Deck 8: Problems in Education

Question 1

From the teachers' point of view, middle-class children _________ compared to children from economically disadvantaged homes.

A)are easy and fun to teach
B)grasp the material quickly
C)do their homework
D)all of these choices

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Project Head Start provided children from disadvantaged homes with an integrated program that included all of the following EXCEPT

A)education.
B)health care.
C)after-school care.
D)parental involvement.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The term "organization child" refers to the child who

A)spends more time in organizations than at home.
B)is alienated from satisfying personal relationships.
C)is most comfortable with supervision, guidance, and adult control.
D)has no family and is reared in an institutional setting.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In a classic study by Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968), researchers randomly chose five elementary school students and identified them to their teachers as "spurters," implying that the students had superior intelligence and academic ability.In reality, they were no different from the other students in the classes, yet at the end of the school year, the students scored high on IQ tests and achieved high grades.This illustrates

A)the integration hypothesis.
B)cultural imperialism.
C)social promotion.
D)the self-fulfilling prophecy.

Question 5

Conflict theorists argue education is a mechanism for cultural imperialism, which means

A)the spread of cultural norms and values from one society to another.
B)the cultural development and progress that results from technology.
C)the preservation of historical cultural artifacts.
D)indoctrination into the dominant culture of a society.

Question 6

The economic benefits of having a college degree compared to the cost is called the

A)earnings premium.
B)cost-benefit advantage.
C)education bonus.
D)educational elevation.

Question 7

The OECD report of educational statistics in 30 countries found that

A)educational levels are decreasing.
B)spending on education is generally consistent across countries.
C)teacher salaries in the U.S.are among the highest in the world.
D)there is a clear link between education and income and between education and employment.

Question 8

In 1965, Project Head Start began to help which of the following?

A)gifted and talented students
B)students with learning disabilities
C)preschool children from disadvantaged families
D)pregnant high school students

Question 9

Assessments of Head Start and Early Head Start generally conclude

A)the programs are of little value.
B)the programs benefit children but the benefits may not last beyond third grade
C)the programs would be more effective if they only concentrated on education.
D)parental involvement is unnecessary.

Question 10

Conflict theorists agree with Kozol that "savage inequalities" in the American educational system

A)exist in the power disparities between administrators and teachers.
B)are illustrated by the lack of power of students in the school system.
C)contribute to age-grading and social promotions.
D)perpetuate racial disparities.

Question 11

Which of the following sociological perspectives is more likely to emphasize the relationship between teacher approval/disapproval and class differences in the social and verbal skills students bring to the classroom?

A)structural-functionalists
B)conflict theorists
C)symbolic interactionists
D)feminist theorists

Question 12

Which of the following is a function of the educational institution?

A)socializing children into the dominant culture
B)teaching children to obey authority
C)sorting of individuals into various statuses
D)all of these choices

Question 13

When cultural imperialism exists, the norms, values, traditions, and languages of minorities are

A)ignored in the school curriculum.
B)integrated into the school curriculum along with aspects of the dominant culture.
C)the predominant focus of the school curriculum.
D)fostered by special classes, but not built into the mainstream classrooms

Question 14

All of the following were found in the study of children who were randomly selected and identified as "spurters" of superior intelligence and academic ability EXCEPT

A)the students identified as spurters scored higher on IQ tests.
B)the students identified as spurters made higher grades in the class.
C)the teachers rated the students identified as spurters as more likely to succeed.
D)the teachers rated the students identified as spurters as less happy and less likely to interact with their peers.

Question 15

Conflict theorists argue that the socialization function of education is to

A)indoctrinate students into a capitalist ideology.
B)teach students about cultural diversity.
C)foster the value of equality in American society.
D)reduce delinquency among American youth.

Question 16

Elena was an economically disadvantaged student.The teacher defined her as a slow learner and assigned her to a lower ability group.Elena believed that her teacher did not expect her to perform as well as many of the other students, therefore, she performed at a lower level.This illustrates

A)a self-fulfilling prophecy.
B)the organization child.
C)cultural imperialism.
D)multicultural education.

Question 17

The majority of families served by Head Start are

A)African American.
B)immigrants, mostly from Mexico.
C)middle class suburbanites.
D)white non-Hispanics.

Question 18

The self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when individuals

A)are satisfied with their occupation.
B)are satisfied with their family life.
C)act in a manner consistent with the expectations of others.
D)rebel against the demands of authority figures.

Question 19

Worldwide, 1 in 5 adults cannot read or write and ______ of them are women.

