Homework White Paper
Homework White Paper
Homework White Paper
In Summary .....................................................................................19
References .......................................................................................20
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Sharon Public Schools
Homework Task Force
As a result of the goals and expected Homework Task Force Members
outcomes included in the Sharon Public Schools Sharon Teachers
Strategic Plan (2012-2017), a task force was
Stephen Banno, SHS History Teacher
created to explore two concepts:
Cheryl Harris, SHS Psychologist
• Home/School Communication, and
Karen Gulley, SMS Spanish Teacher
• Homework practices in Sharon and Christine Moore, SMS English Teacher
associated research. Sharon Parents
The task force began its work during the Joanne Blatte
2014-2015 school year and first focused its work Jodi Carter
on home and school communication. One product Sharon Administrators
of that first year’s work is a Home and School
Timothy J. Farmer, Superintendent of
Communication Guide, complete with all of the Schools
contact information of the district’s schools, John Marcus, Assistant Superintendent
departments, and administrators. The guide also for Information Services and
contains tips for positive, two-way communication Administration
between home and school. That guide can be Kevin O’Rourke, Sharon Middle School
Principal
found here http://www.sharon.k12.ma.us/pages/
Sharon_Public_Schools/Main_Menu/
General_Information.
Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, the task force shifted its focus to
the concept of homework. Specifically, the strategic plan asks for the following:
Approved guidelines are in place and available to all members of the school
community that ensure appropriate quality and quantity of homework at all levels.
In order to produce guidelines that both make sense and are routed in
research, the task force needed to complete several responsibilities. In addition to
surveying the district’s teachers and parents to glean information about
philosophies and practices, the task force also reviewed relevant research. In an
effort to bring some perspective to the discussion, the task force provides both an
American historical perspective on homework, as well as a more recent history of
the implementation of homework in the Sharon Public Schools.
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This white paper concludes with the conclusions and recommendations of the
Homework Task Force, and it is our hope that this document realizes a long life
and provides parents and teachers the necessary guidance as requested in the
strategic plan.
An American Historical
Perspective on Homework
For the purposes of this document, the “history” of homework and homework
practices in the Sharon Public Schools is limited to the past decade. For
contextual understanding, however, it is important to articulate a brief history of
homework during the previous
century. While it is true that the vast
majority of research articles on
homework and its implementation While it is true that the
provide an historical context dating vast majority of research
back to the beginning of the 20 th
articles on homework and
century, it is fair to say that the
its implementation
opinion pendulum has swung back
and forth several times. At the turn provide an historical
of the 20th century, for example, context dating back to
research on homework practices the beginning of the 20th
linked a negative effect of homework century, it is fair to say
to the healthy development of
that the opinion
children. From there, the pendulum
shifted to the beginning of the pendulum has swung
progressive movement of the 1930’s back and forth several
and the “no positive effect on times.
achievement” mentality that lasted
until the late 1940’s into the 1950’s
(Herrig, 2011).
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In the late 1950’s, American sentiment was influenced by, and possibly
threatened by, the Soviet Union’s successful launch of Sputnik. Thus the
pendulum swung to a focus on academic excellence and fear of poor performance
in comparison to other world powers. With that pendulum swing the nation’s
schools and school children saw an unprecedented focus on nightly homework.
This lasted until the mid to late 1960’s when the nation’s focus shifted away from
the demand for nightly homework. Then, with the release of the highly
controversial, and non-research based, A Nation at Risk (1983), the policy makers
and the nation’s schools were, once again, caught up in a fear mentality that
America’s public school children were not performing as well as their peers in other
countries.
The impact of A Nation at Risk on American schools lasted well into the
beginning of the 21st century. At the turn of the new century, one publication
among others, The Manufactured Crisis, by Berliner and Biddle (1996) began to
break down the mistruths and faulty claims about American student inferiority in
comparison to competing nations. Thus, during
the first part of the 21st century the pendulum’s
current focus is less on what children experience
The prevailing after school and more on what occurs during
theory is that school hours like teaching skills such as
everyone went to communication, collaboration, critical thinking,
and creativity (P21, Partnership for 21st Century
school, so
Learning at http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-
everyone must framework).
know what the
Throughout history, America’s public schools
right conditions are
have functioned as a reflection of societal values.
to provide a high In addition, no other institution is so closely
quality education monitored and influenced by policy makers and
for children. governmental regulations as are our nation’s
public schools. The prevailing theory is that
everyone went to school, so everyone must know
what the right conditions are to provide a high
quality education for children. As a result of multiple new regulations from both
state and federal government, it often feels to educators that the trust in education
professionals today is at an all-time low, and schools and school practices are
influenced more and more by those furthest away from the actual classroom.
