When she was a child, Mary Russo knew that going to school was her job. The time set aside to complete homework assignments was considered sacred. Russo is now the principal at Samuel Mason Elementary School in Roxbury, Mass., and regularly stresses the importance of homework to parents. What's more, says Russo, making homework a priority gives children more opportunities to learn.
Homework is a powerful way to extend learning.
Russo bases her claim on her 27 years of educational experience, as well as on research that homework can result in improved student achievement. Homework also helps instill in students a sense of responsibility, accountability, motivation, and self-confidence. In today's modern world, an old-fashioned approach to homework won't work. Homework has to be relevant to the lives of children. And parents have to reinforce, at home, what students learn in the classroom.