Chp. 6 Schools

President George W. Bush's 2002 mandate that all children, regardless of economic circumstance, achieve academic proficiency was called the

No Child Left Behind Act.

Which adolescent would be expected to have the most positive academic self-concept? a. Claudia Jean, a gifted student who is integrated into the regular classroom b. Cassie, a student with a learning disability who takes special education classes with other learning disabled students c. Patricia, a student with a learning disability who is integrated into the regular classroom d. Anne Marie, a gifted student who takes special classes for gifted students

a. Claudia Jean, a gifted student who is integrated into the regular classroom

Which of the following accurately describes most other industrialized nations? a. The government separates most students into college-bound and non-college-bound groups based on national exams. b. Postsecondary education is likely to be monopolized by small, private universities with a religious orientation. c. Almost all high school students attend comprehensive high schools. d. Postsecondary education systems are monopolized by vocational training.

a. The government separates most students into college-bound and non-college-bound groups based on national exams.

Ms. Willingham sets high standards for her students but is very responsive to their needs. What type of teaching style is this characteristic of? a. authoritative b. authoritarian c. autocratic d. permissive

a. authoritative

The major characteristics of good schools include which of the following? a. being integrated into the community (with local colleges or businesses, for example) b. a primary emphasis on extracurricular activities c. emphasizing rote memorization and passive listening in classrooms d. having a bureaucracy that imposes strict limitations on teacher autonomy

a. being integrated into the community (with local colleges or businesses, for example)

Samantha attends a public school that has a great deal of freedom to set its own curriculum. This type of school is referred to as a a. charter school b. private school c. public school d. parochial school

a. charter school

By the 1960s, after Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, schools were called on to a. implement desegregation programs. b. become more academically demanding. c. provide opportunities for work-study programs. d. offer more courses in math and science.

a. implement desegregation programs.

Jeff works at a school where some children are two to three years behind grade level in most academic areas. Jeff advocates moving these students from one grade to the next even if their academic performance does not meet the minimum standards of the grade level they are in now. What would a psychologist call Jeff's recommendation? a. social promotion b. affirmative promotion c. equality-based education d. standardized education

a. social promotion

The policy that focuses on techniques designed to improve achievement by holding schools and students to a predetermined set of standards measured by achievement tests is called a. standards-based reform. b. zero tolerance. c. meritocratic tracking. d. school vouchers.

a. standards-based reform.

Some educational psychologists argue that the difficulty adolescents experience in the transition to junior high school is a result of the a. teachers' beliefs about junior high students. b. increased pressure from parents to succeed. c. students' beliefs about junior high teachers. d. increased class size.

a. teachers' beliefs about junior high students.

About what percentage of student achievement is the result of self-fulfilling prophecies that teachers have about students? a. 60% b. 20% c. 80% d. 40%

b. 20%

Which of the following statements about classroom environment is true? a. Classroom climate has little effect on achievement or on student self-assessment. b. Moderate, rather than strict, control in the classroom promotes positive student behavior. c. Teachers who focus on discipline promote the most positive climate. d. Classrooms that are very task oriented tend to make students feel more comfortable and secure.

b. Moderate, rather than strict, control in the classroom promotes positive student behavior.

Which of these approaches could counteract some experts' criticisms of No Child Left Behind? a. Penalize underperforming schools by denying them funds or even closing them. b. Require some challenging, project-based assignments instead of multiple-choice tests. c. Devote more time to training students on how to pass standardized exams. d. Hold school districts and states accountable for student performance.

b. Require some challenging, project-based assignments instead of multiple-choice tests.

Which of these is the most accurate statement about teachers' expectations of students? a. Teacher expectations can affect student performance for as long as a year. b. Teacher expectations have a long-term effect on student achievement. c. Students' expectations of teachers matter more than teachers' expectation of students. d. Children from wealthy families are the most vulnerable to the weight of teacher expectations.

b. Teacher expectations have a long-term effect on student achievement.

Mara wants to send her daughter to a school where the daughter will be more likely to be put in a position of responsibility, such as being a class officer, club president, or team captain. Which type of school should Mara send her daughter to? a. a larger school b. a smaller school c. a school with an average class size of 20 d. a school with an average class size of 40

b. a smaller school

Adolescents who have ADHD are at risk for a. tracking and mainstreaming. b. anxiety and depression. c. high blood pressure. d. social-emotional learning.

b. anxiety and depression.

What would Stephanie, a high school student, most likely say is the best part about going to school? a. learning new information b. being with friends c. preparing for the future d. interacting with the teachers

b. being with friends

Changes in the structure of secondary schools have been linked to broader societal revolutions. Which of the following factors has contributed to these changes? a. ruralization b. immigration c. intellectualization d. deindustrialization

b. immigration

Even though Scott has some difficulty in English, his school places him in the highest track for that subject. Scott's school follows which type of tracking system? a. comprehensive b. inclusive c. exclusive d. meritocratic

b. inclusive

Today, ______ of high school graduates enroll in college immediately after graduation. a. approximately one-half b. more than two-thirds c. approximately one-third d. more than three-fourths

b. more than two-thirds

You are designing a study of students who are making the transition from elementary school to middle school or junior high school. Which of these factors is likely to have a negative effect on these students? a. parents who are overly involved in children's lives b. stereotypes about teenagers c. stereotypes about teachers d. a reduced focus on classroom discipline

b. stereotypes about teenagers

As a follow-up to the Supreme Court rulings in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954, 1955), the Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that school districts may no longer a. be fully funded if one ethnicity comprises more than 65 percent of the entire student body. b. use race as a factor in deciding how to assign students to schools. c. draw students from different neighborhoods (in other words, bus students to school). d. renew employment contracts with teachers who are written up for racial bias in the classroom.

b. use race as a factor in deciding how to assign students to schools.

