Chapter 9 Test Questions
Multiple Choice
1. The governmental unit empowered by state law to administer the school system of a local community is
called the
a. local school council.
b. intermediate unit.
c. state board of education.
d. local school board.
2. The legal authority for operating local school systems is given to local boards of education through
a. the federal Department of Education.
b. the governor of the state.
c. state legislation.
d. the voters in each district.
3. Legally, the primary responsibility for education belongs to
a. the state.
b. the school district.
c. the federal government.
d. individual schools.
4. In most states, superintendents of local school districts are
a. appointed by the United States Department of Education.
b. elected by the taxpayers.
c. hired by the local board of education.
d. appointed by the State Board of Education.
5. A person who is supervised by another person has a type of organizational relationship known as
a. line.
b. staff.
c. site-based.
d. supporting.
6. Which of the following serves as a liaison between the state department of education and local school
districts?
a. developmental units
b. operational units
c. intermediate units
d. regional school boards
7. All of the following are roles performed by an intermediate unit of school organization, EXCEPT
a. providing professional development and in-service
b. hiring and firing of school personnel
c. maintaining a library of resources for school districts
d. providing cooperative special education and vocational-technical services
8. In most states, the school superintendent
a. serves as chairperson of the school board.
b. controls the members of the school board.
c. has the same level of power as the school board members.
d. is the chief executive officer of the school board.
9. One of the shortcomings of the open-space design of school architecture is that
a. it encourages teachers to work in isolation.
b. it is more difficult for teachers to work cooperatively.
c. it is more difficult to group and re-group students for specific purposes.
d. the noise makes it difficult for students to focus on their work.
10. Critics of the self-contained egg-crate concept of traditional school architecture contend that
a. too much noise filters in from other teaching areas.
b. there is little opportunity for teachers to communicate with one another.
c. it is difficult for a teacher to develop a unique learning environment for his or her class.
d. it is too easy for teachers to see what occurs in other classes and they become critical of one
another’s teaching styles.
11. The Millhaven School District has hired a management consultant to study its organizational structure
and recommend improvements to provide the most effective supervisory structure at Central High
School, which has an enrollment of 2,000 students. Which of the following suggestions would be most
beneficial in bringing the school more in line with accepted practices in other effective organizations?
a. The cafeteria staff should be employees of a private contractor.
b. Teachers classrooms should be grouped close to the department chairpersons offices.
c. The counselors should meet daily to discuss problems in the school.
d. Additional assistant principals should be appointed to help the principal.
12. In law, the final authority at the school site is the
a. superintendent.
b. principal.
c. teachers.
d. school board.
13. Nino Pizzuti is a new teacher in the science department at 35th Street High School. John Brown, one
of the veteran teachers in the same department, is frequently late and unprepared for his classes. He
has been in the habit of removing teaching resources from the cart Nino uses to assemble the
materials required for next day’s classes. Even though Nino has discussed the issue several times
with John, the problem continues. Nino considers who he should speak to in seeking help to resolve
the situation. Normal protocol suggests that the next person he should talk to is
a. no one else except John.
b. the science department head.
c. the teacher union representative.
d. the principal.
14. Recently the role of the principal has been expanded to include
a. instructional leadership.
b. better control of students.
c. increased parental participation in decision-making.
d. public relations.
15. Allowing individual schools within a school district to be involved in decision-making on issues such as
budgeting, personnel selection, and curriculum design is called
a. school-based management.
b. cooperative management.
c. management by local objectives.
d. diversified management.
16. Juan Hernandez is the principal of Rio Hondo High School. He is conducting a series of in-service
sessions to acquaint his staff with the district’s new empowerment policy. He has divided the teachers
into groups to discuss the significance of various advantages to the system. His list of advantages
should include all of the following EXCEPT
a. the reduction of school district regulatory control of individual schools.
b. less accountability for decisions that prove to be unworkable.
c. more involvement in personnel selection.
d. an increased voice in budget allotment.
