Section 1: Academic Achievement - National Center for School ...

An important aspect of homework is that each teacher should have a homework policy that is
clearly stated and easy to understand by parents and students. The policy should be provided
to the parents and the students at the very beginning of the year and families should be
reminded of this information on a regular basis. This reiterates how important homework
really is.
If students continue to have difficulty with homework then teachers should look into tutoring
programs or other forms of academic support. These types of academic help have a positive
effect on student achievement. These programs give the students a feeling of success and then
they are much more likely to complete their work on a regular basis. Also, students may form
a bond with whoever the person is in charge of their program and they are not willing to
disappoint the person who is helping them succeed, so they do their work and turn it in. One
of my highly mobile student’s was set up with a tutor/mentor for half of the school year.
There was an observable increase in this student’s homework progress simply due to the fact
that he loved working with his tutor.
Analysis of my data indicated that students definitely wanted to be successful with
homework. It also showed that parents wanted to provide their children with the support and
encouragement needed for completing assignments. The overall success of this project
showed that some students did improve, but it became very apparent that sometimes the
situation was out of the student’s control. Students and parents in my class learned that they
were accountable for the work that was assigned as homework.
As with any education issue there is no magical solution to the problem. It takes a
combination of procedures, policies, programs, and time. It also takes a school and teachers
who create an inviting climate to bring students into the school and keep them there. It is my
hope to continue these strategies next year and to make improvements as I go.
Plans for Dissemination
The results of this project will be shared with the staff at Lowry Elementary school at the
beginning of the 2006-2007 school year. The ideas for improvement discussed in this study
Action Research to Study Homelessness and High Mobility in School Communities 63