Should kids be doing homework? Public schools in Chicago and a private school in California have opposite views on the subject.
At the Stone Academic Academy in Rogers Park, Principal Denise Winter was so concerned about the homework debate that she wrote parents in a recent school newsletter: “Everyone is asking, `Are we giving too much or too little?’ “
Winter supports the Chicago Board of Education policy that requires homework for its students. She says homework builds character, sharpens skills and helps parents stay in touch with what’s going on at school.
First-grade teacher Rita Federman describes Stone Academy’s setup: “We give four nights a week of homework, every night except Fridays.” The daily homework covers all subject areas, and there are even assignments after field trips. “There are only six hours a day for kids to learn in school, so it’s additional practice. And it’s also to build a sense of responsibility into the kids.”
But at the private Beacon School in Oakland, Calif., kids in grades K-4 get no homework at all. (They gradually start getting homework after that.) Founder and Principal Thelma Farley estimates that fewer than 5 percent of all schools nationwide have a similar policy .
Why no homework? “Homework takes place at the end of the day when the student is tired,” Beacon’s official policy states. “Working beyond fatigue level does not allow the student to be sufficiently refreshed and focused for new learning.”
Griffin L., 9, a 3rd grader there, agrees – to a point: “Sometimes when I’m really tired, I’m glad I don’t have homework,” he says. “But most of the time when I’m bored, I wish I had homework. Then I’d have something to do.”
And in Griffin’s case, there’s another catch to the no-homework situation – a big catch. “My school’s all-year round,” he says.
