Q&A Hero

Q: What myths surrounding bullying are often accepted by teachers? What realities of bullying in schools run counter to those myths? In what ways are teachers well placed to combat bullying among students?

Q: In early colonial times, some women began to devote their time to teaching, converting their homes into schools. These women taught reading, writing, and computation, and their homes became known as _____.A.public schoolsB.dame schoolsC.charter schoolsD.common schools

Q: The Old Deluder Satan Law of 1647 required that:A.all citizens of Massachusetts must present themselves periodically to recite the Scripture.B.every town of fifty households must appoint and pay a teacher of reading and writing.C.every household must appoint an individual to read the Scripture on behalf of the family.D.all citizens of Massachusetts must be assessed to determine their reading and writing skills.

Q: Many colonies required that masters teach reading and writing as well as _____ skills.A.fighting.B.swimmingC.householdD.vocational

Q: Nathan was a young man receiving an education during the colonial period. As his family was business-oriented, he was enrolled in a private school devoted to teaching accounting and that helped him take over his family business. Based on the description above, Nathan most likely attended a school in the _____ colonies.A.northernB.middleC.southernD.eastern

Q: How did Benjamin Franklin help in severing American educational thought from its European roots?A.He gave importance to religious education and the establishment of religious schools.B.He was committed to offering free education to all Americans, whether rich or poor.C.He was committed to a practical program of nonsectarian study, offering elective courses.D.He gave importance to the value of mastering Greek and Latin classics in grammar schools.

Q: Horace Mann became the nations leading advocate for the establishment of a _____ school open to all.A.privateB.charterC.dameD.common

Q: _____ American students have the highest dropout rate of all students and are more likely to struggle with alcohol and drug addiction.A.AfricanB.NativeC.HispanicD.Asian

Q: Detail some of the social conditions or problems that may affect student performance in school (a few examples: poverty, homelessness, substance abuse). In your opinion, which of these conditions or problems poses the biggest threat to your ability, as a teacher, to provide educational opportunity for all? What can you as a teacher do in response?

Q: As an educator, it is likely that you will encounter students from nontraditional families. What sorts of families are considered to be nontraditional? What are some of the challenges that these students might face? What can you do to help students from nontraditional families overcome any challenges they may experience in your class?

Q: How do changes in the structure of the American family influence decisions and choices teachers must make?

Q: Researchers who study children in poverty note that schools reflect middle-class values. What are some of these values? How do teachers display these values to their students? What sort of challenge do these values present to teachers who are working with students in poverty? What can teachers do to help these students reach their educational potential? Be sure to provide specific examples to support your positions.

Q: Identify an accurate statement about bullying in schools.A.Teachers accept the common myths surrounding bullying.B.Bullies only use physical force or threats to intimidate others.C.Most youths describe bullying as a harmless act.D.Only a small number of children are affected by bullying.

Q: Schools create their own cultures, replete with their own norms, rituals, and routines. Using experiences from your elementary, middle, or secondary schooling, describe the norms, rituals, and routines that you experienced. What made them rituals? How did these contribute to the overall culture of the school? Be sure to provide specific examples to support your position.

Q: Are you of the view that students mostly waste time, while teachers are busy organizing, structuring, talking, questioning, handing out, collecting, timekeeping, and crisis hopping? Suggest some ways of efficient time management in the classroom.

Q: Discuss what you believe John Goodlad meant when he said that "the emotional tone of the classroom is neither harsh and punitive nor warm and joyful; it might be described most accurately as flat." To what extent do you feel his statement mirrored your experiences as a student? What steps can teachers take to change the emotional tone of their classrooms while still remaining professional? Be sure to support your positions with specific examples.

Q: Imagine that you are the principal of a school. You realize that the teachers in your school mainly remain busy gatekeeping, and much of their day is spent on determining who gets to speak, when to line up for lunch, how the class will work when broken into groups, and so on. How can you ensure that your teachers spend more time on teaching and not on gatekeeping? What sort of changes would you make?

