Too Much Homework???

Any one with school age children knows the drill regarding homework. Unless you have a meticulous, over-achiever, who is most likely a girl, you've experienced the homework wars. The latest look on this issue comes from a story on NPR . Experts weight in on how much is too much and the effect on the family. Does all the home-work even work? Researchers from Penn State, are saying,

"increases in homework may actually undercut teaching effectiveness and worsen disparities in student learning,"

This is music to our ears, even though we seem to be in the minority. The reports to the contrary regarding the homeowork load include one from The Brookings Institute, which, completely trounces all our theories, but in a very polite way.

Teachers and administrators will comment (off the record of course), the one reason for so much homework is parent demand. Since we personally do not know any such parents, but believe in their existence, in much the same way people believe in UFO's. We know they are out there, even if we believers have never seen the aliens...ahh parents. But, we digress.

We, here at the Calabasas Chronicle do not want to do elementary and middle school all over again. We realize in a highly education, upscale population like LVUSD, the competition can be fierce to ensure our kids are the best Mission Project/State Report/Mid-Evil Market productions. And if little Britney or Cody can't make things look just so, we can always hire a professional.

On the other side of the spectrum,

The Action Alliance for Children says more homework for lower income kids can actually benefit the student need to catch up.

In the latest CNN/AP Poll our theory of the homework being a parent issue, is confirmed.

So what is a parent to do, if your tired of fighting and lamenting hours spent on vocab words? We have no idea, and we have to get off this blog and start nagging the kids to finish their homework.