Do All Students Need Homework?

A parent once asked her daughter's teacher, "If my daughter already knows how to do these math problems, why does she have to do 30 of them?"—to which the teacher replied, "Well, if she already knows how to do them, then she should breeze right through it."

The answer to the question, "Do all students need homework?" depends on what you think the purpose of homework is. If you believe its purpose is to reinforce learning or extend learning outside the classroom, then you probably believe that students need more challenging homework. If you believe its purpose is to develop independent learners, then you probably believe students should be able to create their own homework. If you believe its purpose is simply to build the habit of doing homework, then you probably believe all students must have homework.

The idea that some students would not have homework makes many people uncomfortable because it may seem unfair. But if you believe that the purpose of homework is to help students master a set of standards for a grade level or course—and the student has done that—then you may be quite comfortable with some students not doing homework.

Even Geniuses Work Hard

What are your students' views about learning and intelligence?

Do they think intelligence is "fixed" and that being smart means always being right without having to work too hard? Or do they think intelligence is something they can grow through constant practice and seeking new challenges?

In "Even Geniuses Work Hard," noted psychology expert Carol Dweck explains the importance of developing a growth mind-set among students and establishing classroom factors that encourage a love of learning—not just being right. Dweck's tips for creating a growth mind-set in your classroom include

• Praising the process—effort, choices, and persistence—not just success.
• Giving opportunities for, and discussing the value of, slow learning.
• Engaging students in goal-setting and reflecting on something they did that required a growth mind-set.
• Coaching students to expect (and, eventually, get excited about) challenging work.
• Designing homework tasks that stretch new learning to novel applications or to the next level.
• Considering how grading can evolve to recognize persistent effort and growth over time.

How does your classroom recognize hard work and growth, not just right answers?

Deficits Yield Class-Size Growth

Lean economic times mean bloated class sizes. From Natomas Unified School District in Sacramento, Calif., to Yonkers School District in New York, schools have had to make painful cuts to staffing and programming.

Most parents and teachers support reduced class sizes, but research downplays the benefits of class size reduction, except in the early grades, and with at-risk students. Critics of class-size reforms say most class-size reductions are marginal and that teacher effectiveness is a far greater lever for change. But can or will cash-strapped districts counter class-size growth with significant investments in teacher effectiveness? What support systems are in place to help teachers adjust to a bigger workload?

In Japan, despite the fragile economy, the education ministry recently announced plans to add 20,000 teachers as part of an effort to cut class sizes from 40 students per class to 30–35. 

What Do Teachers Need from Curriculum Guides?

What do teachers need from curriculum guides? This question was posed in the September Educational Leadership column, "Among Colleagues." Five of the 2010 ASCD Annual Conference Scholars got the ball rolling with their answers. What are your thoughts? 

Question:

As a curriculum specialist, I've learned to begin with the end in mind: What do I want students to understand when teachers have finished instruction? I also have to account for research, standards, scientific evidence, and diverse student needs. With so many priorities to address, the curriculum guide sometimes becomes the "everything bagel"—full of pages of information surrounding each skill. I don't want teachers to put these guides on the shelf because they don't have the time or energy to dig into them. What's the best way for me to provide the materials and lessons teachers and principals need without creating monster guides that no one will use? 

—Tracy Broccolino, Manager, Connections Virtual Academy, Baltimore, Md.

 

Comments: 

A good curriculum is more about what gets left out than what gets put in. The greatest curriculum gift I ever received was in my first year as a teacher, when I asked my 8th grade language arts partner, Cheryl, what I was supposed to teach. She replied, "Teach whatever you want. Just make sure they pass the test." Then she shared some of her units as well as some savvy advice about the skills kids needed to meet the North Carolina standards. 

I learned more from that freedom than I ever did from the many overstuffed curriculum binders that came my way. Everyone under the sun wants to tell teachers what to teach and how to teach it. But paint-by-number curriculum guides that specify every lesson from day one to the end of the school year are not the way to grow good teachers. 

My advice is to err on the side of Cheryl. Less is more. Give teachers a guide, not an "everything bagel." You might have a sample unit or two, maybe lots of examples, but stick to the big ideas. What we need is not the perfect curriculum guide, but teachers who are able to take the reins and design their own curriculums to meet the needs of the diverse students they teach.  

 —Jen Morrison, Teacher Educator, Newberry College, Newberry, S.C.

In Case You Missed It

What went down at ASCD this week? Keep reading:

• What does it mean to consider the classroom "a community of 30"? Read ASCD's Healthy School Communities Director Sean Slade's reflections on the first federal bullying prevention summit in his guest post at Washington Post's Answer Sheet blog: "Getting real about social, emotional learning."

