Chapter 12: Understanding Institutions: Education

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. A youth and his family are homeless. His mother is single and does not have a high school diploma. They are constantly moving from place to place, and he must switch schools each time. He is a very smart student, which has allowed him to keep up with his work even with all of these problems. Based on meritocracy, the youth will most likely ______.

a. continue the status of his family and drop out of school

b. become frustrated and turn to criminal behaviors

c. finish high school and work at a minimum wage job

d. will ultimately succeed due to hard work

Learning Objective: 12.1: What does it mean to look at education as a social institution?

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: What is Education as an Institution?

Difficulty Level: Hard

2. As adults, most Americans ______ their parents.

a. earn higher salaries than

b. occupy the same socioeconomic status as

c. earn lower salaries than

d. occupy a higher socioeconomic status than

Learning Objective: 12.1: What does it mean to look at education as a social institution?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What is Education as an Institution?

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. Which statement best describes education?

a. a socially constructed institution in which upper-class children are taught social and intellectual skills

b. a publicly run organization that focuses on producing good citizens

c. an institutionalized process in which culture and history as well as social and intellectual skills are taught

d. a privately run institution that fosters a sense of well-being and dignity

Learning Objective: 12.1: What does it mean to look at education as a social institution?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Institutionalizing Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. A student in a military family must move and change schools often. How does the fact that education is institutionalized impact this student?

a. There are many aspects of different schools that are consistent so the student will experience a level of stability.

b. There are many levels of social status that will interact with the student based on family income.

c. There are different levels of education provided to different students based on military rank.

d. There are different aspects of education in different schools that will provide the student with entirely different forms of organization.

Learning Objective: 12.1: What does it mean to look at education as a social institution?

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Institutionalizing Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. How did the rise of manufacturing in the industrial age impact the system of education at the time?

a. With parents working away from the home, there was a need for public education.

b. With one parent working away from home, the other parent took on the role of educating children.

c. Many children were not educated because parents did not have the time or energy.

d. Private home tutoring took the place of home schooling with the advent of higher incomes.

Learning Objective: 12.1: What does it mean to look at education as a social institution?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Institutionalizing Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. In which era did the United States began to establish a compulsory education system?

a. the early modern

b. the digital

c. the agricultural

d. the industrial

Learning Objective: 12.1: What does it mean to look at education as a social institution?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Institutionalizing Education

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. A peasant child’s education during preindustrial society was likely comprised of ______.

a. attending a small school where basic reading and writing skills were taught

b. working alongside their parents and learning skills and values from their family

c. receiving an education based largely from religious texts

d. studying art and philosophy in order to become an enlightened thinker

Learning Objective: 12.2: How do historical moment, the social structure, and changing systems of production shape the functions of education over time and across place?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Preindustrial Societies

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. In agrarian societies, the means of production was ______.

a. men and women

b. small, home based businesses

c. farming

d. domesticating animals

Learning Objective: 12.2: How do historical moment, the social structure, and changing systems of production shape the functions of education over time and across place?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Preindustrial Societies

Difficulty Level: Easy

9. In agrarian societies, ______ was the source of economic and social power.

a. income and investment

b. land ownership

c. political party

d. size of the family

Learning Objective: 12.2: How do historical moment, the social structure, and changing systems of production shape the functions of education over time and across place?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Preindustrial Societies

Difficulty Level: Easy

10. How did the Industrial Revolution impact education in the United States?

a. It provided the tools for creating the buildings.

b. It provided a place for wealthy factory owners to send their children.

c. It provided a means of training people to work in the new labor positions.

d. It provided the means of moving people closer to schools.

Learning Objective: 12.2: How do historical moment, the social structure, and changing systems of production shape the functions of education over time and across place?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Industrial Manufacturing and Large-Scale Agriculture

Difficulty Level: Medium

11. What was a major reason for the expansion of formal education during the Industrial Revolution?

a. Fewer upper-class children were attending schools allowing for working-class youth to attend.

b. Women were encouraged to enter the public sphere and contribute financially.

c. The changing economy created a need for new skills, such as reading and writing.

d. The competition for factory jobs became more intense.

