NGSA Educational Equity 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A school in a wealthy neighborhood has a new computer lab, while a school in a low-income neighborhood shares ten-year-old computers. This difference in resources is an example of what?
- School spirit
- Educational inequity (Correct answer)
- A grading policy
- Student choice
Correct answer: Educational inequity
When schools have unequal resources based on the wealth of their communities, this is called educational inequity.
Question 2: Which U.S. federal law requires schools to provide equal educational opportunities to students with disabilities?
- The First Amendment
- Title IX
- The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Correct answer)
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964
Correct answer: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
IDEA requires public schools to provide free and appropriate education to students with disabilities, ensuring equal access.
Question 3: Many U.S. public schools are funded primarily through local property taxes. Why might this create inequity?
- Wealthier areas collect more tax revenue, giving their schools more funding (Correct answer)
- Property taxes pay teacher salaries in all states equally
- Poor neighborhoods always have better schools
- Federal funding replaces all local funding
Correct answer: Wealthier areas collect more tax revenue, giving their schools more funding
Because wealthier areas have higher property values, they generate more tax revenue and therefore can fund their schools at higher levels than poorer areas.
Question 4: What does the term 'achievement gap' refer to in education?
- The time between tests
- Differences in academic performance between groups of students (Correct answer)
- The gap between school and work skills
- A missing assignment
Correct answer: Differences in academic performance between groups of students
The achievement gap describes the persistent difference in academic performance between groups of students, often linked to race, income, or disability status.
Question 5: Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provides federal funding to schools with high percentages of students from low-income families. What is the purpose of this funding?
- To build sports stadiums
- To help close the resource gap between wealthy and low-income schools (Correct answer)
- To fund private schools only
- To pay for school lunches
Correct answer: To help close the resource gap between wealthy and low-income schools
Title I funding is designed to support schools serving low-income students by providing extra resources to help close educational gaps.
Question 6: A student who is an English Language Learner (ELL) receives extra language support at school. How does this support relate to educational equity?
- It gives ELL students an unfair advantage
- It ensures ELL students have equal access to learning by removing a language barrier (Correct answer)
- It replaces their regular classes entirely
- It is required only in private schools
Correct answer: It ensures ELL students have equal access to learning by removing a language barrier
Providing language support removes a barrier that would otherwise prevent ELL students from accessing the same education as their peers.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes the difference between equality and equity in education?
- Equality means giving everyone exactly the same thing; equity means giving people what they specifically need to succeed (Correct answer)
- Equality and equity mean the same thing
- Equity means giving wealthy students more resources
- Equality means only some students get support
Correct answer: Equality means giving everyone exactly the same thing; equity means giving people what they specifically need to succeed
Equality treats everyone identically, while equity recognizes that different students may need different levels of support to reach the same outcomes.
NGSA Educational Equity 2
A school in a wealthy neighborhood has a new computer lab, while a school in a low-income neighborhood shares ten-year-old computers.
This difference in resources is an example of what?