• Polls show a majority of Americans believe that teacher quality should be the national education priority and 23 percent of students are disengaged from school. ASCD responded to these and other findings in the PDK and Gallup Poll results released this week.

• Learning from Lincoln authors Harvey Alvy and Pam Robbins dropped by to host their first ASCD webinar. We'll be adding this one to the archives shortly: follow the links on our related blog post, "Crafting Your School's Gettysburg Address."

• Tim Westerberg and Judy Willis got their own ASCD author pages.

• Look who's tweeting, too: ASCD author Jenny Edwards, @jedwards814

• An ASCD EDge post asks, "What's a Fair and Effective Teacher Evaluation?" and finds the answer in some of ASCD's resources.

• Do state and national funding averages tell the whole story? The September issue of ASCD's policy newsletter, Infobrief, discusses how education funds are distributed and where money strays from the neediest students and lasting, positive reforms: "Education Funding: Underwater and Overdue for Reform."

• Meet the candidates in this year's ASCD elections cycle in the September issue of member newsletter Education Update.

Add your own highlights in the comments, and check this spot for our regular weekly digest of ASCD activities.

Race to the Top Round Two Reflections

Some initial observations about the 10 Race to the Top (RttT) round two winners (the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and Rhode Island) and the 2 round one winners (Delaware and Tennessee):

How the West Was Shunned

While there is a nice mix of very large states (the $700 million winners—Florida and New York), medium states, and small states (D.C. and Little Rhody), there is a surprising lack of geographic diversity, with no continental state west of the Mississippi River winning a grant. I've already seen some talk that rural states were at a disadvantage in this race, just as they are in many other grant competitions.

Who Inherits the Win?

Of all the winners, only Delaware and North Carolina do not have gubernatorial elections this fall. Of course, with 37 states electing governors this fall, the chances were high that most winning states would be in the midst of a campaign. Still, 10 of 12 is a pretty high proportion. Interestingly, only three governors in winning states are seeking reelection: Martin O'Malley in Maryland, Deval Patrick in Massachusetts, and Ted Strickland in Ohio.

Except Florida, every first- and second-round winner has at least one congressional member on either the House or Senate Education Committee.

DOE Darlings

Why am I not surprised that the two superintendents most closely associated with Secretary Duncan's reform ideas—New York City schools chancellor Joel Klein and his protégé, D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee—are going to be getting significant Race to the Top funds? Klein, as head of the largest district in New York by far, stands to receive $250–300 million in RttT funds, and Rhee will control the full RttT pot (up to $75 million) for single-district D.C.

Closing Opportunity Gaps

For more than a decade, school reform has focused on closing achievement gaps for minority and economically disadvantaged students—primarily as measured by outcomes on standardized tests. But is it fair to demand equal education outcomes without demanding that students receive equal opportunities to succeed?

This issue of ASCD Express will look at what's happening at the federal, state, district, school, and classroom levels to address inequities in funding, curriculum access, facilities, preschool experiences, health care, and teacher quality. How are schools providing extended learning opportunities? What role can vouchers and charter schools play? How can we close technology gaps? How can we get the best teachers to the students who need them most? What strategies help students with different readiness levels receive the support they need?

ASCD Express is looking for short, 600 to 1,000-word essays on the theme "Closing Opportunity Gaps." Guidelines for submissions are here. Please send us your submissions by September 10, 2010 (deadline extended). 

Bookmark This! EdMoney.org

From our friends at the Education Writers Association comes EdMoney.org, an interactive site that lets you track spending on K–12 education from the federal economic stimulus law in states and school districts nationwide. 

Follow $62.1 billion in grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as it makes its way to 12,408 school districts and other education agencies across the country. Compare how different districts use grant money—both how much is at their disposal and how quickly they spend it. Annotate state and school district information pages by uploading links to relevant articles, blog posts, or other resources. Stream exclusive Eddie Money concert footage from the 1982 "Shakin" tour . . . just kidding.

Check out EdMoney.org to find out how public education money is being spent in your district or state!

Hiring and Keeping the Best Teachers

What are the best strategies for recruiting and hiring teachers? Once a school opens its doors to the best educators, how should it keep them happy and productive?

Many of the issues around teacher retention revolve, surprisingly, not so much around money as around administrative support for staff, opportunities for professional development, and a positive school culture. ASCD Express is seeking articles about successful strategies for hiring and retaining teachers—including merit pay, a growing issue especially in tough-to-staff districts.