A)2/3
B)1/5
C)90 percent
D)10 percent

Question 20

Students in middle and upper income families are

A)less likely to graduate from college.
B)less likely to graduate from high school.
C)less likely to enroll in advanced mathematics classes.
D)more likely to attend college

Question 21

The "integration hypothesis" advocated which of the following?

A)desegregation of schools through busing
B)increasing neighborhood diversity
C)putting affirmative action into place
D)eliminating private schools

Question 22

The U.S.Supreme Court has recently ruled that public school systems

A)should take into account the race or ethnicity of a student in order to achieve integrated schools.
B)cannot seek to achieve or maintain integration through measures that take explicit account of a student's race.
C)students have no right to their choice of schools; they must attend the school assigned to them by their district administrators.
D)must use busing, if necessary, to achieve race and ethnic integration of their schools.

Question 23

Critics of bilingual education argue all of the following EXCEPT

A)bilingual education limits minority students outside of the classroom.
B)it lowers the self-esteem of minority students.
C)it reduces the English skills of minorities.
D)it leads to hostility with other minorities.

Question 24

Males are more likely than females to

A)have learning disabilities.
B)drop out or be expelled from school.
C)be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
D)all of these choices

Question 25

It is projected that by 2021, racial and ethnic minorities will comprise ________ percent of the pre-kindergarten through 12th grade student population.

A)10%.
B)20%.
C)52%.
D)75%.

Question 26

Which statement is correct regarding the relationship between minority status and educational attainment?

A)Although educational attainment has increased over time for all groups, racial and ethnic disparities remain.
B)Minorities are now succeeding at a higher rate than white non-Hispanics.
C)Minority students are falling further and further behind in educational attainment.
D)Racial and ethnic minority students are now graduating at the same rate as white non-Hispanics.

Question 27

Advocates of bilingual education claim that it results in which of the following?

A)better academic performance of minority students
B)lower rates of teacher turnover
C)decreased school violence
D)savings in tax dollars spent on education

Question 28

Higher achievement of girls in mathematics correlates with

A)traditional gender roles.
B)higher levels of testosterone.
C)increased educational funding.
D)higher levels of gender equity in the society.

Question 29

Research has found that attending a desegregated school

A)has positive effects on black and Hispanic achievement and negative effects on white achievement.
B)has negative effects on black and Hispanic achievement and positive effects on white achievement.
C)has positive effects on black and Hispanic achievement and no effect on white achievement.
D)has positive effects on white achievement and no effect on black and Hispanic achievement

Question 30

Title IX sought to do all of the following EXCEPT

A)make more funds available for female athletic programs.
B)end discrimination in granting admission to college.
C)end discrimination in awarding financial aid.
D)make common rules in dorms and other campus locations for men and women.

Question 31

Which of the following best describes the consequences of the U.S.system of decentralized funding?

A)Local socioeconomic conditions impact the quality and amount of education.
B)Cities are forced to share revenues to ensure equal opportunities.
C)Districts in suburbs often have less funding because of the tax exemptions of their businesses.
D)Racial diversity is maintained through neighborhood quotas.

Question 32

The phrase "learning while black" refers to evidence that, compared to other students, black students

A)are disciplined more often and more harshly.
B)fail due to low expectations by white teachers.
C)attend segregated schools.
D)live in impoverished, inner-city neighborhoods.

Question 33

What portion of the world's illiterate are women?

A)1/4
B)1/3
C)1/2
D)2/3

Question 34

In 1833, Oberlin College in Ohio became the first college in the United States to admit women.At Oberlin, women students were

A)given the same rights and responsibilities as male students.
B)given the same rights as males except the women had to abide by curfews.
C)required to wash male students' clothes, clean their rooms, and serve their meals.
D)allowed to speak at public assemblies.

Question 35

Advocates for using socioeconomic or income-based integration rather than race-based integration argue

A)socioeconomic status more directly achieves the first aim of racial integration, raising the achievement of students.
B)race has no bearing on academic achievement.
C)the only way to achieve quality education for all racial and ethnic groups is to desegregate schools.
D)attending a racially desegregated school negatively affects the academic achievement of white students.

Question 36

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 states that no person shall be discriminated against on the basis of ______ in any educational program receiving federal funds.

A)age
B)sex
C)race
D)national origin

Question 37

Which of the following statements best describes educational attainment?

A)Although educational attainment has increased over time, racial disparities still exist.
B)True equality has been obtained.
C)Asian students face the most discrimination and have the lowest achievement.
D)In comparison to Hispanics, whites perform less effectively at nearly every level.

