Psych 348 Chapter 6 Schools

Some critics of the No Child Left Behind act argued that it was having the unintended consequence of:

providing incentives for schools to push low-achieving students out of school

Which of the following is most important in influencing adolescents' learning and psychosocial development?

school climate

Which has a greater effect on students' scholastic achievement: school size or class size?

school size

Professor Lerner is investigating sexism in tracking in same-sex schools and in coeducational schools. She is likely to find:

sexism exists in all of these schools.

Educational historian Diane Ravitch believes that:

the basic problem with the comprehensive public high school is lack of focus.

One potential explanation for the finding that gifted students who are integrated into regular classrooms have more positive academic self-conceptions than those in special classes is:

the big-fish--little pond effect.

Which of the following has the least effect on student achievement?

the classroom

According to Jacquelynne Eccles, a thorough understanding of school and its impact on adolescent development requires an examination of:

what goes on beyond the classroom.

The average American school year is _____ days long.

180

According to evidence cited in the text, the ideal size of a school for adolescents is between:

600 and 900 students.

Today, the typical student attends nearly ____ of his/her classes throughout the year.

90%

Generalizing from the text, who would benefit most from summer school?

Ron, an adolescent living in a low SES neighborhood

In addition to the school year being longer than it was in the past:

adolescents remain in school for more years

A learning disability:

may be caused by a neurological problem.

Placing students in tracks that match their abilities is called:

meritocratic.

Secondary education refers to:

middle school, junior high school, and high school.

Marnia attends a school with seventh and eighth graders as well as adolescents who are 1 or 2 years younger. This type of educational institution is called a:

middle school.

Taisha was discouraged from taking math classes throughout her high school years. Although she is intelligent, a likely long-term implication of this biased tracking is that Taisha will:

miss the opportunity to pursue certain careers for which she may be well qualified.

International comparisons of student achievement consistently found that American youngsters were faring poorly. Noting that America was losing its competitive edge in the world market, what did reformers call for?

more academic rigor

Which of the following is NOT a benefit that small schools offer?

more varied instruction

According to a national survey, how many students in American public schools have been victims of violence?

1 out of 4

Not only are schools the chief educational arena for adolescents, but they also play an extremely important role in:

1. defining the young person's social world and social network 2. shaping psychosocial development 3. the development of motivations, aspirations, and expectations

Susannah's school psychologist has recently determined that Susannah has a learning disability. Her parents are concerned about the effects this will have. Which effect should the psychologist warn her parents about?

1.Susannah may have trouble making friends. 2.She is more likely to drop out of school. 3.She will have more trouble coping with school.

Jillian's family is moving to another town. Her parents are concerned that Jillian will have a difficult time adjusting to the new school. In which of the following areas should they anticipate disruptions for Jillian?

1.academic performance 2.behavior 3.self-image

Which of this following is a mechanism by which higher socioeconomic parents help their children become enrolled in higher-track classes?

1.adolescents from more well-off families more frequently consult with their parents about what courses to take 2. higher socioeconomic parents frequently succeed in lobbying their child's school for a changed track placement

Beth attends a multiethnic school. Compared to schools that are less well balanced, Beth is most likely to feel:

1.safer 2.less lonely 3.less harassed

Which of the following statements is true?

As school size increases, academic achievement decreases.

Which adolescent would be expected to have the most positive academic self-concept?

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

Which boy is most likely to commit an act of lethal violence?

It is virtually impossible to predict which student will commit a lethal crime.

Which of the following statements about classroom environment is true?

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

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

No Child Left Behind Act.

________ involvement has been found to enhance the adjustment of low-income students in their transition to middle school.

Parental

Of these students who were initially placed in a low track, ________ is most likely to be moved to a higher track.

Sarah, a White adolescent

What is the paradox of dropping out of school?

Students who drop out are typically the ones who are most harmed by doing so.

Which of the following statements about tracking is false?