Consequently, pedagogy and trends in schools today tend to swing like the
homework pendulum has swung during the last century, back and forth, back and
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forth, until it feels as if there are only two extremes as the answer to any
educational question. In the information to follow, the Sharon Public Schools
Homework Task Force will summarize school committee policy on homework and
will present a brief evolution of events that brought us to identify homework as a
topic worthy of study. The Homework Task Force will also share recent parent and
teacher survey results on the topic of homework, and the task force will offer
recommendations in an effort to stem the tide of the swinging pendulum and to
recognize that there is value in moderation over the extremes.
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Information and rubrics for any homework assignment should be clear and
specific, and easily accessible to students and parents, along with deadlines for
completion.
Background in Sharon
As referenced at the beginning of this document, the background on
homework practices in the Sharon Public Schools will only go back so far as the
past eight (8) to ten (10) years. The information provided in this section is mostly
anecdotal as shared by teachers and building administrators.
Teachers and their principals have had discussions about homework, its
purpose, its usefulness, and its impact on student achievement for generations.
During the past decade in Sharon, however, the discussion reached a peak between
2009 and 2010 when noted American author and lecturer, Alfie Kohn, was invited
to speak to the Sharon community. The genesis of this invitation surfaced at the
Cottage Street School, and it was the Cottage Street School Council and the
building administration that worked so hard to bring Mr. Kohn to Sharon.
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Without question, Mr. Kohn’s take on homework is such that he believes few
homework practices occurring in schools today are truly impactful and positively
effect student achievement. When he came to Sharon back in 2009/2010, he
spoke to a fairly large audience of educators and parents in the high school
auditorium. His lecture challenged many of the traditional perspectives on the use
and purpose of homework, and he questioned why an educator would even
consider assigning homework at the early primary levels. His lecture included bits
of research and a strong focus on his personal, philosophical beliefs as they relate
to schooling and parenting.
Mr. Kohn can articulate a convincing case against the use of homework.
Consequently, during the weeks and months after his visit to Sharon, it was
obvious to some that minor modifications in homework practice were being made in
pockets around the district. Building administrators brought Mr. Kohn’s message
back to building-based faculty meetings and this, too, had a minor effect on
modifying some teachers’ homework practices. Without analyzing why, these
minor effects seemed to be much more prevalent at the elementary grades with
little change or modification realized at the middle or high school grade levels. In
addition, what was painfully obvious was that
whatever impact Mr. Kohn’s lecture had on
teachers’ homework practices in Sharon, it
Without analyzing why,
was piecemeal rather than systemic.
these minor effects Consequently, a few teachers may have
seemed to be much modified their practice to reflect more of Mr.
more prevalent at the Kohn’s thinking, and this modified behavior
has had a lasting effect. More likely, however,
elementary grades with
is that Mr. Kohn’s lecture had a short-lived
little change or
impact on some teachers, and then these
modification realized at teachers’ modified behaviors regressed back to
the middle or high school the traditional “norm”. Again, it appears that
grade levels. Mr. Kohn’s impact on middle or high school
teacher practice was limited at best and
potentially nil.
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planning team decided to “Engage parents and staff in
the review of current values, practices, and purposes of
“Engage parents homework” (SPS Strategic Plan, p. 42) as one of its
and staff in the improvement goals. An associated, expected outcome
review of current was to ensure that “Approved guidelines are in place
and available to all members of the school community
values, practices,
that ensure appropriate quality and quantity of
and purposes of homework at all levels”. Based on the target timeline on
homework” (SPS page 42 of the district strategic plan, this work was to
Strategic Plan, p. begin during the FY14 school year, with resolutions and
42). recommendations happening in FY15 and FY16. The
work of the Homework Task Force is slightly behind
schedule; however, the goal is for it to be complete prior
to the end of the current school year, 2016-2017.
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The Results
Elementary Parents Survey Results
(361 parents started the survey with an average response to individual questions
being closer to 280 parents)
• 63% of middle school parents report that they have to remind their
children to do their homework, while 60% report that they “always/
often/sometimes argue about homework.”
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• 46% of high school parents report that they have to remind their
children to do their homework, while 48% report that they “always/
often/sometimes argue about homework.”
• 73% of parents report that they feel their child should spend 30
minutes or less on homework during school vacations.
