In The Case Against Homework, there are dozens of sample letters to teachers and administrators which you can use as a jumping off point (or copy verbatim) for your own letter to your child’s teacher. Today, I am posting a very lengthy letter by Diane Hewlett-Lowrie, whose comments and letters I have posted before, hereContinue reading “Moms (and Dads) on a Mission: More from Plumsted, New Jersey”
Category Archives: Resources
The Trouble With Packaged Reading Programs
I know lots of schools use packaged, mandatory reading programs. Here’s a great opinion piece from the Los Angeles Times by a children’s librarian explaining the problems with those types of programs. (Thanks to this parent who alerted me to the piece.) Reading shouldn’t be a numbers game Applying numerical ratings to books does nothingContinue reading “The Trouble With Packaged Reading Programs”
Washington Post Reporter Admits that Many Students Study Algebra Before They’re Ready
In a piece called, Recalculating the 8th-Grade Algebra Rush, Washington Post education reporter Jay Mathews admits that he has second thoughts about pushing all math students into algebra by 8th grade. The reason: a new study by the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution, which found that almost 1/3 of the studentsContinue reading “Washington Post Reporter Admits that Many Students Study Algebra Before They’re Ready”
New Survey: 43 Percent of Parents Have Done Their Kids’ Homework
In a survey conducted by AskKids and released in late August, 43 percent of parents admitted to having done their kids’ homework. According to the Los Angeles Times, here’s what the survey found: Forty-three percent of parents queried in a survey this month admit to doing their children’s homework at least once to ease theContinue reading “New Survey: 43 Percent of Parents Have Done Their Kids’ Homework”
New Study: Piling on Homework Doesn’t Work
According to a study released in mid-August by researchers at Binghamton University and the University of Nevada, math homework may not be useful for average achieving students. While it may help high and low achievers, homework for the bulk of students is a waste of time. Here’s what the press release states: Published in theContinue reading “New Study: Piling on Homework Doesn’t Work”
New York City Begins Standardized Testing of Kindergartners
New York City has come up with a new plan–to give standardized tests, some as long as 90 minutes, to kindergartners. Earlier this week, the New York Daily News ran my op-ed opposing the idea. Mayor’s plan fails our kids BY SARA BENNETT Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to give standardized tests to students in kindergarten throughContinue reading “New York City Begins Standardized Testing of Kindergartners”
Another Scholastic Survey Finds Kids Don’t Do Enough Pleasure Reading
According to a survey released today by Scholastic, many children in the USA are too busy, too distracted and, in some cases, too tired to read books for fun. Schoolwork, homework and the inability to find a book they like keeps most children from doing more than their required school reading. The findings are similarContinue reading “Another Scholastic Survey Finds Kids Don’t Do Enough Pleasure Reading”
Lectures for Thought
Recently, I’ve been watching the lectures posted on ted.com. TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, is an annual conference that brings “together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes).” The one by Jill Bolte Taylor, a brain researcher who watched herContinue reading “Lectures for Thought”
Under Pressure and Coloring Outside the Lines
Before I wrote The Case Against Homework, I rarely corresponded with authors about their books and ideas. But since the publication of my book, I’ve heard from thousands of readers and I’ve been inspired to write to other authors as well. Last week, I exchanged books with Carl Honore, author of Under Pressure: Rescuing OurContinue reading “Under Pressure and Coloring Outside the Lines”
Hooray for Toronto, Canada
The Toronto School Board has just implemented the best homework policy I’ve seen. The policy, which will affect close to 300,000 students, focuses on quality, not quantity, suggests that homework in the early grades be limited to reading, talks at length about the value of family time, and recommends that all homework assignments be differentiated.Continue reading “Hooray for Toronto, Canada”
Stop Homework 