Monday, September 2, 2013

The History of Homework

From Wikipedia:

"

History of homework

In the United States

Historically, homework was frowned upon in American culture. With few students interested in higher education, and due to the necessity to complete daily chores, homework was discouraged not only by parents, but also by school districts. In 1901, the California legislature passed an act that effectively abolished homework for those who attended kindergarten through the eighth grade. But, in the 1950s, with increasing pressure on the United States to stay ahead in the Cold War, homework made a resurgence, and children were encouraged to keep up with their Russian counterparts. By the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, the consensus in American education was overwhelmingly in favor of issuing homework to students of all grade levels.[17]
In a study done at the University of Michigan in 2007, research concluded that the amount of homework given is increasing over time. In a sample taken of students between the ages of 6 and 9, it was shown that students spend more than two hours a week on homework, as opposed to 44 minutes in 1981.[18] Harris Cooper, nations top homework scholar, concluded after a comprehensive review that homework does not improve academic achievements for grade school students. Cooper analyzed dozens of students and found that kids who are assigned homework in middle and high school actually score "somewhat" better on standardized tests, but that kids who do 60 to 90 minutes of homework in middle school and more than 2 hours in high school actually score worse.[19]"

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Congratulations for 2010/2011 and concerns for 2011/2012


Congratulations families and staff of Paul Ecke Central School on another school year. It is hard to believe this is my family's sixth year at the school. So many great friends made, lessons learned, and our school community continues to grow. Congratulations, too, to our friends in sixth grade who are moving on to middle school.

As a school teacher, I look forward to some weeks of fun and relaxation with the family before even beginning to contemplate the next school year. However, like you, I received the email from Adriana Chavarin Friday about some changes at PEC next year that are important enough to get me thinking about next year right now.

Principal Letter

"Dear PEC Families,
The 2010-11 school year has come to an end! Over the last couple of weeks the PEC staff has been hard at work preparing for the 2011-12 school year. As you may be aware, EUSD is facing a budget shortfall of $3 million which has translated into an increase in class sizes in kinder through third grade to 23 students per class. Additionally, contracts were not renewed for temporary contract teachers. At PEC, we have also experienced a slight drop in enrollment for the upcoming school year. Together, the class size increase, the termination of temporary contracts and the drop in enrollment will cause a loss of staff at PEC in the next school year. I am sorry to report that Ms. Bittar and Ms. Slade will be leaving PEC at the conclusion of this school year. Both teachers have contributed greatly to the learning program at PEC. Their dedication to the PEC students, staff and parents is commendable.
All of these changes have forced us to look closely at our enrollment and staffing to determine how to best serve the learning needs of our PEC students. Instead of creating solo combo classes that most schools try to avoid, we are adopting a multi-age class approach. As a staff we feel that a multi-age approach will allow the teachers to support one another and the students more effectively. The research on multi-age classes also finds that teacher collaboration and parent involvement are key to the success of multi-age classes. For this reason, we are planning on providing you with multiple opportunities to learn more about the instructional approach and curriculum we are adopting, and to answer any questions you may have about the multi-age class philosophy. Over the summer I will be providing the multi-age teachers with planning days and will be meeting with them in early August to finalize instructional plans. We are excited about instituting the multi-age approach and look forward to collaborating with you in the upcoming year. If you would like to read more about the multi-age approach, please visit the following website: http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/instrctn/in500.htm
I want to thank you for all of your support during this academic year. Have a great summer and I will see you on August 15 for the first day of school.
Sincerely, Adriana Chavarin"


We're still neck deep in budget woes, and concessions continue to be required. However, I am very wary of multi-age classrooms. Having observed colleagues teach combination classes over the years, and having had one of our kids in one at PEC, I have only seen one instance where I felt the combination worked, and in that model, the same students are with the same teachers for two years in first and second grade. This proposed multi age classroom is not a project to be undertaken lightly, and I'm not sure if any teacher is requesting to teach a multi-age classroom and learn how to do it in the eight weeks of summer. I would like to find out more, however, before making final judgements. Update: Administration is meeting Monday to setup a time for an informational meeting for the PEC community. Check beck in to the EUSD Observer for updates on when that will be taking place.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Captain Charles Moore at Paul Ecke Central School Friday, April 22 7PM

Cost:  Suggested donation of $5.00 (or more is good too!)  Note – All money collected goes directly to support the research of the A.M.R.F., a non-profit organization.
Please email Darcy Lyons at kdlyons@cox.net if you are interested in attending.
Seating is limited to the first 300 guests.   If you want to ensure a seat, arrive early!