Douglas School is NOT a School with No Homework. There are times
that homework is a necessary part of learning a skill or a concept.
Homework is assigned when it is absolutely necessary. If homework is
NECESSARY it is based on the learning of the student or students at that
time. Classroom and Special Education teachers are experts at
identifying the edge of children's understanding and prescribing the
work necessary to move a student forward. This will look different
between classrooms and between children. It is true that our norm has
moved from nightly homework to no homework unless absolutely necessary.
International
studies that compare levels of homework, and our own efforts to
decrease homework at Douglas in the past years, have shown that, in
elementary school, there is no positive achievement in any subject for
students who have any level of homework. In fact, the only correlation
is between increased homework and negative attitude toward school. Most
students get everything they need to learn a skill or concept in their 6
hours in school. The added homework does not improve this.
Homework
also doesn't teach time management - parents and teachers teach time
management and it can be taught without homework. Our Administration, in
coordination with the Jr. High Administration, agree that 6th grade
teachers do not need to teach children how to organize themselves for
the Jr. High. 6th grade (and each other grade K-5) prepare for the next
grade by teaching the skills and concepts assigned to their own grade.
The Jr. High receives students from 6 different elementary schools, with
6 different homework approaches (as a district we are just beginning to
address this topic), the 7th grade teachers carefully teach children
how to organize and manage their evenings for 7th grade homework (and
they approaching this more as a team this year than they ever have
before). There are some students who are good at organization and some
who are not. This has little to do with the school from which they've
come.
There is no simple way to know how this will work except
to try. Teachers and I will be keeping a close watch on student
achievement. We will keep you apprised of changes. As always, I am
available for questions or further discussion.