Chapter 16: Education

Question 1

credentialism

Answer 1

the emphasis on certificates or degrees to show that a person has a certain skill, has attained a certain level of education, or has met certain job qualifications

Question 2

cultural capital

Answer 2

cultural knowledge that serves (metaphorically) as currency to help one navigate a culture

Question 3

cultural transmission

Answer 3

the way people come to learn the values, beliefs, and social norms of their culture

Question 4

education

Answer 4

a social institution through which a society’s children are taught basic academic knowledge, learning skills, and cultural norms

Question 5

grade inflation

Answer 5

the idea that the achievement level associated with an A today is notably lower than the achievement level associated with A-level work a few decades ago

Question 6

Head Start program

Answer 6

a federal program that provides academically focused preschool to students of low socioeconomic status

Question 7

hidden curriculum

Answer 7

the type of nonacademic knowledge that one learns through informal learning and cultural transmission

Question 8

informal education

Answer 8

learning about cultural values, norms, and expected behaviors through participation in a society

Question 9

No Child Left Behind Act

Answer 9

requires states to test students in prescribed grades, with the results of those tests determining eligibility to receive federal funding

Question 10

social placement

Answer 10

the use of education to improve one’s social standing

Question 11

sorting

Answer 11

classifying students based on academic merit or potential

Question 12

tracking

Answer 12

a formalized sorting system that places students on “tracks” (advanced, low achievers) that perpetuate inequalities

Question 13

universal access

Answer 13

the equal ability of all people to participate in an education system