Q: Jeannie Oakes argues that the tracking debate is symbolic of a larger struggle over the purpose of education. How do you feel that tracking fits into the larger discussion over the purpose of education in America? Be sure to provide specific examples to support your positions.

Q: The authors argue that teachers must work to create humane and caring classrooms to support all students but particularly those who are at risk from academic and social issues. Discuss how teachers would go about creating caring and humane classrooms. What are the obstacles to teachers creating such classrooms for their students? What can teachers do to overcome such obstacles? Be sure to support your arguments with specific examples and analysis where appropriate.

Q: Discuss the arguments posed by critics of the middle school process. Based upon your experiences in middle school, do you feel that their arguments have merit? What actions do you think could be taken that would satisfy the middle school critics while preserving the mission of middle school? Be sure to support your positions with specific examples and analysis.

Q: Imagine that you are a new high school teacher. You want to do the best job possible of helping your students get the most out of their opportunities. In order to do so, what are some aspects of adolescent struggles that you would need to familiarize with? Keeping these adolescent struggles in mind, how would you create a classroom that would help your students perform well in high school?

Q: At the school where you teach, the issue of "helicopter parents" has become a real source of tension for teachers, administrators, and students. As you have an excellent track record of dealing with parents, you have been asked to help train school personnel in dealing with these parents. What sort of advice will you give them? What would be some of the examples you would provide in effectively working with such demanding parents?

Q: Which of the following statements is true?A.African Americans have the highest suicide rate of all racial and ethnic groups.B.Suicidal behavior remains the same across gender and ethnic groups.C.Females are three times more likely to attempt suicide than males.D.Suicide is the most common cause of death among adolescents.

Q: Members of which demographic group are at the greatest risk of committing suicide?A.African AmericansB.White AmericansC.Hispanic AmericansD.Native Americans

Q: When asked to identify the one best thing about their high school, _____ usually ranks at the top of the list of students.A.academicsB.cultural activitiesC.friendsD.sporting events

Q: Which of the following ranked highest with students while describing their peer culture in middle school?A.Student-teacher camaraderieB.Relational aggressionC.Worries about povertyD.Gender clashes

Q: Which of the following is true of today's families in the U.S.?A.Children of color are more likely to live with both parents.B.More than 40 percent of children live only with their fathers.C.Only two-thirds of children live in two-parent households.D.More than one-thirds of children live with their grandparents.

Q: Which of the following statements regarding the composition of the modern family in the U.S. is true?A.American families most often have at least 3 children or more.B.More than 50 percent of new mothers have at least some college education.C.More than 80 percent children are born to mothers who are at least 35 years old.D.Only a few American families are remarried or recoupled.

Q: Which of the following is true regarding working women in the U.S.?A.Women only comprise of 20 percent of all U.S. workers.B.The majority of working mothers are not the breadwinners in their families.C.The majority of women with children under 17 stay at home.D.Women still do not receive the same pay as men do.

Q: Emily's parents have recently divorced and they will share her custody. Which of the following statements will be true of Emily?A.It is most likely that she will never recover from the experience.B.She will probably go through a process that closely resembles mourning.C.Her performance at school will probably improve as she will be more independent.D.Her teachers should respect her need for privacy and keep their distance.

Q: Which of the following is true of children living in low-income homes?A.Their families do not encourage them to study harder or perform well in school.B.They have many adults with professional careers who can serve as role models.C.Their neighborhood reality is often filled with crime and drugs.D.They may not get admitted to public schools due to their financial status.

Q: In researching poverty, Shirley Brice Heath found that interactions between adults and children _____.A.are fewer in lower-class families and more information drivenB.are non-existent in lower-class familiesC.closely resemble school interactions in lower class familiesD.are non-existent in middle-class families

Q: Which of the following is a recommended teaching strategy that can help children from low-income homes achieve academic success?A.Teachers should avoid lowering their expectations from students belonging to this group.B.Teachers should encourage them to study at home and spend lesser time at school.C.Teachers should lower their academic expectations for such children.D.Teachers should ask them to avoid taking difficult subjects like mathematics.

