School Board Ru Ie

On

Homework

-

6Gx13- 6A-123

Instruction - Elementary and Secondary

HOMEWORK

The School Board of Miami-Dade County Florida recognizes regular purposeful homework as an essential component of the instructional process in Miami-Dade County Public Schools Homework is an integral factor in fostering the academic achievement of students and in extending school activities into the home and the community Regular homework provides opportunities for developmental practice drill the application of skills already learned the development of independent study skills enrichment activities and self discipline Homework should provide reinforcement and extension of class instruction and should serve as a basis for further study and preparation for future class assignments In light of the major purposes for homework it is not to be assigned as punishment for students for disciplinary reasons

Responsibility for homework should gradually increase for students in grades one through five Secondary school homework assignments should recognize that more time and individual student initiative are expected in order to meet increased instructional demands Homework assignments to exceptional students should reflect the special needs of such students

In general homework assignments will be completed for the following day however long-range assignments andor special projects should provide students with an opportunity to develop and refine research and independent study skills and the ability to work independently Teachers should review evidence of progress periodically before the student submits a long-range assignment

Teachers shall consider the following factors when making homework assignments

1 The grade level of the student

2 Level and degree of difficulty of the subject being studied

3 The maturity level of the student

4 The instructional needs of the student

5 The purpose of the assignment and its relation to the objectives of the course under study

6 The length of the assignment and the amount of time that will be required to complete it

7 Homework demands being made in other subject areas

6Gx13- 6A-123

Instruction - Elementary and Secondary

HOMEWORK

The School Board of Miami-Dade County Florida recognizes regular purposeful homework as an essential component of the instructional process in Miami-Dade County Public Schools Homework is an integral factor in fostering the academic achievement of students and in extending school activities into the home and the community Regular homework provides opportunities for developmental practice drill the application of skills already learned the development of independent study skills enrichment activities and self discipline Homework should provide reinforcement and extension of class instruction and should serve as a basis for further study and preparation for future class assignments In light of the major purposes for homework it is not to be assigned as punishment for students for disciplinary reasons

Responsibility for homework should gradually increase for students in grades one through five Secondary school homework assignments should recognize that more time and individual student initiative are expected in order to meet increased instructional demands Homework assignments to exceptional students should reflect the special needs of such students

In general homework assignments will be completed for the following day however long-range assignments andor special projects should provide students with an opportunity to develop and refine research and independent study skills and the ability to work independently Teachers should review evidence of progress periodically before the student submits a long-range assignment

Teachers shall consider the following factors when making homework assignments

1 The grade level of the student

2 Level and degree of difficulty of the subject being studied

3 The maturity level of the student

4 The instructional needs of the student

5 The purpose of the assignment and its relation to the objectives of the course under study

6 The length of the assignment and the amount of time that will be required to complete it

7 Homework demands being made in other subject areas

6Gx13- 6A-123

8 Materials that are readily available to students and do not create a financial burden

9 Holidays as well as Spring and Winter breaks

10 Evaluation of group projects based on individual student participation

11 Provision of ample time in class for completion of group projects

It is the responsibility of the school staff to assure quality and value in homework through making assignments which are

1 An outgrowth of classroom instruction

2 Clear and definite in purpose

3 Clearly related to the objectives and competencies being pursued in the classroom

Principals will be responsible for

1 Communicating the School Board Rule on homework to staff members students and parentsguardians

2 Reviewing the School Board Homework Rule with the total school staff

3 Encouraging parentsguardians to communicate with the school if a students homework assignments are excessive or not sufficiently challenging to the student according to the parentsguardians views

4 Monitoring the implementation of the homework rule

5 Emphasizing reading as an integral part of the schools homework policy

Teachers will be responsible for

1 Teaching independent study skills

2 Making specific assignments

3 Checking reviewing evaluating andor grading student homework according to the teachers individual methods in keeping with a system that is clearly explained to the class

0

6Gx13- 6A-1 23

4 Giving feedback on homework assignments in a timely manner

5 Making instructions related to homework clear and providing when necessary a short period of supervised study or a period of questioning to insure that the students understand the assignment

6 Assigning students homework that includes at least 30 minutes each day devoted to reading

Students will be responsible for

1 Completing assigned homework as directed

2 Returning homework to the teacher by the designated time

3 Submitting homework assignments which reflect careful attention to detail and quality of work

4 Devoting at least 30 minutes to reading as part of the homework assignment

ParentsGuardians responsibilities include

1 Providing continued interest and concern for the childs successful performance in school through encouraging and supporting the child in hisher performance of homework assigned

2 Indicating an interest about assignments and assisting if possible when requested by the child but not to include performing the work for the child

