The Edutopia Poll
by Sara Bernard
Many people say parents' involvement in education is key to a child's success in school. But when a ninth-grade English teacher in Montclair, New Jersey, tried to increase parental involvement by assigning parents homework, too (and threatening to lower their child's grade if they didn't complete it), some voices rose in protest. Though some parents enjoy the task, saying it helps them keep up to speed with their child's studies in a concrete way, others find this enforced involvement burdensome, unjust, and ultimately ineffective. Tell us what you think.
Is assigning parents homework an effective way to increase parental involvement?
Yes. Having parents complete homework puts parents in direct touch with their child's life at school and can open the lines of communication between parent and student.
12% (7 votes)
Maybe, but it should not be made mandatory. A student's grade should not be affected by parents' actions.
34% (20 votes)
No. Asking parents to do homework is only going to place additional burdens on parents without necessarily improving their relationship with their child, the school, or the teacher.
50% (29 votes)
None of the above. (Comment below.)
3% (2 votes)
Total votes: 58
Subject Above
Submitted by Julian (not verified) on October 27, 2007 - 19:28.
All right I voted none of the above because I don't think parents should get involved with homework.
I'm a student and I have a lot of homework and I've learned most of my stuff independently.
My parents have taught me to use my resources I think that student's homework shouldn't be left to the parents.
Parents look for to much perfection I know they want the best for us, but I want to do something without my parents controlling what I do. There is no self accomplishment if my parents control my homework.
I'm becoming a young adult I need to learn to control my own work.
Intergenerational interviews to connect family to school
Submitted by Susan R. Laudeman (not verified) on October 23, 2007 - 10:57.
As a mother, a grandmother and a museum educator, I have seen too much adult pressure placed on children if you ask the parent to be involved directly in the Child's project. The parents push the child to their schedule of work, impose their adult organziational skills and inhibit creativity in the child.
A better way to involve parents and the extended family in the child's education is with intergenerational interviews (oral histories). this is flattering to family members to realize that they are a "primary resouce" because of their real life experiences. Food traditons, family tradtions, how life has changed since they were a boy or girl, dating traditions, what it was like to be a soldier,a minority, are some of the meny topics that parents, grandparents or extended family members should share with their children. It is how the culture is passed down from one generation to the next. It connects generations. It is important to teach students how to conduct a proper oral history before sending them to do field work. The student-researcher has to develop good listening skills and recognize that he is the facilitator and not the star.
Parent Homework
Submitted by Nancy Kay (not verified) on October 19, 2007 - 10:02.
In my experience the use of assignments that include parents or community members has served to make a connection. Students have told me that their parents continue to ask about a class that has required parent input. For example, I assign writing projects that require data from the parent. I have also assingned a project where they have to interview someone who lived through the Great Depression. That assignment caused a real stir in the community as students had to go outside of their immediate circle of adults, and I had students report nothing but positive experiences.
Parent Homework
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on October 18, 2007 - 15:00.
As a parent first and a school librarian second I abhor the idea of explicit parent homework. In high achieving school districts it is implicit. How was my third grader supposed to write a 20 page paper including charts, graphs, illustrations and proper bibliography, if I as a parent did not help him? My children attend a very competitive public school wherein 99% of the students go onto college. They even have a web service that parents can follow their children's progress in school without the child even knowing. It was designed so that parents can be involved with their children. I am a high school librarian in a school district that is just the extreme opposite to where I live. Explicitly assigning homework to the parents would be just as ridiculous as the other school district. These parents work (sometimes three jobs), or are in jail and their children live with relatives or in group homes, or don't care or just have enough problems trying to help their children out of gangs. The parents may not be able to do the assignment either, thereby reinforcing the "stupidity" of school. If the parent can get along without knowing this stuff, why not the kid? The only outcome of parental homework is giving more work to the teacher to dream up. This idea sounds like the person who thought up this sat at a desk, never even bothered to step inside of a classroom and I bet never even bothered to ask his or her son or daughter what he or she was doing in school.