According to a national survey, how many students in American public schools have been victims of violence? a. 1 out of 20 b. 1 out of 40 c. 1 out of 4 d. 1 out of 2

c. 1 out of 4

Michelle has been placed in a school program for gifted children. What is the minimum IQ score that she would need to have in order for most psychologists to consider her gifted? a. 100 b. 160 c. 130 d. 190

c. 130

Today, the typical student attends more than ________ of each school term. a. 50% b. 65% c. 90% d. 80%

c. 90%

Kerry and Kristie's teacher accidentally got their test scores mixed up and mistakenly thought that Kerry was the more intelligent of the two girls. At the end of the year, her records demonstrated that, indeed, Kerry had gained more and performed at a higher level than Kristie. This is best thought of as an example of a. goodness-of-fit. b. mainstreaming. c. a self-fulfilling prophecy. d. higher-order thinking.

c. a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Specific learning disabilities are ________. Examples are ________ (impaired ability in reading or spelling), ________ (impaired ability in handwriting), and ________ (impaired ability in arithmetic). a. common; dysgraphia; dyslexia; dyscalculia b. rare; dysgraphia; dyslexia; dyscalculia c. common; dyslexia; dysgraphia; dyscalculia d. rare; dyslexia; dysgraphia; dyscalculia

c. common; dyslexia; dysgraphia; dyscalculia

Before the early twentieth century, high schools were designed a. to keep delinquent children out of trouble. b. to provide general education. c. for elite youngsters. d. to offer vocational instruction.

c. for elite youngsters.

One study indicated that among Black and Latino students, transitioning to a school where the proportion of students from the same ethnic background is lower than it had been at their previous school is associated with a. self-harm attempts. b. more frequent absences. c. greater disengagement from school. d. lower grades.

c. greater disengagement from school.

Which of these aspects of school is most important to a majority of adolescents? a. graduation rates b. extracurriculars c. learning d. athletics

c. learning

Placing students in tracks that match their abilities is called a. comprehensive. b. exclusive. c. meritocratic. d. inclusive.

c. meritocratic.

Being placed in a more advanced track generally has a a. negative influence on ultimate educational attainment. b. positive effect on the status of the student's family. c. positive influence on subsequent course selection. d. negative influence on school achievement.

c. positive influence on subsequent course selection.

Which has a greater effect on students' scholastic achievement: school size or class size? a. class size b. Neither significantly affects student achievement. c. school size d. Both are equally important.

c. school size

Which of these factors has had the strongest influence on American secondary schools since the beginning of the twentieth century? a. the desire to educate adolescents in the elite class b. the desire to preserve classical liberal arts education c. the needs and demands of American communities and societies d. the educational models followed by international schools

c. the needs and demands of American communities and societies

Edwards is the principal at a public school and has just read a research study that discussed ways to maximize student success. The main message of the research study was that what takes place within a school is probably more important than the nature of its funding and oversight. Based on this conclusion, what did the researchers most likely argue that schools should focus on? a. allowing students to choose more of their coursework b. turning failing public schools into high-quality private schools c. ways to train, certify, place, and compensate teachers d. sorting students into tracks according to their level of socioemotional learning

c. ways to train, certify, place, and compensate teachers

During the 1920s in the United States, the ________ was specially designed to meet the needs of a diverse and growing population of young people.

comprehensive high school

Based on what you have read about high-performing charter schools, what qualities from these schools would it make sense to encourage in other schools? a. Allow schools to include a wider range of ages in each classroom. b. Allow students to design their own courses of study. c. Focus on measurable qualities such as vocabulary comprehension and arithmetic calculations. d. Focus on character development as well as academic performance.

d. Focus on character development as well as academic performance.

Amy, a social reformer in the early twentieth century, would have likely considered which of the following to be a good reason to push for secondary education? a. It is effective in preventing the United States from industrializing too quickly. b. It is a way to help immigrants maintain their separate and diverse cultures. c. It is a way to improve life circumstances for the upper classes. d. It is effective in reducing crime by keeping youngsters off the streets.

d. It is effective in reducing crime by keeping youngsters off the streets.

During the school year, the rate of academic progress was equal between students with higher-socioeconomic status and disadvantaged students. During the summer months, a. both high- and low-income students' scores remained stable. b. higher-socioeconomic students' scores declined. c. both high- and low-income students' scores declined. d. disadvantaged students' scores declined.

d. disadvantaged students' scores declined.

Which type of involvement has been found to enhance the adjustment of low-income students in their transition to middle school? a. governmental b. sibling c. community d. parental

d. parental

Student achievement tends to be lower when a. teachers have high expectations for their students' abilities. b. more students take part in extracurricular activities. c. students have switched schools infrequently. d. schools are overcrowded.

d. schools are overcrowded.

Compared with their counterparts from previous decades, today's American adolescents a. have a shorter school day. b. are absent from school more often. c. are less likely to continue their schooling beyond the 12th grade. d. spend more days per year in school.

d. spend more days per year in school.

Students in integrated classrooms who compare themselves to high-achieving peers often feel ________ about themselves. The term ________ is used for this phenomenon. a. better; standing-on-the-shoulders-of-giants effect b. better; bird-in-the-hand effect c. worse; upward-social-comparison effect d. worse; big fish-little pond effect

d. worse; big fish-little pond effect

The get-tough approach to dealing with violence in schools that has been hotly debated among researchers is known as the

zero-tolerance approach.