Author: Bethany Spencer
Posted: 29 Nov 2017
Estimated time to read: 3 mins
Homework can create a sense of tension at home for a number of reasons - tasks are set inconsistently, completing homework is always left to the last minute and children seemingly never have any...the list goes on.
As an educator, one of your greatest allies are your students’ parents. The influence they have over their child’s home-learning is huge. However, in order for you to see the positive impact they have on their child’s homework, they first need to feel satisfied with your school’s homework policy which will help provide them with the peace of mind that the homework their child is set is worthwhile.
A school’s homework policy affects all stakeholders and therefore each one should be taken into consideration and consulted when it is being created. In order to truly get your schools’ parents on-board with your homework policy you must first factor in their opinion.
Assessing parental involvement
An easy way to find out how on-board your parents are with your current homework policy and to gauge parental satisfaction with homework is to conduct a parent satisfaction survey which will give insight into parents’ views on homework - is will also tell you what you’re currently doing well, and help you work out areas for improvement.
This will help your parents feel involved in the homework process and you as a school will begin to see the benefits of having parents on board
Another way to get parents onside with your homework policy is to reiterate to them just how important homework is and the impact it’s going to have on their children - inform them of the other areas outside of academic attainment that homework impacts. Help to make them aware of the different tasks that they can expect to see set for their child and how they are going to be effective.
Improving parent satisfaction
Parents want to know that their children are getting the best education possible, and that the work completed during family time is worthwhile and having this clearly detailed will help. Furthermore, cementing just how important home-learning is is will only help to increase parental involvement in homework.
Explain to them what is expected of their child so they feel equipped to effectively provide support at home. Knowing when their children are going to be receiving homework and for which subject, how long a task should take and the learning outcomes of certain types of homework tasks as well as how frequently students will receive grades and the expected turnaround for this.
To conclude...
Doing all of this will help your parents feel involved in the homework process and you as a school will begin to see the benefits of having parents on board with your homework policy. This will include greater parental involvement from parents with the homework being set, a clearer line of communication between home and school along with parent-child relations at home which will help to alleviate some of the stress that is commonly associated with homework.
