education system is to slow the entry of young adults into the job market.

Question 61

De facto segregation is illegal in the United States.

Question 62

Although tracking is not completely irreversible, it is influenced by many social factors.

Question 63

Teachers often associate giftedness with children who come from prominent families.

Question 64

Educational success, some conflict theorists believe, is much more likely to be determined by a child s mastery of the skills contained in the hidden curriculum than by intelligence or academic performance.

Question 65

According to conflict theorists, schools stifle individualism in the name of maintaining order.

Question 66

The Coleman report of 1966 found that minority students perform better when they go to school with middle-class whites.

Question 67

In his more recent work, James Coleman argues that urban school desegregation has caused white flight.

Question 68

De facto segregation is a result of residential patterns.

Question 69

Conflict theorists argue that in order to succeed in school, students must learn both the official and the hidden curriculum.

Question 70

Cross-district busing of schoolchildren was a direct outgrowth of the Coleman report of 1966.

Question 71

According to conflict theorists, the hidden curriculum of schooling subtly promotes creativity and imagination.

Question 72

In terms of giftedness, minorities are hindered because commonly used assessment tools discriminate against groups who have had different cultural experiences.

Question 73

Conflict theorists argue the most important aspect of obtaining a degree from Harvard, Yale, or another elite college is that it is a guarantee that a person has received quality training.

Question 74

When children in the United States attend neighborhood schools today, they are usually taught in an environment this is racially segregated.

Question 75

Females are over-represented among the gifted because popular culture holds that giftedness is a female trait.

Question 76

According to the findings of the Coleman report, the amount of money spent on education per pupil has a significant impact on students academic success or failure.

Question 77

The Coleman report of 1966 found that educational opportunity had become pretty much equal for blacks and whites in this country.

Question 78

Teachers often confuse intelligence with unrelated school behaviors.

Question 79

Jonathan Kozol argues that while America s schools are now fully integrated by race, they are still segregated by class.

Question 80

Dropouts have worse health throughout their lifetime than those who complete high school.