Stop Homework

I recently heard from Alfie Kohn that he spoke to teachers, administrators, and parents at an independent school in the Northwest. After that visit, the lower school division director wrote to the parents:

As a result of Kohn’s visit and our discussions, and after I did even more research from other books and articles from The Center for Public Education, we have decided that we will be changing the default from automatic, nightly or weekly homework to occasional homework. Research shows there are little to non academic benefits or a correlation of improvement in student achievement on younger students (research a little more ambiguous in middle and high school years), especially with one size fits all homework, which often follows the formula of “10 minutes per grade level”.

We do want to encourage, or in fact require, nightly reading for pleasure by all students, as this is one area where there are proven benefits for students. Also, many students can benefit from short but intensive amounts of fact review and practice, especially before bedtime when some studies show the brain repeats patterns and facts during sleep. There will also be some project work to be completed at home, as well as meaningful tasks that cannot be accomplished during school time, such as interviews with family members and additional keyboarding/ typing practice. Fifth graders will also continue with current events, as we feel that this is something that encourages a world view and important life skills. Finally, students who have some learning issues may benefit from focused homework with supervision.
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Two years ago, right after The Case Against Homework was published, I heard from Dylan Baird, then a 16-year-old junior at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Maryland. He was writing an article on homework for his school newspaper.

Now, Dylan and two friends, Breton Sheridan and Tom Stokes, have published a zine, “A Students’ Guide to Taking Back the Classroom”, which outlines the positive effects of increased student autonomy. The purpose of the zine is “not only to educate, but to call for cooperation between students and teachers in order to create a new classroom culture of respect, autonomy, and motivation.”

Please take the time to read the zine. The research and writing is impressive; the call to action should be responded to.

One of the criticisms always leveled at students who don’t want to do homework is that they’re “lazy” and headed for a life of drudgery at a low-paying job. Of course, these criticisms are baseless. In fact, many of the students I hear from are self-motivated, highly articulate, well-read, and passionate. Dylan, Breton, and Tom are shining examples.

In case you’re wondering where they are now, this is what they told me: “Breton Sheridan, age 18, is enrolled at Temple University and is pursuing his interest in education both radically, though current zine projects, and more conventionally, as he looks into a 5 year teaching program at Temple. Tom Stokes, age 18, is currently a freshman at Yale University and is pursing his love for art, as well as enjoying the diverse class options at Yale. Dylan Baird, age 18, recently returned from an 11 week road trip around the country and has now committed full time to working on various student empowerment projects.”

Let them know what you think of their zine at: structureproject@gmail.com. And, they would be thrilled if you distribute their zine wherever you can.

AND HAVE A HAPPY AND STRESS-FREE HOLIDAY. STOP HOMEWORK WILL RETURN ON JANUARY 5.

In November, I wrote about how Jodie Leidecker, a mother of two from Berea, Kentucky, who has been involved in the movement to save recess, had started to organize other parents to see about getting a low or no homework policy in her district. (You can read the previous entries here and here.)The principal wrote to her to tell her that there was already a homework policy in place, but invited her to a meeting of the Site Council the following day to discuss the issue further. There, they talked about surveying the parents to find out current attitudes on homework.

About a month later, Jodie heard again from the principal. He told her that the Board was leaning towards not surveying the parents, but again he invited her to give him “her perspective.” So Jodie wrote to him:

My perspective is that we would be losing a valuable and needed survey that would give us great insight and help improve our children’s school experience. I know that many parents are concerned about this issue. Our policy is bare-bones and leaves much to interpretation, but why should we settle for merely adequate when we can make all kinds of progressive, family-friendly changes? We could even try a two-week no homework period if all parties agree. There is so much we can do to support our kids and I strongly believe that we should make all efforts to do so. The question we should be asking is not “Isn’t this good enough?” but “Is there something more we can do to improve the lives (and learning) of the kids we are serving?” Revamping the homework policy is one way we can show the kids of BCHS and their families that our school is responsive to their needs and willing to go the extra mile for them.

Apparently the principal was convinced by Jodie’s response; he invited her to the next monthly site-based council meeting for further discussion of the issue.

