heyteach followed up on my post about homework not necessarily improving grades with a first-hand experience:

I’ve worked with an English teacher to pilot a model in our school where homework is optional. We say to students, “You can do this assignment as graded homework if you want to. Understand that if you choose not to do homework, you’re relying on projects, tests, and quizzes to earn you a passing grade.” The idea is to get them to think about their strengths, and to make a very adult decision about how they’re going to work.

What we’ve found so far is that students are actually turning in more work than they had previously. Taking away the pressure of constant, graded homework seems to make things easier. I think this aligns with previous findings in studies on homework, such as those by Harris Cooper, which address the concern that for some students the stress associated with homework, such as poor grades and fights with their parents, only has a negative impact on how that person views school.

It’s awesome to see how students respond when given respect and some control over their lives.

(Source: obscureref)