The BLOG is being resurrected so that community members who have viewed "Race to Nowhere" on Wednesday, April 27th, or at another time, have a space to share their thought about the documentary.
1. Which topics from the film affect you and/or your family?
2. What ideas do you have for ways to combat student stress? Have you found ways to help your child manage stress?
3. What are ways that you would like to see the issues raised by
the film addressed in your school and/or community?
4. What are the guiding principles you would like to see for education on the local, state and national levels?
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I would like to see our Canton schools K-12 reduce their current homework this next school year by 33% and measure the results. At the same time I would like the district to focus on increasing critical thinking skills. The next school year let's decrease homework by 66% and measure the results. Is the film correct that learning and achievement will grow? I think it worth looking at very carefully.
ReplyDeleteGosh - wouldn't you like to see that intense capt or cmt "review time" replaced with learning. Is there any evidence that suspending instruction for 2 weeks to review really helps the scores? I was appalled to learn that some of the CAPT prep for the freshman was actually graded. Maybe CHS could look at the practice CAPT test scores and exempt students who passed it as Freshman from the intense review. Maybe they could learn something or have some much needed down time.
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing the film, I too hope the district addresses the amount of work given to the children. The school day should be utilized to its fullest to ensure families have time together in the evenings. What happened to sitting down together, eating dinner and watching a show as a family? As a parent the movie opened my eyes into the future of my child's education. As a family we will continue to focus on family, happiness and our religious beliefs to guide us.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that Race to Nowhere really resonated with me. Our 11th grader has lost her motivation and love of learning due to burdensome homework and the literal continuous race. The homework seemed to increase in sixth grade, grew further in middle school, and appears to have no limits whatsoever in high school. She has gone from a joyful, laughing elementary student to someone who really does not like school. It's really discouraging for us a parents. She's really bright and does well academically but is burned out and can't wait for summer. Neither can we since we see evidence of stress behaviors with too little sleep, bad moods, etc. School was actually fun for me. I did take a college curriculum but don't remember the kinds of material she is learning, nor do I remember the kinds of pressures she is dealing with everyday. I pick her up occasionally and the kids literally get 5 minutes to catch the bus. In my opinion the pendulum has swung too far. It's time to reevaluate how we educate our kids. More options, alternatives, for kids with different learning styles, a lot less homework (particularly at the high school level) and more free time built into the day. I liked the block scheduling ideas that were brought up. I think for us the reduction of homework would go a long way to returning some of the interest in learning.
ReplyDeleteI have many thoughts but for now I do want to share this one: Can the Quality Council revisit the early start time for the middle/high school? If kids have 3 hours minimum of homework - can't they sleep in a little more in the morning, like to 6:30am???? Our bus comes at 6:45am. That's WAY to early!
ReplyDeleteI would love to see the high school take the same approach the middle school does regarding homework and projects. I believe the team approach has worked really well for the middle school and would do the same for the high school. I also think we should institute homework free weekends and vacations.
ReplyDeleteThe most revealing information in the film for me was the financial pay structure that has risen up around test scores. If teacher's bonus' are partially based on test scores, of course they are going to teach to the test! Such bureaucracy is very hard to dismantle once it has been established, so I fear the emphasis on scores vs. learning, interests, intellectual curiosity and the like will continue. But, if it can be proven that hours of homework hinder instead of help test scores, maybe we can lighten that load. Parents certainly can work to set the right values and perspective at home. And maybe colleges will start caring more about individual talents instead of the trumped up inauthentic resumes. As the saying goes, "Jack of all trades, master of none!"
ReplyDeleteIt would be great to see homework reduced across the board at our schools. However, I feel the issue is mainly at the high school. Is it possible for the high school quality council to study the feasibility of reducing homework and using a team approach like the middle school?
ReplyDeleteStudents are in school until 5PM with the required sports and activities they need to get into college. They get home at 5:30 and eat dinner and start thier homework at 6PM. From there a college track kid could easily have 4 hours of homework (lit reading, studying, worksheets, project planning, long-term projects etc.). That means their day ends at 10 PM. Then they start to destress and relax for a couple hours and end up going to sleep at midnight only to get up again at 6am. That's too little sleep to be physically and mentally healthy.
ReplyDeleteIf we don't reduce pressures from activities and homework were essentially telling our kids they must work 100% of thier time on earth M-F Sept-June and are not entitled to relax. We have labor laws preventing people from working 16 hours a day in most industries, why do we treat out brightest kids with any less regard?
I'd actually like to see homework reduced to 2 hours a night with one hour devoted to personally directed learning. It could be documented novel reading, building a model rocket, painting, working on thier family history on ancestry.com or any other self directed opportunity to cement themselves as a lifelong learner. In the real world highly successful people are rewarded for thier discovery based projects, not for providing answers to questions people already know the answer to. The founder of Apple recently said US STEM learning was not working because we just quizzed kids on learning science facts when in the real world successful scientists were the ones who created things never before seen. I would expect a more project based approach with a lighter fact based homework load would better prepare our kids for the future and jobs that haven't yet even been designed.
