In Our View: Learning Alternatives

It’s still too early to hand out a report card, but the hope here is that a new program at Burnt Bridge Creek Elementary School will earn a passing grade.

The school, part of Evergreen Public Schools, has established a series of after-school clubs that find kids playing in the gym or working on arts and crafts in the library. It all is part of a district-wide move away from traditional homework assignments such as worksheets or projects. According to an article by Columbian reporter Katie Gillespie, teachers may assign homework but cannot punish students for failing to complete it. Meanwhile, students are encouraged to read every day and become involved in other enriching activities. As Scott Munro, the district’s director of elementary education, said: “There’s a body of research that suggests homework … is an ineffective exercise.”

There is, indeed, research to support this assertion. But there also is research that has reached the opposite conclusion. Time magazine reported last year that a 2006 study by Duke University professor Harris Cooper remains the most comprehensive look at the issue, and that Cooper found “evidence of a positive correlation between homework and student achievement, meaning students who did homework performed better in school.” The correlation was stronger for students in middle school and high school than it was for younger students.

For decades, most schools have adhered to a guideline of 10 minutes of homework per grade, meaning third-graders would be expected to have 30 minutes of homework per night. The National Parent Teacher Association and the National Education Association both support this guideline, and Cooper distills the issue in plain language: “A good way to think about homework is the way you think about medications or dietary supplements. If you take too little, they’ll have no effect. If you take too much, they can kill you. If you take the right amount, you’ll get better.”

In other words, discussion about how much homework is too much will continue and will vary from district to district. That means the approach at Burnt Bridge Elementary is a worthy experiment. The establishment of various social clubs gives students educational outlets in which they can learn valuable life skills without realizing they are learning.

Denise Pope of Stanford University, who co-authored an oft-quoted study of the effectiveness of homework, told The Columbian: “They expose them (students) to things they might never try. It shows that you can learn something new and take on a challenge.” And Burnt Bridge librarian Kari Oosterveen said: “We need more things for kids to do that are productive.”

Logically, some homework is necessary. Properly assigned after-school work can help reinforce the lessons taught during the school day and improve retention. Homework requirements also can help students develop self-discipline. On the other hand, anecdotal evidence and some studies suggest that a burdensome homework load can create stress and actually hamper learning, particularly for young students.

The key is for each school and each district to accurately assess the capacity of their students to handle the demands. We believe it makes sense to assign homework but not make it mandatory, particularly for younger students. But there is room for different approaches that might prove beneficial.

With that in mind, the effort at Burnt Bridge appears to be a thoughtful alternative. Keeping students engaged is the first step to getting them to learn.