Chapter 9

Learning Objectives 

After reading this chapter, one should be able to answer the following questions:    

1. What has been the effectiveness of Head Start?  
2. How does prejudice affect school performance for ethnic minority youth?  
3. Since school is a major “community” context for children, in what ways can educators make the school a more inclusive context for students?  
4. Which community factors are related to school dropout?  
5. What is known about why students commit violent acts in school?   

Test your knowledge of this chapter with this quiz!  

Question 1

What do data show about working parents?

More mothers are working (approximately 60 percent in two parent families).

Fewer mothers are working (approximately 20 percent in two parent families).

The number of working mothers is about the same as the 1950s.

When fathers stay at home, only then do most mothers work.

None

Question 2

Which is true of childcare providers in the US?

They must provide both education and health care to children in daycare.

They may be licensed or unlicensed depending on the state and its laws.

In most states cannot be relatives of the children receiving daycare.

They must ensure a ratio of no more than seven children to one caregiver.

None

Question 3

What program is the largest provider of comprehensive childcare to families living in poverty?

The Jigsaw Schools

The Montessori Schools

Head Start

The De Luca Educational System

None

Question 4

Head Start attempts to meet children’s _________ needs.

emotional

health

educational

All of the above

None

Question 5

Rosenthal and Jacobson (1968) conducted research on children labeled “bloomers” and “normal”. Their results supported the notion of

Intergroup contact to reduce intergroup conflict.

the self-fulfilling prophecy.

teachers’ expectations irrelevant to student achievement.

None of the above

None

Question 6

Modern prejudice, as defined in the book, is more ________ than traditional racism.

obvious and overt

subtle and covert

easily measured

less common

None

Question 7

In order for intergroup contact to reduce prejudice, what conditions need to be met?

The groups (or individuals) must be of equal initial status.

The situation must require interdependence between groups.

The situation should encourage members to be perceived as individuals.

All of the above

None

Question 8

In the Eye of the Storm demonstration, students are shown

the advantages of the opposite sex’s gender role.

about the stigma of mental illness.

about the pain caused by prejudice and discrimination.

about the benefits of compensatory education.

None

Question 9

Which of the following factors predicts likelihood of dropping out of school?

Alienation from school

Low socioeconomic status

English as a second language

All of the above

None

Question 10

Alternative education has been found to be successful in terms of student outcomes as well as teacher and student satisfaction. Which factor(s) is are believed to cause these results?

Student characteristics, such as high IQ

Racial segregation rather than integration

Ecological factors such as school climate

None of these; alternative education is not successful

None

Question 11

Most school related violent incidents take place ______, so it makes sense to design ______ intervention programs.

after school; afterschool*

before school; parent led

during school; teacher led

almost any time; community based

None

Time’s up

Study Questions 

1. The research indicates that children benefit from purposeful early childhood programs such as Head Start and yet cities around the United States are still developing strategies that make pre-K programs available to all children. Given its importance, what do you think would be convincing messages for leaders to use in their efforts to gain support from the public for these efforts?  
2. Think about your own educational experiences to date. What are the factors that you attribute your successes or struggles to? Do these experiences resonate with what you have read about school conditions that favor achievement?  
3. There are many passionate debates in our society around how to make our schools safer, including making changes in gun laws, arming teachers, higher more security guards, and creating more support for mental health treatment. What do you think are effective strategies that should be seriously pursued?   

Additional Resources

• Discrimination 
  • Department of Education Discusses Protecting Students from Discrimination: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HClg9iE16pM 
  • Fighting Discrimination at School (ACLU of Nebraska): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbctBqbvmk4 
• Dropouts 
  • PBS Frontline “Dropout Nation” (2012): https://www.pbs.org/video/frontline-dropout-nation/ 
  • Videos from the National Dropout Prevention Center: https://dropoutprevention.org/webcast/  
• Education Statistics 
  • National Center for Education Statistics: https://nces.ed.gov/  
  • NCES “Fast Facts”: https://nces.ed.gov/FastFacts/ 
• Head Start 
  • Head Start: https://headstart.gov/ 
  • 50 Years of Opportunity: Head Start’s History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StKPrSrWroA 
  • Head Start Cares about Your Whole Family (from Head Start website): https://headstart.gov/video/head-start-cares-about-your-whole-family