‘No homework’ policy staying in place, modified

For some, the concept of less homework and more time for family and activities is unheard of; however it’s school policy at Snow Hill Middle.

The school located on Coulbourne Lane houses grades four through eight and is entering its second year of the policy.

“What we’re asking parents to do is to trust us,” says Principal Christina Welch.

Students are assigned 20 minutes a night plus what they didn’t get done during the day. This year, students in seventh and eighth grade could be assigned extra math assignments for practice.

Principal Welch explains there’s stipulations to the change. No assignments can take more than 20 minutes to complete, and they can’t be held against the student for a grade.

“What we gleaned from all of the articles and all the research we read was in that elementary school, it [homework] has little impact and 4th and 5th grade is considered elementary,” she says. “In 6th, 7th and 8th grade, we feel that research says it has minimal impact.”

According to Principal Welch, 52 percent of survey parents reported they ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ to the policy after its pilot year.

Jennifer Johnson,  a resident of Snow Hill, says she agrees with this kind of homework policy and sees the benefits.

“I think it’s important for families to have time together and the less homework the students have to do at home, the more time they get to spend with their family,” says Johnson.

Other residents say they are a skeptical and believe homework should be a part of a student’s daily routine.

“Learning in school and coming home doing nothing…and then you go back and start all over again,” says David King. “But if you have homework, it helps you when you go back.”

Principal Welch says it’s the quality of homework that’s more important than quantity. She insists the policy will ultimately benefit the students at the school.   

“If students spend time with their family, engage in athletic events after school, even going to bed early, or even going to bed early, or even just playing outside…instead of spending two hours on a homework assignment, we feel like it’s going to make a difference for our students,” she explains.

If parents would like their child to be assigned extra homework, they can request the school to do so.

Moving forward, Principal Welch says they want to look at testing data and determine if more modifications are needed.