POLS 207 chapter 16 – Flashcards
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Which of the following is NOT expected of public schools today? A. Resolving racial conflict and building an integrated society B. Improving the self-image of minority children C. Inspiring patriotism and good citizenship D. Teaching children religious values
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Teaching children religious values
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The levels of state spending on education A. are directly related to the economic strength of a state's economy. B. have absolutely no impact on the economic strength of a state's economy. C. are provided under the idea that in the long run, education is the key to economic D. demonstrate that education is not the key to economic development. development.
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are provided under the idea that in the long run, education is the key to economic
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Too often educational reports focus on measures of resources expended on education called A. inputs. B. outputs. C. outcomes. D. incomes.
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inputs
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Which if the following is the most meaningful measure of an educational system's academic performance? A. Financial stability B. Ability to retain and graduate its students C. Diversity enrollments D. Number of winning athletic teams
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Ability to retain and graduate its students
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The dropout rate may be measured by the number of A. "event" dropouts. B. "status" dropouts. C. students who did not receive a high school diploma. D. all of the above.
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all of the above
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Professional educators argue against the validity of using SAT scores to compare state educational performance because A. there is such variance between states as to the percentage of graduating students B. the test discriminates against whites. C. testing times and locations are usually inconvenient. D. subject matter of the test is irrelevant. taking the test.
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there is such variance between states as to the percentage of graduating students
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The work of sociologist James Coleman, in Equality of Educational Opportunity, demonstrated that all of the following factors were unrelated to student achievement EXCEPT A. pupil expenditures. B. teacher salaries. C. classroom size. D. characteristics of the home environment.
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characteristics of the home environment.
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James Coleman demonstrated that student achievement levels are higher where there is A. a high expectation of achievement. B. an orderly and disciplined learning environment. C. an emphasis on basic D. all of the above.
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all of the above.
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High schools that specialize in certain fields, often to attract white students to the inner- city and reduce racial isolation, are called A. integrated schools. B. magnet schools. C. specialty schools. D. charter schools.
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magnet schools.
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Schools operated with public funds by private community groups under a contract with the public school district are called A. charter schools. B. educational voucher plans. C. district schools. D. magnet schools.
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charter schools.
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Charter schools A. allow innovation but require administrators to show specific student achievement. B. restrict innovation and require administrators to show specific student C. are private schools with no accountability. D. are based upon specific religions. achievement.
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allow innovation but require administrators to show specific student achievement.
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A controversial educational reform that gives parents the choice to spend public dollars at any school they choose, public or private, is known as the A. charter school. B. educational voucher plan. C. district school. D. privatized public school.
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educational voucher plan.
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The argument in favor of school vouchers refers to all of the following EXCEPT A. vouchers promote competition among schools. B. vouchers enhance achievement. C. vouchers threaten the viability of public schools. D. vouchers inspire public and private schools to compete equally for students.
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vouchers threaten the viability of public schools
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Opposition groups to the California voucher plan argued that the proposal would create A. an effective curriculum. B. an improvement in student achievement scores. C. a two-tier system of schools, one for the haves, one for the have-nots. D. a balance between the inner city and suburban school districts.
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a two-tier system of schools, one for the haves, one for the have-nots
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Public aid to religious educational institutions is constitutional when A. advancing a religious mission. B. provided as a direct subsidy. C. money is given for religious instruction. D. the aid program is neutral with respect to religion.
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the aid program is neutral with respect to religion.
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Although the federal government has taken the lead in guaranteeing racial equality in education and separating religion from public schools, it has never A. offered land grants to establish schools. B. given aid to students pursuing higher education. C. given disadvantaged children preschool preparation. D. contributed more than ten percent of the costs of public education.
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contributed more than ten percent of the costs of public education.
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The colleges established under the 1862 Morrill Land Grant Act became known as A. farming colleges. B. federal colleges. C. industrial arts colleges. D. land-grant colleges.
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land-grant colleges.
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The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 focused on A. special education programs. B. physical education programs. C. poverty-impacted schools. D. magnet schools with special science programs.
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poverty-impacted schools.
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The No Child Left Behind Act promotes A. testing as a means to improve academic performance. B. the use of adequate yearly progress reports. C. opportunities for children to leave poor-performing schools and attend another school of their choice. D. all of the above.
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all of the above.
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No Child Left Behind has been criticized in all of the following ways EXCEPT that A. testing leads to boredom and higher dropout rates. B. testing leads to narrow test-taking education rather than broad preparation for life. C. testing requires teachers to devote more time to coaching students how to pass an D. tests were racially biased. exam than preparing them for productive lives.
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testing leads to boredom and higher dropout rates.
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The fifty state governments, by means of enabling legislation, establish local school districts and A. require them to provide guidelines for public and private schools in the county. B. endow them with the authority to operate public schools. C. expect them to educate and care for the indigent children of the metropolitan areas D. allow them to partner with the private schools to write the curriculum for that even if they do not reside within the district. school district.
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endow them with the authority to operate public schools.
