No Weekend Homework? Superintendent Proposes Changes in After-School Assignments

Kids have whined about homework ever since schools were invented. Now parents are complaining as well. The problem surfaced at last month’s educational summits, where many parents said that their children were stressed from too much homework.

In response, Jeffrey Felix, superintendent of the Coronado Unified School District, crafted a proposal that he will present to the board on Thursday. In it, he suggests a number of steps to make homework more relevant and less onerous.

This is Felix’s second proposal. His first was presented to the board at its February meeting and was designed to draw attention to the issue. This second proposal was done in consultation with teachers and principals throughout the district and offers up a more comprehensive proposal.

From the outset, it makes clear that homework is an important part of the educational experience. “Homework contributes toward building responsibility, self-discipline and lifelong learning habits, and that time spent on homework directly influences students’ ability to meet the district’s academic standards,” the proposal states.

It further adds that homework should “reinforce skills and concepts taught in the classroom … enrich and extend learning … develop study habits, research and critical thinking skills, and ... provide an opportunity for parents or guardian to be involved with their child’s education.”

The proposal then suggests a number of guidelines to achieve these ends without placing undue stress on students or their families. Among these are grade-specific guidelines for how much time a student should spend on homework each night, the development of “an effective homework plan” at each school and the establishment of a “no homework” calendar.

Under it homework could not be assigned on weekends or holidays, and it encourages teachers to make the assignments in advance, giving students flexibility in completing the work.

Besides this proposal, Felix will deliver the second part of his State of the District report, which shows how Coronado stacks up against similar districts in the state in such areas as student-to-teacher ratios, graduation rates and Academic Performance Index scores.

Also at the meeting, Rachel Hurst, director of the Community Development Agency, will present her annual report. It is particularly significant this year because Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed . Since the district receives two-thirds of the agency’s funds for capital improvements, it has a large stake in its survival.

The school board meets Thursday, March 10, at 4:30 p.m. in the district office, located at 201 Sixth Ave. in Coronado.