The New York Times' Room for Debate blog has a panel considering the pluses and minuses of summer homework.
This has been the subject of debate in our house. Our 11th-grade daughter's summer assignments were very challenging, to the point where I sometimes wondered if more of her time would have been better spent just riding a bicycle or splashing around a pool.
Here are some opinion snippets from the Times panel:
Harris Cooper, psychologist, Duke University: "The long summer vacation disrupts the rhythm of instruction, leads to forgetting, and requires time be spent reviewing old material when students return to school in fall. ... My advice? Teachers, you need to be careful about what and how much summer homework you assign. Summer homework shouldn’t be expected to overcome a student’s learning deficits; that’s what summer school is for. Parents, if the assignments are clear and reasonable, support the teachers."
Nancy Kalish, co-author of "The Case Against Homework": " Schools should rethink summer homework, and not just because it stresses out kids (and parents). The truth is, homework doesn’t accomplish what we assume it does. According to a Duke University review of more than 175 studies, there is little or no correlation between homework and standardized test scores or long-term achievement in elementary school, and only a moderate correlation in middle school."
Mark Bauerlein, professor of English at Emory University: "To the general question of whether or not schools should assign summer homework, the answer is, 'Yes, most assuredly.' ... The reason stems not only from the brain drain of summer and the fog of texting that enwraps youths during leisure hours. It relates also to an attitude young people take toward education. In a word, they regard learning as a classroom thing, that’s all. They tie knowledge to the syllabus, not to themselves. They read and study to write the paper and ace the test, not to furnish their minds. Learning is to earn a high score and good grade, not to form responsible citizens and discerning consumers."
Denise Pope, lecturer at Stanford University School of Education: "The problem with summer homework is a lack of buy-in from one of the main constituencies: the students. During the school year, the students don’t necessarily enjoy doing homework, but they understand it is part of their daily routine. In the summer, students expect, and often need, a break from this routine and the daily pressures that usually accompany it."
It seems to me that summer homework is a good idea to keep the brain cells moving, but like everything else it should be served in moderation.
---Greg


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