The thing is that not all parents are using time after school to create compost bins. Some families (children and adults) won't reinforce what's learned in school unless it's a requirement (i.e. homework). It's just the reality. And no school or teacher will say "Larla, your parents take you to museums and build compost bins after school--no homework for you. Larlo, your parents let you stay up late to watch TV and play video games--you need to do math and reading homework tonight."

And there is time after school for both reinforcing what's being taught in school (homework) and building a compost bin. The two are not mutually exclusive.

As long as homework is in fact reinforcement of what's being learned in school then it's valuable and can he considered parental involvement if done together or even if a parent just checks it when it's done. The parent is involved in creating a home-school partnership, which is important for children to see.

Anonymous wrote:

No - school is for school. Home time is for family values. And please repeat with me again: research shows no benefit for early elementary homework.

Repeat after me: You're an idiot.

Your precious research has found that low social economic children do not do as well in school as others. Why? Because researchers have found parental involvement directly influences students grades... like homework.

Actually the most recent research shows parental involvement in homework does not improve grades. And there is no evidence supporting early elementary homework.

Anonymous wrote:Why do you people care whether other parents have their kids do homework or not? You sound like children yourselves. Mind your own business.

Exactly! Focus on your family and the things you control/influence over.

Here is what I don't understand, because my child is not in school yet, if the homework is so simple to be meaningless, can't it be completed very quickly?

As someone who had to make a paper mâché map of Vermont in fourth grade, it seems to me that meaningless homework projects have been around for a long time.

Anonymous wrote:

The Principal asks the kids to read for 30 minutes each evening instead. This takes things the school can't control -- home environment -- out of the instructional and grading equations -- and levels the playing field just a bit more.

Two ways to close the achievement gap: from the top or from the bottom. Guess we know which way this one works.

I don't think that the principal of Gaithersburg ES said to the parents, "You are not allowed to do any academic work with your child at home besides having the child read for 30 minutes, and if you do it anyway, your child will be expelled."

Two ways to close the achievement gap: from the top or from the bottom. Guess we know which way this one works.

This is sucks. It will dumb everyone down.

The Principal asks the kids to read for 30 minutes each evening instead. This takes things the school can't control -- home environment -- out of the instructional and grading equations -- and levels the playing field just a bit more.

Two ways to close the achievement gap: from the top or from the bottom. Guess we know which way this one works.

Anonymous wrote:

No - school is for school. Home time is for family values. And please repeat with me again: research shows no benefit for early elementary homework.

Repeat after me: You're an idiot.

Your precious research has found that low social economic children do not do as well in school as others. Why? Because researchers have found parental involvement directly influences students grades... like homework.

Parental involvement helps, but homework doesn't. Many lower income kids don't have a parent home in the evening at all to help with anything, much less homework. They are often out working a different shift job. They may not speak English. They may have chronic health issues. They may be trying to figure out how to feed their kids, and certainly homework is a lower priority than that. Gaithersburg Elementary, with an 83% FARMS rate, eliminated all homework three years ago. The Principal asks the kids to read for 30 minutes each evening instead. This takes things the school can't control -- home environment -- out of the instructional and grading equations -- and levels the playing field just a bit more.

The type of parental involvement that helps kids much more than a parent helping or overseeing homework is reading to and with them, exposing kids to enrichment activities like museums, music lessons, doing other home learning activities, and guiding exposure to media, etc. A kid is going to learn a lot more, and a lot better, if you help her build a compost bin and use it, than she would doing a worksheet on the environment. And if a family has limited time at home, and chooses the compost bin over the worksheet, then I think that's a wise choice.

I don't think anyone on here is talking about NEVER doing homework. But I think many recognize that it doesn't have real value in the early grades. And depending on whatever the family's priorities are for a particular evening, homework may not be one of them.

Ok. I suppose that works as long as your family never interrupts school time for a vacation, and your kids are 100% involved in their lessons at school. Well rested, prepared to be there and learn etc, well behaved etc. You know, so none of school time is wasted due to family time.

This is brilliantly said!!!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The homework for my second grader in MCPS usually consists of math equations and writing. I don't think it is a waste of time.

it should be done in school.

Homework is reinforcement of what's being done in school. It allows people to see what and how their kids are doing with what's being taught during the school day.

Or is it that you're just too lazy to ensure that your kids do the homework? You must be one of those parents who think that all parenting responsibilities should be provided by school staff between 9am and 3pm daily so that you can "enjoy" your evenings.

+100

Plus, who are these people to presume to know so much better than the teacher what's necessary or not?

No - school is for school. Home time is for family values. And please repeat with me again: research shows no benefit for early elementary homework.

Ok. I suppose that works as long as your family never interrupts school time for a vacation, and your kids are 100% involved in their lessons at school. Well rested, prepared to be there and learn etc, well behaved etc. You know, so none of school time is wasted due to family time.

No - school is for school. Home time is for family values. And please repeat with me again: research shows no benefit for early elementary homework.

Repeat after me: You're an idiot.

Your precious research has found that low social economic children do not do as well in school as others. Why? Because researchers have found parental involvement directly influences students grades... like homework.

Home time is for family values.

Our family values must be different from yours--that is, if you mean telling the kids it is all right to skip homework.

Also, doing the 15 minutes of homework with my son helps me to understand what he is doing in school, and ensure that he understands the material. It isn't like he's going to bring that up in conversation, or even answer many questions about it.

No - school is for school. Home time is for family values. And please repeat with me again: research shows no benefit for early elementary homework.

I don't even know what you mean by the bolded part. I really don't think that 15 minutes of homework is interfering with my 5 year old son incorporating our family's values and belief system, if that is what you intended to refer to. I do think it helps him - he has a lot of trouble writing letters and numbers backwards. Therefore, even if the substance of the assignments aren't new or useful, practice writing his letters and numbers has helped him improve in that area.

With a first grader, doing homework IS family time. It lets the parents know what the kid is doing in school.