WGU School Law D017 Exam Questions
with Verified Answers
Common School Movement (1820-1865) - Answer- Horace Mann and Henry Barnard
Primary schools teaching the rudiments to all who needed it. Goal was to make the
population more moral citizens.
A Nation at Risk - Answer- 1983 National Commission report calling for extensive
educational reforms, including more academic course requirements, more stringent
college entrance requirements, upgraded and updated textbooks, and longer school
days and year.
Types of Schools - Answer- Public - funded through taxes and subject to all federal and
state laws.
Private - funded by grants, donations and student tuition and is not subject to federal or
state laws.
Charter- The charter is a performance contract which establishes the school's mission
and goals. They can select (randomly) who attends the school and are funded by tax
dollars and take the same tests as public schools. -Get less per pupil than public
schools.
Role of Government in Schools - Answer- Federal - can influence education thorough
funding powers and enforcement of constitutional rights.
States - have absolute power to make laws governing education. Create state laws and
has state agencies to adopt regulations.
Federal Legislation - Answer- Law at the highest or national level of a federal
government, consisting of a constitution, enacted laws and court decisions pertaining to
them. In education compliance is usually attached to funding.
State Legislation - Answer- State legislatures pass laws on issues. Example:
compulsory attendance laws. Must be constitutional.
Federal and State Regulations - Answer- Supplements to the law that are legally
binding. Help explain how the law should be interpreted and implemented.
Case or Common Law - Answer- the body of law made up of judicial opinions and
precedents
, State Court Structure - Answer- Varies by state but general includes trial court, state
courts of appeal, and a state supreme court. Any federal question would go to the US
District Court instead of the Trial court.
Separate but Equal Doctrine - Answer- The doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson
that African Americans could constitutionally be kept in separate but equal facilities.
De Jour Segregation vs De Facto Segregation - Answer- De Jour - unnatural or forced
state mandated segregation. -unconstitutional
De Facto - natural segregation caused by house patterns for example. -not
unconstitutional
Brown v. Board of Ed. of Topeka - Answer- "We conclude that in the field of public
education the doctrine of 'separate-but-equal' has no place. Separate educational
facilities are inherently unequal."
Demonstrated that education is a civil right and therefore discrimination in education is
unconstitutional.
Unitary System - Answer- Court has defined a unitary system as the status a school
system achieves "when it no longer discriminates between school children on the basis
of race,"
ReZoning of Schools - Answer- Because of a long history of gerrymandering boundary
lines with the intent to segregate, many school boundaries during the 1950s and 1960s
had little to do with geographic barriers (e.g., rivers, hills); safety issues (e.g., location of
busy roads, factories); or the size, location, or dispersion of the student population.
When the schools were rezoned with good faith the schools were better integrated.
1st Amendment (Religion,speech, press, assembly, petition) - Answer- Establishment
Clause - Prohibits the government from establishing an official church
Free Exercise Clause - Allows people to worship as they please.
Defamatory, obscene and inflammatory communication, lewd and vulgar comments and
expression promoting illegal activity for minors are outside the protective arm of the First
Amendment.
Free speech is limited in schools because they are limited public forums.
Constitutional limits of religious expression for teachers and for students. How are they
different? - Answer- Students have a free exercise right to engage in private devotional
activities in public schools as long as they do not interfere with regular school activities.
with Verified Answers
Common School Movement (1820-1865) - Answer- Horace Mann and Henry Barnard
Primary schools teaching the rudiments to all who needed it. Goal was to make the
population more moral citizens.
A Nation at Risk - Answer- 1983 National Commission report calling for extensive
educational reforms, including more academic course requirements, more stringent
college entrance requirements, upgraded and updated textbooks, and longer school
days and year.
Types of Schools - Answer- Public - funded through taxes and subject to all federal and
state laws.
Private - funded by grants, donations and student tuition and is not subject to federal or
state laws.
Charter- The charter is a performance contract which establishes the school's mission
and goals. They can select (randomly) who attends the school and are funded by tax
dollars and take the same tests as public schools. -Get less per pupil than public
schools.
Role of Government in Schools - Answer- Federal - can influence education thorough
funding powers and enforcement of constitutional rights.
States - have absolute power to make laws governing education. Create state laws and
has state agencies to adopt regulations.
Federal Legislation - Answer- Law at the highest or national level of a federal
government, consisting of a constitution, enacted laws and court decisions pertaining to
them. In education compliance is usually attached to funding.
State Legislation - Answer- State legislatures pass laws on issues. Example:
compulsory attendance laws. Must be constitutional.
Federal and State Regulations - Answer- Supplements to the law that are legally
binding. Help explain how the law should be interpreted and implemented.
Case or Common Law - Answer- the body of law made up of judicial opinions and
precedents
, State Court Structure - Answer- Varies by state but general includes trial court, state
courts of appeal, and a state supreme court. Any federal question would go to the US
District Court instead of the Trial court.
Separate but Equal Doctrine - Answer- The doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson
that African Americans could constitutionally be kept in separate but equal facilities.
De Jour Segregation vs De Facto Segregation - Answer- De Jour - unnatural or forced
state mandated segregation. -unconstitutional
De Facto - natural segregation caused by house patterns for example. -not
unconstitutional
Brown v. Board of Ed. of Topeka - Answer- "We conclude that in the field of public
education the doctrine of 'separate-but-equal' has no place. Separate educational
facilities are inherently unequal."
Demonstrated that education is a civil right and therefore discrimination in education is
unconstitutional.
Unitary System - Answer- Court has defined a unitary system as the status a school
system achieves "when it no longer discriminates between school children on the basis
of race,"
ReZoning of Schools - Answer- Because of a long history of gerrymandering boundary
lines with the intent to segregate, many school boundaries during the 1950s and 1960s
had little to do with geographic barriers (e.g., rivers, hills); safety issues (e.g., location of
busy roads, factories); or the size, location, or dispersion of the student population.
When the schools were rezoned with good faith the schools were better integrated.
1st Amendment (Religion,speech, press, assembly, petition) - Answer- Establishment
Clause - Prohibits the government from establishing an official church
Free Exercise Clause - Allows people to worship as they please.
Defamatory, obscene and inflammatory communication, lewd and vulgar comments and
expression promoting illegal activity for minors are outside the protective arm of the First
Amendment.
Free speech is limited in schools because they are limited public forums.
Constitutional limits of religious expression for teachers and for students. How are they
different? - Answer- Students have a free exercise right to engage in private devotional
activities in public schools as long as they do not interfere with regular school activities.
