No Homework Policy

By Joy Thiel

The sound of the bell blasting in your ears is a siren of relief representing the closing of another exhausting school day. You rush to your locker because you cannot wait to get home and take the nap you so desperately need. But as you unlock your locker, a pile of books begins to tumble out and you are reminded of all the homework you have yet to do. Parents, students, and even some teachers question whether or not homework is really effective and required for learning. The answer depends on which side of the homework debate you find yourself; however the research is clear concerning the purpose and effectiveness of homework.

The purpose of homework is to strengthen learning outside of the classroom by encouraging further research on material covered in class, organizing knowledge gained while in class, and practicing basic essential skills already mastered while in class. Current research is very clear concerning the connection between homework and improved academic achievement. In elementary school there is no correlation between homework and achievement. In middle school there is very little correlation between homework and achievement. And in high school there is SOME correlation between homework and achievement. The SOME is only evident if the purpose of homework stated above is adhered to by teachers as well as a final component; if homework is assigned it must be commented on by the teacher. A stamp or check does not qualify.

Mrs. Clemmer, an AP Calculus teacher here at ESHS is heavily into the homework debate and generally abides by a no homework policy in all of her classes. She believes that homework is not a requirement for students to learn effectively. According to Mrs. Clemmer, “Homework should be a self-evaluation of material already learned in class. It should never be an extension of concepts taught in class and should not cover the material learned that day. Students can easily learn the material incorrectly and brain research explains that unlearning information is extremely difficult. Effective homework is homework that simply reinforces a skill that students already know, should differ with each grade level, keep parent involvement to a minimum, have a clearly identified purpose, and be graded and commented upon by the teacher.”

Although Mrs. Clemmer does not give homework, she does give lots of controlled class work. Her test scores have improved since she has stopped assigning homework. “Before I started implementing my no homework policy, I was known as the homework queen and about 80% of my students were passing my class. I began to do a lot of research on homework and decided to try a no homework policy. Since that time, 95% of my students have passed my, “ said Mrs. Clemmer.

Mrs. Clemmer also believes that homework interferes with family life, and causes stress and heath issues for students. According to a 1998 survey by Public Agenda, nearly 50% of parents reported having serious argument with their children over homework and 34% reported homework as a source of stress and struggle. As a result students are usually more liable to cheat or not do homework at all, which would result in the student’s grade dropping and the student falling behind the class. Another problem caused by homework is stress that can be manifested by headaches, fast-heart beat, anxiety, and depression.

Homework became more prevalent in the 1940’s when work went from being about drill to problem solving. A 1950 edition of the Encyclopedia of Educational Research stated: “Compulsory homework does not result in the sufficiently improved academic accomplishments.” In the 1960’s the public worried about education and a consequence of Sputnik was an increase in the amount of homework assigned to students. Now, four decades later, homework has not only steadily increased, but involves more outside learning as teachers try to keep up with the more rigorous standards.

The research does not support homework being an extension of learning. While it may have some impact at the high school level for improving academic achievement IF assigned correctly, it is not a necessity, as Mrs. Clemmer has demonstrated in a rigorous content area that requires mastery of prior skills for success. The question is, are your teachers following the research for effective homework? Use this checklist to find out:

· Follows the 10 minute rule: high school students should never have more than 2 hours of homework, total, a night

· Is relevant to your life

· Explicitly involves study skills that have been outlined by the teacher and are not assumed

· Incorporates minimal review of that day’s assignment and reviews material from several days prior

· Is limited to further research on material covered in class, (analysis of research is done in class, not for homework)

· Involves simply organizing of the knowledge gained while in class, is graded and includes comments by the teacher

· Is returned immediately (within 2 days).

A final point: Based on research, daily review of homework is not sufficient for long-term memory. Long-term retention occurs when review is immediate and then occurs again after a delay of seven days. In conclusion, teachers do need to design rigorous academic work, scaffold new knowledge, and coach new study habits. However, the place to do this is at school not home (Kralovec and Buell, 2001).