Dear Families,
In recent months there has been a great deal of interest in homework by both families and staff. A new Homework Policy was implemented by the Franklin School Committee this year and the policy can be found here (http://franklinschool.vt-s.net/Pages/FranklinCom_Emanual/i/Idocs/IKB). (And below to make it easy to find)
A K-12 Homework Committee has been meeting to study the research about homework and will be delving into our current practices about homework across grades and schools. Recommendations about these practices will then be developed so that our practices are aligned with research and provide a consistent framework across the district, yet maintain an individual teacher’s ability to have flexibility as well.
The spirit of the School Committee policy is centered around maintaining a balance between the academic work and the needs of the whole child. The needs of all children include having downtime, playing, participating in a variety of activities, and spending time with family. To that end, we are piloting with December “Homework Free” vacation for all of our students in Grades K-8. That said, we always encourage reading for and with children as a part of family activities.
We are encouraging our high school teachers to take the same approach if possible, but understand that with certain courses, a Homework Free break may not be feasible. We are also asking our faculty to take a much needed and deserved break from the routines of correcting, responding to email, and lesson preparation so that they too can enjoy time with their families.
We plan to conduct a survey after the vacation period of our faculty, staff, administrators, parents, and students to determine the reactions to this experience. This data will be used to inform future decision making about homework free vacation periods.
Best wishes for a Happy Holiday Season and a wonderful break!
Franklin Public Schools
 |
| Franklin Public Schools: Message to Parents on Homework Policy |
IKB
Homework Policy
The Franklin Public Schools recognize that meaningful and purposeful homework assists a student in the reinforcement and extension of learning and provides an opportunity for families to better understand the academic work of children at their grade level.
The Franklin Public Schools are committed to the education of the “whole child” and recognize that students are active in many areas of daily life such as extra-curricular offerings, athletics, artistic and cultural endeavors, and participation in family routines and events. These pursuits help to develop students with strong social-emotional skills and will further instill a love of learning about topics of personal interest. Homework practices that are implemented in classrooms should both recognize the value of homework and maintain a developmentally appropriate balance between homework and other life activities.
As such, homework assignments should be:
- Appropriate in time and frequency for the developmental stage of the child
- Meaningful, relevant and aligned with work in the classroom
- Have a clearly articulated purpose, educational objective and learning expectations
- Personalized to meet the needs of the learner
- Structured to provide students with feedback that leads to improved learning
- Consistent, to a reasonable degree, across grade levels and among classrooms
- Aligned with current research on best practice as well as school and District policies
Professional staff in grades 6-12 are encouraged to consult with each other to the extent possible regarding planning of homework and projects to strive for a manageable workload for students.
Homework should be used only as a learning tool, may not be used for punishment, and students should not lose privileges, including recess, for not completing homework.
Adopted by School Committee: 7/18/17
