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1 | |
Approximately what percentage of all American youth continue their education beyond high school graduation? |
| | A) | 10% (one-tenth) |
| | B) | 25% (one-fourth) |
| | C) | 33% (one-third) |
| | D) | 67% (two-thirds) |
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2 | |
Approximately what percentage of young people ages 14 to 17 attended school during the transition from the 19th to 20th centuries? |
| | A) | 10 |
| | B) | 20 |
| | C) | 30 |
| | D) | 40 |
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3 | |
In comparison to European high school students, American high school students |
| | A) | have a shorter school year. |
| | B) | do less homework. |
| | C) | have a greater chance of going on to college. |
| | D) | all of the above |
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4 | |
During the late 19th century, reformers presented universal secondary education as a necessary part of the process of Americanization, in order to |
| | A) | reduce the increasing rate of foreign-born immigrants |
| | B) | homogenize a population characterized by increasingly uncomfortable ethnic and cultural diversity |
| | C) | create a language barrier to foreign-born immigrants entering the country |
| | D) | maintain the socio-economic advantages held by native-born Americans |
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5 | |
The comprehensive high school was implemented in order to |
| | A) | make sure adolescents attended school until they were at least 16. |
| | B) | provide technical training for youth who would contribute to the factory industry during WWII. |
| | C) | ensure that all adolescents would receive an education grounded in core subject areas. |
| | D) | allow adolescents to learn skills that would apply well to their chosen career paths. |
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6 | |
One of the school reforms of the 1980's encouraged higher-order thinking, an example of which would be |
| | A) | reliance upon sheer memorization to retain more information |
| | B) | application of information in a routine manner |
| | C) | the encouragement of interpretation, analysis, and evaluation of information |
| | D) | emphasis on individual rather than collaborative classroom projects |
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7 | |
After approximately two decades of reforms, American students: |
| | A) | still ranked below the international average in math, and just barely above average in sciences |
| | B) | ranked well above the international averages for both math and science |
| | C) | ranked well above the international average for only math |
| | D) | ranked well above the international average for only sciences |
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8 | |
According to educational historian Diane Ravitch, several erroneous belief(s) interfered with successful educational reform leading up to the turn of the 21st century; beliefs that included all but which of the following? |
| | A) | that a lack of funding was responsible for deficiencies in public education |
| | B) | that the schools can solve any social or political problem |
| | C) | that only a portion of youngsters are capable of benefiting from high-quality education |
| | D) | that imparting knowledge is relatively unimportant |
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9 | |
In response to widespread disappointment over the state of public education in America, increasing numbers of parents explored charter schools, government-subsidized vouchers, and schools run by private corporations. Research comparing traditional public education to these alternatives suggests |
| | A) | that charter schools are significantly more effective than traditional schools |
| | B) | that government subsidized voucher programs lead to superior schooling |
| | C) | that private corporations are more effective administrators of educational institutions than the states |
| | D) | that such research findings are inconclusive, in that it is probably what takes place within a school that is most important, rather than the nature of funding and oversight |
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10 | |
Social scientists generally agree that the decline of American education has become distressingly urgent within the |
| | A) | rural areas of America |
| | B) | suburban communities of America |
| | C) | inner-city communities of America |
| | D) | rural, suburban, and inner-city communities of American |
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11 | |
There is a fair degree of consensus among education experts as to what constitutes a good school. Characteristics of good schools includes all but |
| | A) | good schools constantly monitor themselves |
| | B) | good schools have teachers whose freedom and autonomy are restricted by the school administration |
| | C) | good schools are well integrated into the communities they serve |
| | D) | good schools emphasize intellectual activities |
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12 | |
Which is not a viable reason for the failure of school reform in urban schools? |
| | A) | The lack of a sufficiently large administrative structure to handle change successfully |
| | B) | The increasing concentration of poverty in many inner-city communities. |
| | C) | The rising level of violence and aggression that has invaded inner city schools. |
| | D) | The erosion of job opportunities that has left inner-city youth with little incentive to do well in school. |
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13 | |
Which of the following accurately describes the achievement gap between white and nonwhite youngsters during the 1990's? The achievement gap |