Q: The most widespread form of substance abuse is _____.A.alcoholB.marijuanaC.heroinD.cocaine

Q: Which of the following is a true statement about students in low-ability tracks?A.They get more learning opportunities than students in higher-ability tracks.B.Their instruction places more emphasis on classroom management problems.C.Their instruction covers more content and involves less repetition.D.They get more encouragement and instruction from their teachers.

Q: In the context of the education system in the U.S., which of the following is one of the most important discoveries made by Jeannie Oakes?A.She found that in the tracking system, race, far more than ability, determines which students are placed in which tracks.B.She found that children go to their first-grade teacher not only for this practical information but also for hugs, praise, and general warmth and affection.C.She found that grades go down as alcohol consumption and drug use go up.D.She found that extracurricular activities expand cultural, artistic, and athletic opportunities.

Q: According to Jeannie Oakes, tracking persists in schools largely because _____.A.administrators believe that it is the most cost effective way to educate childrenB.teachers think it is best way to improve test scores among their studentsC.teachers expect little from the low-track students and they do little to improve student performanceD.educators believe it is the fairest way to treat their students so that they can learn well

Q: During elementary school, there is _____.A.more communication between racesB.more communication between sexesC.no communication between sexesD.no communication between races

Q: Which of the following statements would most likely be made by a critic of middle school education?A.Middle schools offer a more disciplined focus curriculum than K-8 schools.B.Middle schools give excessive importance to academic rigor.C.Middle schools over emphasize self-esteem building.D.Middle schools ignore emotional and physical developmental growth of students.

Q: Critics of middle school education argue that they should be replaced by _____.A.single-sex schoolsB.K-8 schoolsC.charter schoolsD.home schools

Q: Paula is an elementary school teacher who often feels that the last thing in the world she gets to do is teach her students. She feels as though much of her day is spent on determining who gets to speak, when to line up for lunch, how the class will work when broken into groups, and so on. In this example, Paula occupies the role of a(n) _____.A.organizerB.gatekeeperC.trackerD.administrator

Q: According to Goodlad, which statement is true regarding the patterns of classroom interactions?A.While there is relatively little praise in classrooms, the feedback students receive tends to be corrective in nature.B.The teacher tends to be disengaged from students, preferring to let them work in groups rather than engage in direct instruction.C.Students are typically restrained in a relatively small space during a period in which much of the activity is about maintaining order.D.Students feel that they have an important role in influencing the activities that the teacher chooses for instruction.

Q: As gatekeepers, teachers must:A.counsel weak students.B.determine which student will talk when.C.determine the grade for each student.D.assemble same-ability, homogeneous classes.

Q: Which of the following makes for an engaging education experience?A.Feeling that school work is a routine part of lifeB.Experiencing a teacher-centered approachC.Getting the opportunity to excelD.Engaging in a gate-keeping role

Q: In the context of tracking, students are sorted based on _____.A.abilityB.appearanceC.past achievementD.religion

Q: What does author Peggy McIntosh mean when she talks about an "invisible knapsack"? Why does she refer to this phenomenon of "invisible knapsack"? Discuss the ways in which you have experienced this phenomenon. As a teacher, how can you help your students become aware of the invisible knapsack? Be sure to provide specific examples to support your discussion.

Q: Many deficit theorists believe that social and economic deficits at home contribute to poor academic performance of certain groups. What can schools and teachers do to counteract such perceptions among their students? Be sure to provide specific examples to support your arguments.

Q: Do you agree that the United States is a "melting pot"? If so, why? If you don't agree, explain why. Do you have a better metaphor with which to describe the United States?

Q: Select two approaches to bilingual education. What are the characteristics of each of these approaches you selected? Analyze how these approaches would work in the classroom? Provide specific examples to support your answer.

