Education

Vancouver Schools Cut Back On Homework So Kids Can Be Kids

By Kate Davidson (OPB)
May 2, 2017 9:45 p.m.

Vancouver Public Schools is revamping its approach to homework. Starting next year, the southwest Washington district will get rid of mandatory homework for its youngest children.

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Related: Why Cherry Park Elementary Dumped Homework ... Mostly

The district says it’s a response to research that shows homework in primary grades offers few educational benefits.

“We made revisions to the Vancouver Public Schools homework policy so that kids can focus on really just being kids,” says Kendra Yamamoto, who runs the pre-school program for Vancouver Public Schools. She says the new policy emphasizes the “whole child,” including time to play after school, as well as family learning time.

Yamamoto wasn’t directly involved in formulating the new homework policy, but she mentors new teachers, so she’s been helping explain the upcoming changes. She spoke with OPB “All Things Considered” host Kate Davidson about them.

Those changes include specific caps for how often and how much homework VPS teachers will assign, from kindergarten through 12th grade.

To hear how those changes might affect your child, click on the audio player above.

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