An elementary school principal named Mark Trifilio had been thinking about the role homework played for his students at Orchard School in Vermont. He had been reading research, which generally found that homework for elementary school-aged children doesn’t improve academic performance. It was regular reading that showed a remarkable effect instead.
After bringing up his concerns with the school’s teachers, they unanimously agreed to implement a new non-homework policy for the 2016-17 school year. You can see it on the school’s website, which states:
No Homework Policy
Orchard School Homework Information
Student's Daily Home Assignment
1.Read just-right books every night -
(and have your parents read to you too).
2. Get outside and play -
that does not mean more screen time.
3. Eat dinner with your family -
and help out with setting and cleaning up.
4. Get a good night's sleep.
Sounds like a great post-school assignment to me.
It’s now six months into their experience and the Washington Post spoke with principal Trifilio, who seems to be happy with the results so far.
Six months into the experiment, Trifilio says it has been a big success: Students have not fallen back academically and may be doing better, and now they have “time to be creative thinkers at home and follow their passions.”
Trifilio said he conducted a family survey asking about the policy, and most parents at the nearly 400-student school responded. The vast majority supported it, saying their kids now have time to pursue things other than math work sheets, and many report that students are reading more on their own than they used to. He said a small minority of parents are concerned that students are missing learning opportunities from doing homework and won’t be prepared for middle school.
The Burlington Free Press recently quoted parent James Conway as saying this about his son Sean, who is in kindergarten: “My son declared on Monday that he can read now and that he doesn’t need any help. So, something is working.”
Flexibility and willingness to learn and try out new things is what learning should be about. It’s great to see a school willing to break the mold and incorporate research into their practice. This is how we can improve education.
Read about a Texas second-grade teacher who did the same last year here.