3 Supporting the school in regard to the students being assigned homework

4 Requesting assignments for students when short term absences are involved

5 Assisting the school in stressing the importance of read ing and its benefits

6 Assuring that students read for a period of at least 30 minutes each day in addition to any other assigned homework

It is understood that it is not the parentisguard ians responsibil ity to have to give a great deal of assistance to the student in completing homework Parents or other family members should however make every effort to read to students who cannot read on their own during the assigned homework period

6Gx13- 6A-1 23

It is the schools responsibility to make instructions related to homework clear and to provide when necessary a short period of supervised study or a period of questioning to ensure that the students understand the assignment

Frequency and Quantity of Homework Assignments

Each school when implementing this homework policy should consider these guidelines as daily averages

Frequency of Total Daily Average Grade Level Assignments (All Subjects)

K-1 Daily (5 days a week) 30 minutes 2-3 Daily (5 days a week) 45 minutes 4-5 Daily (5 days a week) 60 minutes 6-7-8 Daily (5 days a week) 75 minutes 9-12 Daily (5 days a week) 120 minutes

Note These times do not reflect the additional 30 minutes that are to be devoted to reading

Reading is recognized as a universal skill that relates to all subjects Therefore when specific homework assignments are not given or when the homework assignment is completed in an expeditious manner every student will read minimally for the amount of time specified in this Board Rule

Kindergarten teachers shall exercise judgment in making homework assignments considering the childs readiness level and the type of work to be accomplished It is recommended that parentsguardians read aloud to their children

At the secondary level students in academic classes should receive a minimum of two homework assignments each week in each class These assignments should be reflected in the students class grade

Specific Authority 100141(1)(2) 100142(25) 100143(10) FS Law Implemented Interpreted or Made Specific 100141 (3) 1 00142(9)(17) 1001 51 (6) 100342 FS

Historv THE SCHOOL BOARD OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY FLORIDA Repromulgated 12-11-74 Amended 1-11-84 10-10-90 5-13-98 6-17-09

0

INfORMATION CAPSULE

Vol 1301

Research Services

Christie Blazer Supervisor July2013

THE HOMEWORK DEBATE CONTINUES

At a Glance Educators disagree about the value of homework and the amount of homework students should be assigned Yet teachers have followed a trend of assigning increased amounts of homework hoping to prepare students to compete in a global society Across all grade levels parents report that their children spend an average of 54 hours per week on homework with over 40 of parents reporting that their children do homework five or more days per week One issue experts do agree on is that the quality of homework assigned is more important than the quantity Homework assignments have been found to be of greater value when they are connected to students classroom learning and are at the appropriate difficulty level

Homework has been a topic of debate in education for over a century Today us educators still disagree about the value of homework and the amount of homework students should be assigned While there are strong arguments against homework some recent studies have provided evidence that at least at the secondary school level homework can have a positive impact on student achievement (Hu 2011 Marzano amp Pickering 2007 Chaika 2006 Strauss 2000)

Studies that have attempted to measure homeworks impact on student achievement have been unable to determine conclusively how much homework students should be assigned DeNisco (2013) noted If youre looking to bolster your particular position with research results you re in luck because there are studies that back the more-is-better approach and others that support the less-is-better tack Experts do agree however that some homework should be assigned to stUdents at all grade levels Marzano and Pickering (2007) stated If a district or school discards homework altogether it will be throwing away a powerful instructional tool

The advent of flipped classrooms is causing educators to completely rethink the concept of homework The flipped classroom is a model of blended learning in which students learn independently outside of the classroom and teachers use in-class time for active learning experiences Instead of spending their out-of-school time completing traditional homework assignments students watch lectures and presentat ions via online videos and podcasts Class time is spent engaging in active problem-solving and oneshyto-one or small group tutoring with the teacher (DeNisco 2013)

0

How Much Time Do Students Spend on Homework

Researchers have found that the amount of homework assigned has increased over the years for children of all ages (Chaika 2006 Strauss 2000) According to a national survey of 2900 randomly selected US children conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan (Hofferth amp Sandberg 2000) the average amount of time spent on homework increased by 20 from 1981 to 1997 from 1 hour and 53 minutes per week to 2 hours and 16 minutes per week Much of the overall increase was due to a large increase in the amount of time 6-8 year olds spent on homework This age group more than doubled their homework load from 52 minutes per week in 1981 to 128 minutes per week in 1997 In addition the number of 6-8 year olds completing any homework at all increased markedly from only 34 in 1981 to 55 in 1997

