Will Homework Ban Ease Student Stress?
San Francisco Bay Area Schools Move Toward Limiting Homework Assignments
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Teacher Bans Homework
A high school teacher has realized, after years of teaching, that giving homework doesn't necessarily make his students better. John Blackstone reports on every kid's dream.
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Not all homework at Oak Knoll has been eliminated — for example, third-graders will still practice their multiplication tables at home. (AP)
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Oak Knoll Elementary in Menlo Park has mostly banned homework — except reading, special projects or catch-up work. Palo Alto's Addison Elementary and the Berryessa School District in San Jose are discussing the issue.
For two decades teachers have been under pressure to raise academic standards and test scores, but CBS News correspondent John Blackstone reports that many are now questioning the value of burying students in homework.
The changes have come as a University of Missouri study found high school students benefit tremendously from homework. In middle school, the results were not as strong, but homework was still found to be beneficial. But on the elementary school level, the same study found homework had no effect on students.
The principal at Oak Knoll Elementary says first-graders spend about six hours a day doing school work, and they shouldn't have to do more work when they go home.
Not all homework at Oak Knoll has been eliminated — for example, third-graders will still practice their multiplication tables at home.
Critics say homework steals time that increasingly busy children need to play or spend with family. Homework proponents argue that it teaches students to be more responsible and manage their time.
At Duke University, Harris Cooper tells CBS News his research has shown that homework does help learning.
"All students can benefit from homework, but the amount and type that is done at each age level should be different," Cooper says.
Fueled by parent complaints, the too-much-homework issue has taken root primarily in wealthy communities with high-achieving schools. Struggling schools are still trying to involve parents in their children's education.
Some schools are trying to find a balance. Ohlone Elementary School in Palo Alto assigns homework to the parents.
Oak Knoll principal David Ackerman says the majority of parents have been supportive of the change. He says other districts have contacted him and are now rethinking their homework policies.
© MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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See all 63 CommentsMore information has come to light about the CIA's network of secret overseas prisons. A Palestinian man named Marwan Jabour has told Human Rights Watch that he was held in a secret US prison in Afghanistan for nearly two years. According to Jabour, his clothes were taken from him when he arrived at the prison. He was left completely naked for a month and a half. He was chained tightly to the wall of his small cell so that he could not stand up. He was placed in painful stress positions so that he had difficulty breathing. And he was told that if he did not cooperate he would be put in a suffocating %u201Cdog box.%u201D For two years Jabour spent nearly all of his time alone in a windowless cell, with little human contact besides his captors. Jabour said, %u201CIt was a grave. I felt like my life was over.%u201D Based in part on information provided by Jabour, Human Rights Watch has released the names of 38 men believed to have been held in secret CIA prisons who have since disappeared. The group is calling on President Bush to account for the disappeared %u2013 all of whom are Muslim men
ANY AMERICANS?
your kids just pretended to have that much homework every day so they didnt have to do any grunt work...
the all of high school i never left a homework assignment to be done at home except a few papers that needed to be written and then to study for the occasional test that was gonna be hard.....
their is plenty of time to finish things in other classes or during first period which was watching channel 1 in the morning. 3. something gpa to btw
go away
Consciousness-Based Education is available to American children to reduce stress and promote learning.
No home work is the most foolish idea since breast implants.
Home is usually less stressed than school environment.
So at home, the children should be able to REVIEW and ABSORB what was taught at the stress filled school environment!
Give 'em enough homework to last them 'til nine o' clock and spare them from the TV, video games and the 'net.
and omg iochlan. i couldnt agree more.
most kids wont grow up to be some history nerd.
what the heck?
School is school and home is home. My kids are not tv hounds or game hounds. they don't even like them, less family closeness is what equals the mess we have today.
1. Ask parents to facilitate homework completion rather than help with homework content. Well-planned homework should not need parental help (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001)
2. Schools should develop and communicate a clear homework policy. Establishing, communicating, and adhering to clear policies will increase the likelihood that homework will enhance student achievement (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001).
This policy must be clearly communicated to parents. Students must have a place to write down assignments, such as an agenda. Homework should have a clear pupose and this purpose clearly communicated to students (no busy work). If students are spending too much time (no more than 10 minutes per grade), then yes, I agree, the district needs to take a good look at their homework policy and revisit it.
i guess our logic has gone with the homework.
Countris such as China and areas in Japan rarely give homework, and guess what, they are one of the most highest acedemic contries.
Maybe one reason we are not the best educated country is because all the work handed out is more stressful than good for students.
***Posted*** ***by*** ***tvnewsguy42*** ***at*** ***09***:***58*** ***PM*** : ***Feb*** ***27***, ***2007***
***I*** ***can*** ***not*** ***comment*** ***on*** ***China***, ***but*** ***after*** ***having*** ***lived*** ***in*** ***Japan*** ***for*** ***three*** ***years***, ***I*** ***will*** ***point*** ***out*** ***that*** ***Japanese*** ***children*** ***go*** ***to*** ***school*** ***11*** ***months*** ***out*** ***of*** ***the*** ***year*** ***and*** ***tutors*** ***are*** ***very*** ***common*** ***as*** ***well***.
