Week #3

Action Research Project

Goal: Use homework as a tool of increase students achievement

Purpose:
For more than a century, attitudes toward homework have historically reflected societal trends and the prevailing educational philosophy of the time, and each swing of the pendulum is colored by unique historical events and sentiments that drove the movement for or against homework. (Vattererott, 2009).

Homework is a unique educational practice. Of all learning strategies a teacher may use, it is the only one that crosses the boundary separating school and home, encompassing the two worlds of school and home that all children inhabit. Given the complexity of family life and the diversity of students today, it is no surprise that the practice of homework is challenging-and in some communities, controversial. (Vattererott, 2009).

The ten-minute rule recommends that children receive ten minutes of homework per night multiplied by the child's grade level. That means, a 9th grader should have only 90 minutes (1.5 hours) of homework at night, while a 12th grader should have 120 minutes (2 hours).
With the creation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), more pressure is put under Districts, Schools, Administrators, and Teachers to help low income students and special need's students to address the academic achievement gaps that exists. When homework is meaningfully designed, differentiated, and with a specific purpose, students may reach the stakes of learning and will increase their achievement levels.

As a science teacher, I am always looking for ways to motivate students and encourage them to do their homework. While assigning homework is an issue that, until recently, has seldom been questioned, I consider that homework in reasonable amount, designed with specific purpose, and differentiated for the diversity of students, can be a powerful tool to support and enhance learning, can be a tool to provide teachers feedback about learning, and provide students with adequate practice to sharpen the skills and find out where they need to work harder to deepen their knowledge.

Homework instill confidence within students when they successfully complete tasks on their own. (Vatterott, 2009)

Question:
What is the relationship Between Assigning Homework and Student Measures of Achievement at School?

Subquestions:

How teachers can design meaningful and differentiated homework?
How teachers can improve homework practices?
How teachers can implement homework effectively and equitably?
How can teachers implement homework strategies and support programs?

Method
To research the question under study, the IPC Department have design a procedure that is going to be used to measure the students' frequency in turning in homework on time. As the Team Leader, I will collect the data every two weeks using our gradebook system, “Skyward”. I will begin only with tenth graders and I will divide them by ethnicity. All IPC Department will use the same procedure to collect, revise and grade homework to have meaningful data to analyze at the end of each of the two weeks. Also, I will measure students achievement every six weeks using Skyward as well. A homework survey for parents adapted from the book of Cathy Vattererott, Rethinking Homework: Best Practices That Support Diverse Needs (2009) will be distribute to students and a representative sample will be analyze.

Throughout the research, I will be evaluating an existing after school tutorial program and its effectiveness in helping struggling students on doing their homework.

Along with the research, I will keep reading for further insights on how homework can increase students achievement. I will keep sharing my findings with the rest of the IPC Department Teachers.

People Involve
School Principal
School Assistant Principal
Intern
IPC Teachers
After school tutorial program manager

Data Analysis
As a Team Leader, I will distribute the data to each one of the Team Members and we will analyze how homework are helping students achievement. I will generate a list of best practices and strategies used by each one of the teachers and how we can improve what is been doing.
For the after school tutorial programs, the data and statistics will be provided by the Program Manager who is going to work with me in developing strategies to motivate students to participate in the program to increase their class achievement.

Timeline
September 3rd, 2010 - first set of data related to homework will be collected and analyze
October 1st, 2010 – first set of students' grades on IPC class will be collected and analyze
Homework data will be collected every two weeks from the beginning of the school year and Class Achievement data will be collected every six weeks from the beginning of the school year.

At the end of the academic year, I will present the data to the other Science Department Teachers and my goal is to expand the research to the whole science department.