Deck 9: Education: Conflict in Policy Direction

Question 1

Approximately _________ percent of the nation's college students attend public institutions of higher education.

A) 33
B) 40
C) 60
D) 80
E) 95

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Critics of minimum competency tests charge that the tests are _____________.

A) fair
B) statically unreliable
C) an easy solution
D) has eliminated cultural bias

Answer 2

B

Question 3

_____________ emphasize the responsibility of the family, state government, local school boards, and private institutions, such as the church, as the appropriate structures for determining education policy.

A) Liberals
B) Conservatives
C) Radicals
D) Libertarians

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Federal education spending has increased in rapidly in recent decades.

Question 5

Which of the following constituted the largest source of U.S. public elementary and secondary education expenditures in 2001?

A) Federal Government
B) State Governments
C) Local Districts
D) Private Endowments

Question 6

Local control of the schools:

A) is an important value in all democracies
B) insures that there will be great variation in the quality of education.
C) is not a major value in the United States.
D) does not produce much variation in educational quality.

Question 7

The ACT is designed to reflect high school curriculum.

Question 8

The state government plays an expanded role in education policy creating local school districts, specifying curriculum models and teacher certification standards.

Question 9

Tuition at private institutions of higher education _______________ between 1985 and 2000.

A) rose slowly
B) rose rapidly
C) declined slowly
D) declined rapidly
E) stayed the same

Question 10

Education was the means to enable the public to make choices consistent with democratic values.

Question 11

_____________ provided federal funding to local public schools.

A) Elementary and Secondary Educational Act
B) Trickle-Down Education Act
C) Federal Aid for State Education Act
D) Public School Assistance Act

Question 12

Federal funding for higher education does NOT include

A) GI Bill funding
B) football scholarships
C) work-study programs
D) Loan programs

Question 13

Brown v. Board of Education (1954) Supreme Court decision allowed separate education of black and white children to continue

Question 14

Which of the following statements is false?

A) Each school district decides its policy such as tax rates, school calendar and classroom material
B) The American educational system grew out of an English heritage where church and home were responsible for education.
C) Federal control over education was viewed as appropriate use of national power in the early years of the country.
D) Community control is a basic tenet of American education.

Question 15

The federal government provides a greater percentage of funding for elementary and secondary schools than for colleges and universities.

Question 16

_____________ thought sees education as the means that enable the public to make choices consistent with democratic values and maintain stability of the republic.

A) Hamiltonian
B) Washingtonian
C) Jeffersonian
D) Franklintonian

Question 17

Public K-12 education in the United States has traditionally been:

A) free
B) locally controlled
C) minimally influenced by the federal government
D) all of the above

Question 18

Which of the following statements about the declining SAT mean score is false?

A) the decline is due to more students taking the exam
B) The SAT has gotten more difficult
C) More students are from families who are not college educated are taking the test
D) Television viewing have lowered the motivation of student to excel on the SAT

Question 19

Public confidence in the educational system has increased in the last 15 years.

Question 20

_____________ favor an expansion of the federal role in education policy.

A) Liberals
B) Conservatives
C) Radicals
D) Libertarians

Question 21

Which of the following is FALSE with regards to merit-based teacher pay?

A) salary may not be the main factor in recruiting and retaining high-caliber teachers
B) it is difficult to establish an unbiased operational definition of merit to be applied to teachers
C) merit-based pay is a substitute for an adequate salary scale
D) teachers may abandon their own creativity in order to comply with a rigid set of standards

Question 22

The school drop out rate is highest among:

A) African Americans
B) Hispanics
C) Whites

Question 23

Which of the following statements about multi-cultural education is false?

A) multi-cultural education is designed to crate social change
B) Multiculturalism could lead to civil war in America
C) Multiculturalism rejects the view that schools should merely teach cultural pluralism
D) Multiculturalism embraces multilingualism, multi-dialectism and individual uniqueness

Question 24

The enactment of the Morrill Act in 1862 resulted in the rapid and extensive development of public higher education.

Question 25

"Choice" models in education reform include which of the following?

A) choice of college majors.
B) allowing students to choose vocational tracks
C) vouchers for private or parochial schools
D) all of the above

Question 26

The consolidation of school districts was to ____________________.

A) Diminish the ability of parents influence education policy
B) To increase constituency size
C) Curtail interaction between the public and the school board
D) Increased operating efficiency and achieving economy of scale

Question 27

Other developed nations are more inclined than the United States to give students a "second chance" at success.

Question 28

The school drop out rate in Texas is higher than the national average.