| | A) | widened, as in New York, where proficient whites outnumber blacks 8 to 1 |
| | B) | decreased, as in the District of Columbia, where now 85 percent of 8th graders, primarily African Americans, are judged proficient in math |
| | C) | decreased, as in New York, where proficient whites no longer outnumber proficient blacks |
| | D) | decreased, as in California where Latinos are now equally likely to be proficient in math |
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14 | |
Larger high schools, some as large as several thousand students, are able to offer a more diverse selection of extracurricular activities to their students. What is another finding related to size of schools? |
| | A) | participation rates in extracurricular activities is higher in larger schools |
| | B) | students in larger schools have more opportunities to be participants, not observers |
| | C) | a student's chance of being able to participate is greater in a smaller school |
| | D) | students in large schools are more likely to be active in a wider range of activities |
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15 | |
Experts agree that the ideal size of a school for adolescents is between |
| | A) | 100-500 students |
| | B) | 501-1,000 students |
| | C) | 1,001-1,500 students |
| | D) | 1,501-2,000 students |
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16 | |
With respect to school transitions, one of the most commonly reported findings is that students' |
| | A) | academic motivation and grades drop moving from elementary to middle school |
| | B) | academic motivation drops but grades increase, suggesting an easier curriculum |
| | C) | academic motivation increases, but grades fall due to more difficult courses |
| | D) | academic motivation and grades increase upon entering middle school |
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17 | |
In comparison to elementary school teachers, junior high school teachers are more likely to |
| | A) | be concerned about the emotional well being of students. |
| | B) | believe that students are trustworthy. |
| | C) | emphasize control and discipline. |
| | D) | feel that students' abilities are easily modifiable through instruction. |
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18 | |
Which one of the following is not consistent with Eccles findings on the transition from elementary to middle school? |
| | A) | students' self-esteem tends to decrease during the transition to middle school |
| | B) | along with a decline in grades, students standardized test scores also decline |
| | C) | students are more engaged when their teachers themselves are more engaged in their work |
| | D) | cultural stereotypes about adolescents may negatively bias teachers' attitudes toward students once they reach middle school age |
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19 | |
The educational practice of tracking involves |
| | A) | following students throughout their academic career and charting their progress. |
| | B) | monitoring students in school hallways to be sure they attend classes. |
| | C) | grouping students based on ability and delivering instruction accordingly. |
| | D) | passing students into the next grade even when they are academically deficient |
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20 | |
Research has found out that tracking assignments can be influenced by factors other than ability. For example, |
| | A) | once tracked, girls are more likely to be advanced from lower to upper level math tracks in middle school |
| | B) | despite equal performance in elementary level math between girls and boys, girls are less likely to be assigned to high ability math in middle school |
| | C) | even though elementary age boys score higher in math than girls, boys are less likely to be assigned to high ability math classes in middle school |
| | D) | even though elementary age girls score higher in math than boys, girls are less likely to be assigned to high ability math classes in middle school |
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21 | |
Which of the following is not likely to occur as a result of being placed in a higher ability track for a particular subject matter? |
| | A) | advanced tracking has a positive influence on school achievement |
| | B) | advanced tracking has a positive influence on ultimate educational attainment |
| | C) | advanced tracking leads to negative attitudes towards the course itself |
| | D) | advanced tracking influences future course selection as one moves through middle and high school levels |
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22 | |
What is characterististic of a student who has been placed as a gifted student? |
| | A) | they must score 130 or higher on a test of intelligence b. their performance is significantly lower than their expected performance based on intelligence test scores |
| | B) | a student whose academic difficulties cannot be traced to emotional problems |
| | C) | a student whose academic difficulties are presumed to be neurological in origin |
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23 | |
The integration of all students with special needs into regular classrooms along with gifted students is known as |
| | A) | transitioning |
| | B) | tracking |
| | C) | segregating |
| | D) | mainstreaming |
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24 | |
Which of the following is not a reason why many educators support mainstreaming? |
| | A) | segregating students on the basis of their academic ability may encourage social isolation and stigmatization |
| | B) | mainstreaming tends to foster stigmatization and isolation |