17. One major practical advantages for a school district that organizes one or more of its schools on a
year-round schedule is to
a. provide students with more days in school per year.
b. reduce the number of teachers required in the district.
c. increase the number of students that can be handled annually.
d. reduce costs of heating and air conditioning during the year.
18. What type of power do state boards of education have?
a. advisory and legislative
b. advisory and regulatory
c. legislative and regulatory
d. regulatory only
19. The State Department of Education activity that involves making sure school buses are safe is due to
its
a. regulatory powers.
b. operational powers.
c. service powers.
d. public support.
20. The legality of any interpretation of state law that governs education is determined by the
a. state legislature.
b. state courts and the attorney general
c. governor
d. federal district court.
21. The Education Committee of the National Widget Workers Union has decided that it would like to try
and influence the state curriculum because it believes students are not receiving appropriate
education in the benefits of trade unions. Due to the legal structure of the educational system, the
committee would have the best chance of success if it were to focus its efforts on
a. individual teachers.
b. individual members of the principalsʹ association.
c. individual members of local boards of education.
d. individual members of the state legislature.
22. What has historically been the primary source of local revenue for schools?
a. property tax
b. federal income tax
c. state income tax
d. sales tax
23. What is the main advantage of using property tax for school funding?
a. It requires the rich to pay more.
b. It is insensitive to sudden changes in the stock market.
c. It is sensitive to changes in inflation.
d. It provides steady, regular income.
24. A major limitation of property tax is
a. it lags behind other changes in market values.
b. property is not easily moved to escape taxation.
c. it tends to discourage rehabilitation and upkeep.
d. it taxes the poor too much.
25. The Red River School District is in a rural part of your state. There are few jobs available in the district
because the only major employer has closed its antiquated plant in order to move to an area where
wages are lower and materials cheaper. You are part of a local group that is concerned that the
amount of money available for education in the district is the lowest in the state. You are aware that
the courts in many states have ordered a reorganization of school funding to respond to similar
situations. In arguing for a different funding system, your group will be able to use all of the following
arguments to support your position EXCEPT
a. when the property tax base is low, the amount of money generated is low.
b. when property taxes are the major source of income for education all communities benefit
equally.
c. income taxes are progressive in that the more you earn, the more you pay.
d. sales taxes are regressive in that people with lower incomes pay disproportionately more.
26. The Central City School District has a large enrollment of students but has little potential for greater
funding because of the low socioeconomic status of the community. The suburban Rolling Hills
School District is in a much more affluent area. There are many large homes and prosperous
businesses in the community. A convenience store chain has come forward with a proposal to form a
business partnership with one of the school districts. The company will install vending machines for
fruit drinks and healthy snack foods and will provide a percentage of the profits to the district to help
fund the schools. When you consider the potential benefits to the students, all of the following
statements are true about this situation EXCEPT
a. Central City presently has less potential for improving resources than Rolling Hills.
b. Central City students would benefit more from the arrangement than Rolling Hills students.
c. There would likely be more pressure on Central City school board members to accept the
company’s offer.
d. The students in both districts would benefit equally if their district accepted the offer.
27. Providing equitable educational opportunities for all students within a state is one of the challenges of
education today. You are reading some of the ʺLetters to the Editorʺ in a major newspaper that
people have written in response to an article on educational funding. Which of the following
statements corresponds to the opinions that have been expressed by court decisions on funding in
most states?
a. Each student should receive the educational opportunities that the district in which he or she
lives can afford to provide.
b. Financing of public schools is unjust and in total chaos.
c. State courts have developed new funding plans that they have imposed.
d. Equal per pupil expenditures in every district across the state will guarantee equal educational
opportunities.