Learning Objective: 12.2: How do historical moment, the social structure, and changing systems of production shape the functions of education over time and across place?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Industrial Manufacturing and Large-Scale Agriculture

Difficulty Level: Medium

12. Which generation became the largest and most highly educated, creating an increase in the demand for goods and services?

a. The baby boomer generation

b. Generation X

c. Generation Y

d. The millennial generation

Learning Objective: 12.2: How do historical moment, the social structure, and changing systems of production shape the functions of education over time and across place?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Postindustrial Knowledge and Service Economy

Difficulty Level: Easy

13. As professional and service jobs have increased in number, higher-paid work requires more education and/or technical training, as well as ______.

a. stable family life

b. good mental health

c. excellent physical health

d. strong social skills

Learning Objective: 12.2: How do historical moment, the social structure, and changing systems of production shape the functions of education over time and across place?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Postindustrial Knowledge and Service Economy

Difficulty Level: Medium

14. Which theory argues that education teaches socialization skills, shared culture, and?

a. Marxist

b. Conflict

c. Functionalist

d. Symbolic interactionism

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Social Functions of Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

15. Functionalist theorists argue that education has ______ that teaches children gender appropriate roles and behaviors.

a. a hidden curriculum

b. social constructs

c. overt functions

d. a blatant curriculum

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Social Functions of Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

16. How would functionalists see the purpose of education?

a. as a means of producing workers who are trained to perform jobs

b. as a means of maintaining the power structure through obedience

c. as a means of conveying the symbols of the country

d. as a means of creating workers for capitalist exploitation

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Social Functions of Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

17. Functionalists note that we learn how to behave appropriately in structured small group settings that reinforce social norms while in school. This refers to ______.

a. primary socialization

b. secondary socialization

c. pedagogical socialization

d. dynamic socialization

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Socialization: Cohesion and Control

Difficulty Level: Medium

18. How would secondary socialization impact a grocery shopping trip?

a. Shoppers use math and budget their money.

b. Shoppers know to wait in line to check out.

c. Shoppers can read the labels on the items to make decisions.

d. Shoppers create lists they can use to pick up what they need.

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Socialization: Cohesion and Control

Difficulty Level: Hard

19. According to the ______ perspective, public schools promote social mobility, as well as enable everyone to succeed and contribute to society.

a. functionalist

b. conflict

c. symbolic interactionist

d. feminist

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Labor Force Preparation

Difficulty Level: Medium

20. A sociologist who argues that education and school systems are shaped by power dynamics in society aligns with the ______ perspective.

a. feminist

b. symbolic interactionist

c. conflict

d. functionalist

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Conflict, Power, and Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

21. According to Jonathan Kozol, how do poor and wealthy schools differ?

a. Inequality between poor and wealthy schools manifests through poor infrastructure, few supplies, and overworked teachers.

b. Regardless of economic resources, schools provide equal opportunities.

c. Differences between poor and wealthy schools have little to do with one’s success later in life.

d. Poor schools have inadequate facilities, but have access to technological resources through grant funds.

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Class, Gender, Race, and School Experience

Difficulty Level: Easy

22. How would a conflict theorist teach a history lessons about Westward expansion in America?

a. It portrays an exciting time in history that symbolized the ruggedness of the people who tamed the West.

b. It portrays an accurate account of the determination and interaction between settlers and Native Americans.

c. It acts to reinforce dominant ideologies that gloss over the violence inflicted on the Native American race.

d. It acts to inform future generations about the problems previous generations faced.

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Curriculum, Ideology, and Inequality

Difficulty Level: Hard

23. Which perspective focuses on how social interactions create and reproduce meaning within school experiences?

a. symbolic interactionist

b. conflict

c. functionalist

d. feminist

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Symbolic Interaction, Socialization, and Cultural Production in Schools

Difficulty Level: Medium

24. A high school football player enjoys playing the flute outside of school. He is not a part of the school band because he knows his teammates and coach would see him as an outsider. How would a symbolic interactionist explain this?

a. High school sports teams do not want members thinking about anything other than the sport.

b. High school groups often define how members should or should not interact with other groups.

c. High school sports team members have power and should not associate with lower-powered groups like band members.

d. High school groups serve to help socialize members and members should concentrate on just one group at a time.

