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

formal educatio

Answer 5

the learning of academic facts and concepts

Question 6

grade inflation

Answer 6

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 7

Head Start program

Answer 7

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

Question 8

hidden curriculum

Answer 8

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

Question 9

informal education

Answer 9

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

Question 10

No Child Left Behind Act

Answer 10

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

Question 11

social placement

Answer 11

the use of education to improve one’s social standing

Question 12

sorting

Answer 12

classifying students based on academic merit or potential

Question 13

tracking

Answer 13

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

Question 14

universal access

Answer 14

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