The latest trend in school reform is the call by some educators to eliminate homework from the daily grammar of schooling. Alfie Kohn, in his book, The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of Bad Thing,” summarizes the research findings on the effects homework has on student achievement, which, in his words, is “all pain and no gain.” Other studies that have looked at the assignment of homework describe the social and emotional fallout that occurs in homes where parents and their children engage in the daily struggle over the when and how of completing homework assignments.
The question that is never asked is the why of the assignments. When parents, school administrators, or teachers are questioned on the why of assigning homework, they will respond with one or more of the following debunked whys of homework policies.
- Homework teaches valued work habits;
- Homework increases student achievement;
- Homework provides the practice necessary to master skills;
- Homework offers students an option to earn additional points for a higher grade.
Even when parents, school administrators, and teachers are confronted with research debunking a popular why of daily homework assignments, the practice of assigning homework has become the norm for judging effective schools and effective teaching. The only fly-in homework ointment occurred during COVID when parents observed up close and personal the mindlessness of the homework assignments their children were asked to complete. The typical homework assignment appeared to be afterthoughts at the end of class that sounded something like this: “OK, class, do all the even problems on page ____;” “That was the bell, finish reading the chapter and do the five-chapter review questions.;” “Finish the review sheet I handed out at the beginning of class.” All of these off-the-cuff assignments lack the fundamentals of a carefully designed homework assignment and, as parents noted during COVID, just appear to be “busy work” with little or no instructional value. Although the research offers mixed conclusions about the value of homework, all the research is clear about the following elements of an effective homework assignment: assignments are engaging; the purpose of the assignment is clearly understood; tasks are clearly explained; the assignment is related to course content; the product format is varied and clearly explained; the assignment asks the student to think deeply about questions that matter; assigned activities are particularly suited to the home.
I recently finished a book titled, “Standout School Leaders: Connecting the Dots.” The book is published by Corwin and will be out in March. The theme of the book is the qualities of school leaders who are not only good at managing their schools well but are also leading their schools in doing the right things. The establishment of a research-based stance on the assignment of homework is a prime example of an administrator who stands out from their colleagues in doing the right thing.
Alan C. Jones 