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Homework

Did you know students didn’t always have homework?  Before the 1950’s teachers didn’t assign homework to elementary school kids.  This is no longer the case now.  In a 2008 survey, “77% students regardless of grade level, spend at least 30 minutes doing homework on a typical school day, while 45% reported spending at least an hour.” (MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: The Homework Experience, 2008).  The question we ask in this TPFK is “Does homework help students learn?  Are students getting the right amount of homework?”

Narrative Benchmark books

Freddy adds contemporary benchmark books to those already identified by Jeanne Chall and the CCSS.

What Teachers and Parents Can Do to Stop the Summer Reading Slide

Students from high and low socioeconomic homes have been found to make similar gains on reading during the school year (Alexander, Entwistle, & Olson, 2004). It’s what happens in the summer that contributes to a growing gap in low- and high-income students’ reading. During the summer, low-income children either fall or stagnate during the summer, while higher-income children continue to progress or maintain their reading levels. By fourth-grade, the accumulated differences over several summers are reflected in a significant gap between low- and high-income students.

Music in Schools

The question at the heart of this booklet is whether time should be alloted during the school time for music education.  Music is an important part of our lives, but how important is music education compared to language arts, math, science and social science?

Exercise in School

It is a given that students, everyone, should exercise during the day.  But with all that schools are trying to accomplish in the school day, should time be set aside for PE?

School Time

With talks of extending the school day and/or school year, what are some of the point view in this issue?

Looking “Within” the Lexile for More Guidance: Word Frequency and Sentence Length

Teachers should use the lexile rating as an initial piece of information, much like a check of someone’s temperature. A temperature can be high or low for lots of different reasons. The average sentence length and average word frequency gives teachers more specific information that is useful for decision-making.

Editorial Board

Martha Adler University of Michigan, Dearborn Victoria Appatova University of Cincinnati Kathie Bach Apex Learning Marco Bravo Santa Clara University Devon Brenner Mississippi State University… Read More »Editorial Board