28. What is a foundation level?
a. the dollar value of basic educational opportunities desired in a state
b. the minimum amount of money that the state requires school districts to spend on special
education
c. the minimum number of students required to permit a school district to exist as a separate entity
d. the maximum number of students that a school district may include without splitting into a
separate district
29. What does the foundation concept imply?
a. all school districts will receive the same amount of state money per pupil
b. equity for taxpayers and equality of opportunity for students
c. all school districts will be guaranteed enough money to assist special education students
d. equal access to all aspects of the curriculum by the handicapped
30. State foundation programs are designed to provide more equitable funding to all districts within a
state. Even though such a system is in place, some districts might still ʺbe more equal than others.ʺ
This situation is most likely to occur when the state
a. uses sales and income taxes to raise revenue for schools.
b. sets foundation levels far below actual per-pupil costs.
c. allows teacher strikes in the state.
d. requires each district to put forth the same minimum local finance effort.
31. The Elementary Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was first passed by Congress during the
presidency of Lyndon Johnson in 1965. The bill has been reauthorized every three or four years
since. Each time it has been passed, the scope of the bill has
a. been expanded.
b. been reduced.
c. remained about the same.
d. been regulated by the United States Supreme Court.
32. No Child Left Behind identifies schools in need of improvement through
a. the average scores of achievement on standardized tests of the entire school population
b. the average scores of adequate yearly progress for the entire school population
c. the disaggregated scores of adequate yearly progress for all groups within the school population
d. the median scores of adequate yearly progress for all groups within the student population
33. In response to No Child Left Behind, Ling Chang, the principal of Thistledale Middle School, knows he
must collect data to be distributed on request to parents about the members of his teaching staff. He
will satisfy the requirements by having a database prepared that contains all of the following
information EXCEPT
a. proof of the scores attained by the teacher on required state or Praxis certification tests.
b. whether the teacher has met state qualifications and licensing criteria for the grades and subjects
taught.
c. whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status.
d. proof of baccalaureate degrees and other graduation certification and their subject areas.
34. Grayson Donald is a young teacher interested in becoming an administrator. He will most likely
increase his chances of promotion if he engages in all of the following activities, EXCEPT
a. continuing to read and research school administration so as to increase his expertise in the area.
b. being active in the professional development program of the local teachers’ union.
c. working with colleagues in one or more special interest groups of a local computer users’ group.
d. concentrating on developing the best strategies to use in his own classroom.
35. The pressure for teacher accountability comes from all of the following EXCEPT
a. the continuous escalation of educational costs.
b. the increasing scores of U.S. students on international standardized tests.
c. the public’s loss of faith in educational results.
d. the lower quality of education in large cities and some remote rural areas.
Chapter 9 Test Questions
Short Answer
1. Charrise Martine is a teacher at Oceanside Elementary School. She believes that the students of the
school have unique needs that are not being addressed by the school district. She is scheduled to
make a presentation to the Board of Education to discuss the advantages of an empowerment or site–
based decision making plan for Oceanside as opposed to the present centralized approach to school
management. Prepare a speech that she could use to demonstrate the advantages of a local decision
making plan. (Learning Outcome 9.5)
2. As a result of reduced funding for education, some schools and districts have begun charging user
fees for such things as participation in athletic programs, school music programs, and even for the
use of art and science supplies. Explain the historical circumstances that have led to a severe funding
crunch. Describe the results of these cuts and propose at least three solutions that would help
schools cope with the situations in which they find themselves.(Learning Outcome 9.3)
3. You are an advisor for a candidate for governor of your state. Your candidate has included
educational funding reform as a major part of the campaign and has asked you to prepare a paper
analyzing and comparing the fairness of property taxes, sales taxes, and income taxes as primary
sources of funding. Write a position paper that will satisfy the candidate’s request. (Learning Outcome
9.4)
4. Petro Costopoulos is an assistant superintendent of the Metropolitan School District. He wants to
inform the teachers in the district of the escalating consequences of being identified as a school in
need of improvement from the second through the fifth consecutive years. He has asked you to assist
in this effort. Write the text of a brochure that will illustrate the changes that could be imposed after
each of the years of failing to meet the goal of adequate yearly improvement. (Learning Outcome 9.6)
5. There are escalating pressures for school and district report cards to inform the public how schools
are performing. Compare and evaluate at least four of the arguments used by those who advocate
and those who oppose such report cards. (Learning Outcome 9.6)
Chapter 9 Answer Key
Chapter 9 Answer Key
