In “At Elite Schools, Easing Up a Bit on Homework,” the New York Times reports that a group of elite New York City private schools has decided to give over-programmed students a breather. Dalton School will stagger tests and papers, as well as push midterms back so students can actually relax during the holiday break. Hunter College High School has established three “homework holidays.” The Horace Mann School now has a tutoring center for students to help get it all under control.
Essayist Adam Gopnik, father of two Dalton students, told the Times, “There is very little evidence that doing homework makes kids smarter. “Even if it did, there are values other than achievement. For example, let’s be curious.”
Inna Shots, parent of a NYC private school student, questioned the easing up in a Letter to the Editor.
“We who struggle to pay mammoth tuition want to believe we are helping our children get a better education, better discipline, and possibly better access to an Ivy League school. Do we really want these schools to ease up on homework?
“In real life, they will also need to juggle multiple assignments. Will reducing work in school help this goal? Will these elite schools have the same value and continue supporting our hopes and beliefs?”
The homework debate has been raging for years. In 2006, Elfie Kohn published The Homework Myth in which he shows that the argument for the homework overload—it promoted higher achievement, reinforces achievement, and teaches study skills and responsibility—essential does not hold up to the test of research, logic, or experience. “Homework is all pain and no gain,” he says.
Rick Ceresini, ISM Associate Scheduling Consultant, provided a roundup of research in his Webinar The Paradox of Homework.
A few of his points were:
- Kohn: Departmentalized schools often means there is no coordination among teachers, so homework is assigned with no regard to the volume students receive in all their classes together.
- Harris Cooper, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at Duke: Practice assignments improve high school students’ test scores until between 90 minutes and two-and-a-half hours of homework a night, then returns diminish. (Cooper, Robinson and Paul, 2006; Cooper, 2007).
- Jan Wilson and John Rhodes: 87% of students (high school freshman) surveyed think teachers assign too much homework each night, while 77% said they would do more homework if teachers of different subjects assigned it on different days. 86% strongly agree that they would be more likely to complete homework completed in class. (Education, Winter 2010)
Denise Pope, Stanford School of Education senior lecturer and researcher, says in her book Doing School: How We are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out, Materialistic, and Miseducated Students. "[Students] realize they are caught in a system where achievement depends more on ‘doing’—going through the correct motions—than on learning and engaging with the curriculum. Instead of thinking deeply about the content of their courses and delving into projects and assignments, the students focus on managing the work load and honing strategies that will help them achieve high grades.”
While there are private schools that are making adjustments to the homework demand, it is not necessarily a trend. The homework debate continues to rage on with staunch defenders on both sides. What are you doing at your school? Let us know! E-mail eletters@isminc.com or post a comment on our Facebook page.
Additional ISM resources of interest
The Paradox of Homework, Webinar
ISM Update for Division Heads Vol. 8 No. 1 Flip-Teaching for 21st Century Classrooms
ISM Update for School Heads Vol 9. No. 4 The Pressure on High School Students to Build Their Resume … Whose Best Interest Is It?
Additional ISM resources for ISM Consortium Members
Ideas & Perspectives Vol. 35 No. 4 Scheduling and the Harried Teen
Ideas & Perspectives Vol. 34 No. 14 The 21st Century School: The School Calendar