| | C) | the psychological costs of separating adolescents with special academic needs outweighs the potential academic benefits |
| | D) | gifted students integrated into regular classrooms have more positive academic self-identity than did those in special classes |
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25 | |
Adolescents with learning disabilities who have been mainstreamed may experience which of the following? |
| | A) | they report having more difficulty coping with school |
| | B) | they are more likely to participate in school-based extracurricular activities |
| | C) | they tend to have better relationships with their peers than students without disabilities |
| | D) | they report fewer social and behavioral difficulties |
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26 | |
Research conducted on the short-term effects of school desegregation on minority students supports all of the following except |
| | A) | desegregation has surprisingly little impact on the achievement levels of either minority or majority youngsters |
| | B) | some evidence that minority youngsters' self-esteem is higher when they attend schools in which they are in the majority |
| | C) | students do better psychologically when the cultural environment of their neighborhood is consistent with the cultural environment of their school |
| | D) | students who attend schools that use busing practices report stronger feelings of attachment to their school than do students whose schools draw directly from the local neighborhood |
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27 | |
Studies indicate that immediately following the imposition of a desegregation program: |
| | A) | white enrollment in a school declines as white families move or withdraw their children from the public schools |
| | B) | white enrollment in desegregated schools tends to increase |
| | C) | minority families move or withdraw their children from public schools to attend private schools |
| | D) | interracial contact between students increases substantially |
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28 | |
Strong communities, whether based in neighborhoods or schools, generate what has been called social capital, which refers to |
| | A) | socio-economic status. |
| | B) | interpersonal resources. |
| | C) | economic resources that lead to social gains. |
| | D) | social standing and influence. |
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29 | |
Which of the following factors has the least influence upon students' behavior and achievement? |
| | A) | expectations teachers hold for students |
| | B) | the way classroom time is used |
| | C) | the size of the school and the size of the classes |
| | D) | the way teachers interact with students |
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30 | |
The most satisfactory school climate is one that combines a moderate degree of structure with high student involvement and high levels of teacher support, which most closely approximates which of the following parenting styles? (see Chapter 4) |
| | A) | authoritarian |
| | B) | authoritative |
| | C) | indifferent |
| | D) | indulgent |
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31 | |
Violence is an all-too-prevalent feature of school climate in the United States, where one in four students has reportedly been a victim of violence in or around school. However, the reality and the perception of school violence may not always be one and the same. Which of the following is inaccurate with respect to school violence in the U.S.? |
| | A) | a disproportionate number of homicides in schools involve nonwhite youth, both as perpetrators and victims |
| | B) | more children and adolescents are killed at home or in the community than in or around schools |
| | C) | school shootings have actually decreased since the early 1990s |
| | D) | fortunately, it is possible to accurately predict which students will commit acts of lethal violence |
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32 | |
In studying teacher expectations and school performance, Jussim and Eccles found that there is a stronger association between teacher expectations and student performance for students who are academically |
| | A) | strong |
| | B) | above average |
| | C) | average |
| | D) | weak |
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33 | |
An example of the phenomenon of self-fulfilling prophecy is |
| | A) | the more teachers expect from students, the less students are likely to produce |
| | B) | the less teachers expect from students, the more students are likely to produce |
| | C) | the more teachers expect from students, the more students are likely to produce |
| | D) | students generally can accurately predict the grade they will earn in a course |
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34 | |
The so-called "forgotten half" refers to young people who |
| | A) | pursue a college degree but cannot decide on a future career |
| | B) | do not pursue math and science curricula |
| | C) | do not graduate from college |
| | D) | are shy and withdrawn in the classroom. |
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35 | |
Which of the following would not lead to greater student engagement in the classroom according to Newmann? |
| | A) | the use of a rigid class structure and lecture format |
| | B) | provide students with opportunities to genuinely display their competencies |
| | C) | facilitate students' feelings of belonging to their school |
| | D) | assign students work that is authentic in that it is interesting, fun, and relevant to the real world. |
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