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State laws supersede the authority of local school districts in all of the following areas EXCEPT the A. types and rates of taxes to be levied. B. number of school days to remain open. C. hiring of the school superintendent. D. minimum salaries to be paid to teachers.
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hiring of the school superintendent.
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The states ensure local compliance with state educational policy in all of the following ways EXCEPT A. selecting members of local school boards. B. bureaucratic oversight. C. involvement of state boards of education, state commissioners, and state D. financial control through state allocation of funds to local school districts. departments of education.
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selecting members of local school boards
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Traditionally, state control over education was vested in A. the governor's office. B. the secretary of state. C. state educational accountability boards. D. state boards of education.
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state boards of education
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The state's chief education officer exercises all of the following influences over education in the state EXCEPT A. as public spokesperson for education. B. in testimony before the legislature. C. as the head of the state department of education. D. in defending educational personnel in state court.
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in defending educational personnel in state court.
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The principal tool in enforcing bureaucratic control over local schools is A. supervising state educational personnel. B. hiring and firing superintendents of local districts. C. allocating state educational money. D. writing and distributing textbooks.
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allocating state educational money.
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Through one of the most dramatic reorganization efforts in recent American history, three out of four school districts in the United States were eliminated through A. bankruptcy. B. consolidation. C. an act of Congress. D. an executive order.
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consolidation.
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A central issue in the struggle over financing public education is the A. equitable distribution of educational benefits and costs. B. results of standardized test scores. C. dropout rates. D. recruitment of new teachers.
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equitable distribution of educational benefits and costs.
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Most school revenues are derived from A. federal grants. B. state allocations. C. local property taxes. D. state sales taxes.
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local property taxes.
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Communities that do not have much taxable property A. do not provide an equitable education as compared to wealthier communities. B. cannot finance their schools as well as communities that have great wealth. C. may find success through state court intervention requiring financial equity across school systems according to the state constitution. D.all of the above
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all of the above
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Local school districts frequently exercise control through a/n A. court-appointed board requested in a local referendum. C. state-elected board of education. D. elected school board and elected or appointed superintendent. B. community-appointed educational board or review.
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elected school board and elected or appointed superintendent
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Which of the following is NOT a major responsibility of school superintendents? A. Setting the agenda for school board decisions B. Making policy recommendations C. Establishing the salary scales D. Implementing board decisions
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Establishing the salary scales
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School board candidates exhibit all of the following characteristics EXCEPT that they A. come from educational families. B. have the same socioeconomic background as their constituents. C. are encouraged to run for the school board by current members. D. do not ordinarily possess much political ambition for higher office.
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have the same socioeconomic background as their constituents.
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As part of local government, community colleges receive revenue from A. local property taxes. B. grants from the federal government. C. grants from the state government. D. all of the above.
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all of the above
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One of the purposes of public university boards of trustees is to A. insulate higher education from politics. B. encourage board members to become educators. C. assist the state board of education in administering public education. D. make college education unattainable for most students.
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insulate higher education from politics.
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The term that describes the security of faculty members who have demonstrated their competence by service in a college or university position for three to seven years and cannot thereafter be dismissed except for cause is called A. tenure. B. educational longevity. C. academic freedom. D. long-term employment.
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tenure.
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State legislative policy on higher education has been A. to reduce the amount of money allocated to higher education in the state budget. B. to increase teaching loads and responsibilities of faculty. C. a demand for greater faculty "productivity" in teaching undergraduate students. D. all of the above.
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all of the above
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Public higher education began to receive federal assistance after the A. Northwest Ordinance of 1787. B. Civil Rights Act of 1964. C. Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862. D. No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
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Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862
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Following the Morrill Act, which tied the Midwestern state colleges to agricultural studies, state universities began to receive federal support for A. scientific research. B. operation of the land grant colleges. C. the arts and humanities. D. all of the above.
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all of the above
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The federal government directly assists students through need-based grants, commonly called A. Clinton Grants. B. Chance Grants. C. Pell Grants. D. Opportunity Grants.
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pell grant
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The "Free Exercise" clause A. states everyone should be physically fit. B. prohibits states from forcing all students to attend only public schools. C. does not allow individual freedom to practice religion. D. prohibits governments from aiding religious education.
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prohibits states from forcing all students to attend only public schools.
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One interpretation of the No Establishment Clause is that it creates a/n A. division between freedom of religion and freedom to assemble. B. excessive entanglement with the political environment. C. "wall of religious privacy" for all believers. D. "wall of separation" between church and state in America.
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"wall of separation" between church and state in America.
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The Lemon test for determining whether a law affecting religious activity is constitutional states a law must A. have a secular purpose. B. neither advance nor inhibit religion in its effect. C. not foster "an excessive government entanglement with religion." D. all of the above.
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all of the above
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School sponsored prayer in public schools was first declared unconstitutional in the Supreme Court case A. Engel v. Vitale. B. Brown v. Board of Education. C. Bush v. Clinton. D. Capone v. Soprano.
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Engel v. Vitale
