Homework, parents will tell you, is the bane of home life. Children argue and cry about it. Parents are torn between defending its importance and privately dismissing it as excessive, given the time their children have already spent in school for the day. Several studies have recently examined homework versus no homework programs and their effects on children's scores. Research largely shows that homework does little to improve academic success. The key to implementing a no homework approach is to find time during the day for children to work independently so that teachers can assess their skills as they progress instead of only at testing time.
While some schools are eliminating homework except for independent reading, many are not willing to consider this change in policy. This is not just a school issue: there are many parents who feel their children will fall behind in a no homework policy. They read the research but do not agree and feel their children will be behind in the race for success. Like many policies in education, there are different sides to every issue.
homework policy primary school 2015
Many teachers and parents believe that homework helps students build study skills and review concepts learned in class. Others see homework as disruptive and unnecessary, leading to burnout and turning kids off to school. Decades of research show that the issue is more nuanced and complex than most people think: Homework is beneficial, but only to a degree. Students in high school gain the most, while younger kids benefit much less.
Increasing academic demands, including larger amounts of assigned homework, is correlated with various challenges for children. While homework stress in middle and high school has been studied, research evidence is scant concerning the effects of homework on elementary-aged children.
Policy implementation occurs on a daily basis in public schools and classrooms. While some policies are made at the federal level, states, counties, school districts, and even individual school sites often manage education policy (Mullis et al. 2012). Thus, educators are left with the responsibility to implement multi-level policies, such as curriculum selection, curriculum standards, and disability policy (Rigby et al. 2016). Despite educational reforms occurring on an almost daily basis, little has been initiated with regard to homework policies and practices.
The present quantitative descriptive study is based on researcher developed instruments designed to explore the perceptions of children, teachers and parents on homework and its impact on social-emotional well-being. The use of previously untested instruments and a convenience sample preclude any causal interpretations being drawn from our results. This study is primarily an initial foray into the sparsely researched area of the relationship of homework and social-emotional health, examining an elementary school sample and incorporating multiple perspectives of the parents, teachers, and the children themselves.
The instruments used in this research include newly developed student, parent, and teacher surveys. The research team formulated a number of survey items that, based on existing research and their own professional experience in the schools, have high face validity in measuring workload, policies, and attitudes surrounding homework. Further psychometric development of these surveys and ascertation of construct and content validity is warranted, with the first step being their use in this initial perception-based study. Each of the surveys, developed specifically for this study, are discussed below.
While most high school students are still doing approximately the same amount of homework on average, there's a great deal of variation. That's due to choices some kids make about how rigorous an academic program to take and the increased competition over college admissions. So there are a lot of kids out there taking four or five advanced placement and honors classes now, which might not have been the case a while back.
Citation: Rosário P, Núñez JC, Vallejo G, Cunha J, Nunes T, Suárez N, Fuentes S and Moreira T (2015) The effects of teachers' homework follow-up practices on students' EFL performance: a randomized-group design. Front. Psychol. 6:1528. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01528
This qualitative-phenomenological study was initiated to explore and understand the lived experiences and different perceptions of parents on no-homework policy in Nangan Elementary School, Nangan, Governor Generoso, Davao Oriental. Subsequently, this qualitative exploration hoped to draw out conclusions on the perceptions of the parents. The data source in this study derived from seven (7) research participants for the in-depth interview and another seven (7) parents for the focus group discussion. The research participants of this study were the selected Grade Five to Grade Six parents in Nangan Elementary School who were usually having many assignments compared to lower grade levels. The following themes emerged from analysis based in the perspectives of participant interviews: no-homework policy can be optional; no-homework policy is unfavorable and unhelpful to students; no-homework policy causes students to become irresponsible; and no-homework policy causes less learning among students. Concerning the experiences of parents in dealing with the assignments of their children, five major themes were manifested such as: having difficulties in answering homework; being able to help children; having fun while doing the assignment; being unable to finish work or chores; and bonding opportunity. Moreover, the participants about their challenges in dealing with the assignments of their children, four major themes emerged: understanding how to answer the lesson; having balance and time management; giving encouragement; and having follow-ups and rules. Lastly, their suggestions as regards the no-homework policy revealed four emergent themes: parents should always be responsible and helpful to their children; parents should have time management and balance; teachers should give appropriate, simple and uncostly homework; and teachers should give homework to students for continued learning.
Nuñez, J.C., Suarez, N., Rosario, P., Vallejo, G., Valle, A., & Epstein, J.L. (2015). Relationships between perceived parental involvement in homework, student homework behaviors, and academic achievement: Differences among elementary, junior high, and high school students. Metacognition and Learning, 10(3), 375-406. doi:10.1007/s11409-015-9135-5.
Pfeiffer, V. (2018). Homework policy review: A case study of a public school in the Western Cape Province South African Journal of Education, Volume 38, Number 1, February 2018 1 Art. # 1462, 10 pages,
Valle, A., Regueiro, B., Nuñez, J., Rodriguez, S., Piñeiro, I., & Rosario, P. (2016). Academic goals, student homework engagement, and academic achievement in primary education. Frontiers in Psychology
Principal Brant knows this "reading only" homework policy runs a risk, but so far, the standardized test scores remain solid. In the most recent round of Maryland proficiency exams (2010-2011), fifth graders at Gaithersburg Elementary School scored about 72 percent proficiency in math and about 81 percent proficiency in reading.
To conduct the study, researchers surveyed more than 4,300 students at 10 high-performing high schools in upper middle-class California communities. They also interviewed students about their views on homework.
The Board affirms that the purpose of homework is to nurture an appreciation of learning outside of school by providing authentic, purposeful, and differentiated experiences that extend and reinforce classroom instruction. Homework assignments support the development of lifelong skills of responsibility, independence, organization, time management, and perseverance.
As indicated by research findings, District homework regulations for the elementary level should emphasize the value of daily reading at home; restrict required daily homework for classes in the K-5 level to a minimum; and, increase required daily homework slightly from primary (K-2) to intermediate grades (3-5). Decisions that require flexibility are to be discussed by the teacher and parents and be based on student needs or interests.
The Superintendent or designee shall be responsible for the development and communication of district-wide homework administrative regulations. The administrative regulations will support a consistent approach across schools and build from grade to grade.
The kindergarten through eighth grade school in western Massachusetts is part of a public district that went into receivership in April 2015 after the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education labeled it chronically underperforming.
The Buffalo Academy of Scholars, a private school that already has a no-homework policy, says its structure where students complete assignments under supervision by teachers during the day is getting positive feedback from parents.
Students will be on duty once a week during the primary grade level recess and lunch until the end of the school year. They will be responsible for eating breakfast before school starts and lunch will be at their usual time. Furthermore, students were selected due to their great leadership at school and have set an excellent example for all students.
As a middle school we have participated in numerous discussions over the past decade about the role of homework in the learning process. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts we were never able to come to consensus about the purpose and impact of assigning homework. This year we made a leap of faith and decided to stop assigning homework to our students.
Another consideration for our staff was equity. There are many factors that impact learning in and outside of school such as socioeconomic status and education levels in the home. We know that there is a wide discrepancy between the readiness levels for learning as a result. Equity is about providing the same opportunity and considerations to all students. Due to these important factors we concluded that assigning homework creates and exacerbates inequity. 2ff7e9595c
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