Deck 13: The Changing Purposes of American Education

Question 1

Schools are a mirror of strengths and weaknesses in society. Why is it important for the goals of education to change as society changes?

Answer 1

The curriculum in schools needs to keep up with changes in society because the students need to be fully functioning citizens. If schools do not change with the times, content will be outdated and useless for students. Problems in society (such as drug use and violence)also show up in schools, and schools cannot avoid dealing with them if the schools are to function properly.

Question 2

Because of the educational policy reports of the mid-1980s, such as A Nation at Risk, schools implemented

A)an increase in high-school graduation requirements only.
B)an increase in required math and science courses only.
C)an increase in college entrance requirements only.
D)all of the above

Answer 2

D

Question 3

A Nation at Risk emphasized that the well-being of the nation was being eroded by

A)the high cost of education.
B)increasing federal involvement in education.
C)interference by community leaders in reforming the curriculum.
D)mediocrity in education.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A "high stakes" test is one where the results

A)are used to help make decisions about promotion and/or graduation.
B)count for more points than other tests in the semester.
C)are not linked to the district's or the state's educational standards.
D)have little relationship to accountability systems.

Question 5

Schools interested in proposing a curriculum consistent with A Nation at Risk would probably offer

A)contemporary issues in sex education.
B)science.
C)remedial mathematics.
D)vocational education.

Question 6

Goals serve as a guide for developing

A)aims.
B)specific objectives.
C)intermediate objectives.
D)ultimate objectives.

Question 7

By the 1980s, the attention of national policy reports focused on the needs of which group of students who have tended to be ignored in national priorities for education?

A)average
B)gifted
C)at-risk
D)minority

Question 8

Educational policy reports in the mid-1980s emphasized

A)academic excellence.
B)educational equality.
C)the relevance of education to conditions in society.
D)the whole-child concept.

Question 9

The educational crises of the late 1950s and the early 1980s were similar in that

A)they both focused on the need to establish equity in terms of the attention and resources devoted to different populations served by public education.
B)the reforms that followed both crises were in response to a perceived decline in academic performance and called for increased academic rigor as a solution.
C)neither event had a very dramatic impact on public education.
D)both sets of reforms failed because of the public's unwillingness to fund needed changes.

Question 10

The primary goal that "All children in America will start school ready to learn" was established by

A)the National Education Goals Panel Report.
B)the No Child Left Behind Act.
C)Lau v.  Nichols.
D)the Action of Excellence Report.

Question 11

Goals are sometimes called

A)behavioral objectives.
B)performance statements.
C)statements of intent/ "ends"
D)ultimate objectives.

Question 12

The whole-child concept emphasizes

A)the development of curricular materials on values and moral standards.
B)the growth and development of the entire child.
C)the principles of psychology related to the mental discipline theory.
D)the use of a core curriculum of selected subjects.

Question 13

The major effect of the Soviet satellite Sputnik on American education was

A)renewed emphasis on progressive education.
B)a return to academic essentials.
C)a revised emphasis on the humanities.
D)the start of teacher competency testing.

Question 14

Objectives are usually prepared at the __________ level.

A)subject/grade
B)unit plan
C)lesson plan
D)all of the above

Question 15

Behavioral objectives can be evaluated by measuring

A)the observable behavior of the student.
B)graduation rates.
C)public opinion about educational issues.
D)student performance on standardized achievement tests.

Question 16

An example of a goal is

A)to describe the political party system in the United States.
B)to interpret the influence of trends in public opinion on the next congressional election.
C)to prepare students for democratic citizenship.
D)to list citizens' responsibilities.

Question 17

School district goals should be based on input from

A)professional educators only.
B)parents only.
C)citizens only.
D)all of the above

Question 18

The fact that what we perceive to be our goals for public education can change so dramatically and so frequently probably reflects

A)the problems that arise when the goals of public education are determined politically and not by educators.
B)the fact that only a small segment of the public really understands what it is that public schools are supposed to do.
C)our inability to decide whether education is a local, state, or national responsibility.
D)the idea that educational goals are based in the needs of different times and contexts and that they change as these needs change.

Question 19

The launching of Sputnik rocked the foundations of the United States government, citizenry, and educational system during which period of American history?

A)Cuban Missile-Crisis
B)Cold War
C)Vietnam War
D)Detente

Question 20

The 1960s brought increased attention to

A)average students.
B)disadvantaged students.
C)gifted students.
D)special-education students.

Question 21

In evaluating the national goal, "all children in America will start school ready to learn," explain the concerns state and local governments might have in reaching this goal.

Question 22

A new focus on outcomes that measured academic results in a child's education led to __________.

A)states standards and assessment
B)benchmarks
C)outcomes-based education
D)IDEA

Question 23

What were some of the factors that contributed to the numerous educational policy reports at the end of the twentieth century?

Question 24

Give an example of an influence on the identification of educational goals, and then identify the consequence of that influence in the schools.

Question 25

Discuss whether goals should be stated in behavioral or nonbehavioral terms.

Question 26

Behavioral or performance objectives often focus on _____________.

A)content or a specific skill
B)the state framework
C)national goals
D)broad goals

Question 27

What influence do social forces have on the educational goals of a school district?

Question 28

What is the purpose of the mental discipline approach to education?

Question 29

Describe the function of a school improvement plan.

Question 30

How can the achievement of objectives be measured?

Question 31

What were the forces that contributed to the emphasis on the academically talented and the return to academic essentials in the late 1950s?

Question 32

What were some of the recommendations that were made in the 1983 report, A Nation at Risk ?

Question 33

_________________detailed policies and procedures for including children with disabilities in a regular classroom.

A)The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
B)Leave No Child Behind
C)Lau v. Nichols
D)LEP

Question 34

______________ forced change in the school curriculum by steering children towards science and math.

A)Leave No Child Behind
B)The National Defense Educational Act
C)The Sputnik flight
D)A school-based management team

Question 35

___________developed an outline for the development and implementation of school goals in the late 1940s.

A)President Roosevelt
B)Jean Piaget
C)Sigmund Freud
D)Ralph Tyler