Homework Policies

Talk about a hot button issue!  The role of homework is education is becoming increasingly controversial, with passionate opinions on both sides.  Right now, my district is involved with reevaluating our homework policy at every grade level.  I haven't heard "what's been decided," but I thought I'd blog about the issue anyway.

Many parents across the country are angry about the amount of homework sent home with their children, while many teachers bemoan the fledgling work ethic involved with homework completion.  Who is right?  Is homework merely busy work designed around an antiquated system?  Or is it a necessary part of the learning process?

I looked specifically at two articles on the opposite end of the spectrum.  Alfie Kohn, a principal and author of The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing, describes that "more homework is begin piled on children despite the absence of its value...I've heard from countless people across the country about the frustration they feel over homework.  Parents who watch a torrent of busywork spill out of their children's backpacks wish they could help teachers understand how the cons overwhelmingly outweigh the pros" (1).

In particular, he has 3 main points:

1.  The negative effects of homework are well known.  They include children’s frustration and exhaustion, lack of time for other activities, and possible loss of interest in learning.  Many parents lament the impact of homework on their relationship with their children; they may also resent having to play the role of enforcer and worry that they will be criticized either for not being involved enough with the homework or for becoming too involved.

2.  The positive effects of homework are largely mythical.  In preparation for a book on the topic, I’ve spent a lot of time sifting through the research.  The results are nothing short of stunning.  For starters, there is absolutely no evidence of any academic benefit from assigning homework in elementary or middle school.  For younger students, in fact, there isn’t even a correlation between whether children do homework (or how much they do) and any meaningful measure of achievement.  At the high school level, the correlation is weak and tends to disappear when more sophisticated statistical measures are applied.  Meanwhile, no study has ever substantiated the belief that homework builds character or teaches good study habits.

3.  More homework is being piled on children despite the absence of its value.  Over the last quarter-century the burden has increased most for the youngest children, for whom the evidence of positive effects isn’t just dubious; it’s nonexistent. 

Next, he gives specific advice to other principals about how to handle homework in schools:
1.  Educate yourself and share what you've learned with teachers, parents and central office adminstrators about what the research REALLY says about homework.
2.  Rethink standardized homework policies
3.  Reduce the amount of homework--but don't stop there
4.  Change the default expectation of homework
5.  Ask the kids about homework policies and get their input
6.  Suggest that teachers only assign what they design
7.  Help teachers move away from grading
 

My next research subject, NETC, had a different approach, stating "Effective teachers approach [the homework] experience as any other--matching the planned activity to the learning goal" (1). While the NETC agrees that some teacher assign busy work, they maintain that homework can be valid is assigned appropriately.

Firstly, the article highlights key research findings:

• Grade level is important when teachers assign homework. Impact of homework on achievement increases as students move through the grades (Cooper, 1989, a, b). At the high school level, for every 30 additional minutes of homework completed daily, a student's GPA can increase up to half a point (Keith, 1992). Elementary students should be assigned homework to establish good learning and study habits (Cooper, 1989; Cooper, Lindsay, Nye, & Greathouse, 1998; Gorges & Elliot, 1999).
• Teachers should assign appropriate homework at instructional levels that match students' skills and provide positive consequences for homework completion (Rademacher, Deshler, Schumacher, & Lenz, 1998; Rosenberg, 1989).
• A survey of teachers of students with learning disabilities found that 80 percent of teachers regularly assigned homework, but few matched the tasks to students' skills and provided feedback or positive consequences for homework performance (Salend & Schliff, 1989).
• Students should receive feedback on their homework. Student achievement can vary based on the kind of feedback provided by the teacher (Walberg, 1999). Grading homework is helpful, but homework in which a teacher has embedded instructive comments has the greatest effect on learning.
• Homework assignments provide the time and experience students need to develop study habits that support learning. They experience the results of their effort as well as the ability to cope with mistakes and difficulty (Bempechat, 2004).
• Mastery requires focused practice over days or weeks. After only four practice sessions students reach a halfway point to mastery. It takes more than 24 more practice sessions before students reach 80 percent mastery. And this practice must occur over a span of days or weeks, and cannot be rushed (Anderson, 1995; Newell & Rosenbloom, 1981).
• Teachers in the United States tend to compress many skills into practice sessions and instructional units. Students learn more when allowed to practice fewer skills or concepts, but at a deeper level (Healy, 1990).
• Complex processes should be broken down into smaller bits, or skills, which should be taught with time allotted for student practice and adaptation (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001).
• Parent involvement in homework can hinder student learning (Balli, 1998; Balli, Demo, & Wedman, 1997, 1998; Perkins & Milgram, 1996). Appropriate parental involvement facilitates homework completion.

