Deck 21: Education

Question 1

The socialization rationale for public education implies that private schools _____.

A)are more segregated along class and perhaps racial lines
B)are more homogenous
C)are often organized around an exclusionary orientation
D)all of the above

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Equalization of resources across school districts would be less of a concern if _____.

A)there was no link between spending and achievement
B)there was a strong link between spending and achievement
C)classroom teachers were better paid
D)taxpayers were willing to spend more

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The equity argument for government financing of education _____.

A)is dependent upon the socialization argument
B)does not imply government financing
C)does not imply government production
D)is dependent upon externalities being inframarginal

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In year 2000 dollars,per pupil expenditures on education in the United States in 1940 was around _____.

A)$500
B)$1000
C)$2000
D)$4000

Question 5

In 2002,there were _____ school districts in the United States.

A)fewer than 15,000
B)around 30,000
C)around 45,000
D)more than 60,000

Question 6

Which of the following is not a common rationale for government involvement in education?

A)Public education produces a positive inframarginal externality.
B)Public provisions of education makes students into better citizens.
C)Public financing of education is necessary on equity grounds.
D)all of the above

Question 7

Expenditures on education equal about _____ of state and local government financial outlays.

A)one quarter
B)one third
C)one half
D)two thirds

Question 8

Economic status tends to be passed on from one generation to the next _____.

A)regardless of the monetary wealth that is transmitted from parents to children
B)because of the monetary wealth that is transmitted from parents to children
C)in nearly all societies
D)a and c

Question 9

One reason education expenditures are increasing is that a larger percentage of resources are now being used on _____ expenditures.

A)teacher aide
B)non-classroom
C)teacher salary
D)textbook

Question 10

In 1952,there were _____ school districts in the United States.

A)fewer than 15,000
B)around 30,000
C)around 45,000
D)more than 60,000

Question 11

Since 1940 the percentage of elementary and secondary educational expenditures financed by local governments _____.

A)declined by around 10 percentage points
B)increased by around 10 percentage points
C)increased by around 5 percentage points
D)declined by around 15 percentage points

Question 12

The percentage of elementary and secondary educational expenditures financed by the federal government _____ between 1940 and 2000.

A)increased from 5 to 10 percent
B)increased from 2 to 7 percent
C)stayed relatively constant around 5 percent
D)increased from 3 to 13 percent

Question 13

In the year 2000,per pupil expenditures on education in the United States were around _____.

A)$4000
B)$5000
C)$6000
D)$7000

Question 14

_____ the externality generated by education,individuals have a _____ incentive to obtain an education for themselves.

A)Because of;strong
B)Despite;strong
C)Because of;weak
D)Despite;weak

Question 15

A problem with the socialization argument is that _____.

A)the organization of public schools often lends itself to segregation
B)it is unfair
C)students need to learn to be good citizens
D)public schools are open to everyone

Question 16

In 1940 _____ of the population over 25 had a college degree.

A)less than 5 percent
B)around 10 percent
C)around 15 percent
D)more than 20 percent

Question 17

The fact that positive externalities may exist in education is not enough to justify government involvement.To justify government involvement,it must be shown that _____.

A)the effect of the externalities are large
B)the externalities are inframarginal
C)people do not internalize the externalities
D)education is an investment good

Question 18

Empirical evidence seems to suggest that there is _____ between education and education.

A)a strongly positive link
B)a weakly positive link
C)no link
D)a weakly negative link

Question 19

By 2000,the percentage of U.S.adults with a college diploma was _____.

A)18.7 percent
B)21.3 percent
C)25.6 percent
D)29.9 percent

Question 20

It is clear that government provision of education is not necessary _____.

A)because of the existence of private schools
B)from the size of positive externalities
C)because of the lack of asymmetrical information between parents and teachers
D)because education externalities are negatively inframarginal

Question 21

Education vouchers have the advantage that they retain ______ but still allow _____.

A)government financing;parents to choose
B)government production;considerable government control
C)government production;parents to choose
D)government financing;considerable government control

Question 22

Which of the following are reasons for the increased centralization in school financing?

A)The existence of diseconomies of scale in education.
B)A desire by state education agencies to decentralize control.
C)A desire to equalize funding across school districts.
D)Increasing positive externalities from education as globalization increases.

