Race to Nowhere - starting the process

http://www.racetonowhere.com/

From an e-mail I sent to parents in my classroom when I began to change my homework policies:

To Parents of Mr. Coleman’s students,

After collecting data this week and last (while charting the quality of homework, the benefit to the students, and parent feedback concerning anxiety and time commitments of traditional forms of homework) there will be a Change in Homework Policy in Mr. Coleman’s class effective next week, August 27^th. 

Due to 1) my administrative training, 2) review of current research on education best practices, including homework), 3) viewing the film Race to Nowhere, 4) a furthering of my own professional development, 5) my experiences last year with this identical issue, and 6) being a dad, the following changes to homework in my classroom will be implemented next week.  Parent feedback is encouraged.  

Homework in my class will be folded back into the regular school times with an emphasis on students setting and following personalized goals to guide what they should be doing at home to strengthen their learning. 

Spelling will look very different. 

1)      All kids will take a pretest on 2^nd and 3^rd grade list words each week – usually Monday, without having seen the words before.  The pretest is NOT for a grade and never would be.

2)      Kids check the words on both lists and meet with me privately to determine what list they should study that week.  We discuss goals, current strengths/struggles, and what they would like to do that week.

3)      Kids correct the words they missed (if any) in the classroom so they have the entire list for the week, including the words they need to work on.

4)      Kids also make a copy of their spelling list to take home so parents know the words and which are being practiced because the kid did not know them on the pretest.

5)      During the day, when kids are finished with regular class work and are self-selecting activities (anytime in the room when they have time to work on individual goals, such as reading their book, doing an AR quiz, doing a friend book talk, journaling, and, later in the year, studying math facts), they will also have the option to study those words that they did not know on the pretest.  (In education these are called “sponge activities” because they soak up all the extra time that is otherwise lost when kids are waiting for others to finish, waiting to talk to me, waiting to take their turn, or they are waiting for kids to come back from the bathroom)

6)      Worksheets for 3^rd grade list will come home on Mondays for practice BUT I WILL NO LONGER BE COLLECTING THEM.  Kids can do them or not, depending on what parents want.  Please do not send the worksheets back to school.

7)      Workbooks for 2^nd grade lists kids will come home for practice (and will stay home for the remainder of the year) BUT I WILL NO LONGER BE LOOKING AT THEM EACH MORNING.  Kids can do them or not, depending on what parents want.  Please do not send the workbooks back to school.

8)      I encourage kids to play the spelling games on Spelling City – check my web back pack under “websites”

9)      I will have structured time for kids to study with friends or with me every day of the week.  This is to replace spelling homework at home.

10)   Kids may study the words they missed each night, as parents see fit.  Please DO NOT spend a lot of time on this.  They will have several hours of study time at school each week, including vocabulary development for the words. 

With these new guidelines in mind, the district required “homework” will be 1) reading each night, 2) working on personal goals, 3) a few minutes of reviewing the words students missed on Monday Pretest, and 4) family time/exercise/sports/religious activities/art classes/playtime/building things/et cetera.

Results from last year: 

1)      The normal distribution of grades that ranged from S+ down to failing grades became nearly universal S+ grades, regardless of beginning spelling ability.

2)      Parents reported overwhelming appreciation for increase in family time and all the activities and events that enrich their children that do not take place within the public education day.  Additionally, students’ anxiety and frustration plummeted, grades improved overall, and even the students who had traditionally struggled in school were increasingly successful. 

3)      Students became more mature and responsible.

4)      Students understood their learning strengths and struggles better and made choices to support their learning.  Some practiced math facts, some did handwriting, and some studied drawing robots.

5)      The students that wanted traditional homework did extra credit work that they often self-selected.

6)      The kids that desperately needed large amounts of physical exercise after learning all day could ride their bikes or run for hours.  Parents spent more money on body soap and shampoo and bathtubs were often coated in dirt every night.

7)      Students slept better at night.