Yes, I agree. There's even starting to be proof that creative problem solving is more important than traditional heavy homework fact based learning. It's probably more fun and less stressful too.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.idodi.org/index.php/who-we-are/news/317-destination-imagination-students-tops-in-critical-thinking-and-problem-solving-major-university-study-concludes
There are so may comments I agree with posted here! My child is currently in the 7th grade and I agree that the homework load started to dramatically increase in the 6th grade - most likely to prepare these poor kids for the Middle School environment. The increase in the Middle School then "prepares" them for the High School. There is no end in sight and for some students the frustration just builds to the point where ones that enjoyed attending school no longer do. Frustration builds in parents as well and then where is the "family harmony"? Where is the down time to just "be" with each other - talking, eating, playing, etc.?
ReplyDeleteI recently read an article entitled "Stress for Success" in the Spring 2011 issue of "Seasons of the Farmington Valley" magazine (www.seasonsofthefarmingtonvalley.com). This film - and, more importantly, what several school districts are doing to help lighten the load for students - was featured. For example, in 2010, Simsbury High School reported results of a study of excessive homework and stress. This district realized that there were quite a few students spending more than 4 hours a night on homework and frequently one day on weekends. Thus, the report recommended that homework not be more than 30 minutes a night per subject (includes AP & Honors courses). Simsbury High also started a "no homework during vacation" policy in 2009 and a test limit per single day policy for students in 2010. Coaches limit practice times and work with students when they need a day off from practice.
One topic of conversation the evening the film was shown in Canton was about "Block Scheduling" - used in some schools. From what a parent stated, this is a method where classes are not held every day, but when they do meet they are held for longer periods. For example, English would not meet daily for 45-50 minutes, but perhaps on Tuesday & Thursday for 90-100 minutes. The parent said that the teachers liked this method because they were able to teach more thoroughly. The students liked it because they did not feel rushed to learn something, had time to really become involved and the homework was not as much because they weren't assigned homework in every subject on a daily basis. This is how courses are scheduled in most colleges so it seems logical that we would want our students - middle & high school - to become familiar with this method.
Should Simsbury High School's changes be explored and perhaps Canton also try to implement them? What about "Block Scheduling" along with guidelines for maximum homework time, no homework on vacations, etc.? I think that Canton should speak with other school districts and see how changes implemented from viewing the movie or from studies are working. Also, there is a need to investigate how other schools structure their learning environments - i.e., if Block Scheduling is used, etc. The Quality Council and any interested parent should be a part of this process.
I agree that students get too much homework from 6th grade on. Sometimes, in the younger grades, the work is busy work. But it's sad when a 10-, 11- or 12-year-old is too stressed to go out and play after school because he or she has to do homework. My daughter, a sophomore, wants to learn but says school is no longer about learning. It's about getting high grades so she can get into a good college. Why not fewer assignments in high school that allow students time to think and absorb what they're learning? I was recently helping my daughter study for an economics test. She just needed to memorize the material and my attempt to explain the concepts with real world examples were slowing her down, she said. She had to memorize the material and get on to her next assignment. So sad.
ReplyDeleteI have read articles, most recently in Seasons magazine; and read reports on line about the effects of the huge -- and growing -- homework loads. The articles support the theory of the negative impact on learning and socio-emotional well-being. I could not attend the showings of the movie in Canton because I was helping my daughters with their homework. (The help involves directing them to resources that may assist them). Like another respondent, I had college prep courses in high school with Advanced Placement classes. I don't recall having so much homework that I missed out on family time or volunteer activities. I have previously contacted the BOE and teachers about the homework load. Perhaps this movie and the blog will provide the impetus to study -- and hopefully decrease -- the homework load.
ReplyDeleteI am the parent of a freshman student at CHS. I am also the parent of a child who exhibits many of the physical symptoms the kids in this film suffer with. My child is a conscientious student, wishes to have good grades and be an integral part of society. My child has headaches, stomache aches, anxiety and depression stemming from the amount of work issued each night including weekends and holidays. There is never a day off or a time to not think about school. We have zero family time. It is discouraging that it has had to come to this and no one is doing anything about it! The kids get up approximately 5:30am. Why can't the school day end at 2:30pm? Why do children have to go to bed at midnight in order to keep from getting zeros on homework?
ReplyDeleteMy 12-year-old son is happy because it's summer and he has free time -- time to play, explore, read, think, relax, be. It's so nice to see him happy after seeing him stressed about sixth grade. I know kids have to learn, but they should have time to be kids. When we're adults, our lives are often consumed by work and responsibilities. I hope the school board and administrators seriously rethink the amount of busy work kids at all levels are given.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to know if any of the suggestions posted here are being considered for implementation and if so, when. It would be a shame to have shown the film, had the discussions and not take any action! Please provide an update on what the status of this subject is and what we as parents need to do to keep this conversation in front of the Board of Education, etc.
ReplyDeleteThank you.