Students Opt to Not Complete Homework at Home?

Principal David Chambers of Cantwell Sacred Heart of Mary High School in Montebello, CA implemented a homework study hall program that has resulted in an increase in the percentage of students turning in homework. But is providing a mandatory study hall the solution to the problem of why high school students routinely do not complete assignments?

As stated in this article entitled Homework Study Hall: Mandatory “Make Up” for Missed Work, students need to do homework to be successful. Chambers explains, "It was obvious that homework was the area we needed to tackle first. Our teachers felt that if our students would consistently do their homework, grades would automatically increase because students would have a better understanding of the material." However, I wonder if they asked the students why they weren't doing homework. Is the homework relevant? Do the students see the purpose?

The article also stated that, "...two teachers receive a stipend to proctor the morning and afternoon homework sessions, and a college student works part-time entering the homework data into a database." That seems like a lot of resources and money to make kids do something that should be a responsibility at home with their parents. I know they couldn't provide all the details in the article, but did they consider placing the responsibility on the parents to be sure they are holding their children accountable, instead of developing this system?

Principal Chambers also stated that, "Teachers fill out a simple homework study hall form'" to begin the process of the detention. The article continues, "After five missed assignments, a letter is sent to the student's parents; after ten missed assignments, an appointment is made with the parents and administrator. If students fail to hand in 15 assignments on time, they are placed on academic probation; after 20 missed assignments a student might appear before an academic board to determine whether he or she should remain at the school."

In a curated learning environment, students take an active role in the learning process, by deciding what they want to learn and how they will go about doing so. The students hold themselves accountable for their education and how much information they acquire, resulting in a student-driven educational environment. How about requiring the teachers to use their time teaching and assessing their students, rather than spending time filling out a form for students who choose not to do the work? How about after 2 missed assignments the parents get a letter; after 5 there is a meeting; after 7 the student gets placed on probation; and after 10, immediate release? When implementing a curated learning environment, students will see the impact of not doing homework when they can't participate in the class - at all!

Realistically, this homework study hall program will result in students eventually completing their assignments in school. But isn't the point of homework to be done at home? What message does this send to students, if instead of holding them accountable for their assignments, we send the message that it's OK if they don't complete the work at home, because they will have the opportunity to do so anyway in study hall? Instead, we should be promoting the accountability of each student by reinforcing the personal responsibility they should have for their own learning.