• 65% of parents report that they feel their child’s homework is valuable
to learning.
• 65% of parents report that they feel their child’s homework is rarely/
never busywork.
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• 57% of parents report that it would be appropriate to have no
homework during school vacations with another 16% reporting that 60
minutes or less would be an appropriate amount of homework during
school vacations.
• 57% of parents report that they feel their child’s nightly homework is
always/often valuable with another 38% reporting that they feel their
child’s nightly homework is sometimes valuable.
• 82% of parents report that they are rarely/never notified if their child
requires additional home support with nightly homework.
• 22% of all teachers responding to the survey (11% at the high school
level) report that they do not assign nightly homework.
• 78% of teachers (38% at the high school level; 16% at the middle
school level; 24% at the elementary level) report that they feel their
students spend 60 minutes or less on nightly homework assigned by
them.
• 62% of teachers report that they feel their students spend between 60
minutes and more than two hours on their total homework load each
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night; 42% of the teachers within the 62% referenced are high school
teachers.
• 49% of high school teachers report that they feel students should
spend between 60 minutes and two hours on nightly homework; 11%
of middle school teachers report that they feel students should spend
between 60 and 90 minutes on nightly homework with 0% of teachers
at any grade level reporting that they feel students should spend more
than two hours on nightly homework; 68% of grades 3-5 teachers
report that they feel students should spend between 30 and 60
minutes on nightly homework; 30% of grades K-2 teachers report that
they feel students should spend between 30 and 60 minutes on nightly
homework.
The survey results of parents and staff further remind us that there are a
wide variety of opinions on homework. In drafting homework recommendations we
must evaluate our practices in consideration of the research and the needs of all of
our students, even if contradictory to personal beliefs or practices.
Homework Research
Takeaways
As referenced earlier in this report, homework, its implementation, and its
usefulness to influence student achievement have been debated for decades.
Anyone with a passing interest in the existing research on homework can simply
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Google the term and find hundreds of scholarly articles. For the purpose of our
work within the Homework Task Force, the members of this group read ten (10) or
more of the most often-referenced research articles and several additional articles
from practitioners/theorists. A full accounting of these articles can be found at the
end of this report. Even though this report is not a literature review on the topic,
the task force provides the following facts to consider.
Facts to Consider
The positive impact of homework declines for middle school students after 90
minutes a night. For high school students, the positive line declines between 90
minutes and 2.5 hours of homework a night (Cooper, 1989; Cooper, Robinson, &
Patall, 2006).
In a survey from 2013, teens report stress levels higher than adults and far
exceeding what the teens themselves considered to be healthy (Stress in America
survey conducted by Harris Interactive Inc. in 2013 on behalf of the American
Psychological Association).
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38% of parents with children in grades 9-12; 36% of parents of children in grades
6-8 and 22% of parents of children in grades K-5 say their child experiences a lot
of stress. Homework was identified as the leading source of student stress
(September 2013 Study by NPR/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Harvard
School of Public Health).
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) report in 2013, over 70% of
teenagers get at least two hours less sleep each night than recommended.
In a 2013 study of 4317 students from ten (10) high performing high schools,
72% reported being often or always stressed over schoolwork (Mollie Galloway,
Jerusha Conner & Denise Pope, 2013) Nonacademic Effects of Homework in
Privileged, High-Performing High Schools, The Journal of Experimental
Education, 81:4, 490-510, DOI: 10.1080/00220973.2012.745469
Conclusions and
Recommendations
It is clear to the members of the Homework
Task Force that the conversation around homework, This very
its implementation, and its usefulness should begin
discussion is also
anew here in the Sharon Public Schools. This very
discussion is also occurring all across the state with occurring all
many school districts implementing some sort of across the state
referendum, or limit, on homework practices. A few with many school
examples, include Brookline, Concord-Carlisle, districts
Dartmouth, Dover-Sherborn, Duxbury, Manchester-
implementing
Essex, Norwell, Quincy, and Weymouth among others.
It is our hope that this report will help to spark some sort of
discussion and influence reflection. When referendum, or
considering the pendulum swings of decades past, it limit, on homework
is also the hope of the Homework Task Force that any practices.
homework guidance provided here is seen as
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moderate. It is not a goal of the task force to eliminate homework altogether. It is,
however, the goal of the task force to advocate for some systematic actions that can
be put in place that we feel reflect recent research and are respectful of teachers’
and parents’ opinions on this topic.