According to results of the National Center for Education Statistics (2011) 2007 Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES) parents reported that their children spent an average of 54 hours per week on homework At the elementary level (kindergarten through grade 8) parents reported that their children spent an average of 47 hours per week on homework At the secondary level (grades 9-12) parents reported that their children spent an average of 68 hours per week on homework Across all grade levels 42 of parents reported that their children did homework five or more days per week At the elementary level 39 of parents reported that their children did homework five or more days per week and at the secondary level 42 reported that their children did homework five or more days per week

Analysis of PFI-NHES survey results by ethnicity revealed that at the elementary level parents of Asian and Black students reported that their ch ildren spent more hours per week on homework (57 hours and 56 hours respectively) than parents of Hispanic or White children (47 hours and 44 hours respectively) At the high school level parents of Asian students reported that their children spent more hours per week on homework (10 3 hours on average) than did students of any other ethnicity (who spent an average of 63 to 68 hours per week on homework) Additionally 55 of Asian parents reported that their elementary school children did homework five or more days per week compared to 47 of Black parents 44 of Hispanic parents and 35 of White parents At the high school level 68 of Asian parents reported that their children did homework five or more days per week compared with 44 of White parents 40 of Hispanic parents and 30 of Black parents (National Center for Education Statistics 2011)

Quality of Homework is More Important Than Quantity

Experts agree that homework must be assigned in a way that maximizes the potential for student success For many students homework is seen as busy work that has little if any connection to what they are learning in the classroom Legitimate purposes for homework include introducing new content practicing a skill or process that students

2

can do independently but not fluently elaborating on information that has been addressed in class to deepen students knowledge and providing opportunities for students to explore topics of interest (DeNisco 2013 Marzano amp Pickering 2007 Chaika 2006)

Homework assignments level of difficulty should be matched to students academic performance levels Students should be able to complete homework assignments independently with relatively high success rates but they should still find the assignments challenging (Marzano amp Pickering 2007) Chaika (2006) cited a study in which teachers were asked to evaluate the quality of 1400 writing and mathematics homework assignments from 12 schools The teachers found that less than 30 of the assignments evaluated were even minimally challenging

Lack of Homework Standards

Strauss (2000) noted that the conflict over what or how much homework to assign is partly the result of educators lack of agreement on the purpose of homework For example some educators believe homework should reinforce what is learned in school others believe it should be used to co ver material they did not have time to cover in the classroom and still others believe homework should be assigned to encourage student creativity and exploration Finally some teachers assign homework simply to develop students work habits or to help keep parents informed about what their children are learning in school The author concluded The lack of homework standards is striking in an era when school systems are designing rigid guidelines for curriculum content and the performance of teachers and principals

Summary

uS educators disagree about the value of homework and the amount of homework students should be assigned However the following general conclusions can be drawn

o The amount of homework teachers assign has increased at all grade levels since the 1980s

bull Across all grade levels parents report that their children spend an average of 54 hours per week on homework Forty-two percent of parents report that their children do homework five or more days per week

o Parents of Asian children report that their children spend more hours per week on homework than parents of White Hispanic or Black children

o Experts agree that the quality of homework assigned is more important than the quantity Homework assignments must be connected to what students are learning in class and the level of homeworks difficulty should be matched to students performance levels

o There is no standardized policy in the US dictating what type or how much homework students should be assigned

3 0

I I

References

Chaika G (2006) Help My Homework is Wrecking My Home Life Education World Retrieved from http wwweducationworld coma adminadminadmin182shtml

DeNisco A (2013) Homework or Not That is the Research Question District Administration March 2013 Retrieved from http wwwdistrictadministration comarticie Ihomework-or-not-research-q u estion

Hofferth S J amp Sandberg JF (2000) How American Children Spend Their Time University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI Retrieved from http wwwpscisrumichedu pubspdfrrOO-458 pdf

Hu W (2011) New Recruit in Homework Revolt The Principal The New York Times June152011

Marzano RJ amp Pickering DJ (2007) The Case For and Against Homework Educational Leadership 64(4)74-79

National Center for Education Statistics (2011) Digest of Education Statistics 2011 Retrieved from httpnces edqovprogramsdigestJd11

Strauss V (2000) Who Needs Homework The Washington Post February 82000

4 0

6Gx13- 6A-1 23

It is the schools responsibility to make instructions related to homework clear and to provide when necessary a short period of supervised study or a period of questioning to ensure that the students understand the assignment

Frequency and Quantity of Homework Assignments

Each school when implementing this homework policy should consider these guidelines as daily averages

Frequency of Total Daily Average Grade Level Assignments (All Subjects)

