chapter 16 sociology
Which of the following statements are true of the 1966 Coleman report's findings?
-Family background and peers seem to make a bigger difference to student outcomes than school quality. -Schools in the United States are highly racially segregated.
What were some of the consequences of colonial-style education for developing nations?
-Educated indigenous people led revolts against colonizers. -The system of higher education remains better developed than primary and secondary education.
Identify the reasons why the achievement gap between poor and wealthy kids has grown over time.
-Income inequality has grown over time, too, and this increases the resources available to kids from better-off families. -Poorer children are more likely to live in single-parent homes, and one parent may not have as much time to spend on them. -Better-off families can afford to live in better neighborhoods with better schools. -Better-off families tend to engage in more activities designed to improve their children's cognitive abilities.
Which of the following criticisms do some observers make about the "zero-tolerance" policy in schools?
-It is enacted differently, dependent on a student's race. -It has unnecessarily increased the role of police in schools. -It sets students on a trajectory toward criminality and the criminal justice system.
Which of the following criticisms have been directed toward the No Child Left Behind Act?
-It narrows the diversity of subjects covered by schools. -It relies on a punitive model of school reform.
According to sociologist Sean Reardon, which of the following are explanations for the achievement gap?
-Residential segregation related to income has increased in recent decades. -Middle-class parents invest more heavily in their children's cognitive development.
Which of the following reasons have been proposed for the reversal of the gender gap in completing a college degree?
-Teachers have recognized and addressed gender bias in the classroom. -Opportunities in traditionally female-dominated industries have expanded, while male-dominated industries like manufacturing now have fewer opportunities.
Identify the following statements as being associated with either James Coleman's or Jonathan Kozol's research.
-This research was required under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -Information was gathered on more than half a million students.
Match each theoretical perspective to the appropriate research study.
-assimilation: A researcher surveys 7th grade students who have been in the United States for five to seven years and their immigrant parents to determine whether the children express greater affinity for and knowledge of American culture than their parents. -credentialism: A researcher selects two same-aged samples of equal intelligence and ability, one of which includes all high school graduates and one of which includes only young people who dropped out of school in the 11th grade and compares their labor market success over the past year. -hidden curriculum: A researcher randomly selects 30 schools, of which 15 are located in poor neighborhoods and 15 are located in wealthy neighborhoods, and compares both the curriculum of the schools and observes how teachers conduct their classrooms.
Which of the following were consequences of school busing practices?
-increased racial tensions -white families moving to the suburbs -less segregation in U.S. public schools
Though her diploma is not posted in the classroom, students assume that their teachers are qualified. The sign in the foreground of the photo is printed in English, which subtly implies that English is the official language of the United States. Whether or not these students master the official curriculum, they are learning to be docile and cooperative, traits that will serve them well as workers. Regardless of the subject being taught, the body positions of students and teachers is a lesson in authority and obedience.
-the body positions of students and teachers is a lesson in authority and obedience. -they are learning to be docile and cooperative, traits that will serve them well as workers.
According to the textbook, identify the reasons why more U.S. students should study abroad.
-to gain foreign language skills -to learn more about other cultures
Test your knowledge of educational attainment using the Globalization by the Numbers interactive graphic here. Then place in order the following countries from highest to lowest average years of schooling.
1. US 2.Norway 3. Japan 4. ghana 5. Afghanistan
Place the following educational reforms in chronological order.
1. elementary and secondary education act 2. gun free zone act 3. no child left behind 4. race to the top
Place the following majors that international students select in order from most to least popular.
1. engineering 2. business and management 3. math and computer science 4. social sciences
Which of the following is the best example of emotional intelligence?
a third grader is disappointed when he comes in second at the regional spelling bee, but he congratulates the winner with a smile.
According to Roslyn Mickelson, students have abstract and concrete attitudes toward schooling. Match each attitude to the appropriate description.
abstract: -school is important to me -it is important to go to college in order to go ahead concrete: -I can see myself succeeding in school -college will not be useful to me
What scenario best exemplifies the concept of stereotype threat?
after overhearing her teacher say that "girls don't do as well in math" to a colleague, Samantha began to get anxious before taking math tests.
The lower average IQ among the burakumin of Japan supports what argument about race and IQ?
membership in a socially deprived social group lowers IQ
Which of the following is an example of the shift in emphasis from education to learning in the ethos of American schooling?
classes that incorporate internships or service learning in their curriculum
What do "critical," or Marxist, sociologists mean when they say that the hidden curriculum promotes social reproduction?
contrary to the notion that school are "great equalizers," schools actually perpetuate social inequalities across generations.
Which theory of education argues that a high school diploma or college degree becomes a signaling device that matters more for predicting later attainment than what the student learned in school?
credentialism theory
Pierre Bourdieu was interested in the process of -, or the process by which schools reward the - of middle- and upper-class children.
cultural reproduction, cultural capital
Based on the map, which color code is used for countries with the lowest literacy rate, and how low is that literacy rate?
dark orange, less than 50 percent literate
According to many sociological studies of educational inequality, what else must occur in order for educational reforms to be successful?
economic reforms
International students cost U.S. taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars through the scholarships and subsidies they receive as college students.
false
The intensity of negative effects related to dropping out of high school peaks between ages 18 and 25 and lessens after that.
false
Which of the following observations supports the sociological theory that education is a process of assimilation?
in public schools throughout the US, students follow highly similar curricula in all major subjects (e.g., history, English) from kindergartner through the 8th grade.
The rapid pace of technological changes contributes to what kind of deprivation?
information poverty
In contemporary society, the spread of - appears to be changing the nature of schooling. In particular, a parallel education industry linked to software development and large institutions are forming part of what is being called the - industry.
information technology, edutainment
What has happened to the achievement gap between rich and poor children between the 1970s and today?
it has grown by about 30-40 percent
What did the 1995 Gun-Free School Zones Act change about school policy?
it mandated automatic suspension or expulsion of student possessing drugs or weapons in school
Identify the following parents as more or less likely to homeschool their children, according to the survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Education.
more: -a two-parent family earning $65,000 -a stay-at-home mother who is concerned about negative moral influences in public school
School funding can vary greatly, even within the same state or county. Why does per-student funding vary so much for different schools?
school funding usually comes from property taxes, so wealthier areas generate more funding for schools.
How does this picture exemplify the kinds of problems that Jonathan Kozol saw in the schools he observed?
schools in poor communities were in a state of disrepair
For SAT scores in 2015, the average scores on the math section for blacks and Hispanics were - the average score of whites.
significantly lower than
What is one way that Christine's story, at the beginning of the chapter, exemplifies the concept of a hidden curriculum?
teachers in Christine's low- performing school spent much of their time drilling students for state- mandated tests, rather than introducing new or diverse content.
A black student who skips class, refuses to hand in work, and talks back to the teacher repeatedly in class in order to impress his same-race peers is an example of what theoretical perspective?
the "acting white" thesis
What did Paul Willis's ethnography show about the working-class young men he studied?
the young men were aware that school were not set up to benefit them, and therefore rejected school in favor of other markers of success.
Why do researchers find it difficult to measure intelligence?
there are different forms of intelligence
What was the primary aim of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), signed into law by President Bush in 2002?
to close the achievement gap
Herrnstein and Murray argued that IQ was primarily an inherited trait and therefore that some racial/ethnic groups had naturally higher IQs than others.
true
Research studying "between-school effects" look at the effect of attending different schools on students' outcomes.
true
The question of "Who fares worse, boys or girl, in education?" is a rich subject for sociological analysis. In general, most scholars agree that today's gender gap in education places girls ahead of boys.
true
