homework practices

Website overview

This is simply a site to house some research documents to assist those interested in having a conversation about effective homework practices. The goal for all of us should be to learn more but also, encourage more professional development on this topic.

Question

What is the purpose of homework in your school? Have you ever asked that question? If you haven't, you should. If you know your purpose, have you ever monitored it to determine if that purpose is being served?

General themes of my 2021 study to help schools improve homework practices

My study was limited to middle schools in the Shawnee Region of the Illinois Principals Association. Therefore, I cannot conclusively say these results or themes would be consistent throughout this state or in any other state. However, based on my literature review and localized study, it would not shock me to find numerous schools that would benefit from considering these themes.

Theme #1 - Districts and schools need an umbrella, policy, framework (choose your word) to guide homework practices by teachers. Not doing so is the equivalent of driving on a road or playing on a court with no lines. How do you know what the boundaries are? How do you ensure new staff adheres to best practices? How can you maintain consistency? This framework should also be based on research-based practices and not personal beliefs about homework.

Theme #2 - Professional development for educators is sorely needed! Very few educators receive any in-depth training on homework research or practices. Most are never even exposed to the research and rarely discussed the topic in college. Likewise, few educators will see homework training conducted in their schools or at the regional, state, or national level. In the short term, we need to educate ourselves, but we need to demand this P.D. be provided.

Theme #3 - A system of monitoring homework needs to be in place! The educational world is full of data and we have heard about "data-driven decisions" for years. Therefore, the question has to be asked, "what is the data on your homework practices?" Maybe you have a policy or some "rules" in your handbook. Maybe your school has many unwritten rules that are discussed and everyone knows. Is having those enough though? How do you know if teachers are following the framework or unwritten rules? How do you know if the homework is aligned with instruction? How do you know if homework is adding to achievement? How do you know how long it is taking families to complete it at night and what supports exist or don't exist for some families?