Vallone Bill Would Limit Homework Hours For Public School Kids
BY JOHN TOSCANO

Taking a stand to "just let children be children", City Councilmember Peter Vallone Jr. wants the city Department of Education to place a limit on the amount of homework that grade school teachers in the city's public schools are permitted to assign to their students each night.

Vallone believes that large amounts of homework, sometimes approaching four to five hours a night, rob students of precious time that they could otherwise devote to learning a new skill, exercising outdoors or spending time with their families.

"Our children are not CEOs of international conglomerates, although they may be one day," Vallone (D- Astoria) said. "But for now, there is no reason 8-year-olds should be putting in 12 hour days" between school and homework.

"Sometimes, children should just be allowed to be children," he stated.

Vallone, who has two daughters in public school, says he does not oppose all homework, but he feels that for younger students it should be capped at a maximum of about two hours per night. He also suggested that there could possibly be a homework-free night once a week that students could use for free time for some personal pursuits.

The lawmaker said that numerous studies have shown that increased homework does not correlate to increased learning comprehension, and he feels that large volumes of homework can hurt a child's ability to learn.

Stating that the limited homework movement is becoming a growing nationwide trend, Vallone pointed out that numerous jurisdictions have already established some restrictions on the amount of homework that can be assigned by teachers. Included in this group are schools in New Jersey, Wyoming and California, he said. Also, some organizations such as Stop Homework (stophomework.com) have called on school boards to place limits on home assignments.

"It doesn't make sense to me that the school can send something home that makes your kid miserable, that interferes with your family time and that interferes with your child developing into a whole, complex person," Sara Bennett, founder of Stop Homework and author of the book, The Case Against Homework, said. "And to top it off, they can't even show that homework has any value."

On a personal note, Vallone knows firsthand the experience of homework robbing his family of quality time. Since he proposed this legislation, he has received calls from parents around the country expressing their support for the concept, having dealt with similar afterschool burdens themselves.

He said he's also been hugged by strangers who agree with his stand on homework in the corridors of City Hall.

Councilmember Robert Jackson (D- Brooklyn) chair of the council Education Committee, said he is amenable to holding hearings on the bill once it is introduced. Vallone said he hopes introduction of the measure starts a lively dialogue on the subject.