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Symbolic Interaction, Socialization, and Cultural Production in Schools

Difficulty Level: Medium

25. According to sociological research on schools, in addition to inequality between wealthy and poor schools, inequality in the classroom occurs daily. Which group is at the greatest risk for racial bias inside the classroom?

a. Black males

b. Asian females

c. Asian males

d. White males

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Class, Gender, Race, and School Experiences

Difficulty Level: Medium

26. According to the ______ perspective, curriculum in schools focuses only on perspectives of those in power and thus reinforces the status quo and ideologies of the powerful.

a. Marxist

b. functionalism

c. symbolic interactionist

d. conflict

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Curriculum, Ideology, and Inequality

Difficulty Level: Medium

27. According to the ______ theory, school curriculum helps create a false consciousness among poor and working-class families because they do not challenge national social and political structures.

a. conflict

b. feminist

c. functionalist

d. symbolic interactionist

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Curriculum, Ideology, and Inequality

Difficulty Level: Easy

28. Conflict theorists argue that the ways teachers view students’ social class causes ______.

a. racial harmony

b. social stratification

c. gender equality

d. religious tolerance

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Tracking and Inequality

Difficulty Level: Medium

29. A student from an economically disfranchised home has trouble getting to school on time, listening to the teacher, and rarely answers questions in class due to low self-confidence. As a result, the student will most likely be ______.

a. guided into a low skilled and low paid job

b. encouraged to work harder in order to get a better job than his parents

c. better prepared for the challenging work in college

d. tracked into higher reading level courses in order to encourage the student to do better

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Tracking and Inequality

Difficulty Level: Hard

30. How would a student from a lower-class family with parents of low levels of education most likely perform in school?

a. He will likely engage in criminal activity.

b. He will be able to participate better in structured activities.

c. He will have a better chance at getting a sports scholarship.

d. He will have a harder time adopting school norms.

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Tracking and Inequality

Difficulty Level: Easy

31. Studies show that the strongest predictor for educational success depends on ______.

a. encouragement from teachers and administrators

b. socialization skills and the ability to make friends

c. an individual’s personality and sense of work ethic

d. the parents’ education and income levels

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Class and Family Background

Difficulty Level: Easy

32. At Sunny Day daycare center, employees mainly watch the children and play games with them. How would a new administrator make changes to improve the cognitive development of a child at preschool age?

a. Increase the educational activities to maximize this time of strong brain development.

b. Increase unstructured play time to help children learn to socialize with each other.

c. Increase nap time to ensure that children in this age group are able to get enough sleep and concentrate on tasks.

d. Increase the number of snack breaks the children get so they have more energy.

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Leveling the Playing Field with Early Education

Difficulty Level: Hard

33. The court case ______ declared school segregation unconstitutional in 1954.

a. Loving v. Virginia

b. Brown v. Board of Education

c. Engel v. Ferguson School District

d. Roe v. Wade

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Separate and Unequal: Racial and Economic Segregation in Schools

Difficulty Level: Easy

34. Two public schools, one in a poorer neighborhood of color and one in a wealthier, white neighborhood, spend state funding from property taxes the same way. How could racial inequality still be apparent?

a. The wealthier school can rely on private donations in addition to tax funding.

b. The school in the minority neighborhood may have lower local taxes and property values.

c. The school in the wealthy neighborhood may receive more state aid than the school in the neighborhood of color.

d. Both schools limit the number of students from different neighborhoods who can attend.

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Separate and Unequal: Racial and Economic Segregation in Schools

Difficulty Level: Hard

35. An external source that affects student performance and teacher access to supplies is ______.

a. property tax revenue

b. classroom motivation

c. social norms in the classroom

d. school credentials held by administrative officials

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Separate and Unequal: Racial and Economic Segregation in Schools

Difficulty Level: Easy

36. A minority high school student is steered toward vocational classes rather than college preparatory classes. How would tracking explain this?

a. The student would be placed in vocational classes based on the results of a personality test.

b. The student’s interests would be noted throughout high school to find a career match.

c. The student would be placed based on social standing and cultural capital.

d. The student’s interests and level of intelligence would dictate what the school would offer.