***what*** ***they*** ***are*** ***going*** ***to*** ***ware*** ***tomorrow***??***does*** ***this*** ***match***??***does*** ***he*** / ***she*** ***like*** ***me*** ***hate*** ***me***??
***if*** ***they*** ***are*** ***stressed*** ***in*** ***middle*** ***or*** ***high*** ***school*** ***then*** ***they*** ***need*** ***psychiatric*** ***help*** ***nowwwww***. ***and*** ***extra*** ***homework*** ***is*** ***definately*** ***not*** ***the*** ***problem***.
A's out. When these so called A students get into college, they are reading at a 8th grade level and writing at a 6th grade level. So instead of blaming it on the homework, they should focus on the what is being taught in the classroom daily and really get back to the basics.
***Unless*** ***you*** ***are*** ***going*** ***for*** ***valedictiorian*** ***or*** ***you*** ***really*** ***think*** ***your*** ***high*** ***school*** ***will*** ***give*** ***you*** ***a*** ***few*** ***scholarships*** ***they*** ***you*** ***are*** ***wasting*** ***your*** ***time***.
***I*** ***also*** ***took*** ***the*** ***AP*** ***classes*** ***in*** ***HS*** ***to*** ***and*** ***they*** ***were*** ***just*** ***a*** ***waste*** ***of*** ***time*** ***and*** ***the*** ***college*** ***credit***, ***whoopedy*** ***do*** ***you*** ***still*** ***have*** ***to*** ***take*** ***the*** ***exact*** ***same*** ***classes*** ***in*** ***college***. ***ENJOY*** ***YOUR*** ***LAST*** ***YEAR*** ***IN*** ***HIGH*** ***SCHOOL*** ***ALREADY*** ***WITH*** ***THE*** ***FRIENDS*** ***YOU*** ***HAVE*** ***HAD*** ***YOUR*** ***WHOLE*** ***LIFE***. ***You*** ***should*** ***have*** ***taken*** ***a*** ***schedule*** ***to*** ***allow*** ***you*** ***to*** ***do*** ***this***. ***College*** ***will*** ***be*** ***their*** ***sill*** ***I*** ***assure*** ***you*** ***that***. ***Don***'***t*** ***stress*** ***about*** ***the*** ***ACT*** ***you*** ***will*** ***get*** ***into*** ***basically*** ***any*** ***college*** ***you*** ***want*** ***as*** ***long*** ***as*** ***you*** ***have*** ***the*** ***money***.
***Here*** ***is*** ***a*** ***TIP*** ***for*** ***anyone*** ***wanting*** ***to*** ***do*** ***better*** ***on*** ***the*** ***ACT***, ***just*** ***do*** ***lots*** ***of*** ***reading***. ***reading*** ***books*** ***whatever***. ***All*** ***75***% ***of*** ***that*** ***test*** ***is***, ***is*** ***how*** ***fast*** ***you*** ***can*** ***read***. ***the*** ***other*** ***25***% ***is*** ***just*** ***simple*** ***math*** ***skills***.
***Now*** ***that*** ***we*** ***have*** ***banned*** ***homework***, ***school*** ***kids*** ***can*** ***have*** ***more*** ***time*** ***to*** ***learn*** ***about*** ***what***'***s*** ***really*** ***important***. ***They*** ***will*** ***have*** ***much*** ***more*** ***time*** ***to*** ***watch*** &***quot***;***Entertainment*** ***Tonight***&***quot***; ***and*** &***quot***;***Access*** ***Hollywood***&***quot***;!
***Now*** ***that*** ***there*** ***is*** ***no*** ***more*** ***homework***, ***school*** ***kids*** ***can*** ***have*** ***more*** ***time*** ***to*** ***learn*** ***about*** ***what***'***s*** ***really*** ***important***. ***They*** ***will*** ***have*** ***much*** ***more*** ***time*** ***to*** ***watch*** &***quot***;***Entertainment*** ***Tonight***&***quot***; ***and*** &***quot***;***Access*** ***Hollywood***&***quot***;! ***We*** ***sure*** ***are*** ***going*** ***to*** ***have*** ***a*** ***bright*** ***future***.......
***Now*** ***that*** ***there*** ***is*** ***no*** ***more*** ***homework***, ***school*** ***kids*** ***can*** ***have*** ***more*** ***time*** ***to*** ***learn*** ***about*** ***what***'***s*** ***really*** ***important***. ***They*** ***will*** ***have*** ***much*** ***more*** ***time*** ***to*** ***watch*** &***quot***;***Entertainment*** ***Tonight***&***quot***; ***and*** &***quot***;***Access*** ***Hollywood***&***quot***;! ***We*** ***sure*** ***are*** ***going*** ***to*** ***have*** ***a*** ***bright*** ***future***.......
Also, sending home work for kids who do not have supportive and interactive parents isn't fair to them. They just continue to fall further behind because of the lack of support for their education that they receive from their parents.
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