Question 29

The percent of students attending private schools has ______________ since 1970.

A) Remained stable
B) increased
C) decreased

Question 30

Which is true concerning America's tradition of controlling the educational system?

A) The U.S. Constitution provides for federal control of the educational system.
B) There has always been great demand for granting power to the national government to control education.
C) Community control became a basic tenet of American education.
D) State governments were not willing to grant charters to establish educational institutions.

Question 31

The No Child Left Behind Act contained which of the following features?

A) increased multicultural components
B) bilingual education support
C) new requirements for educational testing
D) reduced ability of parents to choose schools

Question 32

Education vouchers or tax credits systems would NOT

A) allow parents to use them for tuition payment
B) have strong conservative support
C) allow parents to select the best schools for their children
D) prevent public and private schools

Question 33

Which of the following states about merit pay is NOT true?

A) Merit pay may not be the main factor in recruiting and retention
B) Teachers may abandon their creativity in order to comply with the set standards
C) Merit pay is not a substitution for an adequate salary scale
D) An unbiased operational definition of merit has been established
E) none of the above

Question 34

Which of the following is a cause of lower quality in elementary and secondary school teachers in recent years?

A) lower esteem for the teaching profession
B) women's opportunities outside teaching
C) relatively low salaries for teachers
D) all of the above

Question 35

Which of the following was NOT a component of effective teaching?

A) mastery of knowledge
B) mastery of teaching
C) mastery of academic material
D) mastery of class discipline

Question 36

Vouchers or tax credits for private or parochial schools are favored by:

A) liberals
B) conservatives
C) professional educators
D) the religious left

Question 37

The adoption of a system of vouchers and tax credits for reforming educational financing

A) would spur the movement toward private schools
B) would help parents with the financial expenses of educating their children
C) has strong conservative support
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 38

There is no direct provision in the U.S. Constitution for federal involvement in, or control over, the educational system.

Question 39

The charter school movement

A) has increased in popularity in the middle 1990s.
B) has not reached Texas yet.
C) is favored by conservatives.
D) (A) and (C) only
E) (B) and (C) only

Question 40

The increase of power of the state government over local education policies is an unintended consequence of district consolidation

Question 41

President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind program was a continuation of the educational policies of President Reagan, President George H.W. Bush and president Clinton

Question 42

The 1983 report of the National Commission on Excellence in Education cites the problems in education quality was

A) the proliferation of remedial courses in college
B) the continued decline in achievement test scores
C) that educational skills of the current student generation will be lower than their parents
D) the functional illiteracy of twenty-three million Americans
E) all of the above

Question 43

Liberals propose tuition tax credits and educational vouchers as ways to encourage school choice through private and parochial schools.

Question 44

President Bush's "No Child Left Behind" Act includes which of the following?

A) required yearly math and reading standardized tests
B) additional federal financial aid to local school districts
C) allowing students to transfer from failing public schools to better public schools
D) all of the above
E) (A) and (C) only

Question 45

The Religious Right stresses professional educators and national standards for education policy.

Question 46

Conservatives supported President Clinton's Goal 2000 as part of his education policy but opposed

A) technology literacy
B) creation of national standards
C) school choice
D) limited federal control

Question 47

Regular testing is NOT an integral component of NCLB. T/F?

Question 48

The average performance scores of American students in science and math is below that of which country?

A) India
B) Russia
C) Mexico
D) Canada

Question 49

In an effort to consolidate virtually all programs relating to education, Congress created the Department of Education during the presidency of _____________.

A) Thomas Jefferson
B) Abraham Lincoln
C) Franklin Roosevelt
D) Jimmy Carter
E) Benjamin Franklin

Question 50

The __________ movement focuses on reading, writing and arithmetic, as well as values of respect, obedience, and moral content.

A) traditional
B) back-to-the-basics
C) Education Plus
D) social awareness

Question 51

Projections for the next few years are that the number of minority teachers in the public schools

A) will decline
B) will grow slightly
C) will remain stable
D) will grow significantly

Question 52

Which of the following is true of Outcome Based Education?

A) It is a controversial effort to improve education.
B) Conservatives tend to oppose it.
C) Liberals think that it minimizes academic content.
D) all of the above
E) (a) and (b)

Question 53

Minimum competency tests (MCTs)

A) test teacher competency
B) test the capacity of students to go to high school
C) are sometimes used as a requirement for high school graduation
D) are sometimes used for hiring teachers
E) are used to fire incompetent teachers

Question 54

Possible solutions for the problem of teacher competency include

A) merit pay
B) higher salaries
C) master teachers
D) all of the above

Question 55

The high school dropout rate is highest among __________.