Question 38

In 1954, the U.S.Supreme Court ruled in Brown v.Board of Education that segregated education was

A)a matter for each individual state to decide.
B)constitutional as long as all schools received equal funding.
C)in the best interests of U.S.society.
D)unconstitutional because it was inherently unequal.

Question 39

According to recent research the gap in mathematics achievement between boys and girls can BEST be explained by

A)hardwiring in the brain.
B)the level of gender equity in the society.
C)how the students are treated by the teacher.
D)bias in standardized tests.

Question 40

According to your text, the relationship between race/ethnicity and educational achievement is largely due to the association between race/ethnicity and which of the following?

A)IQ
B)family structure
C)drug use
D)socioeconomic status

Question 41

Higher rates of student crime victimization are associated with

A)being white.
B)going to a private school.
C)being female
D)being non-white.

Question 42

Teach for America recruits

A)liberal arts graduates to teach in economically deprived and socially disadvantaged schools.
B)mathematics graduates to teach in the public schools.
C)science graduates to teach in rural schools.
D)elementary education graduates to teach in developing countries.

Question 43

The most recent results from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study indicate that

A)U.S.students scored above the international average in science.
B)the United States ranked 14th among OECD countries in the percentage of 25 to 34-year-olds with a college education.
C)the United States has the highest high school graduation rate.
D)the United States ranks first in college completions.

Question 44

Compared to other school districts, low-income, high-minority school districts are more likely to

A)have students who are taught by substitute teachers.
B)assign teachers to areas outside their specialty.
C)employ beginning teachers with less than 3 years of experience.
D)all of these choices

Question 45

Evidence regarding the quality of America's teachers suggests

A)those who choose teaching as a career have, on average, higher college entrance exam scores than the average college student.
B)high school principals are pleased with the training of the teachers by U.S.colleges and universities.
C)that students in poor school districts are taught by inferior instructors.
D)most teachers feel ready to meet the needs of the diverse student population.

Question 46

The study of bullying reported in Social Problem Research Close Up found

A)the prevalence of bullying is highest in the 9^th grade.
B)the highest rate of being a victim of bullying is in the 9^th grade.
C)males were more likely than females to be bullies and bully victims.
D)Hispanics were more likely than blacks to be bullies and bully victims.

Question 47

Research on bullying shows all of the following EXCEPT

A)being bullied is associated with low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, running away, and suicide.
B)the most common form of bullying is being threatened with harm.
C)students who bully often perform poorly academically and have higher dropout rates.
D)almost a quarter of public schools report that bullying occurs at least weekly.

Question 48

Researchers conclude that

A)the GED program induces students to drop out of school.
B)most students could benefit from completing a GED rather than high school.
C)GED completion is more highly correlated with college success than is high school graduation.
D)the GED program is more successful than other dropout interventions.

Question 49

Alternative certification programs

A)allow people with 60 college hours to receive emergency certification to teach in elementary schools.
B)require teachers to have a post-graduate degree before they can be fully certified to teach in high schools.
C)allow college graduates with degrees in fields other than education to become certified to teach if they have "life experience" in industry, the military, or other relevant jobs.
D)allow teachers helpers to earn college credits for supervised teaching experience.

Question 50

Researchers in California found that when an exit exam was required for high school graduation

A)lower-achieving students had significantly higher dropout rates.
B)a higher percentage of students graduated.
C)dropout rates increased for higher-achieving students potentially bound for college.
D)male students were more likely to complete their education and graduate.

Question 51

Dropout rates are associated with

A)decreased costs of public assistance.
B)increased income and higher tax revenues.
C)decreased costs of crime.
D)increased costs of health care.

Question 52

In 2011, the status dropout rate for 16-24 year olds was

A)2%.
B)5%.
C)7%.
D)14%.

Question 53

Evaluations of the achievements of American students nationally show

A)that reading and mathematics scores have increased for 9-year-olds and 13-year-olds since 1971.
B)reading scores for fourth and eighth graders are decreasing.
C)that they outperformed their foreign counterparts across the board.
D)seventeen-year-old students are outperforming students of the past.

Question 54

Status dropout rates refers to the percentage of

A)elementary school students who drop out of school in a 6 month period.
B)high school students who drop out each year.
C)students who drop out within 4 years of the time they enter high school.
D)16- to 24-year-olds that are not in school and have not earned a high school degree or its equivalent.

Question 55

The most common crime committed against students is

A)aggravated assault.
B)theft.
C)robbery.
D)rape.

Question 56

Research shows that

A)no relationship exists between school environment and academic achievement and quality once socioeconomic status is controlled.
B)school environment impacts teachers but not students.
C)school environment impacts students but not teachers.
D)school environment impacts students, teachers and staff.

