by Eli Spector, Jr/Sr High Principal
Homework is an incredibly complex topic, and each school has its own philosophy concerning when to issue homework, how much to assign, how to grade different types of work, and—most importantly—why. At FRCS, we want to ground our thinking and practice in research—and this is a topic that has been extensively researched within the field of education.
A quick summary of research findings
We know that the effect and value of homework varies greatly depending on both subject area and grade level. For instance, research consistently shows that math homework improves student outcomes more than history homework does. We also know that homework is more valuable at older grade levels and less valuable at younger grade levels. We know that the value of homework is also directly related to its perceived purpose. If a student views an assignment as busy work, then it is significantly less likely that the assignment will impact student learning (in any way). Similarly, we know that homework is the most valuable when it is seen as low stakes practice for an upcoming higher stakes assessment or evaluation (such as a quiz or test).
We also know that consistently valuable homework results in greater student achievement. A meta-analysis of research around homework confirms that when students consistently engage in valuable practice and academic work outside of the school, they perform better.
Lastly, we know that educators often make wrong assumptions about the nature of homework. The majority of educators assume that homework ought to be independent student work (students should do their assignments without any help). However – this is a flawed concept of homework. Research demonstrates that if parents assist with homework, students will retain the information better, learn more nuance, feel more confident, and talk more with parents about other aspects of school life. So we like it when parents help with homework.
So what is homework like at FRCS Jr/Sr High?
Students can expect to have homework at FRCS. We are not a “homework free” school, but we also solidly reject any policy that would enforce a required amount of time to be spent on homework each night (such as 10 minutes per night per grade level, etc). This is a flawed approach. Rather, students can expect the nature of homework assignments to vary significantly according to the content of the class or subject area. It’s typical to have some regular reading homework – not particularly because it makes students better readers (research would suggest that it doesn’t; rather, students improve in reading when they read and listen together out loud and alongside others), but we assign reading because it is necessary to enable dialogue and exploration of ideas during class time. Students and parents can expect low-stakes math homework that feels like practice in preparation for higher stakes quizzes or exams. Students can also expect an occasional assignment in content areas such as History or Bible or Science – but much of the academic work of these disciplines takes place during class time and homework is less frequent than both reading and math. Lastly, junior high students can expect less homework than high school students, and advanced placement (AP) students can expect the most amount of necessary work outside of school. AP courses cover a scope of material closer to a collegiate level course, and consequently have more independent work required.
If you have questions about our practice or philosophy surrounding homework, feel free to reach out and we will get you in touch with the campus principal for the appropriate division. If you are interested in learning more about homework in general, we’d encourage you to examine the research in the bibliography below. These articles reflect a small sample of research that we have reviewed to inform our philosophy and practices.
Bibliography
Archer, Kathy K. and Olson, Mark. “Practice. Practice. Practice. Do Homework Management Systems Work?” International Journal of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 2018.
Bempechat, Janine. “The Case for Quality Homework.” Education Next, 2019.
Cooper, Harris. “Synthesis of Research on Homework: Grade Level Has a Dramatic Influence on Homework Effectiveness.” Educational Leadership, 1989.
Harris Cooper is regarded as one of the experts within the field concerning homework. In this article, he engages in a meta-analysis and conducts an overview of the research. While a bit dated, we still consider it incredibly relevant to show how homework is valuable (or not) at different grade levels.
Cooper, Harris, et. al. “Does Homework Improve Academic Achievement? A Synthesis of Research, 1987–2003.” Review of Educational Research. 2006.
This is a particularly valuable article and it is extensive. Harris Cooper is probably the strongest advocate for the value of homework within the research landscape, and this research demonstrates how homework does positively impact student achievement. At the same time, Cooper is realistic about the limitations of homework and acknowledges when it no longer seems valuable.
Erdogan, Fatma, et. al. “Investigation of Parents’ Views about Middle School Math Homework” International Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 2021.
Harpaz, Gal and Grinshtain, Yael. “Whose Homework Is it? Different Types of Parents’ Dependent Help-Giving in Homework.” Elementary School Journal. 2023.
Naz, Farah et. al. “A Study of Secondary School Teachers Practices Regarding Homework” The Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 2021.
Patall, Erika, et. al. “Parent Involvement in Homework:A Research Synthesis.” Review of Educational Research. 2008
Erika Patall has worked closely with Harris Cooper over many years. In this article, Erika explores how parent involvement in homework can be a really good and positive thing.