Kerry Dickinson, a mother from Danville, California, who last year got her school district to reevaluate its homework policy and institute a new one, recently held a screening of a film-in-progress, Slipping Behind, a documentary about the “intersection of youth, stress, education, opportunity and the global economy.” In a follow-up email to attendees, and others in her community, Kerry wrote the following:

Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid
by Kerry Dickinson*

We are reminded this week of the Jonestown tragedy 30 years ago, when 918 died in the largest mass-murder-suicide incident in UShistory. The slogan “Don’t drink the Kool-Aid” came out of this event which has become a pop culture warning against blind obedience. I’ve heard this reference twice recently in regard to how we are raising our kids in today’s world. We have gone from a culture that was once adult-centered (when we were kids) to a culture that is child-centered (now). And the irony of that, as a guest at the discussion Friday night pointed out, is when we lived in an adult-centered world, we were free to do whatever we wanted when the adults weren’t looking. Now, with our children the constant focus of our attention and time, we don’t let them do anything unless we know exactly where they are at all times. While we are providing them with so many opportunities, we are unwittingly taking away their childhoods from them.

It’s easy to get wrapped up offering our kids everything possible, to “drink the Kool-Aid” so to speak, by over-scheduling their lives and living in constant motion just because everyone else around us is doing the same. At some point though we have to take a step back and slow down or we may see some harmful unintended consequences. The film we viewed Friday night, “Slipping Behind” showed us many children who looked great on the outside and performed really well, but who suffered many unintended consequences from this kind of fast-paced, competitive, child-centered lifestyle: suicide, anxiety, anorexia, cheating, ulcers, cutting, drugs, etc…

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Adam, a seventh-grader from New Hampshire, wrote me an eloquent diatribe against homework:

I must be completely honest with you. I thought I had it bad, but reading some of your archives for summer assignments is terrible. My learning environment is second rate, my books date back to the mid 80s, my teachers are old enough to retire and crab at you all day, my school’s maximum capacity of students is supposedly gonna exceed by 46 next year. My fellow peers are real rebels and have lost their learning attitudes thanks to homework and studying. Because our test grades are so low, we must do an 8-10 sentence paragraph for every subject (even gym). Worse, whether yours is bad or good, you have to read yours to the class. It’s discouraging.

My math grades at the beginning of the year were superb. I was on the honor role! My average score was 97, but as school continued and the year progressed, homework did too. I’m now given two hard assignments for math per day. And guess what? As homework became harder and more plentiful, my grades decreased. Now, I hate school and want to drop out and be homeschoooled! In 1-6th grade, school was fun. Now it’s a pain and even in chemistry, my fav subject, I have to rush and ignore the teacher to secretly get tonight’s homework done to have enough time to play on the volley ball team. And guess what again! My 97 in math is now a 68. My highest score this past semester was a 78.

Down with homework!

It’s always gratifying when I come across an education blog where the writer recommends The Case Against Homework. In jbanana829.edublogs, a pre-K teacher and French tutor, writes:

For a long time, I have had issues with homework. I think it is mostly busywork that takes up family time and causes a tremendous amount of stress with no benefit of added learning. Most teachers have no idea how to assign homework, what good homework looks like, how much to assign, none of this. They do it because they’re expected to by parents or administration or because they’re on power trips or because they erroneously believe it’s beneficial. I read a great book that’s obviously biased against homework, but that provides tons of examples and resources and relevant scientific data. It’s my reference this time, and it’s called, The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It, by Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish. It’s extremely informative and a great tool for teachers and for parents.

If you’re hoping that 2009 will be a better school year, homework-wise, why not give your child’s teacher a copy of The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It? If s/he reads it over the holiday break, s/he just might return with a new, informed, and changed attitude. At the same time, why not pick up a few extra copies and give them to those in charge of school policy?

And, if you’re thinking of making a year-end donation to a cause, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to:

Stop Homework/Alliance for Childhood
P.O. Box 444
College Park, MD 20741

Be sure to earmark your check for “Stop Homework.” Like many other groups which rely on funding from private foundations, Stop Homework lost half of its funding this year. Your contributions will help ensure the longevity of this project.

My favorite education blogger, Susan Ohanian, recently wrote about a group of New Jersey parents who fought to have recess restored in their community. Their efforts have spread statewide and now there’s a bill pending in the Legislature that would establish a task force to examine whether recess should be required in the state’s elementary schools.

Read about it here.