Students who hoped for an end to homework got their wish at Orchard Elementary School in South Burlington.
“It’s true,” confirmed principal Mark Trifilio. “We just went to being a homework-free school this year.”
Trifilio announced the no-homework policy in a newsletter to parents last Friday. The school enrolls almost 400 children in pre-kindergarten to fifth grade. South Burlington has three elementary schools, and so far Orchard is the only one to go homework-free.
Teachers voted to ban homework for the year at a training shortly before school opened, with Trifilio’s approval. The superintendent of schools also OK’d the change.
Homework does not help elementary school students learn, and instead robs them of time to play outside, pursue their passions and enjoy relaxed evenings with their families, Trifilio said.
“There is little or no research that supports any kind of academic achievement with homework,” Trifilio said. “If that’s true, what is the purpose of homework?”
So far, parents seem enthusiastic, Trifilio said. He’s received about a dozen emails, most of them with a thumbs-up. Many parents agree with the philosophy that children should not do a “second shift” of academic work at home after spending a full day in school. If there’s any concern, Trifilio said, it’s that the policy might weaken student preparation for middle school.
He will address that and other questions about the no-homework rule Thursday night during a curriculum session with parents.
Other schools are experimenting with the no-homework approach both in and outside Vermont. Last year, Bellows Free Academy Fairfax in Franklin County stopped assigning homework for middle school students. There are several books on the topic, including The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing by Alfie Kohn. Trifilio mentioned that title in his newsletter to parents.
Not everyone agrees that homework is pointless. A Duke University review of 60 research studies on homework concluded that homework helps spur student achievement. The benefits are more clear for students in grades seven through 12, and less so for younger students, according to the study.
Orchard will revisit the policy in six to eight weeks.
Students will still be asked to read at home.
One more assignment, directly from the principal: “We also are asking everybody to get outside and play.”
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I think that this is a good thing. To be honest the first couple years of kids life in school should be them basically learning there table manners. I’m not saying that they should not be reading writing, or doing math, they should be taught all those things still. They should be developing there social skills, and learning how to properly communicate. I feel that homework would be blocking them from developing these skills, they need to learn how to properly communicate and be properly be social with other people. Homework is an independent activity, and at these ages, they don’t know how to be fully independent.
As a parent and a teacher of young children I applaod South Burlington for taking this leap. The public has been brain washed to believe the Homework has some value, but in Elementary school is courses stress for many families. Families are already under enough stress. If there is no evidence that homework has ANY affect on student performance in Elementary school, then why are we encouraging it? Let kids be kids! Encourage families to spend time together; instill the love of learning and reading; play games together; play outside. This is what young minds need. As a Kindergarten teacher, I can tell you that kids are working hard all day long! So hard, that on most days there is little time to play and build social skills. Kinds still need to play! I fully support he NO Homework Policy (aside from playing and reading). More schools should consider this approach. Maybe, then out children will be better able to handle the school day.
Right and we’ll see how these kids from VT do when it comes time to apply to college. The competition is fierce and asking an elementary school child to do an hour of homework a night is not asking too much. Stop babying our kids–ridiculous!
hmmmm not sure this passes the common sense test. The one size fits all approach has never worked in education. We are dealing with individuals. Some kids like homework, what about them. How about we meet kids where they are and move them forward. Remember this idea of closing the achievement gap does not mean bringing everyone to the middle. Our job as educators is to move each kid forward.
If the children read and have active play, instead of doing homework, this makes sense. If they just watch TV or play video games, there won’t be any benefit.
I am so thrilled…may there be a domino effect, right up to the high school!
The 8 hour work week began for adults in 1914 and it was noted that production went way up. I think we will find that the kids will do better academically with one caveat: the teachers teach.
I couldn’t be more jealous! Come on Burlington, read the research!
Sue – thank you for sharing your opinion about how homework could be handled in a constructive manner and what might become of the extra free time for the students at Orchard School.
I encourage you to read some of the books referenced in the article, as well The Schools Our Children Deserve. They all site studies that demonstrate that homework, and a lot of other parts of our school tradition, are rarely helpful in the long run.
Homework helps build student responsibility as long as the teacher treats it with importance i.e. Has a consistent structure for it (Monday through Thursday), makes the assignments clear and corrects the assignments, grades them and passes them back promptly. Is realistic according to grade level i.e. A half hour for grade three. Students should copy their own assignments in a notebook. It should be on the report card. No big project assignments for at-home. Most parents end up doing most of those. Homework should be practice of what is being taught. Have occasional no homework nights and don’t start until the end of September and end at the end of May. All good methodology. Reading should be a given. No homework will mean more computer game time.