K-1 Daily (5 days a week) 30 minutes 2-3 Daily (5 days a week) 45 minutes 4-5 Daily (5 days a week) 60 minutes 6-7-8 Daily (5 days a week) 75 minutes 9-12 Daily (5 days a week) 120 minutes

Note These times do not reflect the additional 30 minutes that are to be devoted to reading

Reading is recognized as a universal skill that relates to all subjects Therefore when specific homework assignments are not given or when the homework assignment is completed in an expeditious manner every student will read minimally for the amount of time specified in this Board Rule

Kindergarten teachers shall exercise judgment in making homework assignments considering the childs readiness level and the type of work to be accomplished It is recommended that parentsguardians read aloud to their children

At the secondary level students in academic classes should receive a minimum of two homework assignments each week in each class These assignments should be reflected in the students class grade

Specific Authority 100141(1)(2) 100142(25) 100143(10) FS Law Implemented Interpreted or Made Specific 100141 (3) 1 00142(9)(17) 1001 51 (6) 100342 FS

Historv THE SCHOOL BOARD OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY FLORIDA Repromulgated 12-11-74 Amended 1-11-84 10-10-90 5-13-98 6-17-09

0

INfORMATION CAPSULE

Vol 1301

Research Services

Christie Blazer Supervisor July2013

THE HOMEWORK DEBATE CONTINUES

At a Glance Educators disagree about the value of homework and the amount of homework students should be assigned Yet teachers have followed a trend of assigning increased amounts of homework hoping to prepare students to compete in a global society Across all grade levels parents report that their children spend an average of 54 hours per week on homework with over 40 of parents reporting that their children do homework five or more days per week One issue experts do agree on is that the quality of homework assigned is more important than the quantity Homework assignments have been found to be of greater value when they are connected to students classroom learning and are at the appropriate difficulty level

Homework has been a topic of debate in education for over a century Today us educators still disagree about the value of homework and the amount of homework students should be assigned While there are strong arguments against homework some recent studies have provided evidence that at least at the secondary school level homework can have a positive impact on student achievement (Hu 2011 Marzano amp Pickering 2007 Chaika 2006 Strauss 2000)

Studies that have attempted to measure homeworks impact on student achievement have been unable to determine conclusively how much homework students should be assigned DeNisco (2013) noted If youre looking to bolster your particular position with research results you re in luck because there are studies that back the more-is-better approach and others that support the less-is-better tack Experts do agree however that some homework should be assigned to stUdents at all grade levels Marzano and Pickering (2007) stated If a district or school discards homework altogether it will be throwing away a powerful instructional tool

The advent of flipped classrooms is causing educators to completely rethink the concept of homework The flipped classroom is a model of blended learning in which students learn independently outside of the classroom and teachers use in-class time for active learning experiences Instead of spending their out-of-school time completing traditional homework assignments students watch lectures and presentat ions via online videos and podcasts Class time is spent engaging in active problem-solving and oneshyto-one or small group tutoring with the teacher (DeNisco 2013)

0

How Much Time Do Students Spend on Homework

Researchers have found that the amount of homework assigned has increased over the years for children of all ages (Chaika 2006 Strauss 2000) According to a national survey of 2900 randomly selected US children conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan (Hofferth amp Sandberg 2000) the average amount of time spent on homework increased by 20 from 1981 to 1997 from 1 hour and 53 minutes per week to 2 hours and 16 minutes per week Much of the overall increase was due to a large increase in the amount of time 6-8 year olds spent on homework This age group more than doubled their homework load from 52 minutes per week in 1981 to 128 minutes per week in 1997 In addition the number of 6-8 year olds completing any homework at all increased markedly from only 34 in 1981 to 55 in 1997

According to results of the National Center for Education Statistics (2011) 2007 Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES) parents reported that their children spent an average of 54 hours per week on homework At the elementary level (kindergarten through grade 8) parents reported that their children spent an average of 47 hours per week on homework At the secondary level (grades 9-12) parents reported that their children spent an average of 68 hours per week on homework Across all grade levels 42 of parents reported that their children did homework five or more days per week At the elementary level 39 of parents reported that their children did homework five or more days per week and at the secondary level 42 reported that their children did homework five or more days per week

Analysis of PFI-NHES survey results by ethnicity revealed that at the elementary level parents of Asian and Black students reported that their ch ildren spent more hours per week on homework (57 hours and 56 hours respectively) than parents of Hispanic or White children (47 hours and 44 hours respectively) At the high school level parents of Asian students reported that their children spent more hours per week on homework (10 3 hours on average) than did students of any other ethnicity (who spent an average of 63 to 68 hours per week on homework) Additionally 55 of Asian parents reported that their elementary school children did homework five or more days per week compared to 47 of Black parents 44 of Hispanic parents and 35 of White parents At the high school level 68 of Asian parents reported that their children did homework five or more days per week compared with 44 of White parents 40 of Hispanic parents and 30 of Black parents (National Center for Education Statistics 2011)

