Homework Guidelines

Recent reports on excellence in education recommend that teachers increase the amount of homework they assign and that school administrators establish demanding homework requirements. According to Paulu (1995), children who spend more time on homework, on average, do better academically than children who don’t, and the academic benefits of homework increase in the upper grades. These guidelines are designed to keep St. Thomas More School students competitive with their academic peers, and to promote a positive experience that will help our students learn.

How Can I Help My Child with Homework?
Parents who supervise homework learn more about their children’s education and about the school. An electronic publication is available through the U.S. Department of Education at http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/hyc.html that will give parents specific information about homework and can be used to bring parents and children closer together and strengthen the bond between home and school. Parents should be familiar with individual teachers’ homework policies and help their children get the most out of homework by:
• Avoid doing homework for your child. Doing homework for a child sends a
     message that he or she is incapable of doing the work and that perfection is the
     main objective. It also denies your child the opportunity to develop skills and gain
     understanding from the experience. Remember that doing homework should help
     children plan, manage, and complete work on their own.
• Exhibit a positive attitude in word and deed that homework is important and
     education comes first. For many, resistance to doing homework is a source of
     conflict in the home. For help in reducing the conflict, see
     “Hassle free homework: A six week plan for parents and children to take the
       pain out of homework” by Cecil Clark.
• Encourage (insist!) that you child have an assignment notebook.
• Discuss homework assignments with children to become familiar with what they
     are studying. Talk about the topic of an essay before the child begins to write, and
     do short quizzes to prepare for a test.
• Limit after-school activities to allow time for homework and family activities.
• Limit telephone use.
• Provide a quiet spot away from the TV, telephone or other distracting elements.
• Plan a homework schedule. Make sure that your child is rested, not hungry, and
     has had time to wind down after school (Herold, 1999).
• Staying nearby reading, writing or catching up on paperwork keeps you available,
     but does not impose your way of doing something on your child.
• Check completed assignments and review homework that has been marked and
     returned. Avoid negative comments to your child and contact the teacher if your
     child consistently has a problem.

How Much Homework is Reasonable?
Guidelines for homework amounts appear in the St. Thomas More School
Parent/ Student Handbook. In addition, the National Parent–Teacher Association
and the National Education Association recommend the following amounts:

• Kindergarten - 3rd grade: Up to 20 minutes each day.
• 4th - 6th grade: 20-60 minutes each day.
• 7th - 12th grade: Generally up to 2 hours, but recommendations vary according to
the type and number of subjects a student is taking.

Every child in grades 1-8 is required to have an assignment book. St. Thomas More School sells full size assignment notebooks at a nominal cost. Classroom teachers can arrange for this purchase.

It will take some students longer than others to complete assignments. Research studies have shown that students with low test scores who spend substantial time on homework get grades as good as higher ability students who spend less time. Students who have good attention and concentration skills often finish homework quickly. They usually listen so well in class that they have learned much of what they need to know already. It is said that students who listen carefully to what teachers are saying can cut their study time by 45%.

How Useful is Homework?
The literature examining the relationship between homework and academic achievement is basically inconclusive. No studies have been able to control the many variables that affect this relationship. However, some recent studies have uncovered a more positive relationship between homework & student performance. For example:
• Increased homework time resulted in higher grades for high school seniors of all
     ability levels. Moreover, through increased study, lower ability students achieved
     grades commensurate with those of brighter students.
• One or two hours of homework a day were associated with the highest levels of
     reading performance for 13-year-olds. For 17-year-olds, reading performance
     increased as the amount of time spent on homework increased. Students spending
     more than two hours a night on homework showed the highest performance levels.
     8 Schools that assigned homework frequently showed higher student achievement
     levels than schools that made little use of homework.

Practical Help for Parents
• Keep a milk carton or container near to the front door. All bookbags and materials
     go into the container after school and are placed back in the container after
     homework is complete. Parents can place lunch bags, gym clothes, and notes to
     teachers in the container so that all school items are in the same place ready to go!
• Monitor TV viewing.
• Give praise. People of all ages like to be told they have done a good job.
• Trust that STM staff want to help your child. Trusting the teachers’ & administrator’s
     judgment sends your child the message that parents and school are in harmony.
• Do not express negative feelings about an assignment in front of your child. Your
     child will cue from you. Rather, call the teacher so that he/she can provide you with
     more information.
• Accept that each child is a unique individual. No two children will complete
     open-ended homework assignments in the same way, and no two children will
     complete rote assignments in the same amount of time. If you have a problem or
     question about your child’s homework load or grades, call the teacher,
     not another parent.
• Study sessions can be as much fun as play sessions if parents monitor
     the time and events.
• Do not expect perfection from your child (and we won’t either!). Parents should
     develop a climate of thought at home that encourages self-worth, risk-taking, and
     freedom to make mistakes.
• Express positive and clear expectations to your child, and - here comes the hard
     part - stick to them!

Homework needs to be part of your child’s intellectual world - a world in which adults encourage and respond to child self-expression, initiation, and evaluation with the adult and child sharing decision-making, responsibility, and leadership.

Parenting is hard work. God bless each of you.

SAR 9/2000