Alaina Goldberg, Managing Editor; Colby Sherwin, Sports Editor; Amanda Graves, Staff Writer; Bella Saccomano, Staff Writer
One of the most traditional parts of high school is homework, which is not always a priority for students.
With more available ways to cheat on assignments thanks to the internet, and increasing demand on students’ time from work to extracurricular activities, teachers must weigh the benefits of homework assignments when deciding what to give.
Teachers use homework to enrich instruction
Assistant principal Amy Horvat said that no one in the administration encourages homework, but it is up to individual teachers decide how much to assign.
“Doing outside homework and projects helps when there is a lot of information to retain,” Horvat said.
Jackie Bartko teaches Algebra 2, Pre Calc and Honors Geometry at Penn-Trafford High School with about 140 students total in all of her classes.
“I typically do not give a lot of homework, but I do expect more out of my honors classes,” Bartko said.
Gigi Manuppelli teaches Survey of American Literature, Major Writers and AP English II. She said she gives homework, but there is time given in class to accomplish some of the work.
“The homework I give is to enrich the topic or novel, and sometimes treating them as a college course can cause a realization of what it is like to attend a college class,” said Manuppelli.
Of 100 students surveyed at Penn-Trafford, 51 percent said that they are given more than one hour of homework every night; 15 percent of students said they have one hour of homework and 34 percent said they have 30 minutes’ worth each night.
Research suggests that although the amount of homework for elementary and middle school students has increased, high school students have had stable amounts since 1984 until now.
Horvat added that she has always had the philosophy that homework is only to ensure that what is taught is reinforced.
Charles Gates teaches Physical Science and Earth and Space Science. He said he only gives homework under certain circumstances.
“Homework in my classes is only assigned when not completed in class time,” Gates said.
Derek Cuthbert teaches about 156 students in both Honors Global Studies and Behavioral Science.
“I tend to give out homework only as needed and it is to prepare students for tests and deadlines,” Cuthbert said.
Although teachers suggest homework is necessary to ensure students are learning the material covered in class, there is no guarantee that the work will be completed. However, several teachers said giving work outside of class prepares students for college and beyond, where extra work is expected.
Students lack effort when given work outside of school
Year after year, students continue to find excuses to not complete the homework and projects assigned in class.
According to a study done by Brookings Research Company, 11 percent of 17-year-old high school students were found to have homework and not complete it in 2012, which is the higher than both middle and elementary school students.
Bartko said that there are a number of students that will send or give each other their homework just to have it completed for the grade. When she assigns homework and does not grade it, she tells the students there is no reason to waste any time copying it because she is not checking it.
Fifty percent of 100 Penn-Trafford students surveyed by the Warrior claimed they do complete their homework, while the other half said they sometimes or never complete it.
Bartko and Cuthbert suggested that when a student is being rewarded for copying someone else’s work every night and turning it in the next day for points, not only have they learned nothing from the assignment but the students are developing bad habits that will shape their future.
“I try to get them to understand the benefit to completing it and using it as practice to help prepare them so they can better understand. When I walk around the room, some of the students complete it for their own understanding,” Bartko said. “I also do not see a huge benefit with homework mainly due to the use of technology today.”
Manuppelli said homework can be effective at times if it is interesting to the students. When assignments do not interest them, they tend to use Sparknotes or Shmoop.
“I don’t condone using [Sparknotes or Shmoop]; educating oneself is part of a process. The more investigation that occurs, the better the [assignment] is understood. Yet, it never takes the place of the novel,” Manupelli said.
Gates added that nine times out of 10, students only write the answers, which does not help them.
Bartko said, “I think homework has value if used appropriately. I have tried different things over the past few years and I have found if the homework is graded then students are less likely to complete it on their own.”
Manuppelli said that she does understand that completing homework can be difficult, especially with involvement in extracurriculars.
“Homework can be a burden if you have other activities; however, with perfecting time management, all can be handled. It is all a learning process,” said Manuppelli.
Bartko said that she does not grade her homework, but it does match up with the tests she gives. Gates added that he grades mainly off classwork, and in Earth and Space Science the homework given does prove to be equal to the test.
“I think it should be completed for the student to practice the math skills and help prepare them for upcoming quizzes and assignments,” Bartko explained.
The Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia concluded that there was a positive correlation between assigned homework and tests. On the other hand, an exceptional grade on a test should not be the goal when completing homework.
Seventy-one percent of the students surveyed by The Warrior said that the homework is sometimes beneficial for future tests and work; however, 19 percent said it is not, and only 10 percent of students said that it helps with the tests they have in class.
“If homework does not serve a purpose and does not help with classwork retention, then I think it is not appropriate,” Horvat said. “It is important, but it needs to be purposeful.”
Unfortunately, students may focus more on high grades than learning something. The pressure for students getting into colleges continues to increase, making the purpose for school slowly slip away.
This supports the point that homework at the high school level is often overlooked and students have less motivation to complete it than they did in middle or elementary school. The amounts of homework have been stable since 1984 to today, and there are no signs of it going away anytime soon.