Teaching quality is more or less the same in different tracks.

Which of the following research findings does NOT provide evidence to support the achievement gap between White and nonwhite youngsters?

The assessments of Harlem Children's Zone indicated that White and nonWhite students performed equally well.

According to adolescents, what is the best thing about school?

being with friends

With respect to violence in schools:

although there has been a decrease in the number of school shootings since the 1990s, there has been an increase in the number of student deaths as a result of school violence.

Ms. Willingham sets high standards for her students but is very responsive to their needs. What type of teaching style is this characteristic of?

authoritative

What kind of family environment most closely resembles the optimal classroom environment?

authoritative

According to the textbook, why do private school students academically outperform students at public schools?

because of the characteristics of the students who attend private schools

All of the following are factors associated with higher performance of students as a result of the social capital in Catholic schools relative to other schools, except:

better use of academic tracking.

During the 1970s, educational reformers sought to promote greater emphasis on _____ in the school curriculum.

career and experiential programs

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 what in your text?

charter school

Which aspect of the school climate is the least important in influencing psychosocial development during adolescence?

class size

Sarah was placed in an advanced track at school. Which of the following is Sarah NOT likely to experience?

classroom activities that emphasize rote memorization

During the 1920s, the _____ was designed to meet the needs of a diverse and growing population of young people.

comprehensive high school

During the school year, the rate of academic progress was equal between students with higher socioeconomic status and disadvantaged students. During the summer months:

disadvantaged students' scores declined.

Which of the following is NOT a factor that moved children out of the workplace?

discrimination against young workers

What two dominant characteristics distinguish the development of postsecondary education in contemporary America from that in other parts of the world?

diversity and accessibility

To reduce the decline of students' academic knowledge, the Carnegie Corporation Council on Adolescent Development recommends all of the following, except:

divide middle schools into units of 50 to 100 students.

According to the textbook, which of the following resulted from standards-based reform:

educators could not agree on the body of knowledge and skills that comprised what high school graduates should know and be able to do

As discussed in your text, the major characteristics of good schools include all but which of the following?

emphasizing rote memorization and passive listening in classrooms

Decisions about whether to implement tracking in non-tracked schools, or whether to "de-track" schools that use ability grouping, are typically quite controversial; not surprisingly, parents of students in the higher tracks _____, while parents in the lower tracks _____.

favor the practice; oppose it

Of the students who enter college, what percent complete their degrees within six years?

fewer than 60%

Prior to the early twentieth century, high schools were designed:

for elite youngsters.

According to the text, _____ do better in math during elementary school and _____ are more likely to be enrolled in advanced math classes in high school.

girls; boys

One study described in the textbook 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 all of the following except:

greater engagement in school

Michelle has been placed in a school program for gifted children. She was probably selected because she:

has a high IQ.

By the 1960s, after Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, schools were called on to:

implement desegregation programs.

Research suggests that creating "schools within schools" in larger high schools is associated with all except which of the following?

improving students' mental and physical health outcomes

Even though Scott has some difficulty in English, his school places him in the highest track. Scott's school follows which type of tracking system?

inclusive

As discussed in the textbook, during the 1950s, how did the U.S. respond when politicians felt the United States had lost its scientific edge to the former Soviet Union?

increased emphasis was placed on math and science education

Changes in the structure of secondary schools have been linked to broader societal revolutions. All of the following factors have contributed to these changes, except:

intellectualization.

Amy, a social reformer in the early 20th century, would have likely considered all of the following to be good reasons to push for secondary education, except:

it is effective in increasing the economic development of the United States.

Mrs. Denny wants to provide the best educational opportunities for all of the students in her high school. As school principal, she should:

keep remedial classes small, but not worry if other classes have as many as 40 students.

According to a recent analysis of national data discussed in the textbook, Black students were especially likely to be enrolled in:

lower-track math classes in school in which Blacks are in the minority, even after taking into account students' qualifications

Under current federal law, children with learning disabilities must be:

mainstreamed whenever possible.

