This author discusses her decision to move to secondary school to teach mathematics, after having taught and been a mathematics manager in primary schools for six years. She states that this was a valuable experience and sparked her interest in the transition experiences of students, particularly in mathematics. Research (Evangelou et al, 2008,…

For several decades, teachers and researchers have argued the value of homework. There have been research reviews suggesting that homework is beneficial, such as the meta-analyses done by Harris Cooper, Jorgianne C. Robinson, and Erika A. Patall. However, critics of homework argue that it is not effective and interrupts family interactions and…

This article provides a response to Kohn's article entitled "Abusing Research: The Study of Homework and Other Examples" that appeared in the September 2006 issue of the "Kappan." There Kohn asserted that many of those who conduct research on homework and report on that research misrepresent research findings. He specifically mentioned a set of…

We now stand at an interesting intersection in the perennial debate about the merits of homework, write Marzano and Pickering. Arguments against homework are becoming louder and more popular; at the same time, research is providing growing evidence that homework can be useful when employed effectively. After reviewing three recent books that have…

During the past 25 years, the country witnessed a dramatic transformation of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Actions by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), Congress, and the National Assessment Governing Board fundamentally changed NAEP's role in federal educational policy and the nation's schools. Developed in the 1960s…

This study investigated children's practices and ideas or perceptions about self-regulation for two particular aspects of schoolwork: completing homework and learning for a class test. Subjects were 86 Anglo children (ages 7, 9, and 11) who were interviewed about their practices and ideas concerning homework completion and test preparation.…

We use several national surveys to provide a 50-year perspective on time spent on homework. The great majority of American children at all grade levels now spend less than one hour studying on a typical day--an amount that has not changed substantially in at least 20 years. Moreover, high school students in the late 1940s and early 1950s studied…

"Education Indicators" are facts and statistics that help to describe a public education system. They are tools which are useful in examining and measuring the effectiveness of the system. Examples include information such as the amount of local funds raised to support local schools, per pupil expenditures, pupil-teacher ratios, and…