Homework: How to help your school get it right

There is no doubt about it, homework plays a vital role in your child's education. It's critical that you stay involved and informed. Here are some things parents should expect from the teachers:

The right amount of homework should be assigned. Research suggests students should get about 10 minutes of homework each night for each grade (10 minutes for 1st grade, 20 for 2nd, and so on). Teachers should adjust upward a bit if assignments are mostly reading or your students come from families with strong educational orientations. Don't overload kids with homework. It can ruin motivation.

Teachers need to keep parents informed of the purpose of homework and the class rules. If communication is clear, homework is an important bridge between schools and families. If communication is lacking, homework creates tensions that are hard to resolve.

Teachers should vary the types of homework. Homework is a great way for kids to practice things that are learned by rote (spelling, math facts, foreign language). It is also a great way to show kids how the things they learn in school can apply to things they enjoy at home (calculating batting averages and reading the back of a cereal box, for example). Mix it up.

Teachers need to be careful about parental involvement in homework. If students can't complete their assignments without their parents, then something is wrong. Consider the time and skill resources of parents when requiring their involvement. Working parents may have little time for a direct homework role. Poorly-educated parents may have trouble being good mentors. Students who are doing well in school may benefit most from homework they do all by themselves.

Never give homework as punishment. It implies you think schoolwork is aversive. Kids will pick this up.

Parents need to take charge of what students get assigned. If you find that any one of the above points are not being considered in your child's classroom you need to take the issue to a higher level with your school's leaders and other parents. Here are some ideas:

• Communicate clearly, calmly and forcefully about what your issues are with homework, first to teachers, then to principals. If you are involved in more than one "family" homework session a marking period, it's too much. Let them know you know homework is important, but let them know you want to help them work out the right balance.
   
• Ask them about the connection between various assignments you consider overload and the work they are expected to master. Maybe they haven't seen the disconnect themselves. They are busier than in our day, and a parent's perspective can help.
   
• Point out the burden that project-based homework assignments impose on families. Arranging meetings during the week and running errands to find supplies might encourage cooperation, but they suck the life out of families that need time to themselves and may bring little benefit in terms of student achievement.
   
• Ask for the subject of homework to be explored, in detail, at internal professional development and teacher training sessions. They should discuss how prevalent the issue is and be encouraged to come up with some changes that help students do better and families stay healthier.
   
• Bring up the subject at a home-school association or a parent teacher organization meeting.