Chapter 3 Flashcards
Context of learning experiences
School Culture
Vast majority of US schools
Public schools
Predominant form of public schooling
Neighborhood schools
Curriculum tailored with unique opportunities that attract certain students
Magnet school
Public school that is freed in specific ways from typical regulations
Charter school
School designed for students who are not successful in a traditional school setting
Alternative school
Does not have public funding accountability
Private school
Ultimate private school
Home schooling
Parents and students decide which schools meet their needs
School choice
Equal access to education and established high standards and accountability
Elementary and Secondary Education Act
Government money used for public or private school choice on behalf of a student
Voucher
Preschool, kindergarten, and primary grades
Early childhood education
Mandatory in only 15 states
Kindergarten
One teacher has responsibility for one group of children most of the school day
Self-contained
Children in two or more grade levels learn together
Multiage classroom
Generally includes four common core subject-area teachers and the 80 to 100 or so students they share
Interdisciplinary team
Not core courses
Exploratory
Principal settings of US schools
Urban, suburban, and rural
Happens continually through all of life’s experiences
Education
Formal structure of teaching and learning
Schooling
The atmosphere where the learning experiences, as well as adult and student behaviors and attitudes, influence learning
School culture
Who has an impact on a school’s culture?
Students, parents, and politicians
Describe the potential for changing a school’s culture
The school culture can change given time and the desire to change
Give an example that demonstrates teachers who are affecting their schools in a positive way
Teachers collaborating on lesson plans and classroom management strategies
Describe the purpose of public schools
Preserving our democratic way of life
List services offered by a full-service school
Easy access to government services, community involvement, and healthcare
What is true about public schools?
Public schools are more accountable than private schools
A student hopes to dance professionally and wants a school that will provide specialized training. What type of school should they look for?
Magnet school
List reasons for homeschooling
Concern about other schools’ environments, dissatisfaction with academic instruction at other schools, and a desire to provide religious or moral instruction
What is true about private schools?
Homeschooling provides a specific, one-on-one instructional environment
Describe school choice
Voucher plans provide parents with options for either public or private schools, private schools can refuse any vouchers, open enrollment allows students to choose from all schools within their district for which they qualify
What is something advocates of school choice do not believe?
Choice exacerbates inequalities
What do critics of school choice often believe?
Choice leads to the possibility of further segregation
List activities you might see in an early childhood classroom
Learning through play, healthy doses of experimentation, and discovery learning
What early childhood learning approach includes self-pacing, acting independently, and allowing students to choose learning activities?
Montessori
What is not true about kindergarten?
It is mandatory in all 50 states
What is not a positive reason to loop?
Students benefit from a variety of teachers through their schooling years
If a teacher teaches pre-algebra, trigonometry, and geometry, what structure describes their teaching situation?
Departmentalized
When a student has four core subject teachers and shares them with about 100 other students, what describes their situation?
They attend a school that uses interdisciplinary teams
What type of school would teach a student how to become a mechanic and prepare them to work in a garage?
Vocational
What school setting is on the fringe of a city with access to many retail stores and services?
Suburban
What is not a challenge of working in a urban school?
Most have less funding than rural schools
What percent of American schools are classified as rural?
30%
What is not a tenet of the Effective Schools Movement?
The instructional staff focuses on improving standardized test scores
Describe the characteristics of an effective school
Effective schools are those that meet the learning needs of the students who attend there
What is school choice and who advocates for it?
- Parents and students decide which schools meet their needs
- Public-To-Public: allows transfers among traditional, magnet, charter, and alternative schools
- NCLB: allows transfers within public schools when a school fails to meet established standards
- Voucher: government money applied to public or private school tuition
Describe the three main pubic school settings
- Urban: older facilities, more expensive, part of dilapidated downtowns, serve many low-income students, students have greater needs than curriculum
- Suburban: scattered homes and apartments, ample retail, middle class, organization and order, extracurricular opportunities, community participation
- Rural: geographic isolation, sparse population, few stores, smaller schools, few museums and such, close-knit community, school serves as a meeting place, problem hiring and retaining qualified teachers
