Question 1

For over fifty years there have been various crises in American education. Today, that crisis seems more real than ever. Resources (financial and people)are stretched and declining, test scores are stagnant, more students than ever have physical and mental health challenges, and parent support is waning. You are your governor's education advisor and you must develop a five point plan to improve education. What would you recommend?

Accepted Answer

The answer of For over fifty years there have been...

Question 2

Approximately fifteen percent of all teachers quit their jobs each year.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Some evidence of the performance of students and American schools can be seen in the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)scores and American College Test (ACT)scores, where

Accepted Answer

A) mathematics scores dropped in almost every year between 1963 and 1982, and verbal scores have remained nearly constant. 
B) verbal scores dropped in almost every year between 1973 and 1992, and mathematics scores have remained constant. 
C) science and mathematics total scores dropped in every year between 1983 and 2003. 
D) verbal and math scores dropped almost annually from 1963 to 1982; scores were erratic in the 1980s, but the trend has generally been flat since 2000, with a slight downward trend in the late 2000s.

Question 4

A Nation at Risk was a report published by the National Commission on Excellence in Education that lamented the erosion of the educational foundations of American society.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

A foundation program is a means of state education funding that allocates very different levels of funding to school districts in the state.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

Currently, more than $850 billion is spent on elementary and secondary education by the states and localities.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Education consumes more of state and local governments' budgets than any other service.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Day-to-day operating authority for public education is delegated by states to

Accepted Answer

A) the national government. 
B) the state departments of education. 
C) local governments in every state but Hawaii and Oregon. 
D) county governments in every state but Hawaii.

Question 9

Day-to-day operating authority for public schools is delegated to local governments in all but two states.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

The trend toward greater state involvement in public education in all fifty states was brought on in recent times by

Accepted Answer

A) recognized inequalities among schools, accountability demands by NCLB, and forceful actions by governors and legislatures. 
B) vastly increased political and financial pressures on the national government. 
C) pressures from the educational establishment to shift the focus of efforts to that level. 
D) provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

Question 11

In 1966, the Coleman Report first discovered that family and sociological backgrounds of students were the most influential factors in education performance. These findings have been reconfirmed in over 100 additional studies.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Business leaders have

Accepted Answer

A) depended solely on public education to prepare their workers in the current crisis. 
B) been closely aligned with efforts to improve education since the early days of the nation. 
C) sometimes seen education as an unnecessary expense but recently have become more involved in efforts to improve it. 
D) generally opposed performance-based accountability for school activities.

Question 13

What has been the traditional federal role in primary and secondary education? What were the reasons behind, and the nature of, the enlarged role of the national government in the field in the 1960s and 1970s? What happened in the intervening years and what did the Clinton administration do to enlarge or deemphasize that role? The Bush administration implemented the No Child Left Behind (NCLB)program. Has this program lived up to its expectations? Now President Obama and the Congress have appropriated $100 billion for local education. Will this help improve education, or will it be more of the same?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What has been the traditional federal role...

Question 14

The gradual decline in the quality of teachers is partly attributable to changes in the nature of the workforce.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

What is the proper role for the state in the provision of education? To answer the question, describe both the historical role for the states and localities, and how those roles have evolved over time. Finally, discuss the trade-offs in having the states have more power relative to local jurisdictions.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is the proper role for the...

Question 16

In 2010, the variation in average teacher salaries in the fifty states was from

Accepted Answer

A) about $38,000 to just over $70,000. 
B) about $50,000 to just under $60,000. 
C) under $20,000 to over $100,000. 
D) about $50,000 to just over $70,000.

Question 17

President George W. Bush worked closely with Congress in 2002 to pass the No Child Left Behind Act, an educational program designed to hold schools, teachers, and students accountable. The law has

Accepted Answer

A) imposed many unfunded mandates on local school departments. 
B) greatly expanded the use of "one-size fits all" standardized testing. 
C) placed renewed focus on special education programs in failing school systems. 
D) All of these choices.

Question 18

The federal government expanded its support for local education from 4.4 percent in 1960 to 9 percent in 1980

Accepted Answer

A) and continues to support about the same percentage. 
B) but dropped below 6 percent in 2002 due to the war in Iraq. 
C) but increased to about 10 percent today. 
D) but increased to 15 percent in 2006 due to a booming economy and a desire by the Congress to gain the support of teachers in their re-election campaigns.

Question 19

The coalition known as the education establishment was fractured, in part, by

Accepted Answer

A) school administrators and teachers who were collectively lobbying for particular educational improvements. 
B) the growing independence of local school boards from citizen opinion and pressures. 
C) teachers who began to organize and lobby to protect their self-interests. 
D) the growing independence of local school boards from school administrators.

Question 20

An important principle of education policy is that state political power and control follow

Accepted Answer

A) demographic trends. 
B) financial responsibility. 
C) urban growth. 
D) None of the above is true.

Exam 15: Education Policy: Reading, Writing and Reform

Approximately fifteen percent of all teachers quit their jobs each year.

Some evidence of the performance of students and American schools can be seen in the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores and American College Test (ACT) scores, where

A Nation at Risk was a report published by the National Commission on Excellence in Education that lamented the erosion of the educational foundations of American society.

A foundation program is a means of state education funding that allocates very different levels of funding to school districts in the state.

Currently, more than $850 billion is spent on elementary and secondary education by the states and localities.

Education consumes more of state and local governments' budgets than any other service.

Day-to-day operating authority for public education is delegated by states to

Day-to-day operating authority for public schools is delegated to local governments in all but two states.

The trend toward greater state involvement in public education in all fifty states was brought on in recent times by

In 1966, the Coleman Report first discovered that family and sociological backgrounds of students were the most influential factors in education performance. These findings have been reconfirmed in over 100 additional studies.

Business leaders have

The gradual decline in the quality of teachers is partly attributable to changes in the nature of the workforce.

In 2010, the variation in average teacher salaries in the fifty states was from

President George W. Bush worked closely with Congress in 2002 to pass the No Child Left Behind Act, an educational program designed to hold schools, teachers, and students accountable. The law has

The federal government expanded its support for local education from 4.4 percent in 1960 to 9 percent in 1980

The coalition known as the education establishment was fractured, in part, by

An important principle of education policy is that state political power and control follow