Currently, there seems to be acute disparities in the amount of homework students receive. Depending on the grade, these assignments may vary between 15-120 minutes each night, which causes not only the students, but also their parents, much stress and frustration. This inconsistency can result in children feeling they are being unduly “punished” when they receive substantially more homework than their peers. Homework is a valuable tool to reinforce classroom instruction, so long as students understand its purpose and value, and are not being overly burdened. Therefore, I believe we should start a conversation about creating a universal meaningful homework policy for our district. This type of policy is either in the process of being implemented, or has already been implemented with overwhelmingly positive results, in several other nearby districts including Lexington, Concord, Winchester and Newton.
The following articles resonated with me, as they provide a nice springboard to take this discussion to the next level.