Classroom Instruction part of the Education Reform Network

Assigning Homework

• 10 Critical Qualities of Student Work
  Phil Schlechty, in his book "Inventing Better Schools: An Action Plan for Educational Reform", described 10 qualities or attributes that can be used as a framework for developing student work that is more engaging. This web page contains an excerpt from the book discussing these critical qualities.
• 13 Ways of Thinking to Develop in Activities and Assignments
  In schools, teachers can check frequently to make sure learners are getting a fairly balanced opportunity to do different types of intellectual work in homework assignments or classroom activities.
• A professional development school partnership: Conflict and collaboration
  The Professional Develpment School (PDS) is one of the most prominent, compelling, and recent models of teacher education reform. For decades efforts have been made to reform the U.S.
• Elevation Educational Consulting
  Works with individual teachers, schools, districts to evaluate and improve literacy programs and instruction.
• Helping Your Students with Homework: A Guide for Teachers
  A comprehensive guide for teachers. Provides tips for ensuring that students understand the purpose of the homework, making sure that assignments are clear, creating challenging assignments, matching assignments with the skills, interests, and needs of students, encouraging good study habits, and providing constructive feedback.
• Homework in the Memphis City Schools
  The Memphis City Schools Board of Education encourages meaningful, quality homework that promotes students' abilities to master the skills and concepts taught in the classroom. With this goal in mind, the Memphis City Schools expalin their homework philosophy, details their homework policy and regulations, provides homework responsibilities for both schools and parents, and suggests homework standards and procedures.
• Homework: A MiddleWeb Listserv Conversation
  Middle level teachers discuss their philosophy of homework, parent support for homework, school homeowork policies, and making homework meaningful.
• Intellectual Quality of Student Work in Chicago
  Researchers detect qualitative differences in the kinds of homework and classroom learning tasks assigned to students in Chicago classrooms.
• Students Rule With "Design Your Own Homework"
  Teacher Valerie Grimes of Phoenix, Arizona, describes how she involves her students and their parents in designing homework assignments.
• The Chaucer Pedagogy Page
  Assignment ideas organized into seven areas: 1. Essays, research papers, and tests 2.