Question 23

Even if college imparted no additional knowledge to its graduates,they are likely to earn more because _____.

A)firms like to say they only hire college graduates
B)of the connections that one makes in college
C)a college degree sends a signal of innate ability to employers
D)their parents help them get a job

Question 24

An argument against increasing centralization in elementary and secondary education is _____.

A)that it is anti-egalitarian
B)that there are fewer administrators to oversee extracurricular programs
C)that it results in less direct accountability to students and parents
D)that socialization is a problem in large school districts

Question 25

Which of the following provide increased competition for public schools?

A)homeschooling
B)charter schools
C)vouchers
D)all of the above

Question 26

In 2000,there were around _____ charter schools in the United States.

A)1,000
B)5,000
C)10,000
D)20,000

Question 27

It is likely true that education produces positive externalities.

Question 28

Around 50 percent of elementary and secondary educational expenditures are still financed at the local level.

Question 29

In 1999,what percentage of K-12 students attended private schools?

A)Around 6 percent
B)Around 9 percent
C)Around 11 percent
D)Around 14 percent

Question 30

Per pupil spending on education was seven times higher in 2000 than in 1940 after adjusting for inflation.

Question 31

Traditionally,elementary and secondary education was an enterprise of state government.

Question 32

A charter school is an independent _____ school with _____ financing.

A)private;private
B)public;public
C)private;public
D)public;private

Question 33

In terms of economic organization,the main difference between high schools and colleges is _____.

A)that most colleges are monopolies while high schools are highly competitive
B)that most colleges are for-profit institutions while high schools are public nonprofits
C)that more market mechanisms are used at the college level
D)there are no differences in economic organization between the two

Question 34

Public schools are often homogenous because of neighborhood attendance boundaries.

Question 35

Which of the following are criticisms of voucher programs?

A)They do not allow government to exercise enough control over education finance.
B)Exclusionary admission standards under a voucher program would be unjust.
C)Vouchers might be used at sub-standard schools.
D)all of the above
E)b and c

Question 36

The rate of homeschooling is higher _____.

A)when the mother is uneducated
B)where regulations on homeschooling are onerous
C)in affluent and homogenous areas
D)in areas where school quality is low relative to homeschooling

Question 37

Over 90 percent of adults in the United States were high school graduates in 2000.

Question 38

An advantage of charter schools is they _____.

A)educate students at a lower cost than traditional public schools
B)increase the amount of competition in the public school system
C)have innovative curriculums that lead to rapid student improvement in most cases
D)a and b

Question 39

Overcrowding under public school choice is not a problem because _____.

A)parents find crowded schools undesirable
B)parents do not mind sending their kids to schools far away from home
C)schools have the ability to drastically expand capacity in the short-run
D)schools will be extremely exclusionary

Question 40

Whether or not the positive externalities generated by education are inframarginal can be measured with a great degree or certainty.

Question 41

If a college graduate makes $10,000 more than a high school graduate,we can safely say that the education imparted in college adds $10,000 to an individual's income.

Question 42

It is possible that a voucher program could erode the public nature of public schools,effectively turning all schools into private schools.

Question 43

As is shown by the example of college dropout Bill Gates,more education does generally not pay off.

Question 44

Provide arguments for and against education vouchers.

Question 45

About 1.7 percent of elementary and secondary students were educated at home in 1999.

Question 46

How has the financing of elementary and secondary education changed in the United States since 1940? What is the primary reason for this trend?

Question 47

Describe the argument that education generates a positive externality.Why might this externality not be relevant in terms of economic efficiency?

Question 48

Give a brief overview of how education attainment and elementary and secondary education spending has changed in the United States since 1940.

Question 49

At the college level there is complete school choice.

Question 50

Provide four reasons for the changes observed in per-pupil spending during the latter half of the twentieth century.

Question 51

Does education increase economic growth? Explain your answer.

Question 52

In 1999,around 24 percent of college students attended private schools.

Question 53

Charter schools generally receive more funding than traditional public schools.

Question 54

The relationship between education and productivity is easily quantified because causation clearly flows from education to increased productivity.