The authors of The Case Against Homework, Park Slope writers, Nancy Kalish and Sarah Bennett Holmes. will be at Barnes and Noble on Seventh Avenue at 6th Street tonight at 7:30 p.m. Here’s what people are saying about this ground breaking book:
"Parents of America, unite! You have nothing to lose but your frustration. The Case Against Homework is an important book that takes on the 500-pound gorilla—homework overload—long ignored by educational policy makers. Every parent of a school-age child should buy it and follow the authors’ excellent advice in order to protect their children from an educational system gone haywire.” —Dan Kindlon, Ph.D., author of Raising Cain, Too Much of a Good Thing, and Alpha Girls
“A wonderful book that is not just about homework but about the sadness and futility of turning children into drudges who learn—if one can call it learning—without passion, without love, and without gaining independence. Every educator, every politician, and every parent should read this book and take it to heart.” —Mary Leonhardt, author of 99 Ways to Help Your Kids Love Reading
“Most parents have experienced the negative effects of homework on family harmony, family time, and play time, but they accept it as a necessary evil. Bennett and Kalish reveal that the homework emperor has no clothes; there is no good evidence to support piling on homework, especially in the younger grades. They follow through with practical advice for managing homework meltdowns, negotiating with teachers, and advocating for policy changes.” —Lawrence Cohen, Ph.D., author of Playful Parenting
“The Case Against Homework sends a critical message about how to improve the health and well-being of our children by cutting back on busy work and focusing on meaningful assignments, a good night’s sleep, and the value of free, unfettered play time.” —Denise Clark Pope, author of Doing School, Stanford School of Education lecturer, and founder of SOS: Stressed Out Students
“Bravo to Bennett and Kalish for having the courage to say what many of us know to be true! This book serves as an indispensable tool for parents who want to get serious about changing homework practices in their schools.” —Etta Kralovec, associate professor of teacher education, University of Arizona South, and coauthor of The End of Homework
“This very important book makes a powerful case that excessive homework is hurting family life and children’s full development. What’s more, the book does something that is very rare: It gives parents solid practical advice on how they can deal with teachers and schools to produce significant change. The authors care deeply about children and have a special understanding of what children and childhood are all about.” —William Crain, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the City College of New York and author of Reclaiming Ch
i smell of cheese
Also check out The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing by Alfie Kohn, who has done so much great research and writing on classroom issues.
http://www.alfiekohn.org/books/hm.htm
…although I haven’t read it because I am against assigned homework…
Speaking against (or for) this is like answering the “have you stopped beating your wife” question.
Of *course* anybody would be against excessive and/or meaningless homework that keeps kids up till midnite, which is what I gather happens in later grades (my son in III grade at 321 gets about 15-20 mins 4 days/week, which does not seem too bad. He creatively ignores the “15 mins reading” assignment since he does much more on his own.)
To say that there is “no evidence” [that homework helps students] seems to fly against common sense.
Can you learn to play the piano without practice? Can you be a good tennis player? Most would agree that in those activities practice is essential. So what’s the difference in math, etc? Why do we encourage our children to read more–isn’t that our self-directed “homework?”
And, finally, why do all these NY parents spend tons of money on tutoring their kids (not that I approve of this)?
Does this make me a right-winger? Maybe I’ll have to go listen before I spout off any more. I feel a blog entry coming.