A) African Americans
B) Hispanics
C) Whites
D) none of the above

Question 56

President George W. Bush's education policy centered around ____________.

A) Goals 2000
B) America 2000: An Education Strategy
C) No Child Left Behind
D) No Educational Opportunity Unturned
E) none of the above

Question 57

The Religious Right stresses family and local responsibility for education policy.

Question 58

The failure of a significant portion of the population to earn a high school diploma encourages the development of an undereducated minority class. T/F.

Question 59

Which of the following is true President Obama's education policy?

A) There will be major increases in federal funding for education.
B) It eliminates NCLB.
C) Federal funding to states would require states and local school districts to encourage development of charter schools.
D) Teacher evaluation systems would remain the same.

Question 60

Which of the following led to the creation of bilingual education programs?

A) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
B) Bilingual Education Act of 1974
C) Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974
D) Both A and C
E) none of the above

Question 61

Multiculturalism seeks to:

A) encourage assimilation of minority groups.
B) reinvigorate the American concept of the "melting pot" society.
C) eliminate linguistic cleavages in the United States.
D) embrace cultural and ethnic diversity in the United States

Question 62

Which of the following is NOT true about affirmative action programs in colleges and universities?

A) Affirmative action programs have their greatest impact in highly selective colleges and universities
B) The impact of affirmative action in granting an advantage based on race or gender is relatively minor
C) The more selective institution will be unavailable to some ethnic groups
D) Hispanics will no longer be underrepresented in higher education

Question 63

Proponents of privately managed public schools argue that it's a mechanism to improve the performance of schools by reinventing the curriculum and teaching techniques

Question 64

Which of the following are possible ways to help create financial equality among public school pupils?

A) total state funding of public schools
B) school district consolidation
C) greater reliance on property taxes for school financing
D) (A) and (B) only
E) (A) and (C) only

Question 65

President George H. Bush's America 2000 educational program and President Clinton's Goals 2000 program

A) have had major effects on school curricula
B) were similar in purpose
C) sought to establish national goals for the many local schools
D) all of the above
E) (b) and (c)

Question 66

A relatively recent education reform movement is the creation of "for-profit" schools.

Question 67

Because property taxes are the primary source of school financing,

A) financial inequity between school districts is likely.
B) school districts receive the same income per student.
C) states take money from poor districts and re-distribute it to wealthy ones.
D) property taxes have declined in recent years.

Question 68

The teaching of creation science or intelligent design is a violation of the constitution according to the Supreme Court

Question 69

Multiculturalism

A) is at odds with the view of America as a "melting pot."
B) appeals to many cultural groups.
C) tries to establish an appreciation for the contributions of various ethnic groups.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 70

Local schools have minimal responsibility for the operation of a charter school within their jurisdiction. T/F.

Question 71

Liberals oppose tuition tax credits and vouchers for private and parochial schools partly on the basis of separation of church and state.

Question 72

In the United States, elementary and secondary school revenues are generated mainly from __________.

A) payroll taxes
B) education taxes
C) state lotteries
D) property taxes

Question 73

__________ values stress the importance of the individual shaped by the church, family and traditional political values.

A) Liberal
B) Conservative
C) Libertarian
D) none of the above

Question 74

Parents home school their children because

A) they want their children to develop their learning more naturally
B) they are dissatisfied with their local school
C) they want to provide religious education
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 75

Bilingual education is an integral part of multiculturalism.

Question 76

Privatization is often a last ditch effort to salvage failing urban schools

Question 77

_____________ grants a charter to either a public or private group to organize and operate a school

A) state legislators
B) Local school districts.
C) United States Department of Education
D) State Board of Education

Question 78

The case in which the Supreme Court, in 1973, refused to equate inequities in property values and the resultant difference in educational expenditures with a violation of the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment was

A) Serrano v. Priest
B) San Antonio I.S.D. v. Rodriguez
C) Brown v. Board of Education
D) Plessy v. Ferguson

Question 79

The Coleman Report discovered that

A) racism was a major factor in poor student performance
B) the primary factor that affected student performance was family background
C) affirmative action programs were required to help minority students
D) racial equality was linked to higher SAT scores
E) none of the above

Question 80

The Bilingual Education Act of 1974 provided

A) that all children should learn a second language
B) funds to meet the language needs of non-English speaking students
C) that each public school have at least one bilingual teacher
D) none of the above