ASCD Express is looking for short, 600- to 1,000-word essays on the theme "Hiring and Keeping the Best Teachers." Guidelines for submissions are here. Please send us your submissions by September 8, 2010 (deadline extended). 

Higher-Order Thinking Skills (1985-86)

Respected educational researcher Benjamin Bloom is probably best known for his work in the 1950s on higher-order thinking skills, but his study of learning stretched out in many related directions over the course of his long career. In the February 1986 issue of Educational Leadership and in an interview published in the magazine in September 1985, Bloom discusses his research on talent development and mastery—topics that speak to how students acquire and hone skills and the support systems that foster this development.

Read the articles:

Automaticity: "The Hands and Feet of Genius" (PDF)

On Talent Development: A Conversation with Benjamin Bloom (PDF)

For almost five years, Bloom and his colleagues studied extremely talented individuals—including concert pianists, Olympic swimmers, and research mathematicians—and took note of their commonalities. Central to his findings is the notion of "automaticity," the ability to perform a skill without conscious attention. Bloom found that, regardless of their particular skill, masters use automaticity to free up brain space to engage in higher-level skill refinement and reach new levels of learning.

Crafting Your School's Gettysburg Address

It may be the best historical example of a mission statement: President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. It's clear and concise, the rationale is tightly aligned with the vision, and it even conveys the humble leadership qualities of its orator.

With the Union beginning to take the lead, Lincoln used the Gettysburg Address to mark a corner turned in the Civil War and to energize the constituency on whom enduring victory depended.

As a precursor to this historic speech, authors Harvey Alvy and Pam Robbins say Lincoln was immersed in an array of leadership practices relevant and useful for today's school leaders: self-reflection, getting in the trenches, and seeking out opposing perspectives.

In Learning from Lincoln: Leadership Practices for School Success, Alvy and Robbins add that before developing a meaningful shared vision and mission, it is essential to first understand, articulate, and write out a personal vision.

That's what led Lincoln to ideas like, "The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here."

Likewise, school leaders crafting their own Gettysburg Address might consider, What do I want to perpetuate in our schools, not merely for today but for all time to come?

Tune in tomorrow, Wednesday, August 25, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. ET for an exclusive, free Webinar with authors Alvy and Robbins, who will discuss leadership strategies and principles for our time through the lens of Lincoln's work. If you miss it live, look for the archived version, here. Follow additional updates from these authors by liking Learning from Lincoln on Facebook.

What Makes Kids Do Good Work?

Research suggests that purpose, relevance, student choice, and ownership are the keys to making learning meaningful. Any parent who's seen their child really take to an assignment will agree that these are important.

Next week (08/31/10), the September issue of Educational Leadership takes on the topic of Meaningful Work, and discusses questions like

• How do you foster a "growth mindset" in students?

• How does answering "what motivates us as adults?", help break teens out of holding patterns?

• Can you have too much choice in student projects?

• What are the hallmarks of good homework?

• What should you do before assigning a project?

• How can online learning energize a literature circle?

• How do you engage kids in making academic choices?

• What do kids hate about homework, and what do they suggest would improve it?

• How can you get the most out of inviting a guest speaker into your class?

. . . and many more. While the textbook status quo may be to flatly present problems and solutions, hardly inspiring a love of learning, this issue of EL features educators more interested in finding answers to the question:

What makes kids do good work?   

What Makes Math Meaningful?

Veteran math and special education teacher Cossondra George's strategies for making numeracy accessible to all students topped the ASCD Smartbrief click list last week.

To make math meaningful and tangible to students, George recommends that students

• Use individual whiteboards to encourage practice with unfamiliar concepts and make student work visible.
• Create real-life problems to illustrate concepts.
• Analyze the process of making mistakes, and determine what makes an answer logical or illogical.
• Have opportunities to work with technology.
• Rework incorrectly solved problems.

How do you make math meaningful for your students?

In Case You Missed It

Didn't get a chance to catch up with ASCD last week? No worries—here are some of the week's highlights:

• How do you build reflection, positive thinking, nutrition, and exercise into a hectic school routine? Mike Anderson on putting personal balance back into the teaching profession.

• Sara Schmidt says it's not education, unless it considers the whole child.

• Bueller parents, anyone? Jason Flom asks if you recognize any of these characteristics in the parents you commonly come across, and offers some suggestions for relating to more difficult types.

• Steven Weber on clear learning targets: "Classroom teachers should have a great amount of flexibility when it comes to 'how' to teach key concepts and skills, but 'what' to teach should be clearly defined by the team."

