Goodbye to homework for some elementary schools and classes
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this Sept. 13 still image from video, Kimberly Coleman-Mitchell, right, teaches her fourth grade class at Oakridge Elementary School in Arlington, Va. Elementary schools in Arlington, South Burlington, Vt., and Holyoke, Mass., are among those that went homework-free at the start of the school year.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this Sept. 13 still image from video, students attend the fourth grade class of Kimberly Coleman-Mitchell at Oakridge Elementary School in Arlington, Va. Elementary schools in Arlington, South Burlington, Vt., and Holyoke, Mass., are among those that went homework-free at the start of the school year.
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. » Guess what, kids? No homework. Really. All year.
A small but growing number of elementary schools and individual teachers are doing away with the after-school chore to allow kids more time to play, participate in activities, spend time with families, read and sleep.
There’s been pushback against homework from parents in recent years who say their children’s time is monopolized by other activities, said Steven Geis, president of the National Elementary School Principals’ Association.
At North Trail Elementary School, in Farmington, Minnesota, where he is principal, students do what he says is engaging homework.
Some schools and individual teachers are revising their homework policies to ensure that they are effective, he said.
At the Orchard School, a kindergarten-through-5th grade school in South Burlington, Vermont, the principal there said he’s seen more anxiety among students in the last decade. The school opted to do away with homework this school year, based in part on the book “The Homework Myth.”
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“They’re just kids. They’re pretty young and they just put in a full day’s shift at work and so we just don’t believe in adding more to their day. We also feel that we are squashing their other passions and interest in learning,” Principal Mark Trifilio said.
Alfie Kohn, the outspoken education lecturer and author of the book, “The Homework Myth,” says homework is a case of all pain and no gain.
“The disadvantages of homework are clear to everyone: exhaustion, frustration, loss of time to pursue other interests and often diminution of interest in learning,” he said. “Homework may be the greatest extinguisher of curiosity ever invented.”
But Harris Cooper, a psychology and neuroscience professor at Duke University, who has been studying the effects of homework for 30 years, disagrees.
He thinks all school children should be doing homework, but the amount and type should vary depending on age and developmental levels.
Cooper led research that reviewed more than 60 studies on homework between 1987 and 2003 and found that homework had a positive effect on student achievement, but the positive correlation was much stronger for students in grades 7-12 than for those in elementary school.
He prescribes homework assignments that are short, simple and lead to success for elementary school kids, he said.
It teaches kids that they don’t just learn in the classroom and helps turn them into lifelong learners while improving their sense of independence, and time management and study skills, Cooper said.
“Homework is like medicine. If you take too little, it does nothing. If you take too much, it can kill you,” Cooper said. “You’ve got to get the dose right, and if you do, it can do wonders.”
A lot of the backlash is a reaction to some teachers assigning too much homework, he said.
A guideline for many schools is 10 minutes of homework per grade: so 10 minutes in 1st grade, 20 minutes in 2nd grade and so on.
“We definitely don’t say ‘no homework’ but we try to keep it reasonable,” said Cherie Stobie, principal at the K-8 Marion school in Marion, Montana.
“The main benefit is just having the additional time to practice later in the day because research shows that if students practice, you know they take a break after they’ve learned something and they practice it again later, it’s more likely to be retained,” she said.
Noelle M. Ellerson, of AASA: The School Superintendents Association, said there has been a small but growing number of schools or teachers revising homework policies or talking about it “whether it’s to do away with it or to shift to a policy where homework is the classwork they didn’t finish during the day or where the homework of the child is to read with their parents.”
At the Orchard School, the children’s daily home assignment now is to read books, get outside and play, eat dinner with family — including helping with setting and cleaning up — and get a good night’s sleep.
“It’s awesome,” 9-year-old Avery Cutroni said of the no-homework policy. She had dance and piano lessons after school recently, so said she had a busy schedule. Plus, she’s reading more on her own, her mother said.
“I think it gives kids a lot time for mental and physical rest which I think is super important,” said Heidi Cutroni, of the school’s elimination of homework. “I think it’s really good for parent-teacher-student relations in all directions and I think it just gives kids a chance to use their time for what their passionate and excited about.”
26 responses to “Goodbye to homework for some elementary schools and classes”
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Hope Hawaii schools look into this. It is crazy how much work kids have to do outside of school. I wonder if there are studies being done to see how much home work affects family life. Seem like it brings on more stress which could lead to family problems and issues.
There is quite a bit of recent research about homework. Much of it seems to indicate that homework, as it’s commonly given, is not particularly effective at doing what it purports to do. That is, it doesn’t significantly impact learning by some measures.
Yes. I just heard of this last month watching a documentary about how smart Europe is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYjeTGrjV-A
Are you kidding? HSTA will be all over this. Less work for teachers means one more carrot to dangle in front of union members.
I taught 6th grade at a well regarded private school. I would give them 15 minutes of homework just to solidify what they had just worked on. Having them spend a lot of time on something they may not understand is a waste of time.
