Dear Friends,

This week’s evidence is on one of my favorite subjects – the toxic impact of homework, especially on students from low-income families. The new article comes from a surprising source – Mike Petrelli of the Fordham Institute. Fordham is a well-known advocate for school choice, including vouchers and charters. Mike and his colleagues have been especially critical of my writing about the negative impact of zeroes on student motivation and success. But I must give him credit – he nailed the issue of homework. 

His article includes evidence that students from low-income families spend fewer hours on homework and are much less likely to have a quiet place to do schoolwork. In our own research in reducing student failures (shout-out to Dr. Pete Ondish), schools that move practice from home to class have significantly reduced failure rates, even though they have the same final exams, standards, and assessments. I’m sure that Mike will get a lot of grief from people who think that homework is a character-building experience. Still, we need to remember that this allegation is almost always from middle-class professionals with a college education – teachers and principals – who lament that kids today just are not as diligent as they were in the halcyon years of the past. It reminds me of the old musical, Bye Bye Birdie and the song “Kids.” The relevant lyric is: “Why can’t they be like we were, perfect in every way.” 

One more side note: I think we need to make an effort to engage with and find common ground with those with whom we normally disagree. So, props to Mike Petrelli for a fine piece of research. You can read the entire article here: Doing educational equity right: The homework gap.

I can be reached at 781-710-9633 or douglas.reeves@creativeleadership.net, if you want to discuss this week’s research.

Best,

Doug