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2014/20:Should Australian schools continue to set homework?
Introduction to the media issue
Video clip at right:A Slate Report from October, 2012, on, newly elected French president Francois Hollande proposing a ban on homework in his country on equity grounds. If you cannot see this clip, it will be because video is blocked by your network. To view the clip, access from home or from a public library, or from another network which allows viewing of video clips.
What they said...
'Homework increases family conflict. And the more parents help with children's homework, the more tension children experience'
Parenting researcher, Dr Justin Coulston
'Homework can have the effect of helping a parent to understand the progress the child is making...and...make parent-teacher interviews more meaningful'
Inquiry into the Approaches to Homework in Victorian Schools
The issue at a glance
Toward the end of 2014 two reports were published which questioned the value of homework.
On August 20, 2014, the final report of the Inquiry into the Approaches to Homework in Victorian Schools was tabled in the Victorian Parliament. The report raised numerous concerns about the nature and effectiveness of homework.
In September 2014 the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Education at a Glance 2014 report was released. It suggested that Australian private school students were spending more than two additional hours a week on homework than students in public schools for no obvious academic benefit. (A slightly revised version of this report was released in October, 2014.)
These reports have prompted a consideration of the value of homework among some educators. The Inquiry into the Approaches to Homework in Victorian Schools report has urged a number of reforms intended to make homework more effective.
On September 1, 2014, an elementary school in Quebec, Canada, announced that it would be trialling a no homework policy over the following 12 months for its Grade 1 to 6 students. To date, no such action appears to have been taken by an Australian school.