Despite the successful implementation of the Response to Intervention (RtI) framework in many elementary schools, there is little evidence of successful implementation in high school settings. Several themes emerged from the interviews of nine secondary principals, including a lack of knowledge and training for successful implementation, the…

School improvement efforts often focus on students who perform below grade level. These improvement efforts typically focus on improving instruction, often through a framework and professional development. The question remains, how do students who are gifted and talented respond to this type of instruction? We observed 48 students in their…

Students were electronically polled about the influence of the Internet in their education and ways teachers could use this resource to motivate them and increase their learning. Responses from the 956 adolescents showed that the school quest to increase student engagement could more often be met through online assignments that facilitate…

Most research shows no correlation between homework and student achievement and finds homework for primary grades inappropriate and counterproductive. After summarizing major purposes and types of homework and associated problems, the article provides seven recommendations for developing a workable school policy. (MLH)

Concerned about discrepancies in amount and kind of homework assigned, a Tennessee school district developed some guidelines governing number of homework nights, assignment length, and grading practices. Because it is virtually impossible to require every teacher to carry out identical homework practices, school policies should remain general and…

A survey of 2,956 teachers in 92 Illinois high schools found increasing amounts of assigned homework, discrepancies in assignments among curricular tracks, little variety in assignments, need for improved student responses, teacher diligence in reviewing homework, lack of coordination at district, school, and departmental levels, and lack of…

Recently, each department at Green Mountain Union High School (Chester, Vermont) was asked to update its curriculum and research current theories on the use of homework through national organizations. Teachers in each department then prepared current practice statements and developed policy statements concerning homework's value. (MLH)

A program is described that successfully involves parents in their child's education at a middle school in Louisiana. (MD)

Principals must attend to eight curricular issues in their role as instructional leader: amount of content; extent of academic focus on coursework; focus and sequence of courses; breadth versus depth of content; differential access to knowledge; homework as an extension of content; curricular alignment; and quality of course objectives. Includes…

Discusses essential learning techniques (homework, studying, and notetaking) that students need to facilitate their own learning and improve their academic performance. Teachers can help students develop these skills by defining specific skills, selecting a few examples to illustrate them, critiquing or correcting imperfect examples, providing…

Quasi-experimental study of the use of TIPS (Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork) interactive homework assignments in middle-school science instruction found that interactive assignments promoted greater family involvement and better grades than did noninteractive assignments. (Contains 26 references.) (PKP)

A western North Carolina study explored how 31 teachers and 35 students viewed implementation of the 4 x 4 block schedule in five high schools. Teachers generally favor the 4-period schedule, but several cited absence problems, less student homework, and "uneven" student schedules. To reap full benefits from block schedules, principals…

This research was designed to examine the effects of the use of individualized, learning-style based homework prescriptions on the achievement and attitudes of middle level students. Sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students from an urban, parochial school in New York City were provided either learning-style-based homework prescriptions or…

The link that homework provides between school and community can become more productive if teachers and administrators ensure that the school homework is clear, meaningful, varied, and regularly assigned. (Author/TE)

The Monitoring the Future research team found that high school seniors in the class of 1995 spent about the same amount of time doing homework as seniors in the class of 1976. However, 1991-95 college-bound seniors spent an average of 7.5 hours per week on homework, whereas their counterparts in 1976-78 spent an average of 8.1 hours weekly, a…