If you want to start an immediate controversy, bring up the subject of homework! Most teachers (and many researchers) have strongly-held views … either for or against.

“Pro” teachers believe that meaningful, carefully-planned homework has the potential to enhance the overall learning experience for their students. But such homework must also be balanced, reasonable, and implemented in a coordinated way district-wide. Yet according to researchers, often this is not what occurs in actual practice (Bennett & Kalish, 2006; Kralovec & Buell, 2000, etc.).

“Con” teachers believe that most homework should be abolished. This view begin to gain traction about 15 years ago, and a primary focus is the harm traditional homework does to economically disadvantaged students (Kohn, 2006; Cooper, 2007, etc.).

If your school is struggling with this issue, this sample Homework Policy can be useful in developing a reasonable compromise for your school. It reflects the latest research on homework, as well as specific recommendations from educational organizations that have given serious study to this issue (National Education Association, National Parent Teacher Association, etc.).