Quality of Homework is More Important Than Quantity

Experts agree that homework must be assigned in a way that maximizes the potential for student success For many students homework is seen as busy work that has little if any connection to what they are learning in the classroom Legitimate purposes for homework include introducing new content practicing a skill or process that students

2

can do independently but not fluently elaborating on information that has been addressed in class to deepen students knowledge and providing opportunities for students to explore topics of interest (DeNisco 2013 Marzano amp Pickering 2007 Chaika 2006)

Homework assignments level of difficulty should be matched to students academic performance levels Students should be able to complete homework assignments independently with relatively high success rates but they should still find the assignments challenging (Marzano amp Pickering 2007) Chaika (2006) cited a study in which teachers were asked to evaluate the quality of 1400 writing and mathematics homework assignments from 12 schools The teachers found that less than 30 of the assignments evaluated were even minimally challenging

Lack of Homework Standards

Strauss (2000) noted that the conflict over what or how much homework to assign is partly the result of educators lack of agreement on the purpose of homework For example some educators believe homework should reinforce what is learned in school others believe it should be used to co ver material they did not have time to cover in the classroom and still others believe homework should be assigned to encourage student creativity and exploration Finally some teachers assign homework simply to develop students work habits or to help keep parents informed about what their children are learning in school The author concluded The lack of homework standards is striking in an era when school systems are designing rigid guidelines for curriculum content and the performance of teachers and principals

Summary

uS educators disagree about the value of homework and the amount of homework students should be assigned However the following general conclusions can be drawn

o The amount of homework teachers assign has increased at all grade levels since the 1980s

bull Across all grade levels parents report that their children spend an average of 54 hours per week on homework Forty-two percent of parents report that their children do homework five or more days per week

o Parents of Asian children report that their children spend more hours per week on homework than parents of White Hispanic or Black children

o Experts agree that the quality of homework assigned is more important than the quantity Homework assignments must be connected to what students are learning in class and the level of homeworks difficulty should be matched to students performance levels

o There is no standardized policy in the US dictating what type or how much homework students should be assigned

3 0

I I

References

Chaika G (2006) Help My Homework is Wrecking My Home Life Education World Retrieved from http wwweducationworld coma adminadminadmin182shtml

DeNisco A (2013) Homework or Not That is the Research Question District Administration March 2013 Retrieved from http wwwdistrictadministration comarticie Ihomework-or-not-research-q u estion

Hofferth S J amp Sandberg JF (2000) How American Children Spend Their Time University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI Retrieved from http wwwpscisrumichedu pubspdfrrOO-458 pdf

Hu W (2011) New Recruit in Homework Revolt The Principal The New York Times June152011

Marzano RJ amp Pickering DJ (2007) The Case For and Against Homework Educational Leadership 64(4)74-79

National Center for Education Statistics (2011) Digest of Education Statistics 2011 Retrieved from httpnces edqovprogramsdigestJd11

Strauss V (2000) Who Needs Homework The Washington Post February 82000

4 0

INfORMATION CAPSULE

Vol 1301

Research Services

Christie Blazer Supervisor July2013

THE HOMEWORK DEBATE CONTINUES

At a Glance Educators disagree about the value of homework and the amount of homework students should be assigned Yet teachers have followed a trend of assigning increased amounts of homework hoping to prepare students to compete in a global society Across all grade levels parents report that their children spend an average of 54 hours per week on homework with over 40 of parents reporting that their children do homework five or more days per week One issue experts do agree on is that the quality of homework assigned is more important than the quantity Homework assignments have been found to be of greater value when they are connected to students classroom learning and are at the appropriate difficulty level

Homework has been a topic of debate in education for over a century Today us educators still disagree about the value of homework and the amount of homework students should be assigned While there are strong arguments against homework some recent studies have provided evidence that at least at the secondary school level homework can have a positive impact on student achievement (Hu 2011 Marzano amp Pickering 2007 Chaika 2006 Strauss 2000)

Studies that have attempted to measure homeworks impact on student achievement have been unable to determine conclusively how much homework students should be assigned DeNisco (2013) noted If youre looking to bolster your particular position with research results you re in luck because there are studies that back the more-is-better approach and others that support the less-is-better tack Experts do agree however that some homework should be assigned to stUdents at all grade levels Marzano and Pickering (2007) stated If a district or school discards homework altogether it will be throwing away a powerful instructional tool