Secondly, the article specifies the 4 types of homework and advocates making sure students, parents and teachers are aware of what is being assigned:
1.  Memorization of basic rules, algorithms or laws so the skill becomes rote
2.  Increase in skill speed, used for improving students' abilities to apply these skills in more complex problem solving
3.  Deepening understanding of a concept--providing time for students to read further, elaborating on a new idea and expanding their understanding
4.  Preparation for the following day's learning, such as an advance organizer

And thirdly, the article outlines advice for implementation:

1. Match the right type to the goal. Assign the appropriate homework type to meet the learning goal to make homework a more focused learning experience.
2. Assign the right level of homework. Homework assignments should be at the instructional level that matches students' skills.
3. Assign the right amount of homework time. A good rule of thumb is to multiply the grade x 10 to approximate the right amount of minutes per night for students.
4. Apply consistent consequences. Provide positive recognition for homework completion, and appropriate consequences for lack of completion.
5. Recognize student uniqueness. Students need time to adapt and shape what they are learning as they practice. As they practice, given time, they will incorporate the new skill into a knowledge base of their own, deepening understanding.
6. Provide clear homework policies. Create and communicate a homework policy at the school level. Policies developed in individual classrooms may communicate a mixed message to parents, and create confusion and frustration. Include expectations, consequences, guidelines, and helpful tips in school homework policies.
7. Ask parents to facilitate homework completion, not teach content. Communicate ways that families can support homework. Parents should provide a consistent time and place in the home for children to complete homework. Help parents understand that they are not expected to be content experts. If a student needs help with content, that's a sign that the homework assignment may be too difficult.
8. Homework should serve a clear purpose. Make the goal of a homework assignment explicit and clear to everyone, including students.
9. Provide appropriate feedback. Effective feedback corrects misunderstanding, validates process, and highlights errors in thinking.
10. Provide timely feedback. Student learning improves with timely feedback. It's best to provide constructive feedback within hours or a day after students complete an assignment.
11. Create support structures for homework. Journals, trackers, and other tools help students organize assignments and support communication between student, teacher, and parents

In my opinions, both sides make valid points.  I know teachers who assign homework they never collect or grade, people who give busy work, and those who have little understanding for the lives of their students outside the classroom.  I think teachers do need to be mindful that each class is a small portion of a student's life and should not dominate all of a child's time with homework.  Family time, extracurricular activities and relaxation time are all vital in our student's development. 

However, I do think homework is necessary, particularly at the secondary level for college prep students.  But I do take some of Kohn's advice when giving it.  For example, every homework assignment I give fits into one of the NCTE categories and is self-made.  I don't think teachers should just assign "read a chapter and answer the questions" every night.  I also try to respect students' busy schedules by giving more than one night to complete longer homework assignments.  If I want my students to read a particular chapter, act, etc. and complete an accompanying activity, I typically give students at least 2 nights to do it. 

Every assignment teachers give should be justifiable, practical for what they are learning, and reasonable with time (how much time would it take your lowest student to complete it?).   I think that these should be the golden rules of giving homework.