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Reproducing Inequality within Schools

Difficulty Level: Hard

37. When entering high school, students are separated into different groups based on their educational performance in elementary school, test scores, and academic goals. This is an example of ______.

a. hidden curriculum

b. secondary socialization

c. school choice

d. tracking

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Reproducing Inequality within Schools

Difficulty Level: Medium

38. A student would like to take Advanced Placement courses at his high school. Based on his lack of interaction with peers and his poor vocabulary, his teachers and guidance counselor do not place him into AP courses. This is an example of ______.

a. tracking

b. favoritism

c. entitlement

d. nepotism

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Reproducing Inequality within Schools

Difficulty Level: Hard

39. Which post-WWII act made higher education available to students regardless of social class?

a. Demobilization Act of 1945

b. G.I. Bill

c. No Child Left Behind

d. Pell Grant Act

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Higher Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

40. Which statement best describes the results of affirmative action?

a. It prohibits educational discrimination based on gender.

b. It guarantees equal rights for all students.

c. It increases minority populations in colleges and universities.

d. It decreases racial minorities in colleges and universities.

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Affirmative Action in College Admissions

Difficulty Level: Medium

41. A series of recent court decision on affirmative actions have determined ______.

a. schools can only consider race when the applicant's parents are both minorities

b. it is only constitutional to consider race as part of individualized assessments of each applicant

c. it is acceptable to use race as a consideration as long as the minority students accepted fit within defined quotas

d. it is never acceptable to consider race in a college application.

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Affirmative Action in College Admissions

Difficulty Level: Medium

42. A young woman receives her PhD and gets a good job in a male-dominated field. Which of the following will she most likely experience?

a. Her male coworkers will be given less respect than her.

b. Her male coworkers will receive higher salaries.

c. Her male coworkers will be jealous of her accomplishments.

d. Her male coworkers will earn benefits and pay comparable to hers.

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Gender and Education

Difficulty Level: Hard

43. In 2000, at the World Education Forum in Dakar, Senegal, 164 governments agreed on a plan for meeting some key education goals by 2015. What has been a result of this forum?

a. They were unable to reduce the number of children and adolescents out of school.

b. School attendance increased dramatically.

c. Gender parity decreased, although it was not an original goal.

d. Close to 100 percent of primary school age children attend school.

Learning Objective: 12.5: What are the central issues facing global education today?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Global Education Parity Efforts

Difficulty Level: Easy

44. Which nation has the highest performance on standardized testing of secondary students?

a. Germany

b. Canada

c. The United States

d. Finland

Learning Objective: 12.5: What are the central issues facing global education today?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Finland: Global Leader in Quality Education

Difficulty Level: Easy

45. Using Finland as an example, how would the removal of tracking and a move toward a learner-centered approach impact educational practices in the United States?

a. It would add more options in vocational schools.

b. It would support students as they follow their own paths.

c. It would weaken vocational schools and strengthen colleges.

d. It would increase compulsory subjects in high school.

Learning Objective: 12.5: What are the central issues facing global education today?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Finland: Global Leader in Quality Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

46. Ninety percent of the brain's architecture develops by age ______.

a. two

b. five

c. sixteen

d. nineteen

Learning Objective: 12.6: How do policy debates surrounding pre-K, K-12, and higher education all revolve around the tension between public education and individual choice and responsibility for accessing opportunities and achieving success?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Pre-K Education

Difficulty Level: Easy

47. How would an education development specialist use the results of the Abecedarian project to decide what to concentrate on in education programs like Head Start?

a. By adding more activities for older children who need the continuity

b. By reducing the structured activities for younger children who are not yet ready for them

c. By increasing programs for babies and toddlers to help boost later school performance

d. By testing children at a younger age to see where they will fit in when they go to elementary school

Learning Objective: 12.6: How do policy debates surrounding pre-K, K-12, and higher education all revolve around the tension between public education and individual choice and responsibility for accessing opportunities and achieving success?