The advent of flipped classrooms is causing educators to completely rethink the concept of homework The flipped classroom is a model of blended learning in which students learn independently outside of the classroom and teachers use in-class time for active learning experiences Instead of spending their out-of-school time completing traditional homework assignments students watch lectures and presentat ions via online videos and podcasts Class time is spent engaging in active problem-solving and oneshyto-one or small group tutoring with the teacher (DeNisco 2013)

0

How Much Time Do Students Spend on Homework

Researchers have found that the amount of homework assigned has increased over the years for children of all ages (Chaika 2006 Strauss 2000) According to a national survey of 2900 randomly selected US children conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan (Hofferth amp Sandberg 2000) the average amount of time spent on homework increased by 20 from 1981 to 1997 from 1 hour and 53 minutes per week to 2 hours and 16 minutes per week Much of the overall increase was due to a large increase in the amount of time 6-8 year olds spent on homework This age group more than doubled their homework load from 52 minutes per week in 1981 to 128 minutes per week in 1997 In addition the number of 6-8 year olds completing any homework at all increased markedly from only 34 in 1981 to 55 in 1997

According to results of the National Center for Education Statistics (2011) 2007 Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES) parents reported that their children spent an average of 54 hours per week on homework At the elementary level (kindergarten through grade 8) parents reported that their children spent an average of 47 hours per week on homework At the secondary level (grades 9-12) parents reported that their children spent an average of 68 hours per week on homework Across all grade levels 42 of parents reported that their children did homework five or more days per week At the elementary level 39 of parents reported that their children did homework five or more days per week and at the secondary level 42 reported that their children did homework five or more days per week

Analysis of PFI-NHES survey results by ethnicity revealed that at the elementary level parents of Asian and Black students reported that their ch ildren spent more hours per week on homework (57 hours and 56 hours respectively) than parents of Hispanic or White children (47 hours and 44 hours respectively) At the high school level parents of Asian students reported that their children spent more hours per week on homework (10 3 hours on average) than did students of any other ethnicity (who spent an average of 63 to 68 hours per week on homework) Additionally 55 of Asian parents reported that their elementary school children did homework five or more days per week compared to 47 of Black parents 44 of Hispanic parents and 35 of White parents At the high school level 68 of Asian parents reported that their children did homework five or more days per week compared with 44 of White parents 40 of Hispanic parents and 30 of Black parents (National Center for Education Statistics 2011)

Quality of Homework is More Important Than Quantity

Experts agree that homework must be assigned in a way that maximizes the potential for student success For many students homework is seen as busy work that has little if any connection to what they are learning in the classroom Legitimate purposes for homework include introducing new content practicing a skill or process that students

2

can do independently but not fluently elaborating on information that has been addressed in class to deepen students knowledge and providing opportunities for students to explore topics of interest (DeNisco 2013 Marzano amp Pickering 2007 Chaika 2006)

Homework assignments level of difficulty should be matched to students academic performance levels Students should be able to complete homework assignments independently with relatively high success rates but they should still find the assignments challenging (Marzano amp Pickering 2007) Chaika (2006) cited a study in which teachers were asked to evaluate the quality of 1400 writing and mathematics homework assignments from 12 schools The teachers found that less than 30 of the assignments evaluated were even minimally challenging

Lack of Homework Standards

Strauss (2000) noted that the conflict over what or how much homework to assign is partly the result of educators lack of agreement on the purpose of homework For example some educators believe homework should reinforce what is learned in school others believe it should be used to co ver material they did not have time to cover in the classroom and still others believe homework should be assigned to encourage student creativity and exploration Finally some teachers assign homework simply to develop students work habits or to help keep parents informed about what their children are learning in school The author concluded The lack of homework standards is striking in an era when school systems are designing rigid guidelines for curriculum content and the performance of teachers and principals

Summary

uS educators disagree about the value of homework and the amount of homework students should be assigned However the following general conclusions can be drawn

o The amount of homework teachers assign has increased at all grade levels since the 1980s

bull Across all grade levels parents report that their children spend an average of 54 hours per week on homework Forty-two percent of parents report that their children do homework five or more days per week

o Parents of Asian children report that their children spend more hours per week on homework than parents of White Hispanic or Black children

o Experts agree that the quality of homework assigned is more important than the quantity Homework assignments must be connected to what students are learning in class and the level of homeworks difficulty should be matched to students performance levels

o There is no standardized policy in the US dictating what type or how much homework students should be assigned

3 0

I I

References

Chaika G (2006) Help My Homework is Wrecking My Home Life Education World Retrieved from http wwweducationworld coma adminadminadmin182shtml

