fbpx
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
    • Get Home Delivery
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Customer Support
    • Submit A News Tip
    • Where’s My Paper?
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
  • Movie Night Gift Subscription
Hudson Valley One
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
Hudson Valley One
No Result
View All Result

Is homework worthwhile?

by Dawn Green
April 2, 2016
in Education
0

homework SQGenerations of students have had not-so-nice things to say about the homework that keeps them at the kitchen table when they’d rather be out running and playing with friends.

Perhaps, according to some recent science, they were on to something.

A number of studies have found that homework, particularly at the elementary level, does not does not improve a student’s understanding or test scores. Alfie Kohn, author of a host of books on education including “The Homework Myth,” says, “There is no evidence of any benefit of any kind of homework before high school. There are ways of helping kids to be organized in ways appropriate for their age level without making academics spill into the evening hours.” According to a Brookings Brown Center on Education study released in March, the amount of homework assigned to elementary students has increased in the past 20 years.

Although there are benefits found for homework in junior high and high school, Duke University Professor and author of “The Battle over Homework,” Harris Cooper, finds that there is a point of diminishing returns. Anything over 90 minutes in junior high and over two hours in high school contributes to a negative perception of schoolwork.

A Stanford study published in The Journal of Experimental Education in 2013 showed that homework in excess of two hours a night caused undue stress and sleep deprivation, and curbed the ability for teens to meet their developmental needs, such as socialization.

Some schools are doing something about it. Hamilton Elementary School in Chicago, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, has instituted a homework ban for students through second grade this year in an attempt to foster a love of learning. In 2011, the school board in Galloway, New Jersey banned teachers from assigning written homework to elementary students over the weekend.

Although the Saugerties Board of Education policy on homework is not on that track, nor does it mention the length of time students should be working, it does maintain that it should be appropriate to the level of the student. The policy states, “The Board of Education accepts the principle that homework, when properly planned and appropriately assigned, is an essential means of reinforcing learning and developing responsibility in the child. Homework should be so planned that it reflects the kind of work done in class, the learning objectives that have been defined, and the efforts being made to develop independence in carrying out learning tasks appropriate to the age and grade of students.”

Some parents say the introduction of the Common Core curriculum has made it more difficult to ensure that the level of homework assigned is appropriate. Jacqueline Deitz Clegg, whose son is in elementary school, says the standardization in the Common Core curriculum has made the homework her son takes home easier than is appropriate for him. She says he is done in minutes and it is not challenging him.

On the other hand, Lisa Bolden, whose child is in fifth grade, says, “the amount of homework is fine but with Common Core math I have to sometimes ‘YouTube’ a how-to video on some of the math so I can assist my son.” Bolden also says fifth graders are required to read two chapter books at the same time, which can be challenging for those with comprehension issues. She said that Mt. Marion offers after-school homework support three times a week, which has been helpful.

Join the family! Grab a free month of HV1 from the folks who have brought you substantive local news since 1972. We made it 50 years thanks to support from readers like you. Help us keep real journalism alive.
- Geddy Sveikauskas, Publisher
Previous Post

Colors in the sky

Next Post

The New Paltz Village Zoning Board of Appeals will hear 2 Mohonk Avenue appeal

Dawn Green

Related Posts

Turning the Covid corner
Education

School districts need to spend wisely and quickly before the money runs out

March 20, 2023
Administrators present Kingston School Board with five preliminary budget options
Education

Administrators present Kingston School Board with five preliminary budget options

March 17, 2023
New Paltz School District gets creative, juggles state aid, tax cap numbers
Education

New Paltz School District gets creative, juggles state aid, tax cap numbers

March 17, 2023
As part of a blindness awareness presentation, Saugerties teacher introduces her brother and his seeing-eye dog Tanner to her class
Community

As part of a blindness awareness presentation, Saugerties teacher introduces her brother and his seeing-eye dog Tanner to her class

March 15, 2023
Area school districts contemplate shift from diesel to electric bus fleets
Education

Area school districts contemplate shift from diesel to electric bus fleets

March 14, 2023
New Paltz parents want more classroom time for children
Education

Census Bureau reveals decline in school enrollment, local districts deeply impacted

March 13, 2023
Next Post

The New Paltz Village Zoning Board of Appeals will hear 2 Mohonk Avenue appeal

Trending News

  • Missing hiker found dead at Mohonk Preserve 6.7k views
  • A wild night of karaoke in Kingston 2.9k views
  • Update: Homicide investigation underway in Newburgh 1.4k views
  • Ulster County is running out of phone numbers, new area code introduced 1.1k views
  • Popular Hudson Valley roller rink gets new life thanks to local popcorn makers 1k views
  • Citing safety concerns, Woodstock opposes gas station at the corner of Basin Road and Route 28 782 views

Weather

Kingston
◉
52°
Mostly Cloudy
6:55 am7:10 pm EDT
Feels like: 50°F
Wind: 6mph S
Humidity: 56%
Pressure: 30.19"Hg
UV index: 0
ThuFriSat
61/37°F
54/34°F
41/39°F
Weather forecast Kingston, New York ▸

Subscribe

Independent. Local. Substantive. Subscribe now.

  • Subscribe & Support
  • Sign up for Free Newsletter
  • Print Edition
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
  • Movie Night Gift Subscription

© 2022 Ulster Publishing

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Podcast
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Contact Us
    • Customer Support
    • Advertise
    • Submit A News Tip
  • Print Edition
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
    • Where’s My Paper
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Log In
  • Free HV1 Trial

© 2022 Ulster Publishing