Deck 2: What Is a School and What Is It for

Question 1

One drawback of using schools as vehicles for cultural transmission is that

A) time limitations will prevent students from studying all the important works necessary for them to understand the culture.
B) students may then not be able to recognize the merits of any other culture besides the dominant one of their society.
C) teachers cannot both prepare students to go to college and impart the benefit of the culture to the students.
D) schools have achieved limited success in cultural transmission.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

According to the Schooling v. Education comparison chart, which of the following should be considered a characteristic of education?

A) Many social requirements
B) Time as its engine
C) Novel, random, and unplanned
D) Facts and information to be absorbed

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Jacques Barzun preferred which purposes of schools?

A) Social purposes
B) Intellectual purposes
C) Economic purposes
D) Political and civic purposes

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Socialization is an important element of schooling. As a result of socialization, children learn how to

A) succeed academically.
B) become productivemembers of society.
C) pursue their own interests.
D) become more popular.

Question 5

In the model of school as a transmitter of culture, schools

A) train students to be change agents.
B) emphasize specific subject-matter content.
C) ensure that the young know and appreciate the dominant ideas and values of their society's culture.
D) help students to critique their society's culture.

Question 6

Juan believes that schools can help students become actively involved in alleviating the problem of homelessness. Juan personifies the view of

A) cultural transmission.
B) human development education.
C) social reconstructionism.
D) the acculturator model of schooling.

Question 7

"Schooling" is most generally defined asa(n)

A) process of human growth that leads to greater self-control.
B) formal arrangement designed so that students will achieve their creative potential.
C) specific, formalized process aimed mostly at the young.
D) experience over a set period of time spent in an institution.

Question 8

According to Ryan and Cooper, which of the following is the best definition of "education"? Education is

A) technical proficiency that allows one to maneuver throughout the world.
B) a continual growth process whereby a person gains greater understanding of himself or herself and the world.
C) extensive knowledge of several discrete areas that allows one to become a productive member of society.
D) a formal process of instruction and learning by which one learns to read, write, compute, problem-solve, and think critically about issues.

Question 9

Hildi has selected her courses for the academic year, but after one week she finds that two of the courses do not interest her. She plans a meeting with her guidance counselor to rearrange her schedule. If this school is accurately represented by the "shopping mall high school" model, her guidance counselor will most likely

A) provide her with a series of forms to fill out and steps to complete so that her registration will be accurate.
B) tell her that it is a poor habit to switch courses so early in the year; she should learn to apply herself and develop good work habits for the future.
C) show her the course listings of numerous other courses available at her requested times and sign her drop/add sheet to expedite the process.
D) encourage her to take courses that will best further her goals.

Question 10

According to The Shopping Mall High School , how do many teachers deal with classroom management?

A) They strictly monitor their classes, ruling with an iron fist.
B) They make tacit agreements with their students that neither will push the other too hard.
C) They have little classroom management. The students rule the classes.
D) They provide, for the most part, engaging lessons with plenty of student involvement so that there is little time for students to become bored or distracted.

Question 11

What could one reasonably conclude from Jackson's observations of elementary classrooms?

A) The structure of the elementary classroom requires students to develop self-restraint and patience.
B) Elementary classrooms are structured to fulfill the needs of every child.
C) Classrooms are designed to make children resourceful with their time.
D) The elementary classroom structure caters to precocious children, generally ignoring the particular needs of the other children.

Question 12

Of the scenarios that follow, which student would be most likely to be left out of consideration in a"shopping mall high school?"

A) Barbara entered high school placed in the general studies track. However, after her sophomore year, she was able to switch rather easily into the college preparatory track upon the advice and encouragement of several of her teachers.
B) Keisha is in the academic track at high school and wants to go to college. She consults with her friends about which courses to take rather than consulting with her guidance counselor or a teacher.
C) Ellen is in the general studies track. Her teachers are well equipped to teach but are uninterested in the students in the general-level courses.
D) Juanita wants to become a graphic designer.  Her counselor recommends vocational courses in graphic arts and design at the technical center.

Question 13

Which of the following does not contribute to aneffective school?

A) High teacher expectations for all students
B) Teacher autonomy and isolated practice
C) Faculties with high degrees of task orientation
D) High degree of academic engaged time

Question 14

Reid firmly believes that the purpose of schools is to transmit dominant American culture. What might he do in class to further his educational goals?

A) Emphasize the benefits of competition and consistently reward students who perform better than their classmates.
B) Take his students on field trips to museums, theaters, and music halls.
C) Frequently tell students that they must create their own meaning and search for their purpose in life.
D) Emphasize cooperative learning and peer tutoring.

Question 15

A consistent similarity shared among schools teaching students in the middle school grades is that

A) teachers work in teams, sharing the same body of students.
B) those who teach students in the fifth through eighth grades emphasize their students' personal growth and developmental issues.
C) staffing for schools serving students in the middle grades is overwhelmingly departmentalized.
D) few consistent similarities exist; the schools vary widely based on the grades included in the school and the goals of the administration.

Question 16

Paulo Freire was a(n)

A) acculturist.
B) social reconstructionist.
C) economic reconstructionist.
D) globalist.

Question 17

Social reconstructionists believe that

A) the world is fine as it is.
B) the young are agents of change.
C) everyone should learn about the nation's culture in the same way.
D) the wisdom of the past is very important.

Question 18

Research has shown that each of the following school characteristics is influenced by the grade configuration of the middle school except

A) school goals.
B) course offerings.
C) instructional practices.
D) school size.

Question 19

Which of the following would an educator who is a democratic reconstructionist support?

A) Student involvement in local government with the expressed intention of maintaining the security and the stability of the status quo
B) The perspective that social problems are best solved by government officials whom citizens select
C) Students single-mindedly preparing for their own individual success
D) The notion that change happens most effectively when citizens are actively involved as change agents

Question 20

In his study, Philip Jackson noted that teachers engage in hundreds of interchanges a day. He found that most of these interchanges involved the teacher

A) directing and controlling the discussion.
B) sharing responsibility for the flow of the discussion with selected students.
C) speaking to colleagues and administrators.
D) seeking information from the students.

Question 21

What purposes of schooling did Thomas Jefferson strongly support and why?

Question 22

Explain curriculum as a "social bet."

Question 23

Schools have been defined as socialization agents that can teach children to be compliant, competitive, creative, cooperative, or curious. Define socialization, and give examples of school routines or practices that might nurture the development of the traits just listed.

Question 24

Explain the distinction made in this chapter between education and schooling. Give some examples of each. Describe the limitations of schooling, and explain its advantage over less formal types of education.

Question 25

The authors of The Shopping Mall High School conclude that "average" students are basically left to their own devices in high schools. Apparently such students are benignly ignored, by teachers and administrators alike. If this is, in fact, a common phenomenon among high schools, what does this mean for the quality of education that these students are receiving?