DeNisco A (2013) Homework or Not That is the Research Question District Administration March 2013 Retrieved from http wwwdistrictadministration comarticie Ihomework-or-not-research-q u estion

Hofferth S J amp Sandberg JF (2000) How American Children Spend Their Time University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI Retrieved from http wwwpscisrumichedu pubspdfrrOO-458 pdf

Hu W (2011) New Recruit in Homework Revolt The Principal The New York Times June152011

Marzano RJ amp Pickering DJ (2007) The Case For and Against Homework Educational Leadership 64(4)74-79

National Center for Education Statistics (2011) Digest of Education Statistics 2011 Retrieved from httpnces edqovprogramsdigestJd11

Strauss V (2000) Who Needs Homework The Washington Post February 82000

4 0

How Much Time Do Students Spend on Homework

Researchers have found that the amount of homework assigned has increased over the years for children of all ages (Chaika 2006 Strauss 2000) According to a national survey of 2900 randomly selected US children conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan (Hofferth amp Sandberg 2000) the average amount of time spent on homework increased by 20 from 1981 to 1997 from 1 hour and 53 minutes per week to 2 hours and 16 minutes per week Much of the overall increase was due to a large increase in the amount of time 6-8 year olds spent on homework This age group more than doubled their homework load from 52 minutes per week in 1981 to 128 minutes per week in 1997 In addition the number of 6-8 year olds completing any homework at all increased markedly from only 34 in 1981 to 55 in 1997

According to results of the National Center for Education Statistics (2011) 2007 Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES) parents reported that their children spent an average of 54 hours per week on homework At the elementary level (kindergarten through grade 8) parents reported that their children spent an average of 47 hours per week on homework At the secondary level (grades 9-12) parents reported that their children spent an average of 68 hours per week on homework Across all grade levels 42 of parents reported that their children did homework five or more days per week At the elementary level 39 of parents reported that their children did homework five or more days per week and at the secondary level 42 reported that their children did homework five or more days per week

Analysis of PFI-NHES survey results by ethnicity revealed that at the elementary level parents of Asian and Black students reported that their ch ildren spent more hours per week on homework (57 hours and 56 hours respectively) than parents of Hispanic or White children (47 hours and 44 hours respectively) At the high school level parents of Asian students reported that their children spent more hours per week on homework (10 3 hours on average) than did students of any other ethnicity (who spent an average of 63 to 68 hours per week on homework) Additionally 55 of Asian parents reported that their elementary school children did homework five or more days per week compared to 47 of Black parents 44 of Hispanic parents and 35 of White parents At the high school level 68 of Asian parents reported that their children did homework five or more days per week compared with 44 of White parents 40 of Hispanic parents and 30 of Black parents (National Center for Education Statistics 2011)

Quality of Homework is More Important Than Quantity

Experts agree that homework must be assigned in a way that maximizes the potential for student success For many students homework is seen as busy work that has little if any connection to what they are learning in the classroom Legitimate purposes for homework include introducing new content practicing a skill or process that students

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can do independently but not fluently elaborating on information that has been addressed in class to deepen students knowledge and providing opportunities for students to explore topics of interest (DeNisco 2013 Marzano amp Pickering 2007 Chaika 2006)

Homework assignments level of difficulty should be matched to students academic performance levels Students should be able to complete homework assignments independently with relatively high success rates but they should still find the assignments challenging (Marzano amp Pickering 2007) Chaika (2006) cited a study in which teachers were asked to evaluate the quality of 1400 writing and mathematics homework assignments from 12 schools The teachers found that less than 30 of the assignments evaluated were even minimally challenging

Lack of Homework Standards

Strauss (2000) noted that the conflict over what or how much homework to assign is partly the result of educators lack of agreement on the purpose of homework For example some educators believe homework should reinforce what is learned in school others believe it should be used to co ver material they did not have time to cover in the classroom and still others believe homework should be assigned to encourage student creativity and exploration Finally some teachers assign homework simply to develop students work habits or to help keep parents informed about what their children are learning in school The author concluded The lack of homework standards is striking in an era when school systems are designing rigid guidelines for curriculum content and the performance of teachers and principals

Summary

uS educators disagree about the value of homework and the amount of homework students should be assigned However the following general conclusions can be drawn

o The amount of homework teachers assign has increased at all grade levels since the 1980s

bull Across all grade levels parents report that their children spend an average of 54 hours per week on homework Forty-two percent of parents report that their children do homework five or more days per week

o Parents of Asian children report that their children spend more hours per week on homework than parents of White Hispanic or Black children

o Experts agree that the quality of homework assigned is more important than the quantity Homework assignments must be connected to what students are learning in class and the level of homeworks difficulty should be matched to students performance levels

o There is no standardized policy in the US dictating what type or how much homework students should be assigned

