Deck 7: Governing and Administering Public Education

Question 1

A school board member is placed through ______________ in over 95% of the cases nationwide.

A) election by the teachers
C) appointment by the public
B) appointment by the teachers
D) election by the public

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Some studies indicate that compared with large high schools, small high schools have

A) better attendance rates only.
C) more student responsiveness only.
B) improved grades only.
D) all of the above.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Instructional leadership is a primary responsibility of the _______________, who often collaborates with stakeholders to make "data-driven decisions."

A) chief state school officer
C) school board
B) principal
D) superintendent

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The combination of a number of smaller school districts into one or two larger ones is called

A) consolidation.
C) teacher empowerment.
B) decentralization.
D) community control.

Question 5

Fifty-nine percent of elementary school principals are female.This figure is substantially higher than that of secondary schools, where it drops to 29%.To what do you attribute the female majority among elementary school principals? To what do you attribute the glaring drop off in secondary schools?

Question 6

The "Chicago Plan" is an example of which type of reform?

A) community control
C) downsizing schools
B) school consolidation
D) charter schools

Question 7

Which of the following countries has a nationwide educational system?

A) Great Britain
C) Japan
B) France
D) all of the above

Question 8

Walden Primary School has just instituted school-based management.Which of the following activities will now be particularly important to Susanne's effectiveness as school principal?

A) making teaching assignments
B) collaborating with teachers and other school staff
C) taking direction from the superintendent
D) developing reports for the district office

Question 9

Local school districts have been delegated powers and duties by the

A) county government.
C) state government.
B) local government.
D) federal government.

Question 10

Authority for approval in the hiring of new teachers rests with the

A) principal.
B) school board.
C) superintendent.
D) teachers in the school where the opening exists.

Question 11

When comparing large and small school districts, it is probably most realistic to argue that

A) although large school districts may realize some financial efficiency, they generally suffer from a higher degree of bureaucratic constraints.
B) large districts are no more likely than small ones to be constrained by bureaucratic problems, because most decisions about education are made at the state and federal levels.
C) small districts are just as notorious as large districts in terms of inefficient organization and bureaucratic constraints.
D) it is impossible to compare the organizational efficiency of small and large districts.

Question 12

School board members are usually selected by

A) appointment by the city or town council.
B) appointment by the governor.
C) appointment by the mayor or county executive.
D) election by community members.

Question 13

Describe the role of the federal government in education since the 1980s.How do opponents of NCLB criticize funding aspects of the act?

Question 14

An elected community school board functioning in conjunction with a central school board is an example of

A) community control.
C) community participation.
B) community education.
D) all of the above.

Question 15

Depending on the community, members of local school boards may be elected or appointed.Either way, there are some advantages and some disadvantages.Identify and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of elected members.

Question 16

Which of the following statements best describes the role of the local school board?

A) Local school boards of education have retained a great deal of influence over the day-to-day operation of schools.
B) Although they have the legal right to make decisions about the operation of public schools, school boards generally leave the day-to-day operation of schools to professional educators.
C) The only area in which school boards directly influence the day-to-day operation of schools is in the determination of curriculum.
D) School boards have basically become outdated, having only symbolic roles in public education.

Question 17

The typical school board member tends to

A) be female.
C) be wealthier that the general population.
B) have no children in school.
D) be liberal.

Question 18

Jan was just hired as school district superintendent, and her duties are many and varied.Which of the following duties is likely to be the most relevant to her ability to keep her job?

A) ensuring compliance with state and federal directives
B) informing and advising the school board on policy matters
C) evaluating curriculum
D) supervising professional and nonteaching school personnel

Question 19

The day-to-day operation of a school district is determined by the

A) principal.
C) superintendent.
B) school board.
D) teacher organization.

Question 20

Which of the following is generally seen as a positive outcome of school consolidation into larger districts?

A) A larger pool of specialized teachers
C) The ability to eliminate redundant staff
B) The ability to employ more counselors
D) All of the above

Question 21

The chief state school officer is the chief executive of the

A) intermediate unit.
B) Office of Educational Research and Improvement.
C) state school board.
D) state superintendents' agency.

Question 22

Among the nonpublic schools, the share of nonreligious, independent schools in recent years has

A) decreased.
C) remained about the same.
B) increased.

Question 23

Given the way large school districts and large schools have been organized in the past, the trend toward larger school districts and larger schools conflicts, at least in principle, with which of the following other trends in education?

A) the increasing level of authority in school boards operating over the last decade
B) dramatic improvements in the funding of public education
C) the flight of public-school students out of the public schools and into private schools
D) the increasing urge on the part of educators to downsize schools and to make districts organizationally leaner

Question 24

Changes in the ways and means of operating schools in a state must be made through the

A) school boards.
C) governor of the state.
B) school codes.
D) teacher associations.

Question 25

What are the responsibilities of local school boards? How are these responsibilities limited by the state?

Question 26

_________________ programs often blur the line between private and public schools.

A) Faith-based
C) School choice
B) Charter
D) State funded

Question 27

Identify four of the eight specific powers of a school board.

Question 28

Which of the following statements best describes the nature of the governance and administration of public schools in the United States?

A) Although the influence of the federal government has begun to increase in recent years, public education is clearly seen as a responsibility of states and local districts.
B) Professional educators have succeeded in wresting control from school boards and legislatures and in establishing their own control over major educational decisions in this country, thus removing much of the politics from the process.
C) Parents and community members have been able to achieve unprecedented levels of influence in public schools in the United States.
D) After about 200 years of public education, it is still very difficult to identify any single group, combination of groups, or level of government that is clearly in charge of public education.

Question 29

__________________ is (are) a key component of the No Child Left Behind Act.

A) Data collection
C) Assessment intervention
B) Parent involvement
D) State examinations

Question 30

Educational opportunities for all citizens, with responsibility shared with various community institutions, is an example of

A) community control.
C) community participation.
B) community education.
D) all of the above.

Question 31

List and describe the three types of meetings a school board may hold.

Question 32

When considering school reform, which federal law has had the largest impact on reform since the wave of school reforms in 1957?

A) No Child Left Behind
C) Great Start
B) IDEA
D) No Worker Left Behind

Question 33

Private and parochial schools are not exempt from state legislation concerning

A) curricular content.
C) health standards.
B) technology policies.
D) teacher salaries.

Question 34

Implementing the laws of the state legislature is the responsibility of the

A) intermediate unit.
C) state court system.
B) state board of education.
D) state department of education.

Question 35

Identify the characteristics of a charter school.

Question 36

Some of the largest school districts in the nation enroll ____________students in more than ___________ schools.

A) 900; 2
C) 99,000; 60
B) 9,900; 12
D) 990,000; 1,200

Question 37

The functioning of the state department of education is most directly affected by the actions of the

A) congressional representatives.
C) state board of education.
B) local boards of education.
D) superintendents.

Question 38

Considering the high level of administrative responsibilities, discuss reasons that may lead to the regular turnover of superintendents.

Question 39

As described in chapter 7, a 1987 study led by two researchers concluded that an ideal high school should enroll ___________students to be most effective.

A) 250
C) 1000
B) 500
D) 2000

Question 40

How many levels are there in the United States educational system?

A) 2
C) 6
B) 4
D) 8

Question 41

Compare the make-up of school administration as it relates to government.What branch does each represent?

Question 42

What role does the state legislature play in public education?

Question 43

Why might there be community resistance to consolidation?

Question 44

Why would a community want the school board to promote parental involvement?

Question 45

What role might a citizens group play in the school board decision making process?