• Mike Fisher is seething over the LA Times's announcement of a forthcoming database linking individual LAUSD teachers to their students' standardized test data.

• A new school year means new opportunities for graduate students to start their own ASCD Student Chapter.

• Multiple intelligences expert Thomas Armstrong now has his own section on ascd.org.

Add your own highlights in the comments, and check this spot for our regular weekly digest of ASCD activities.

High School Soup

With the temperatures hitting close to 100 degrees here in Washington, D.C., a hot bowl of soup isn't exactly the most appetizing thought. Still, when policy is on the menu, it's hard to resist.

Enter High School Soup, a new blog from the Alliance for Excellent Education. Contributors, including Alliance president and former West Virginia governor Bob Wise, cover news and policy developments related to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the Common Core State Standards Initiative, and Race to the Top, among other topics.

Recent posts include a touching eulogy for Senator Robert Byrd and a compelling comparison of the BP oil spill to dropout rates. The news roundups are especially useful for those trying to stay on top of the latest in the education policy world. Bon appétit!

Kidsdata in California Maps Student Well-Being Statewide

California is ahead of the curve in mapping the health and well-being of its students statewide. The Lucile Packard Foundation's website Kidsdata catalogues all relevant health, wellness, risk, and resilience data available on students and stores it in a searchable website.

You can compare counties, and even school districts, by

• Connectedness, as well as caring relationships.
• High expectations.
• Meaningful participation.
• Safety.
• Physical health, fitness, obesity, or levels of activity.
• Mental health.
• Resilience.
• Risk-taking behaviors.

 . . . And the list goes on. All in all, there are over 400 measures of child health and well-being, which you can cross-reference by ethnicity, age, and gender.

This site provides a clearer understanding of youth health and wellness issues and how our kids are doing in comparison to their peers on measures beyond well-documented standardized test scores. In short, it paints a fuller picture of our youth and our neighborhoods. It's a great tool for California and should be of high interest to other states.

Building Balance into Teachers' Lives

Going into this school year, do you have a proactive plan for reducing stress and maintaining a balance between your professional and personal life?

If you've ever gone days on vending machine and caffeine lunches or found yourself saying, "I'll catch up on my sleep and social life over the holiday break," then the August Whole Child podcast is for you.

Through a combination of personal mindfulness, school wellness programs, and district support, students can have the well-balanced educators they so desperately need. When educators take care of themselves and speak up for safer, healthier schools, it's not just good for the adults in the building; it's good for the kids, too.

How will you stay balanced this school year? What school-based supports can you draw from?

Become an ASCD Conference Scholar

ASCD Conference Scholars are a diverse group of educators from around the world who meet virtually and in person throughout the year to tackle and reflect on an array of education leadership issues.

To join the ranks of the ASCD Conference Scholars, you must be a 2011 ASCD Annual Conference presenter and possess a strong desire to engage in a multifaceted professional learning community.

Use this form to nominate yourself or a colleague to the 2010–11 class of ASCD Conference Scholars. Completed forms are due to Lindsay Martin-Bilbrey by Friday, August 20.

Learn more about the program at www.ascd.org/acscholars. Read previous Inservice posts by the ASCD Scholars archived here.

Democratic Education in Action

When you think about engaging and motivating students, do you think of democratic education as one model of a whole child approach to education?

Democracies throughout the world have always relied on public education to keep the mission of their founders alive for each new generation. And more than 60 years ago, 48 United Nations countries made explicit education's role in conveying democratic principles by signing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This historic document states that "all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights" and "all peoples and all nations . . . shall strive, by teaching and education, to promote respect for these rights and freedoms."

But actually implementing the democratic education model requires ongoing work.

Though today's kids are remarkably open to new information and ways of thinking, few of them have the tools and support to translate their thoughts into action. While the Internet provides practically endless opportunities to learn about the world, these opportunities do not necessarily translate into constructive discussions and community participation.

Though the 2008 presidential election brought historic levels of youth participation, data shows a longer history of youth disengagement.

Whose Classroom Is This, Anyway?

How can teachers help develop both responsible and response-able democratic citizens? For 11th and 12th grade business teacher Bijal Damani, it started with asking, "Whose classroom is this, anyway?"

To get students exercising democratic ideals, Damani turned her classroom over to her students for daily unstructured discussions. Students set basic guidelines for their debates and learned about empathy and self-control through real practice. Conversations evolved from fault finding to problem solving, and the class developed its own ethical culture.

Damani and her students have even partnered to adapt school schedules and homework and test policies to the mutual benefit of teachers and students.

Who owns the culture of your classroom or school, and how is that conveyed?