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References

Chaika G (2006) Help My Homework is Wrecking My Home Life Education World Retrieved from http wwweducationworld coma adminadminadmin182shtml

DeNisco A (2013) Homework or Not That is the Research Question District Administration March 2013 Retrieved from http wwwdistrictadministration comarticie Ihomework-or-not-research-q u estion

Hofferth S J amp Sandberg JF (2000) How American Children Spend Their Time University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI Retrieved from http wwwpscisrumichedu pubspdfrrOO-458 pdf

Hu W (2011) New Recruit in Homework Revolt The Principal The New York Times June152011

Marzano RJ amp Pickering DJ (2007) The Case For and Against Homework Educational Leadership 64(4)74-79

National Center for Education Statistics (2011) Digest of Education Statistics 2011 Retrieved from httpnces edqovprogramsdigestJd11

Strauss V (2000) Who Needs Homework The Washington Post February 82000

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can do independently but not fluently elaborating on information that has been addressed in class to deepen students knowledge and providing opportunities for students to explore topics of interest (DeNisco 2013 Marzano amp Pickering 2007 Chaika 2006)

Homework assignments level of difficulty should be matched to students academic performance levels Students should be able to complete homework assignments independently with relatively high success rates but they should still find the assignments challenging (Marzano amp Pickering 2007) Chaika (2006) cited a study in which teachers were asked to evaluate the quality of 1400 writing and mathematics homework assignments from 12 schools The teachers found that less than 30 of the assignments evaluated were even minimally challenging

Lack of Homework Standards

Strauss (2000) noted that the conflict over what or how much homework to assign is partly the result of educators lack of agreement on the purpose of homework For example some educators believe homework should reinforce what is learned in school others believe it should be used to co ver material they did not have time to cover in the classroom and still others believe homework should be assigned to encourage student creativity and exploration Finally some teachers assign homework simply to develop students work habits or to help keep parents informed about what their children are learning in school The author concluded The lack of homework standards is striking in an era when school systems are designing rigid guidelines for curriculum content and the performance of teachers and principals

Summary

uS educators disagree about the value of homework and the amount of homework students should be assigned However the following general conclusions can be drawn

o The amount of homework teachers assign has increased at all grade levels since the 1980s

bull Across all grade levels parents report that their children spend an average of 54 hours per week on homework Forty-two percent of parents report that their children do homework five or more days per week

o Parents of Asian children report that their children spend more hours per week on homework than parents of White Hispanic or Black children

o Experts agree that the quality of homework assigned is more important than the quantity Homework assignments must be connected to what students are learning in class and the level of homeworks difficulty should be matched to students performance levels

o There is no standardized policy in the US dictating what type or how much homework students should be assigned

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References

Chaika G (2006) Help My Homework is Wrecking My Home Life Education World Retrieved from http wwweducationworld coma adminadminadmin182shtml

DeNisco A (2013) Homework or Not That is the Research Question District Administration March 2013 Retrieved from http wwwdistrictadministration comarticie Ihomework-or-not-research-q u estion

Hofferth S J amp Sandberg JF (2000) How American Children Spend Their Time University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI Retrieved from http wwwpscisrumichedu pubspdfrrOO-458 pdf

Hu W (2011) New Recruit in Homework Revolt The Principal The New York Times June152011

Marzano RJ amp Pickering DJ (2007) The Case For and Against Homework Educational Leadership 64(4)74-79

National Center for Education Statistics (2011) Digest of Education Statistics 2011 Retrieved from httpnces edqovprogramsdigestJd11

Strauss V (2000) Who Needs Homework The Washington Post February 82000

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References

Chaika G (2006) Help My Homework is Wrecking My Home Life Education World Retrieved from http wwweducationworld coma adminadminadmin182shtml

DeNisco A (2013) Homework or Not That is the Research Question District Administration March 2013 Retrieved from http wwwdistrictadministration comarticie Ihomework-or-not-research-q u estion

Hofferth S J amp Sandberg JF (2000) How American Children Spend Their Time University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI Retrieved from http wwwpscisrumichedu pubspdfrrOO-458 pdf

Hu W (2011) New Recruit in Homework Revolt The Principal The New York Times June152011

Marzano RJ amp Pickering DJ (2007) The Case For and Against Homework Educational Leadership 64(4)74-79

National Center for Education Statistics (2011) Digest of Education Statistics 2011 Retrieved from httpnces edqovprogramsdigestJd11

Strauss V (2000) Who Needs Homework The Washington Post February 82000

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