Question 57

Which term refers to the established relationship between severe disciplinary practices, increased rates of dropping out, low academic achievement, and court or juvenile detention involvement?

A)bullying
B)school-to-prison pipeline
C)zero tolerance
D)school time and jail time

Question 58

Value-added measurement (VAM)is the use of student achievement data to

A)measure student progress.
B)compare student performance globally.
C)assess teacher effectiveness.
D)determine teacher salaries.

Question 59

In the last several decades the U.S.status dropout rate

A)has increased slightly.
B)increased dramatically, especially for females.
C)remained stable.
D)significantly declined.

Question 60

Research shows that the international achievement gap between the U.S.and other countries

A)decreases the longer children are in school.
B)impacts U.S.girls, but not boys.
C)is an issue primarily for poor children attending schools in poor neighborhoods.
D)is increasing.

Question 61

President Obama's "blueprint" for educational reform includes

A)harsh penalties for failing a subject in elementary school.
B)a strong emphasis on the privatization of schools.
C)improving the quality of instruction.
D)a return to neighborhood schools.

Question 62

School vouchers are

A)a form of public assistance that provides free or discounted school meals for qualifying children.
B)coupons the federal government awards to school districts in which at least 90 percent of the student population graduate from high school; these coupons are redeemable for any educational enrichment materials costs, such as computers and field trips.
C)tax credits that are transferred to the public or private school the parents select for their child.
D)forms that must be submitted to local school boards by parents who home-school their children; these forms document the educational progress of their children.

Question 63

No Child Left Behind

A)was enacted by Congress in 2001.
B)is a grant funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
C)was declared unconstitutional.
D)provided for busing to achieve integration.

Question 64

Critics of Value Added Measurement argue that

A)students do not learn as much.
B)teachers discriminate against students.
C)teachers may begin "teaching to the test."
D)student's ratings of teachers may be unfair.

Question 65

The relationship between race and ethnicity and educational achievement is largely a result of socioeconomic differences.

Question 66

Charter schools were designed to do which of the following?

A)expand schooling options and increase the quality of education through competition
B)provide educational opportunities to poor people in developing countries
C)enable older adults to return to school while maintaining their full-time jobs
D)end busing

Question 67

Learning in which the student and teacher are separated by time and/or place but connect through some communication technology is referred to as

A)e-learning.
B)virtual schooling.
C)cyberclasses.
D)high-tech classrooms.

Question 68

Critics of alternative certification programs argue that these programs

A)increase social promotion.
B)are too costly.
C)increase segregation in the schools.
D)may place unprepared teachers in the classroom.

Question 69

Character education involves

A)teaching appropriate manners for various careers.
B)developing self-esteem.
C)developing morals.
D)building patriotism.

Question 70

Education legislation is controversial regarding all of the following EXCEPT

A)closing achievement gaps.
B)standardized testing.
C)accountability.
D)privatization of schools.

Question 71

The common set of academic standards endorsed by the National Governors Association is known as the

A)National Curriculum.
B)No Child Left Behind initiative.
C)Cross-State Program
D)Common Core State Standards

Question 72

There is no evidence that U.S.schools are still segregated by race and ethnicity.

Question 73

Socioeconomic status is one of the best predictors of educational success and attainment.

Question 74

Value Added Measurement refers to

A)the practice of using student achievement data to assess teacher effectiveness.
B)student entrance exams for college.
C)the practice of padding applications for college with extracurriculars.
D)the use of teacher evaluations by parents and students in determining teacher salaries.

Question 75

The "Common Core" provides standards for

A)fundraising for education.
B)post-secondary vocational programs.
C)e-learning.
D)preparing students for post-secondary education and jobs.

Question 76

Between 2011 and 2012, the average cost of a college education

A)went down due to new government subsidies.
B)remained the same for in-state students but increased dramatically for out-of-state students.
C)increased for white males but not for females and minority students.
D)increased for both in-state and out-of-state students.

Question 77

A recent evaluation of charter schools found that

A)charter schools lure top students away from traditional schools.
B)charter school students are likely to drop out of the program.
C)students who attend charter schools show higher achievement than students in traditional public schools.
D)charter schools negatively impact school achievement at neighboring schools.

Question 78

All societies in the world today have a formal mechanism for educating the masses.

Question 79

Proponents of voucher systems argue that vouchers

A)increase the quality of all schools by creating competition.
B)drain funds away from public schools.
C)attract top students from public schools.
D)increase segregation.

Question 80

In general, education rates are rising throughout the world.