Study is a skill like any other. I don’t see how one can simply ignore it early in life then expect it to be there later. Are these kids going to be less busy in high school? How about college?
The US is at the bottom of the developed world in math and science and sinking lower…. Well, maybe in English as well.
From the AP story above: “…what their passionate and excited about.”
Iolani did away with homework for the first three grades decades ago. Then it was added in the 4th grade. Far superior to the public school for the girl across the street who was burnt out by the time she reached 6th grade.
About time adults are using their atamas when it comes to homework and children! Homework during forma
Thought this post was erroneous eradicated. Hence the second posting. Oh well….
Let children be children in their formative years. Let them run and play at their own time tables while their minds are still vivid and fresh of imagination. You’ll have less troublesome teens and adults when children are free from the bondage of homework. Freedom of minds are the creative genius of tomorrow!
Would be good if parents would take 15 minutes of the after school time to talk to their children about something educational, not homework, just make them curious!
I say, what is the rush. People are living longer and working longer. I think it is healthy for the kids to gradually learn and mature. I really don’t see the benefit of rushing. I actually see harm to our creative minds.
Of course the economy loves when there are more and more young Human Resources herding as fast as possible to the labor mills.
The idea of no homework even makes me happy and I’ve been out of school for a long, long time.
The fact is that learning is occurring throughout waking hours, 24/7. School or no school, homework or no homework, children are learning. It may not always be school or formal learning, but it’s learning nonetheless. The mind is always turned on and receptive to information. The issue is the quality of the information. As Bdpapa suggests, parents are responsible for the off-campus learning. Sports, music, art, hobbies, social play among peers, household chores, TV and online entertainment — all provide information for curious young minds. Bdpapa also targets “curiosity,” and he’s right. Parents need to generate or tweak the power of curiosity, which drives learning. A father might talk to his daughter about Iosia’s back sets, or a mother to her son about Mariota’s quick release. This is learning, too, that a child can get into. Parents can talk about an exciting novel that they read or a funny movie that they saw, and this fun talk may light the child’s curiosity to learn more. Parents could discuss with their children items in the news to pique their child’s curiosity. Providing opportunities for recreation such as surfing or fishing can generate lifelong interests in learning all there is to know about these and other pastimes. In pursuing these interests, children can enhance their language, science, and math skills. It’s up to parents and other adults who work with children in extra-curricular activities to incorporate and reinforce fundamental learning skills whenever possible. Homework is only one medium for learning, and educators are only now beginning to understand this. Hopefully our Hawaii DOE will follow suit and look beyond homework as the only means to enhance learning. There are numerous child-centered, non-school yet educative activities that tap into children’s natural interests and passions. Activities that are drudgery send the wrong message about learning. Activities that are fun create avid lifelong learners.
…so if a child wants to do homework, tell the child no?
The pussification of America continues. We’re going to have a nation of self-entitled, lazy asses who don’t know the meaning of hard work and sacrifice. Just my opinion.
an opinion which may be shared by many who deign to not speak up on these skeins.
This is an ill-conceived liberal social experiment that, like other liberal social ideas, will spread rapidly throughout the liberal-control public school system in the U.S. and eventually will push the United States further down in world-wide rankings for cognitive skills and educational attainment from its current 14th place.
What a terrible idea! Just look at how the US ranks in literature and science compared to other countries; 17th in educational performance, 11th in fourth grade math, 24th in literacy (stats compiled by rankingamerica dot wordpresd dot com). We’re falling behind other industrial nations. Maybe we just need to assign better homework. Provide after school study halls, so kids have somewhere to stay if both parents are working. And shorten school holidays. If we did that, kids could graduate in 11 years, not 12.
Look into the correlation between amount of homework and scores on achievement tests. I think you’ll be surprised at the discrepancy. In fact, one of the countries that ranks consistently high assigns little or no homework.
Name the country and cite your source.
Finland, Google it, cnn:”Why Finland’s schools are top-notch”
Canʻt believe how much homework my sonʻs 2nd grade teacher gave him.
Thanks, A_Reader. I read it but I did not find where it says Finland have little or no homework. It says “schooldays are also shorter in Finland than in the United States, and primary schools keep the homework load to a minimum so students have time for their own hobbies and friends when school is over.” However, it does not define “minimum.”
America has done great things in all areas of business, engineering, arts, etc. especially since WWII and there was always homework required of students. Finland students may do well on “achievement tests” but what have their students gone on and accomplished in the real working world?
It’s not having required homework that is hindering education. The problem is all the half-baked ideas today’s teachers and school administrator are coming up with. Basically, they are just trying to make work easier for themselves.
Oops. My earlier response was meant for Ronin006.
PoiDoggy — good point: “Maybe we just need to assign better homework.”
This methodology only works if the child is doing something constructive with the time that would otherwise be spent doing homework. If they’re just watching tv or playing video games then what’s the point?