Parental Homework
Submitted by John C. Holoduek (not verified) on October 18, 2007 - 09:19.
Originally, I voted "Maybe," because many of our students have enough on their plates both in and out of school. But, I needed to comment.
Young people, socially and perhaps educationally, are judged by circumstances beyond their control on a daily basis. As a former alternative high school principal, I would try so many things to get parents involved...if that would be homework, so be it. The key is to keep trying but not to place unnecessary burdens on those who need the most of (all) our help.
It is with regrets that I view so few responses to the poll. Let's jump in colleagues!
What are we scared of...
Submitted by Taylor@EMHS (not verified) on October 18, 2007 - 05:39.
Some teachers (in the elementary) are already doing this. I appreciate it. It is not traditional homework, and they are not asking for a quantitative assessment - no one is going to score it. But, it does better than that. Since, I am not a kid, (Kids do need accountability and feedback to hit their learning curve,) an authentic assessment may not come with red ink this time. The "homework" is completed in about the time it takes to read it. Sometimes the answer is given to me in what I read. My kids think I am so smart - that must be a good thing (how long will that last?) :-)
It comes with an acnowledgement that I now know what my kids are doing, and have an opportunity to show my own children that I find what they are doing in school is cool (plus I look smart). I like that option. As a teacher it will be my challenge to create simple awareness "homeworks" for my parents that can give them opportunities as well.
Can parent "homework" be done poorly? Sure. And all these pieces of paper coming home! Thankfully, my elementary support system is doing a great job with it, and Dad can remain the number one educator in my children's life. Hoo-rah!
Parental Homework
Submitted by Barbara (not verified) on October 17, 2007 - 15:55.
Assigning parents homework is a great way to get parents more involved. Unforunately, this involvement will mostly be irate calls to the principal.
homework
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on October 17, 2007 - 14:05.
No. Parental involvement can be traditional and non-traditional. Parental involvement is required for a child to have a succesful academic/life, however, there are many ways a parent can be involved. I recently read an article about a migrant family and "non-traditional" parent involvment. I bet you would not be succesful in recruiting those parents to do homework and perhaps they aren't able to attend a PTA meeting or back to school but all their children graduated from HS and have sucessful college carrers!
Note the article is from the Harvard Educational Review, Volume 71, number 3, 2001 titled, "The Value of Hark Work: Lessons on Parent Involvment from an (Im) migrant Household." by Gerardo Lopez.
Homework
Submitted by Chuck (not verified) on October 17, 2007 - 14:05.
Please read "The Homework Myth" by Alfie Kohn.
Homework shared by parents may work in affluent communities but most parents will have difficulty understanding the the methods and content of school work. After a full day of their work to support the family the last thing they are physically and emotionally equipped to do is confront a strange world and the expectation that they will be able to comprend and administer "homework."
From a business perspective, homework is not assigned nor is it accepted unless compensation is involved. If Administrators and educational professionals continue to insist that teachers create and assign homework, those insisting should first complete the homework assignments each day for a class of their choice - on their own time.
I don't think homework will last very long, unless it is something the student chooses to do. Then it is no longer "home work".
I think we need more parent
Submitted by A.G. (not verified) on October 17, 2007 - 14:03.
I think we need more parent involvement in school but I don't think that giving them homework is the way to go. One of the things that I think does help is students having folders that they take home on a daily basis and parents are to sign the folder every night. This is a step in the correct direction, but I think we need to go even farther.
We need to try to draw parents in however possible. We can try talking to parents when they drop off and pick up their children and try to touch base on a regular basis and tell the parents how their children are doing and always including something positive about their child. These can be done in addition to what many teachers already do.
We need to remember that parents have as much to do as many of us teachers do. They have families to take care of as well as jobs and many times there is just not enough hours in the day.
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