Although Chris is significantly delayed developmentally he goes to a regular grade school, takes classes in social studies, music, and physical education with the non-handicapped students, and goes to special classes to learn about reading and arithmetic. This situation is an example of

mainstreaming.

According to the textbook, which of the following explanations support why some researchers believe the availability of private schools in urban areas has contributed to racial segregation?

many White students who would otherwise attend their neighborhood public school attend private school instead

Sex bias in tracking students in junior and senior high schools is most evident in which subject?

math

Kelly's parents are disappointed with the education she is receiving in her public high school, so they have been investigating alternative options. Assuming Kelly's parents are financially strapped but want to send her to a private school, which of the following should they do?

obtain government-subsidized school vouchers to use for private school tuition

According to the textbook, being placed in a more advanced track has which of the follow effects:

positive influence on subsequent course selection

Based on the textbook, which of the following statements is NOT an accurate description of most other industrialized nations?

postsecondary education systems are composed of a wide variety of public and private two-and four-year institutions, some emphasizing a liberal arts education and others focusing more on technical, vocational, and pre-professional training

The practice of moving students from one grade to the next regardless of their academic performance is known as what?

social promotion

Compared with their counterparts from previous decades, today's American adolescents:

spend more days per year in school.

Annie is an adolescent enrolled in Mr. Love's science class. Annie will most likely do best in class when Mr. Love:

spends a high proportion of time teaching lessons

Debbie is moving from elementary school into middle school. We would expect her to experience declines in all of the following, except her:

standardized test scores.

The extent to which students are psychologically committed to learning and mastering the material rather than simply completing the assigned work is called:

student engagement.

Mitch attends a high school where 95% of the students are involved in extracurricular activities. This probably also will mean that at Mitch's school:

student enrollment is low.

Comparisons of large and small schools reveal that:

students in small schools are more likely to participate in school activities.

Jacquelynne Eccles describes all of the following changes in school environment when moving from elementary school to middle school or junior high school, except that:

teachers in middle and junior high schools feel more confident in their teaching abilities.

Eccles argues that the difficulty adolescents experience in the transition to junior high school is a result of the:

teachers' beliefs about junior high students.

Diane Ravitch, and educational historian, argues that the problem with the comprehensive high school has been a lack of focus. Which of the following is NOT one of the beliefs she argues has interfered with successful educational reform:

that parents need to grant their children more independence

Experts are likely to express all of the following reasons for the failure of school reform, except:

the explosion of job opportunities in inner-city communities have left many students leaving school to pursue careers.

President Obama's education secretary suggested what to address the problem of the state-dependent standards in the No Child Left Behind act?

the need to have a set of common standards across all 50 states

Jacquelynne Eccles believes that ________ a negative effect on junior high school teachers, which then affects the teachers' interactions with their students.

the organization and anonymity of junior high schools have

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:

the self-fulfilling prophecy.

Research has shown that teachers tend to favor high-achieving students by providing extra cues for answers and more positive nonverbal behaviors than for lower-achieving students. Such evidence provides support for the notion that teachers' expectations may contribute to:

the self-fulfilling prophecy.

Mr. Edwards is the principal at a public school and has just read a research study that discussed ways to maximize student's 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 what you learned from the textbook, what do you think the researchers argued that schools should focus on?

the ways in which schools train, certify, place, and compensate teachers

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

the zero-tolerance approach.

The process of separating students into different levels of classes within the same school is called:

tracking.

Today, approximately _____ of high school graduates enroll in college immediately after graduation.

two-thirds

As a follow-up to the Supreme Court rulings in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954, 1955), in which the Court found that it was unconstitutional to maintain separate schools for children on the basis of race, the Supreme Court rule in 2007 that school districts may no longer:

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

In America today, what percentage of individuals between the ages of 14 and 17 are in school?

virtually all individuals