DISTRICT 101 HOMEWORK POLICY RECOMMENDATION (Draft)
Rationale For This Recommendation
The District’s hosting of the movie Race To Nowhere, coupled with our on-going work to
improve the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) environment for all of our students, brought us
to review how consistent our current homework practices and policies are with today’s best
practice research on the issue.
Purpose
The research-based purposes for homework are to:
* Provide additional time to deepen student understanding of a specific learning concept
* Build rote memorization and automaticity
* Develop a regular communication tool between families and school
* Improve academic behaviors that enhance academic achievement
Time Expectations By Grade-Level
Grades K-2: 0-30 minutes per night
Grades 3-5: 30-60 minutes per night
Grades 6-8: 60-90 minutes per night
Research is clear that the positive impact of homework has diminishing returns for junior high
and elementary students beyond 90 minutes in any single session. Nightly minutes spent on
homework are inclusive of students’ time spent studying for tests; however, the expectation
would be that students would not devote all time preparing for a test to only the evening
preceding that assessment.
Homework is not to be assigned over extended breaks for any grade, K-8 (Thanksgiving Break,
Winter Break, or Spring Break). Long-term assignments may be addressed and worked on by
the student, if needed, over a break. These long-term assignments should not be due, however,
immediately following the return from an extended break.
It is also recommended that homework not be given to K-5 students over a weekend, or for
any student K-8 on “special” weekends (BLT Weekend for seventh-graders, Family-oriented
holidays such as Mother’s Day, etc.) These decisions are at the discretion of the teacher.
Recommendations for Homework Completion
Since both causal model studies (11 of 12 studies reviewed) and correlation model studies
(27 of 35 studies reviewed) link time spent on homework to greater positive achievement, we
recommend the use of the following guidelines when completing work at home:
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A designated area should be defined in the home to be used on a daily basis.
A specific time frame, free from distractions, should be set aside daily for work
completion.
When possible, the student’s work area should be located in a common area
within the home.
Students should independently complete work to the best of their ability. If
students are unable to complete the assignment independently, assistance
may be given. Parents are not expected to be “experts” in curricular content;
rather their primary role is to help and oversee the greatest degree of homework
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completion.
Parents should notify the classroom teacher if their son or daughter is
consistently spending more time than the grade level time expectations or if the
homework continually proves too difficult to independently complete successfully.
HOMEWORK SHOULD...
HOMEWORK SHOULD NOT BE...
Reinforce the curriculum, deepening the
understanding of a focused topic.
Used as a punishment or reward.
Define expectations clearly for students.
Work that does not deepen the understanding
of the curriculum. (busy work, such as: word
searches, coloring, etc.)
Result in timely feedback from the teacher for
student growth.
Defined by the quantity of work, but rather the
quality of the work assigned.
Be engaging, purposeful, relevant, and
provide students an opportunity to apply
information they have learned.
Completed by parents. (However, assistance
can be given when a student reaches a point
of sustained frustration.)
Research Summary
This homework policy recommendation is the culmination of a review and synthesis of the
following research conducted by the District 101 Staff Senate during the 2011-12 school year.
Resources
“Research Spotlight on Homework.” NEA Reviews of Research on Best Practices in Education.
2012. National Education Association. <http://www.nea.org/tools/16938.htm>. Web. 6 February
2012.
A Teacher’s Guide to Homework Tips of Parents. U. S. Department of Education. <http://
www2.ed.gov/teachers/how/parents/homework-tips/edlite-index.html >. PowerPoint Web. 6
February 2012.
Armes, Cory. “The Great Homework Debate: Is Homework Helpful or Harmful to Students?” The
Science of Learning Blog. 13 September 2011. Scientific Learning. <http://www.scilearn.com/
blog/homework-debate-is-homework-helpful-or-harmful.php>. Web. 6 February 2012.
Chaika, Glori. “Help! Homework is Wrecking my HomeLife!” Education World. 2006. Education
World. <http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin182.shtml>. Web. 6 February
2012.
Cooper, Harris. Homework: What the Research Says. 2008. National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics. <http://www.nctm.org/uploadedFiles/Research_News_and_Advocacy/Research/
Clips_and_Briefs/Brief%20-%20Homework%20What%20Res earch%20Says.pdf>. Web. 6
February 2012.
Cushman, Kathleen. Show Us What Homework’s For. Giving Students Meaningful Work. Pages
74-78. September 2010. Educational Leadership. ASCD. <http://www.ascd.org/publications/
educational-leadership/sept10/vol68/num01/Show-Us-What-Homework%27s-For.aspx>. Web. 6
February 2012.
Frey, Nancy; Fisher, Douglas. High-Quality Homework. October 2011. Principal
Leadership. <https://docs.google.com/a/d101.org/file/d/
0B65kRu9jJIqyZjRhNWFiYWQtN2RlMC00YzVkLWIxYTEtNDViZWYxM2Q4MWRk/edit?
hl=en_US>. Web. 5 February 2012.
Gill, Brian and Schlossman, Steven L. A Nation at Rest: The American Way of Homework.
Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis. Fall 2003, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 319–337. <http://
hss.cmu.edu/history/docs/schlossman/A-Nation-at-Rest.pdf>. Web. 6 February 2012.
Harris Cooper, Jorgianne Civey Robinson, and Erika A. Patall. “Does homework improve
academic achievement?” A synthesis of research, 1987-2003. Review of Educational Research.
2006, vol.76: 1-62. <http://rer.sagepub.com/content/76/1/1.abstract>. Web. 6 February 2012.
Homework: is it worth it? Mempowered. < http://www.memory-key.com/improving/strategies/
children/homework>. Web. 6 February 2012.
Kohn, Alfie. “The Truth About Homework. Needless Assignments Persist Because of
Widespread Misconceptions about Learning.” Education Week. 6 September 2006. Alfie Kohn.
<http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/edweek/homework.htm>. Web. 6 February 2012.
Marzano and Pickering. "Educational Leadership- Special Topic/The Case For and Against
Homework." Educational Leadership Mar. 2007. Print.
Marzano, Robert J., Debra Pickering, and Jane E. Pollock. Classroom Instruction That Works:
Research-based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2005. Print.
Moorman, Chick and Haller, Thomas. Synthesis of Research Findings on Homework. 17
November 2011. Dr. Jane Bluestein, I.S.S. Publications. <http://www.janebluestein.com/articles/
hw_research.html>. Web. 6 February 2012.
Ramdass, Darshanand and Zimmerman, Barry. Developing Self-Regulation Skills: The
Important Role of Homework. Journal of Advanced Academics. February 2011 vol. 22 no. 2
194-218. < http://joa.sagepub.com/citmgr?gca=spjoa;22/2/194>. Web. 6 February 2012.
Vatterott, Cathy. Making Homework Central to Learning. 2012. University
of Illinois. <https://docs.google.com/a/d101.org/viewer?
a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B65kRu9jJIqyMzA5ZjM0MGQtOGQ4NC00YTJlLTg4Z
mYtMzdiNmMxY2ZiNzhi&hl=en_US>. Web. 6 February 2012.
What research says about the value of homework: Research review. 5 February 2007. The
Center for Public Education. <http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Instruction/
What-research-says-about-the-value-of-homework-At-a-glance/What-research-says-about-thevalue-of-homework-Research-review.html>. Web. 6 February 2012.