As such, and based on relevant research and common sense practice in our
schools, the Homework Task Force endorses the following to become part of the
climate and fabric of our diverse school system:
At the upper elementary grade level, use the rule of thumb of assigning 10
minutes of homework for each year a child is in school. For example, a fourth
grader should have no more than 40 minutes of homework per night.
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Continue discussion by curriculum teams, grade level teams, and schools where
the merits of homework are evaluated, critiqued and/or supported. Questions to
ask might include why homework is given; what kinds of homework are assigned;
and what purposes do they serve? How should homework be defined for a 21st
century digital world and academic setting? Should student choice be a part of
the homework discussion? What should homework count with regard to its
influence on a student’s final term grade and/or overall standards-based
assessment?
At SMS and SHS where students have multiple teachers during any given day,
grade level teams and/or departments should align homework expectations for
consistency sake and limit the nightly overall homework load to 90 minutes at the
middle level and not more than 2.5 hours at the high school level.
In an effort to live within the time during which research supports homework
positively impacts student achievement, grade level teams and departments
should communicate their nightly and long-term homework assignments to
colleagues.
One of the greatest strengths of our community is its diversity. The diversity
within our community of learners is one factor that makes our school system
such an amazing place to teach and learn. Consequently, religious holidays in
Sharon are to be “homework free” with no assignments due at least until the
second day back in school.
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School vacation weeks are to be “homework free” with no assignments due until
at least the second day back in school and no major assignments due until at
least the third day back in school.
Follow through by curricular teams, grade levels, and schools to discuss the pros
and cons of grading homework for effort, completion, and/or accuracy.
At the early elementary grades, publicize for parents the types of homework
assignments that build good organizational and time management skills.
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Either through the Homework Task Force or through another mechanism, and
during the 2017-2018 school year, survey teachers, parents, and students on the
expectations endorsed in Phase One of this report. Publicize the survey outcomes
to all constituencies and discuss among the Task Force if modifications are
necessary.
In Summary
The work that went into researching the topic of homework, agreeing on a
series of phased-in expectations, and writing this final report was beyond
expectation when the task force began its work. However, after nearly two years the
task force believes strongly that alignment with and following the endorsed actions
within this report will provide multiple benefits to students and their families, as
well as to teachers working within the Sharon Public School system. Moving
forward, it is the hope of the Homework Task Force that evidence of the group’s
work will live in each and every classroom, each and every day. Thank you to all of
the professionals within the school system for helping to create this reality, and
thank you to all families within the school system for supporting the ideas and
endorsed actions included in this report.
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References
Baines, L. (2007). Learning from the world: Achieving more by doing less. Phi Delta Kappan, 89,
98-100.
Cooper, H. (2001). Homework for all – in moderation. Educational Leadership, 58, 34-38.
Cooper, H. & Nye, B. (1994). Homework for students with learning disabilities: The implications of
research for policy and practice. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 27)8), 470-479.
Cooper, H., Robinson, J.C., & Patall, E.A. (2006). Does homework improve academic achievement? A
synthesis of research. Review of Educational Research, 76, 1-62.
Coutts, P. M. (2004). Meanings of homework and implications for practice. Theory Into Practice, 43,
182-188.
Epstein, J. L. & Van Voorhis, F. L. (2001). More than minutes: teachers’ roles in designing
homework. Educational Psychologist, 36(3), 181-193.
Gill, B., & Schlossman, S. (2004). Villain or savior? The American discourse on homework,
1850-2003. Theory Into Practice, 43, 174-181.
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play-20090920-fwt2.html.
Muhlenbruck, L., Cooper, H., Nye, B., & Lindsay, J. J. (2000). Homework and achievement:
Explaining the different strengths of relation at the elementary and secondary school levels. Social
Psychology of Education, 3, 295-317.
Simplicio, Joseph S. C. (2005). Homework in the 21st Century: The antiquated and ineffectual
implementation of a time honored educational strategy. Education, 126, 138-142.
Strauss, V. (2006, September 12). As homework grows, so do arguments against it. Washington
Post, p. A04.
Suskind, D. (2012). What students would do if they did not do their homework? Phi Delta Kappan,
94, 52-55.
Trautwein, U., & Koller, O. (2003). The relationship between homework and achievement-still much
of a mystery. Educational Psychology Review, 15, 115-145.
Vaznis, J. & Fleming, N. (2016, September 13). These kids now have a life without homework. The
Boston Globe, Retrieved from https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/09/12/homework/
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