Q: Imagine that there is an English-only lobby in your state, and they are trying to introduce a law on the next election ballot to make English the sole language of instruction in schools. What do you think is the motivation behind this English-only group? What arguments could you make to counter this group's effort to get such a law passed?

Q: Discuss strategies that teachers can use to support English Language Learners (ELL) in the classroom. Give examples for each strategy that you list.

Q: To what extent was your elementary and secondary education "multicultural"? Would you consider your experience indicative of the contributions approach, the additive approach, the transformation approach, or the social action approach? If you could go back to elementary and secondary school again, which approach would you want your teachers to take, and why?

Q: Do you believe that equal educational opportunity is best achieved in separate or integrated classrooms? Explain your position using analysis and specific examples.

Q: How do you make a classroom inclusive for multiracial students?

Q: Giving examples, describe how a teacher might use generalizations to aid in teaching students in a diverse classroom. How does a teacher avoid the negative consequences of stereotype threat?

Q: Student achievement will be increased when _____.A.the teachers spend more time on providing essential supplies to studentsB.the teachers spend more time on helping the students improve their behaviorC.the students spend more time on interacting with their classmatesD.the students spend more time on learning their subjects

Q: Some educationists believe that school curricula reflects the assumption that all people are heterosexual and either male or female. Discuss the different ways through which schools reinforce this idea. What can teachers do to counteract the negative aspects of such assumptions in schools? Be sure to provide specific examples to support your analysis.

Q: Imagine you are welcoming a substitute teacher into your classroom. How will you prepare him or her for working with your diverse population of students? What does he/she need to be aware of? How do you explain the students' ethnic diversity without stereotyping them? How do you explain to the substitute teacher the best way to reach out to the students and still respect their cultural diversity?

Q: A professor asks her students to discuss globalization for a paper on world affairs. She asks students to make a presentation on how people from the East view globalization and its impact on their culture and economy. This example is most representative of the _____ approach to multicultural curriculum.A.contributionsB.additiveC.transformationD.social action

Q: Which of the following statements best reflects the findings of a 1990s survey conducted by People for the American Way regarding the state of race relations in America?A."As a reporter, I think the media is doing everything possible to effectively address race relations."B."I think that I've got a healthier attitude toward race relations than my mom and dad."C."Yes, as a white person, I feel very comfortable dealing with members of other racial groups."D."Speaking on behalf of African Americans, I can say that almost 80% of us have become comfortable with dealing with members of other racial groups."

Q: One of the reasons that students in schools are more segregated today than at any time since the Civil Rights movement is that:A.the federal courts are no longer willing to attend to the problem of racial segregation.B.the No Child Left Behind Act has mandated minorities to attend failing schools.C.the economic slowdown has forced minorities to return to the cities where they grew up.D.the rise of charter schools has led to more segregated student demographics.

Q: A key assumption of multicultural education is that:A.students should go through home schooling to improve their performance.B.the language of instruction should be English.C.the curriculum should have an Afro-centric focus.D.effective teachers recognize that students learn in different ways.

Q: Which of the following actions of teachers is most likely be supported by Gloria Ladson-Billings, the proponent of culturally responsive teaching?A.Making the students concentrate on personality development while ignoring academic successB.Encouraging the students to strictly follow textbooks even if they are outdatedC.Working to improve the quality of life of the students in the school and communityD.Using a single learning style in order to avoid confusing the students

Q: In diverse classrooms, teachers can use generalizations about students from different cultural groups but should avoid stereotypes. Which of the following is a stereotype?A.African American students tend to communicate orally.B.Asian American students are math geniuses.C.Female students often personalize knowledge.D.Native American students often prefer cooperative learning.

Q: Which of the following statements about stereotyping is true?A.Stereotyping is a process that gives importance to individuality.B.Stereotypes are impervious to contradictory information.C.Stereotyping is used to broaden the thinking process.D.Stereotypes are applied only to a few members of a group.

