New Homework Policy = Time Windfall for Families

The verdict is in: Homework is uncool at Toronto schools – or at least at Toronto District School Board schools. And that means a major time windfall for families.

Just in case you haven't had a chance to take in all the details about the Board's new policy, here's a quick crash course in homework-ology, circa 2008. The rules

•    establish an age at which homework can first be assigned (after kindergarten)
•    spell out the expectation that homework should feel more like play than work while kids are young ("homework assigned in the early grades shall more often take the form of reading, playing a variety of games, having discussions and interactive activities such as building and cooking with the family")
•    make it clear that there's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all homework assignment ("homework should be... differentiated to reflect the unique needs of the child")
•    limit the amount of homework that can be assigned to students at a particular grade level (one hour or less in Grades 7 to 8; two hours or less for high school students), and attempt to safeguard family time by declaring holidays off limits for homework assignments ("No homework shall be assigned on scheduled holidays as outlined in the school year calendar or on days of significance.")

It's about time that homework got this kind of radical makeover, don't you think?

Researchers have been telling us for years that homework isn't worth the kid-effort invested. And when you consider what else kids could be doing with homework time (riding a bike, doing crafts, reading a book, making friends, playing soccer, hanging out with their grandparents, etc.), it's hard to make the case for homework.

Homework can also be stressful. Very stressful. Students and parents have been waving the homework white flag for a number of years, noting that excessive amounts of homework interferes with extra-curricular activities (which also happen to be a fun and educational part of growing up), ramp up the pace of family life, and take away opportunities for spontaneous family fun).

Back in the spring, Education Minister Kathleen Wynne urged school boards across the province to rethink their homework policies in light of a study conducted by the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) which revealed that Ontario students were spending more time on homework than students in other provinces; that homework was being assigned as early as kindergarten; and that this increased emphasis on homework wasn't delivering any measurable benefits to students in terms of learning or grades. Some schools, like Barrie's Prince of Wales Public School, have come out with their own homework policies while they wait for board-wide policies to follow.

If you happen to be a family in a school that's gone homework-free this year, your entire family has been given the gift of an extra 40 minutes a day (the time that your child would otherwise have spent on homework, according to the OISE study). Maybe you can let us know how you plan to use your new-found time windfall....

Comments

[melanie]

Amen & Hallelujah! Or so I would say were this my school district. I have one incredibly academic kid and another who struggles with all aspects in its scope but who excels in observing & relating to others the natural and emotional world around him. The academic kid does well over 1h of homework each night whereas the less academic kid *should* be doing 3 times that just to keep up, so we're told...for a child who begs me to home school him every other week.

Though I understand that teachers are underpaid, unappreciated individuals, and that our current school system is very much a sham in its pushing of students toward inaccessible universities and colleges, I still boycott it in whatever ways I can without compromising my children's educational well-being.

I hope parents who have these extra 40 minutes a day really use them. I write this response in the wake of doing nothing but having 2h to do nothing but have tickle fights and play tug of war with the dog and my sprogs thanks to a PA day and the kids' determination to get their weekend homework done before today.

[Ann Douglas]

Thanks so much for your comment, Melanie.

My son's new school only assigns homework when kids don't do their work at school. That seems to work really well. The kids have an incentive to get the work done at school.

BTW -- I'll definitely be re-visiting this topic again. I have read some more on this topic that indicates to me that this is definitely the right approach (no homework or as little homework as possible).

[Ann Douglas]

Thanks very much, Elaina! I really appreciate the feedback.

One of these days, I'm going to write a post explaining why I love blogging for The Star. Maybe I'll do that on my one year blogiversary.

[Alfred K]

This is hilarious, and does not in any way prepare our youth for the competitive nature of the real world. Are educators and school boards so out of touch with reality that they think the extra 40 minutes of day will be actually spent on quality play time, or a windfall of family time for strengthening family bonds? This extra 40 minutes will likely mean an extra 40 minutes of TV, Xbox, PS3, Wii, or Internet. For families that value a real education for their children, it will mean an extra 40 minutes to devote to successful after-school programs like Spirit of Math, Kumon, Sylvan, etc. Don't worry, I don't mind this policy at all, as it just will make my kids much more competitive against those kids disadvantaged by such policies. Family time is something parents make time for, and will exists when it is a priority regardless of homework. If parents do not value "real" play time or family time, again kids will just be absorbed in brainless activities like TV and video games.

I am sure glad that I grew up in a school system where homework, grades and friendly competition meant something. You think homework is stressful? Wait until your kids hit the real world where being successfully competitive separates those living paycheque to paycheque and others living in luxury.

For some that think that it's funny when you see American children who can barely name the capital cities of major countries, or cannot identify a tomato or a potato - guess who will have the last laugh? Soon this world of mediocrity will be the norm.

It is really sad to see that these policies are being embraced by all those with the wool pulled over their eyes. Teachers who are passionate about teaching know well that what is most broken about education is the education "system". This is far from the priority to be addressed. Good luck to you when you find your kids significantly disadvantaged against kids from emerging markets where competition is the norm.

Could somebody point to independent research that demonstrates the value and benefit of the "no homework" policy? Does anyone know the real longer term effects? And who is doing this research? Teachers who assign no homework of course mark no homework.

Canadians are such sheep!