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: The Abecedarian Project

Difficulty Level: Hard

48. What were the findings in the report A Nation at Risk?

a. U.S. schools are increasingly being targeted by domestic terrorists.

b. U.S. schools have underperformed and are not globally competitive.

c. U.S. high schools rank near the top of Global North countries, but elementary schools rank much lower.

d. U.S. schools improved markedly under No Child Left Behind.

Learning Objective: 12.6: How do policy debates surrounding pre-K, K-12, and higher education all revolve around the tension between public education and individual choice and responsibility for accessing opportunities and achieving success?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: K-12 Education

Difficulty Level: Easy

49. Beginning in the 1990s, states began passing laws authorizing ______schools, which are publicly funded schools governed by parents, educators, community groups, or private organizations.

a. magnet

b. charter

c. community

d. private

Learning Objective: 12.6: How do policy debates surrounding pre-K, K-12, and higher education all revolve around the tension between public education and individual choice and responsibility for accessing opportunities and achieving success?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Charter Schools and Vouchers

Difficulty Level: Easy

50. Supporters of ______ models of education argue that if a family feels their school is inadequate they can opt for an alternative.

a. nationalized

b. public

c. private

d. market

Learning Objective: 12.6: How do policy debates surrounding pre-K, K-12, and higher education all revolve around the tension between public education and individual choice and responsibility for accessing opportunities and achieving success?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Charter Schools and Vouchers

Difficulty Level: Easy

51. A government funded program that allows parents to use state funded allotments for either public or private education is called ______.

a. a voucher program

b. a charter program

c. tracking

d. welfare capitalism

Learning Objective: 12.6: How do policy debates surrounding pre-K, K-12, and higher education all revolve around the tension between public education and individual choice and responsibility for accessing opportunities and achieving success?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Charter Schools and Vouchers

Difficulty Level: Easy

52. Critics argue that increased use of vouchers will ______.

a. further integrate schools by class

b. result in all socioeconomic levels using vouchers to send their children to the best schools

c. diminish the resources of the public schools they leave behind

d. fill charter schools with students whose parents likely have less education and lower incomes

Learning Objective: 12.6: How do policy debates surrounding pre-K, K-12, and higher education all revolve around the tension between public education and individual choice and responsibility for accessing opportunities and achieving success?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Charter Schools and Vouchers

Difficulty Level: Medium

53. What has been the outcome of No Child Left Behind?

a. The quality and competitiveness of U.S. schools have improved.

b. Test scores have improved for disadvantaged groups.

c. The emphasis on high-stakes testing has resulted in increased funding to arts and the humanities.

d. Test preparation has taken classroom time from physical education, arts, and the humanities.

Learning Objective: 12.6: How do policy debates surrounding pre-K, K-12, and higher education all revolve around the tension between public education and individual choice and responsibility for accessing opportunities and achieving success?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Charter Schools and Vouchers

Difficulty Level: Easy

54. What is the intent of the Every Student Succeeds Act passed recently by Congress?

a. to take away school funding if schools don't meet a minimum standard

b. to close schools that have poor student performance

c. to require testing of students to determine school progress

d. to undo some of the negative consequences of No Child Left Behind

Learning Objective: 12.6: How do policy debates surrounding pre-K, K-12, and higher education all revolve around the tension between public education and individual choice and responsibility for accessing opportunities and achieving success?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Charter Schools and Vouchers

Difficulty Level: Easy

55. What have state governments done to institutions of higher education across the country?

a. provided opportunities for high-tech training

b. funded programs for training outside the traditional college setting

c. cut funding to colleges and universities

d. supported policy options with clear evidence to support decisions

Learning Objective: 12.6: How do policy debates surrounding pre-K, K-12, and higher education all revolve around the tension between public education and individual choice and responsibility for accessing opportunities and achieving success?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Future of Public Education and Democracy

Difficulty Level: Easy

True/False

1. Industrialization was the catalyst for public schools to train workers.

Learning Objective: 12.2: How do historical moment, the social structure, and changing systems of production shape the functions of education over time and across place?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Industrial Manufacturing and Large-Scale Agriculture

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. Vocational schools are operating on outdated principles that do not prepare students for jobs in today’s market.