Q: Discuss the recent waves of immigration in this country. What significance does such immigration have for the nation's schools? What are the implications of these waves of immigration on teachers and students?

Q: As a teacher and as a citizen, working to eliminate social and economic injustice is as important to academic success as anything done in the classroom." Imagine that you are a teacher in a grade and subject of your choice. How would you help your students work toward eliminating social and economic injustice?

Q: Imagine that you are a teacher who has a racially and ethnically diverse class. You have an African American student who is very bright but has consistent bad grades. You call him for a discussion wherein he states, "I like your class, but I get hassled by my friends if I do well. They tell me to stop acting white.'" Why do you think that a student could be accused of acting white? As a teacher, what can you do to help him overcome this social pressure and perform according to his potential?

Q: Nationally, _____ are more likely than students of other races to attend multiracial schools.A.Asian AmericansB.White AmericansC.Hispanic AmericansD.African Americans

Q: _____ students are the least likely to attend multiracial schools and are the most isolated group.A.WhiteB.AsianC.HispanicD.African American

Q: Multicultural educators that follow the approach called "teaching the culturally different" primarily advocate:A.creating close links between school and home so that minority children can succeed academically.B.teaching single-group studies such as Black Studies, Hispanic Studies, or Womens Studies programs.C.developing new eyes through which policy makers can initiate change in education.D.mobilizing students to actively address and find ways to remedy social problems.

Q: When a teacher allocates a special week in a month to talk about important female inventors, the teacher is taking the _____ approach to multicultural curriculum.A.additiveB.contributionsC.transformativeD.social action

Q: In an essay that she wrote for her sociology course, Eve argued that one of the reasons that minorities struggled academically while in school was genetic deficiencies that made them incapable of learning at the same pace as their white counterparts. Eves views are indicative of the _____.A.deficit theoryB.cultural difference theoryC.expectation theoryD.multiple intelligence theory

Q: Marie, a middle-grade teacher, believes that all children can learn if given the right support. However, Tina, her coworker, thinks that it is a waste of time and effort to work with students from certain racial and ethnic groups. Which of the following theories suggests that the academic performance of the students from these groups is likely to suffer due to Tinas attitude?A.The deficit theoryB.The expectation theoryC.The multiple intelligence theoryD.The cultural difference theory

Q: Israel Zangwill's description of America as a "melting pot" best reflects the idea of _____.A.cultural pluralismB.balkanizationC.assimilationD.polarization

Q: When Ovando's family first emigrated from Latin America, school was difficult for him because of his limited English proficiency and because he was not allowed to speak Spanish at school. His experience was most similar to that of:A.Kinney Lau, whose difficulty in school led to a landmark court case, Lau v. Nichols.B.Karen Killilea, whose mother penned the influential book Karen.C.the children whose struggles resulted in Public Law 94-142.D.gifted students who were not placed in accelerated programs.

Q: The "Lau Remedies" were important because they required:A.bilingual instruction to be banned in public schools.B.students to be English-proficient in order to attend schools.C.teachers to be more focused on mathematical skills than on language and communication.D.positive steps to be taken by schools to eliminate language barriers to learning.

Q: The _____ approach uses the native language as a bridge to English language instruction, where subjects are taught first in the native language.A.immersionB.transitionalC.maintenanceD.submersion

Q: Han, an Asian student in elementary school, speaks very little English. Although Han is a bright student, he struggles in class as all instructions are in English. His teacher makes no effort to modify the instruction to help Han keep up with the class. Han's experience most closely reflects the _____ approach to education.A.cultural immersionB.language transitionalC.language submersionD.cultural maintenance

Q: In terms of deciding which approach to bilingual education is most effective, research has indicated that _____.A.dual language instruction is most effectiveB.the transitional approach is most effectiveC.the immersion approach is most effectiveD.there is no single approach that is most effective