Weekend Reads: Should elementary school students have homework?

  • As 29 states and Washington, D.C. start to administer the new Common Core-aligned tests, the big story portrayed by the media seems to be the growing grassroots movement against the tests and imminent collapse of the standards. But reality isn’t as clear. (Columbia Journalism Review)
  • After a New York City elementary school abolished traditional homework for its students last week, the debate over assigning take-home work to younger children was pushed back into the spotlight. (New York Magazine)
  • Board of Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch said parents who keep their children from taking the annual state exams are making a “terrible mistake,” and urged district officials to explain to families why testing is important. (Chalkbeat)
  • Education doesn’t have to be an environment that hinders curiosity among children. Rather than testing and discipline, adults can spark creativity by influencing students to question and explore. (Salon)
  • A small network of nine hedge fund billionaires are on the cusp of remaking New York public schools. (The Nation)
  • After Chicago schools moved away from punishing student misconduct with strict disciplinary action, suspensions in middle schools and high schools dropped across the board — except for the city’s black students. (DNAinfo)
  • One middle school teacher asked her students what they expect from their teachers. The response: Students want to be treated with the expectation that they will succeed, not fail. (Center for Teaching Quality)
  • A day in the life of an eighth-grade student attending one of New Jersey’s best-performing charter schools. (Politico Magazine)