Free DSST Foundations of Education Practice Test (2026)

Question 1

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits

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discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs that receive federal funds

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discrimination against students with disabilities in public schools

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the use of public funds for religious schools

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racial segregation in public colleges

Question 2

John Dewey, in works such as Democracy and Education (1916), argued that schools should

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be democratic communities where students solve real problems together

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focus on memorizing the great books of Western civilization

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train students strictly for the jobs their parents held

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stay neutral and avoid any connection to the life of the community

Question 3

Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), every eligible student with a disability is entitled to

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a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment

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placement in a separate special education school or classroom

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a private tutor at home paid for by the federal government

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an exemption from all state and district standardized testing

Question 4

In Engel v. Vitale (1962), the Supreme Court ruled that

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official, school-led prayer in public schools violates the Establishment Clause

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students may not pray privately at school

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public schools must teach about every world religion

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religious schools may not receive any government services

Question 5

In Lau v. Nichols (1974), the Supreme Court held that a school district serving Chinese-speaking students who spoke little English

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denied them equal educational opportunity by offering them no language help

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met its duty simply by giving them the same books and teachers as other students

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had to teach all subjects entirely in Chinese

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could place them in separate schools

Question 6

Essentialism, associated with William Bagley, holds that schools should

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teach a core of basic knowledge and skills in a disciplined, teacher-directed way

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let students choose what they want to learn based on interest

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use schools mainly to reform society's injustices

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focus on helping each student create personal meaning

Question 7

In most US school districts, the superintendent is

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the chief executive, hired by the local school board to run the district

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elected by the teachers to represent them in bargaining

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appointed by the US Secretary of Education to oversee the district

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the principal of the district's largest high school, chosen by seniority

Question 8

Schools that rely heavily on local property taxes for funding often have unequal resources because

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districts with higher property values can raise more money at lower tax rates

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the federal government pays for most of each district's school costs

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state constitutions forbid giving state money to local school districts

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property taxes can legally be used only for constructing school buildings

Question 9

In Brown v. Board of Education (1954), the Supreme Court ruled that

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separate public schools for Black and white students are inherently unequal

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segregation was allowed if schools received equal funding

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states must bus students across district lines to integrate schools

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private schools must admit students of every race

Question 10

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 differs from No Child Left Behind mainly because it

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gives states more control over accountability and school improvement

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ends all federally required standardized testing in public schools

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creates a single national curriculum for every subject and grade

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abolishes the US Department of Education and its grant programs

Question 11

Perennialists such as Robert Hutchins and Mortimer Adler argued that education should

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cultivate reason through enduring ideas found in the great books

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prepare students mainly for specific jobs in industry

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change constantly to match students' current interests

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rely on rewards and punishments to shape behavior

Question 12

Charter schools are best described as

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publicly funded schools run independently under a contract, with fewer rules but set goals

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private schools that charge tuition and receive no public money of any kind

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schools run directly by the federal government on military bases and in territories

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religious schools funded by local churches and run by members of the clergy

Question 13

In Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925), the Supreme Court struck down an Oregon law that

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required all children to attend public schools only

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banned the teaching of foreign languages in elementary schools

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required public schools to teach religion

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forbade girls from attending high school

Question 14

The term 'hidden curriculum' refers to

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the values and habits students absorb from how school is run, not from formal lessons

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the advanced material taught only to students in gifted programs

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the lessons a teacher plans but does not have time to teach

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the secret test questions kept by testing companies

Question 15

George Counts's 1932 question, 'Dare the School Build a New Social Order?', is associated with which educational philosophy?

Accepted Answer

Reconstructionism

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Perennialism

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Essentialism

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Existentialism

Question 16

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) gives parents, and students once they turn 18, the right to

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see the student's education records and control most disclosures of them

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choose their child's teacher and classroom every school year

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approve the school's curriculum and textbooks before they are used

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receive free home internet service for schoolwork from the district

Question 17

Education is not mentioned in the US Constitution. As a result,

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it is mainly a state responsibility, with a federal role mostly through funding

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the federal government runs all public schools directly through one agency

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schools are governed only by private organizations and churches

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each school writes its own rules without any state oversight at all

Question 18

The Massachusetts law of 1647 known as the 'Old Deluder Satan Act' required

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larger towns to provide teachers so children could read the Bible

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every child to attend school daily until the age of 16

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the state to fund colleges for training ministers

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strict separation of church and state in all town schools

Question 19

Researchers such as Jeannie Oakes have criticized tracking (grouping students by perceived ability into separate course levels) mainly because

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lower tracks often get less challenging instruction, widening gaps by income and race

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it makes classes too small for schools to afford enough teachers

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it gives every student identical lessons regardless of their level or needs

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it is required by federal law in every state and in most private schools

Question 20

The Coleman Report (1966), a large federal study of educational opportunity, concluded that

Accepted Answer

family background had a stronger link to student achievement than school resources

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school funding was the single most important factor in achievement

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segregated schools produced higher achievement for all groups

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class size had no relationship to anything students learned

Question 21

In K-12 public education, teacher tenure is best described as

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job protection that requires due process before a teacher can be dismissed

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a lifetime job that can never be taken away for any reason

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a yearly bonus paid to teachers whose students score highly on state tests

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a single license that allows a teacher to work in every state

Question 22

In Zelman v. Simmons-Harris (2002), the Supreme Court upheld a Cleveland school voucher program because

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parents, not the government, chose where to use the aid, including religious schools

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the program carefully excluded all religious and church-run schools

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vouchers could be used only at other public schools in nearby districts

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the program was funded entirely by private donors rather than by taxes

Question 23

Thomas Jefferson's 1779 plan for Virginia, the Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge, proposed

Accepted Answer

free basic schooling for all free children, with the ablest advancing at public cost

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a national university in the capital run by the federal government

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compulsory instruction in the Anglican faith in every Virginia school

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closing all private academies in favor of new state-run schools

Question 24

The Common Core State Standards, released in 2010, set shared learning goals in

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English language arts and mathematics

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science and social studies

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art and music

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physical education and health

Question 25

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 required states to

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test students in reading and math yearly in grades 3–8 and report results by group

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end all standardized testing in public elementary and secondary schools

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fund private school tuition for every student in a low-performing school

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lengthen the school year to at least 200 days in every district

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