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I'd like to share several different perspectives on homework that may inform the work we do with our schools. "Meaningful homework should be purposeful, efficient, personalized, doable, and inviting. Most important, students must be able to freely communicate with teachers when they struggle with homework, knowing they can admit that they don't understand a task-and can do so without penalty." As recently as last year, I found myself comforting special ed students who simply could not handle the volume of homework, some crying out of fear of disappointing their ELA teacher (who would immediately send a "missing homework" email to the parent). I worked hard on homework accommodations for these students, but their feelings of inadequacy were fueled by a lack of teacher understanding of their needs -- a focus on deficits as opposed to strengths, and an unwillingness to offer differentiated assignments.

Check out the "Alternatives to Homework" and "Homework Advice from Students" at the end of the doc. [Ch.8 from Fires in the Mind]

A different perspective than the previous article, this one reminds me of some of the issues raised in the movie, "Race to Nowhere."

What if...a teacher "flipped" students' learning experience so the lecture/mini-lesson happened at home or outside of school time, and homework --applied learning -- happened in the classroom? How could a parent participate in this process? We may not be there yet (especially due to internet access issues), but we're on our way!