A BCDE
What are charter schools?
Schools that receive state funding, but are excused from meeting many public school regulations.
What is conservation?
The careful preservation and protection of natural resources.
What is infrastructure?
A community’s system of roads, bridges, water and sewers.
What are priorities?
The goals a community considers most important or most urgent.
What is public policy?
The course of action the government takes in response to an issue or problem.
What are tuition vouchers?
A program providing subsidies for education payments, allowing families the option of private schools.
List two potential sources for public policy ideas.
The government The media Party Leaders Interest Groups Private Citizens
In setting priorities, what must a community first decide?
What it values most.
Who has the power over public education?
The States
What is the basic administrative unit for public schools?
The local school district.
What education bill, passed in 2001, authorized $26.5 billion in education spending but also increased the rules that schools must follow?
“No Child Left Behind”
What is the biggest issue facing state governments today?
How to provide high-quality schooling equally to all students.
What is one argument against charter schools?
Takes funds away from public schools Enrolls all the better students, leaving only the “problem” ones at public schools
What is one argument in favor of charter schools?
More innovative No sign that they are luring the better students away from public schools
What is privatization of schools?
Allowing private companies to contract with local districts to run schools.
What is one argument in favor of competency testing?
It holds teachers and schools to a high level of accountability.
What is one argument against competency testing?
It forces teachers to spend class time teaching to the test instead of the their subjects.
Where are crime rates usually the highest?
Large Cities
Why is it difficult to find new landfill sites?
Space for landfills is filling up fast Landfills leak and are dangerous to local water supply No one wants to live near one – “Not In My Backyard.”
What is the most serious form of hazardous waste?
Radioactive Waste
Is there any completely safe way to get rid of hazardous waste?
No.
What are the most common sources of air pollution?
Cars and Trucks Factories Cigarettes
What is the main sources of water pollution?
Factories.
What prevents EPA restrictions on pollution from factories from being enforced?
Budget limitations
List two ways the government has tried to reduce pollution from cars and trucks.
Regulation of factory output of pollutants Removal of lead from gasoline Better, more efficient car engines Building mass transportation systems Encouraging carpooling