HOMEWORK AND PARENT INVOLVEMENT-Part 1

TIP OF THE  WEEK-12/4/12
Are you stressed out during homework time? Do your children love doing homework or are they frustrated too? What is the purpose of homework? Does the assignment make sense? Is it even necessary? How about NO HOMEWORK?
IS HOMEWORK NECESSARY?
"Homework is all pain and no gain." according to Alfie Kohn the author of The Homework Myth. Kohn reveals that there are no research studies that  link homework to student achievement; even in high school.
Some schools are banning homework in an effort to assure that learning remains a joy andNOT-according to Mary Jane Cera(academic coordinator at a prvate school in Arizona) "a second shift of work that impedes social time and creative activity."
My grandaughter and I define "social time" differently. I define it as face to face interactions between and among friends. She prefers to text and hang out on Facebook instead of the corner.
I vividly recall, a mere two and a half years ago when I was teaching fifth grade, the expressions of delight on the faces of my students when I announced that there was no homework that night. There were also a few yippees.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF HOMEWORK?
As a teacher, I did not give much homework and never burdened kids with homework on the weekends. As a principal, I advised teachers to do the same and also limit the number of items on each assignment. However, as both a teacher and principal, I did recommend that students read each night.
In the minds of proponents of homework, three purposes

Ask The Principal