Learning Objective: 12.2: How do historical moment, the social structure, and changing systems of production shape the functions of education over time and across place?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Public Education and the Postindustrial Economy

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. Education serves a latent function of caring for children while parents work.

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Social Function of Education

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. According to functionalist theory, education acts as primary socialization because it teaches obedience to authority.

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Socialization: Cohesion and Control

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. The children of parents with higher levels of education are often coached for the classroom.

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Socialization, Socioeconomic Status, and School Success

Difficulty Level: Medium

6. Human capital refers to the amount of money each student costs in education.

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Education and Social Inequality in the U.S.

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. James Coleman found that the strongest determinant of students' success was the quality of the schools and teachers.

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Class and Family Background

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. The changing economic climate has led to many innovative adjustments by the United States in childcare and early education in order to compensate for working mothers.

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Leveling the Playing Field with Early Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. Academic tracking has been shown to aid students in career choice and improve self-esteem.

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Reproducing Inequality within Schools.

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. Income-based higher education admission policies promote social class diversity but do not achieve strong minority representation.

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Affirmative Action in College Admissions

Difficulty Level: Medium

11. Today, more men than women attain a college degree.

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Gender and Education

Difficulty Level: Easy

12. Student exchange programs help educate future workers about different cultures.

Learning Objective: 12.5: What are the central issues facing global education today?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Giving U.S. Students a Global Perspective

Difficulty Level: Easy

13. The Finnish school system educates all children without tracking and requires all teachers to have at least a master's degree.

Learning Objective: 12.5: What are the central issues facing global education today?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Finland: Global Leader in Quality Education

Difficulty Level: Easy

14. Research indicates that early formal education strategies for toddlers does not increase the likelihood of earning a college degree.

Learning Objective: 12.6: How do policy debates surrounding pre-K, K-12, and higher education all revolve around the tension between public education and individual choice and responsibility for accessing opportunities and achieving success?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Abecedarian Project

Difficulty Level: Medium

15. The 2001 No Child Left Behind Act resulted in an increase in teaching to the test.

Learning Objective: 12.6; How do policy debates surrounding pre-K, K-12, and higher education all revolve around the tension between public education and individual choice and responsibility for accessing opportunities and achieving success?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: K-12 Education

Difficulty Level: Medium

Short Answer

1. Explain how today’s education system reflects the industrial age more than the information era.

Learning Objective: 12.2: How do historical moment, the social structure, and changing systems of production shape the functions of education over time and across place?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Public Education and the Postindustrial Economy

Difficulty Level: Hard

2. Discuss how schools are essential to secondary socialization.

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Socialization: Cohesion and Control

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Discuss the intention of universal access to education.

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Education and Social Inequality in the U.S.

Difficulty Level: Hard

4. Explain why student exchange programs are important to businesses.

Learning Objective: 12.5: What are the central issues facing global education today?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Giving U.S. Students a Global Perspective

Difficulty Level: Hard

5. What is the purpose of school vouchers?

Learning Objective: 12.6: How do policy debates surrounding pre-K, K-12, and higher education all revolve around the tension between public education and individual choice and responsibility for accessing opportunities and achieving success?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Charter Schools and Vouchers

Difficulty Level: Medium

Essay

1. Compare and contrast the educational differences between the poorest and richest schools in the United States.

Learning Objective: 12.3: How do functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interaction approach and explain education as an institution?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Class, Gender, Race, and School Experiences

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Explain why socioeconomic status is a strong predictor of student outcomes.

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Class and Family Background

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. How does gender factor into higher educational achievement and success in the workplace?

Learning Objective: 12.4: How does education reproduce social inequality?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Gender and Education

Difficulty Level: Hard

4. Discuss the positive factors of the Finnish system of education.

Learning Objective: 12.5: What are the central issues facing global education today?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Finland: Global Leader in Quality Education

Difficulty Level: Hard

5. Explain the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and its relationship to school choice.

Learning Objective: 12.6: How do policy debates surrounding pre-K, K-12, and higher education all revolve around the tension between public education and individual choice and responsibility for accessing opportunities and achieving success?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: K-12 Education

Difficulty Level: Hard