Homework

Scientists at Duke University, in a study of homework research, concluded that there is a positive and significant correlation between the amount of homework a student completes and success in school.Here are some other thoughts on homework: •Homework is the student's responsibility. Parents should not be asked to "teach" math or science to their children, but they should engage the student by asking specific and detailed questions about what the student is learning and about the homework requirements.

In case you hadn't heard, it is Screen-Free Week . No computers. No televisions. No hand-held devices. (All of this comes with one caveat: your kids can use "screens" to do homework. It isn't like you have to break out the old encyclopedias or go to the public library or anything drastic like that.) To all of you are participating this week, I say: "Go for it!" I won't invite your kids over and show them a cool new video on YouTube or ask if they want to see Orioles' games highlights.

That shout for joy you heard coming from just south of here was from the students and parents at Gaithersburg Elementary School, where the administration has decided to eliminate all homework except reading. According to Fox News , principal Stephanie Brant took a look at the work being sent home with the kids and decided it didn't match what was being taught in the class. “It was just, we were giving students something because we felt we had to give them something," she said.

From Liz Atwood: If your tween doesn't have a smart phone or tablet yet, I'll bet it's on the Christmas wish list. Yet as pervasive as mobile devices are, I was still astounded to see a new study from the Verizon Foundation that shows more than one third of middle school students are doing their homework with the help of a smart phone or tablet. The study found smartphone use crossing income levels and ethnicity. Nearly a third of children from the poorest households said they used smartphones for homework.

From Liz Atwood: If your tween doesn't have a smart phone or tablet yet, I'll bet it's on the Christmas wish list. Yet as pervasive as mobile devices are, I was still astounded to see a new study from the Verizon Foundation that shows more than one third of middle school students are doing their homework with the help of a smart phone or tablet. The study found smartphone use crossing income levels and ethnicity. Nearly a third of children from the poorest households said they used smartphones for homework.

Regarding Sandra L. Wighton's recent letter, there is no way that you can place the failure of students' homework preparation completely on the parents ("Parents have a role in student achievement," July 21). For various reasons, many parents aren't able to get involved in their children's homework. I believe the responsibility for doing their homework rests squarely on the shoulders of students themselves. You will never get 100 percent compliance, but wouldn't it be wonderful to witness the students develop some personal pride in the fulfillment of an important component of their educational responsibilities?

Several years ago we co-authored a book on homework. At the time, we were often asked about the advisability of regular homework for elementary school children. In the last two years, the question has expanded - especially this time of year - to include inquiries as to whether children as young as first grade should be doing homework over their summer vacations. The subject of homework over vacations is bound to be controversial. There is relatively little research on this, and research on the normal homework students do during the school year is itself a source of debate.

What should you do if your child is resisting homework?William R. Stixrud, a Washington psychologist, offered this advice to the National Committee for Citizens in Education, a Columbia-based parent advocacy group:* First, if your child is having problems doing homework, make sure he doesn't have a learning disability that is interfering.* Then, initiate a discussion along these lines:"I love you too much to continue fighting with you over homework. I realize that you don't like to fight, and I don't like it either.

Your children are too young to stay home alone this summer. They don't want to go to a camp or day-care center. And while you've left your bedroom window open for three nights in a row on the whisper of a chance that Mary Poppins will sail in brandishing a spoonful of sugar, so far you've had no luck.In lieu of a magical nanny, you'll have to settle for a teen-age sitter -- which can be the best or worst of experiences, depending in large part upon how much homework you're willing do.To start your search, your first piece of homework is to locate more than one young person who's qualified for the job. This way you can compare several sets of qualifications and make a decision based on choice, not "She's the only one available and it's nearly June!"

WHEN IT'S time for parent-teacher conferences, parents are advised to follow some of their own advice about going to school prepared -- with notes and questions in writing -- and with an open mind toward what they will see and hear.Here are some tips from teachers and school administrators for making these conferences comfortable and constructive:* Make an appointment. Arrive on time. If you are unable to keep the appointment, notify the teacher.* Be aware of how much time you have. Most teachers would like to spend more than 15 or 20 minutes with a parent, but cannot because of the number of students they have.

