Also a teacher, I give my elementary classes honor work because they like being responsible and because either helps them. They also like to do the work at home so their parents can see what they’ve learned. FCPS, and public school in general, get so many things wrong.

Long time upper elementary school teacher here. I give homework and always have. It matters, especially to kids who are learning English and need it. My class routinely makes 70-100% more growth than the rest of FCPS does on iReady tests and on district unit assessments. Students from my class tend to grow several years in reading and math in the iReady test because they complete more work that their peers do on a daily basis. It’s sad to see people think that you cannot get ahead by working harder than. everyone else.

Anonymous wrote:I don't have a child in FFX but my coworker just claimed that kids are "not allowed to be given homework in FFX county as a matter of district policy because it negatively disadvantages minority kids." I find that highly improbable, but I would love to know. He gets on my nerves for a host of other reasons, so I'd really like to prove him wrong.

I teach at an elementary school, in an upper grade, that is entirely “minority kids”. I give homework. It is work that the child should be able to accomplish independently.

Our school had DC given weekly homework for math, vocabulary, prefix/suffix, reading comprehension questions, social studies questions, science questions, spelling in some earlier grades, fixit sentences, essays, projects, presentations, etc. It was particularly heavy in the earlier years.

Ours has had lots of homework since Grade 1 onward.

Anonymous wrote:No one was saying HW isn’t useful. Just that it doesn’t count as a grade. Of course it’s useful.

Maybe in middle or upper high school but not in elementary. And that’s been proven to be true repeatedly.

It’s school and teacher dependent. DCs have ever since started kindergarten. ES DC has both online and worksheets assigned to do after school everyday. MS DC has a lot more daily, 12~15 school homework for nearly every subjects just for spring break.

No one was saying HW isn’t useful. Just that it doesn’t count as a grade. Of course it’s useful.