Dear Staff, Students, and Parents:

A committee of nearly 100 parents and staff members has been working over the last four months to address the issue of homework in the West Chester Area School District. We are very aware of the impact the amount of homework our students receive can have on them and their families, and we wanted to work to address the need for balance in our students’ lives, while not compromising student achievement.

After months of study, the committee has developed a new homework policy that provides parameters and guidelines specialized to elementary, middle and high school levels. These include the goals of homework, a requirement for consistent communication from teachers about homework, and limits on homework due dates.

Surveys of parents and focus groups with students revealed many mixed opinions about homework: Some feel there’s too much, some say not enough, others say it’s misdirected, others say it’s helpful. Most agreed that homework varies widely from teacher to teacher, and that too much homework can be very stressful for students who already have a busy extra-curricular schedule. And, many high school students and parents feel extra-curriculars are very important and don’t want to give them up since colleges often seek students who are involved in activities.

Our committee set out to study the research on homework and to find ways to provide guidance in a policy so that homework is meaningful, thoroughly communicated, and given in moderation. Some of our committee members were surprised to learn that research is very mixed on how much homework does or does not contributes to academic success.

We met with teachers at each of our 18 schools and discussed what we’d developed with them and made adjustments based on their feedback.

Some committee members expected us to set strict time limits on homework, but we’ve found the many variables involved make it too difficult to do so; That is, what’s a half an hour of homework for one child could easily turn into an hour and a half for another who isn’t focused and who dawdles.

With this new policy, we are setting a new expectation in communication from parents, as well. If a parent feels their child is struggling and they’re having a hard time getting him/her to accomplish their homework in what seems like a reasonable amount of time, we are asking parents to contact their child’s teacher and/or guidance counselor. We are working with our teachers on this new expectation and hope that this will help alleviate some concerns. We really want to teach our students how to manage their time and how to organize their work, as we know these executive function skills are critical in both college and in life.

Our School Board will give final approval to the policy on May 24. You can find the policy, research used in its development, and notes from our meetings on the left hand side of this page.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact homeworkfeedback@wcasd.net.

We appreciate your support and look forward to this change that we hope will benefit our students, staff, and families.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jim Scanlon, Superintendent

Dear Parents,

Since January, we have been working with a 90 member committee consisting of parents, teachers, students, and administrators on revising our homework policy. On Tuesday, March 28^th, the Homework Committee will host a Community Update Meeting at Spellman Administration Building, 829 Paoli Pike, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Please click on links to the left to view a draft of the revised homework policy along with the new leveled guidelines. 

These drafts will be reviewed at the meeting on Tuesday.  Parents and staff may provide feedback at homeworkfeedback@wcasd.net  Comments will be forwarded to the committee. It is our goal to finalize a homework policy with our school board by the May 24 board meeting.
Thank you for your help with this process as we develop a homework policy that provides meaningful and reasonable guidelines for assigning homework to students at all grade levels.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jim Scanlon

Superintendent

March 6, 2017

Dear Parents and Staff,

I am writing to provide an update on the work of our Homework Policy Committee. The committee consists of approximately 90 people including parents, teachers, administrators and students. It has been meeting since early February reviewing research on best practices for homework.

We held a community update session on February 28 to provide a progress report, and to solicit additional community feedback. We will hold another community update session on Tuesday March 28, 6:30 p.m. at Peirce Middle School.

Additionally, parents and staff may provide feedback at homeworkfeedback@wcasd.net . Thanks to all of those who have provided us with feedback as we develop a homework policy and guidelines that are meaningful and reasonable.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jim Scanlon
Superintendent

Dear Parents,

As you know we’ve formed a homework committee of parents, staff, and students to revise our homework policy. On Tuesday, February 28th, the Homework Committee will host a Community Update Meeting at Peirce Middle School from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. All are invited to attend.

Our homework committee met twice this month and has been discussing research on homework. We have begun the process of developing strategies to support a revised homework policy and want to provide an update on our progress. The February 28 meeting will also be an opportunity for parents to provide feedback on our work. Additionally, parents and staff may provide feedback at homeworkfeedback@wcasd.net Comments will be forwarded to the committee.

We will send updated information via email and post information on our website about the committee’s work after the February 28 meeting.

Thank you for your help with this process as we develop a homework policy that provides meaningful and reasonable guidelines for assigning homework to students at all grade levels.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jim Scanlon
Superintendent

Our second homework committee meeting was held on Wednesday, February 15th. The committee discussed how the emerging themes aligned to the research on homework. We also began the process of articulating strategies to support a revised homework policy. Please click here to view the presentation from the meeting.

On February 28th, the Homework Committee will host a Community Update Meeting at Peirce Middle School from 6:30-7:30 pm. All are welcome to attend.

Sincerely,

Dr. Bob Sokolowski
Assistant Superintendent

Our first homework committee meeting was held on Wednesday, February 1. Please click here to view the presentation from the meeting.

The committee is continuing to work more specifically to identify concepts and strategies to include in a revised homework policy.

The committee will meet again on Wednesday, February 15.

Sincerely,

Dr. Bob Sokolowski
Assistant Superintendent

We had a good turnout last week at the January 11th and 12th parent homework meetings.  Click here to view the presentation and the Homework Study Summary.

The district’s administrative team will be forming an elementary, middle, and high school group to further study homework in our district. We hope to have 25-30 members on each committee consisting of parents, staff, administrators, and students (high school only). We had more than 150 parents and teachers interested in serving on the committee. We want to have a cross-section of people representing all 16 schools, all grade levels, and all subject areas. We will be selecting 50-60 parents, 20-25 teachers, 6-10 administrators, and 6 students (2 from each high school).

Those selected to participate will be notified during the week of January 23rd and the first meeting will be held at Peirce MS on February 1 at 6:30 pm.

Parents and staff may provide feedback at homeworkfeedback@wcasd.net Comments will be forwarded to the committee.

We will hold two Community Update Meetings on Tuesday, February 28 (Peirce MS) and Tuesday, March 28 (Spellman Admin. Bldg.) at 6:30 pm.

This page will be updated as we continue to study and review this important issue.

Thank you for your interest and support of our students.

Sincerely,

Dr. Jim Scanlon
Superintendent