That shout for joy you heard coming from just south of here was from the students and parents at Gaithersburg Elementary School, where the administration has decided to eliminate all homework except reading. According to Fox News , principal Stephanie Brant took a look at the work being sent home with the kids and decided it didn't match what was being taught in the class. “It was just, we were giving students something because we felt we had to give them something," she said.

It seemed at times like a remedial class in vocabulary. More than a dozen rising sixth-graders were attending a middle- school preparation event that highlighted words they will likely hear over and over in the coming years. Words like "locker," "preparation," "bullying," "research projects," "organization" and "peer pressure. " "School is a little bit more challenging this year," said Sarah Russo, teens' instructor at the Howard County library system's Elkridge branch, which hosted "Movin' Up To Middle School" this week.

Regarding Sandra L. Wighton's recent letter, there is no way that you can place the failure of students' homework preparation completely on the parents ("Parents have a role in student achievement," July 21). For various reasons, many parents aren't able to get involved in their children's homework. I believe the responsibility for doing their homework rests squarely on the shoulders of students themselves. You will never get 100 percent compliance, but wouldn't it be wonderful to witness the students develop some personal pride in the fulfillment of an important component of their educational responsibilities?

The dozens of children who spend their after-school hours at the Stanton Community Center in downtown Annapolis can find help with homework, or a game of basketball. They get a bag lunch and assistance from a friendly group of volunteers. But the most dominant presence in this historic city building is the man they call Mr. Lassie. Everybody refers to recreation leader George Belt as Lassie, a childhood nickname that has stuck for all his 60 years. (When he was born the third child in three years, his grandparents told his mother he should be called "Lastie," though she went on to have seven more children.

School is most certainly be the last thing in mind for youngsters these days — the school year just ended a couple of weeks ago. But we hope school enters the minds of parents this month, as the future of the Baltimore County Board of Education might well be determined while classes aren't in session. This week begins a series of three public hearings designed to gather public input on the issue of the school board's selection process. A task force formed by the county's delegation to Annapolis — formally dubbed the Task Force on the Selection Process, Accountability and Professionalism of the Baltimore County Board of Education — will host the sessions, beginning July 6, around the county.

Investment guru Peter Lynch once advised ordinary folks to "invest in what you know. " For many small investors, some of the companies they are most familiar with are the e-commerce and social media sites they use every day. Now some of these private Internet companies, such as Facebook, are expected to go public this year or next and will likely attract a rush of fans to their stocks. But even if you feel like you know these companies well, there is a risk in investing in them.

THIS COUNTRY has always had a love-hate relationship with homework. Teachers love it. Kids hate it. Parents hate it, too, but they are careful to act like they love it. The amount of homework American schoolchildren get seems to be related to the level of national anxiety over the state of education, and right now that level is pretty high. The economy is so hot it has burned off layers of low-tech jobs. It is a presidential election year, and the candidates talk education when they want middle-class parents to listen to them.

My sons and I stood in the cashier line at a convenience store the other day, and while waiting, discussed the day's events at school. "Have you ever heard of the NRA?" asked my younger son, whose class is studying current events, and the coming presidential election is currently the one. "Yeah," his brother replied and launched into a meandering monologue, peppered with comments from me about what a lobby is. Fortunately, we got to the counter just as my younger son's eyebrows began rising seriously into the "you're not making sense" region of his forehead.

Once the homework assigned to her three children grew beyond the boundaries of the kitchen counter, Shari Cohen decided to create a dedicated homework space close to the kitchen so she could keep an eye — and an ear — on its progress while she prepared dinner. "I knew if they were each in their own rooms upstairs doing homework, I'd be running all night," said the Owings Mills mother of Evan, 12, Alec 11, and Lauren, 10. "The other advantage is that they are close enough to help each other," she said.

Scientists at Duke University, in a study of homework research, concluded that there is a positive and significant correlation between the amount of homework a student completes and success in school.Here are some other thoughts on homework: •Homework is the student's responsibility. Parents should not be asked to "teach" math or science to their children, but they should engage the student by asking specific and detailed questions about what the student is learning and about the homework requirements.