Helping students complete their homework: tips for parents
Abstract
The No Child Left Behind Act is an educational bill that is designed to improve student performance and to change the culture of American schools. Features include accountability for results; an emphasis on doing what works based on scientific research; expanded parental options; and expanded local control and flexibility. "Tips for Parents" is a featured resource from the Department of Education's website. Written for parents and caregivers, this information is also appropriate for tutors. A link to the website is provided.
Issue
Children oftentimes need structure and support to complete homework assignments. Parents who want to help might need assistance to know how they can help.
Action
According to the U.S. Department of Education's website, when assisting students with homework, effective practices for parents include:
Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to do homework.
Avoid having your child do homework with the television on or in places with other distractions, such as people coming and going.
Make sure the materials your child needs, such as paper, pencils and a dictionary, are available.
Ask your child if special materials will be needed for some projects and get them in advance.
Help your child with time management.
Establish a set time each day for doing homework. Don't let your child leave homework until just before bedtime. Think about using a weekend morning or afternoon for working on big projects, especially if the project involves getting together with classmates.
Be positive about homework.
Tell your child how important school is. The attitude you express about homework will be the attitude your child acquires.
When your child does homework, you do homework.
Show your child that the skills they are learning are related to things you do as an adult. If your child is reading, you read too. If your child is doing math, balance your checkbook.
When your child asks for help, provide guidance, not answers.
Giving answers means your child will not learn the material. Too much help teaches your child that when the going gets rough, someone will do the work for him or her.
When the teacher asks that you play a role in homework, do it.
Cooperate with the teacher. It shows your child that the school and home are a team. Follow the directions given by the teacher.
If homework is meant to be done by your child alone, stay away.
Too much parent involvement can prevent homework from having some positive effects. Homework is a great way for kids to develop independent, lifelong learning skills.
Stay informed.
Talk with your child's teacher. Make sure you know the purpose of homework and what your child's class rules are.
Help your child figure out what is hard homework and what is easy homework.
Have your child do the hard work first. This will mean he will be most alert when facing the biggest challenges. Easy material will seem to go fast when fatigue begins to set in.
Watch your child for signs of failure and frustration.
Let your child take a short break if she is having trouble keeping her mind on an assignment.
Reward progress in homework.
If your child has been successful in homework completion and is working hard, celebrate that success with a special event (e.g., pizza, a walk, a trip to the park) to reinforce the positive effort.
Context
The No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law by President Bush in January 2002, is a bill that contains four basic education reform principles: stronger accountability for results; increased flexibility and local control; expanded options for parents, including supplemental services for children in low-performing schools; and an emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven to work.
Outcome
As a result of No Child Left Behind:
Parents will know their children's strengths and weaknesses and how well schools are performing; they will have other options and resources for helping their children if their schools are chronically in need of improvement.
Teachers will have the training and resources they need for teaching effectively, using curricula that are grounded in scientifically based research; annual testing lets them know areas in which students need extra attention.
Principals will have information they need to strengthen their schools' weaknesses and to put into practice methods and strategies backed by sound, scientific research.
Superintendents will be able to see which of their schools and principals are doing the best job and which need help to improve.
School boards will be able to measure how their districts are doing and to measure their districts in relation to others across the state; they will have more and better information on which to base decisions about priorities in their districts.
Chief state school officers will know how the schools in their states and in other states are doing; they will be better able to pinpoint where guidance and resources are needed.
Governors will have a yearly report card on how their states' schools are doing; they will be able to highlight accomplishments of the best schools and target help to those schools that are in need of improvement.
Community leaders and volunteer groups will have information they can use to rally their members in efforts to help children and schools that need the most help.
Posted On
July 10, 2003For More Information
Resources
See the U.S. Department of Education website at http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml
Source Documents
General Homework Tips for ParentsRelated Practices
Related sites
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