Schofield School Homework Statement
At Schofield, we believe that homework is an important part of the school experience. For this reason teachers across the K-5 span have collaborated to clarify their homework expectations and to craft this statement for students and families.
Teachers at Schofield aim to provide homework that is purposeful and balanced to allow for appropriate play, enrichment, and down time for our students. This could take the form of practicing a skill or procedure, or reviewing information learned from the day’s lessons. Homework also supports the practice and development of “Habits of the mind,” such as persisting, thinking flexibly, questioning/problem solving, and applying past knowledge.
Moreover, Schofield teachers believe that homework should support all students in being and feeling successful. Homework is not about feeling frustrated by learning a difficult new concept in isolation. All students should be successful with the homework assigned for the evening.
We also accept that the time spent on homework should be reasonable and within an appropriate developmental range. With this in mind, Schofield teachers have been mindful to achieve a healthy increase in homework as students move through the grades.
Lastly, we believe that in addition to the night’s homework, children should be reading independently or being read to for an established amount of time–20 to 40 minutes. Over the years, the National Reading Panel has surveyed hundreds of scientific studies and concluded that one of the easiest and quickest ways to improve reading is to have daily time allocated for sustained, silent reading.
At Schofield, we know there may be times when students may feel that the work is too difficult. With this in mind, we remind families of the importance of communicating with teachers in order to make the work manageable.