A students homework by Aaron Burden aaronburden via Wikimedia Commons
Across the country, after-school worksheets and late-night study sessions are slowly becoming a thing of the past. Recent data confirms that there’s been a shift in K-12 education: teachers are assigning significantly less homework than in previous years, and some aren’t even assigning any at all.
According to a survey conducted by the EdWeek Research Center, about 40% of surveyed teachers reported assigning less homework over a two-year period, another 24% stated they do not assign homework at all, and only 3% of educators reported an increase in out-of-school assignments.
There are so many different things that could have caused this shift. About 47% of teachers who cut down on workloads said that students are refusing to complete assignments as the leading reason. Additionally, another 29% pointed to the rise of AI and other digital tools, noting that tech misuse undermines the learning value of traditional homework. Some teachers also have equity concerns seeing as they also play a major role, as 28% of educators recognize that not all students have equal access to quiet study environments, internet access, or parental help at home.
Research highlighted by Edutopia shows that heavy homework loads aren’t very beneficial to a student’s academics, as it causes younger students to feel an increase in stress and burnout. Studies referenced by Point Loma Nazarene University reinforce that while targeted practice can help older students, too many assignments can often backfire on student engagement and mental health.
Educators are beginning realize they should try to prioritize quality, in-class learning over quantity at home, giving students more time for sleep, extracurriculars, and family life. As classrooms change to better understand new technologies and students needs, the era of heavy nightly homework appears to be fading.
There are many differences between a private and public school. Both schools aim to provide education, but sometimes it’s hard distinguishing how they’re any different besides the cost.
There are key differences in class size, curriculums, teacher quality, extracurriculars, funding, and education experience.
Funding and Cost
Public schools are funded by the government through taxes, allowing students to attend for free within a specific district. The government provides fundings based on the student enrollment number and district property taxes.
Private schools however are funded by tuition fees which are paid by attending students’ families. Tuition cost can range from a few thousands to as high as $50,000 per year, depending on what institution. A friend of mine (Jooney) went to a Catholic private school and she paid $25,000 per year.
Private school’s tuition costs make them less accessible to families with lower financial status but scholarships and financial aid are possible.
Because the students’ families are more involved, there’s more regular/comfortable communication between teachers and parents compared to public schools.
Requirements for Enrollment
Public schools require no entrance exams or interviews and are typically obligated to accept students within the school district.
Private schools have a selective admission process containing interviews, academic performances, and entrance exams.
Previous report cards, teacher recommendations, and test scores/records are often required in many interviews as a part of the application process.
Class size and student ratio
According to Usnews.com, private schools have smaller class sizes, typically having a class size of 12-20 students. Public schools have bigger classes, typically consisting of 25-30 students.
The average student to teacher ratio in public schools can typically be 20:1 or 30:1.
Larger classes can make it harder and challenging for teachers to give individualized attention to students.
Private schools are smaller with a student to teacher ratio as low as 10:1 or 15:1.
This allows teachers to allocate individualized attention to students. It also allows teachers to get to know their students’ learning ability/challenges better as well as build a better relationship.
Smaller classes also tend to help students achieve better academically and have greater engagement in class.
Diversity and Accessibility
According to Nces.ed.gov, another difference is diversity.
Public schools have a more diverse student body because they’re open to all students of the local community, leading to a greater diversity in ethnicity, race, learning ability, and social class.
Diversity helps students learn more about different cultures and social skills.
According to Foothillcds.org, public schools are required to provide services such as gifted and talented programs to meet student needs. They also have teachers who help with one-on-one support for students with disabilities.
Private schools have less diversity due to their tuition cost and selective admission process; they often select and only admit students with certain backgrounds of specific academic successes.
A huge difference between the schools are the dedicated special education teachers. Private schools typically do not provide these services because of their limited spots.
Curriculum and Educational Choices
Public schools use a regulated curriculum for all their students and they are obligated to follow curriculum guidelines set by the state or the educational institution board.
Public schools are also required to administer standardized tests which measure student’s academic performances.
The core subjects like Math, English, Science, and History are mandatory which limits the flexibility of curriculum.
According to Nca.school, private schools aren’t obligated to follow mandatory programming, funding, and services. This gives them the freedom to adopt curriculum that go beyond the standard public school.
Private schools may offer curriculum that focus on specific values, such as religion/belief, arts, or a foreign language.
Private school teachers are often stricter in terms of academic expectations. There are higher expectations for class participation, homework completion, and behaviors.
Dress codes also tend to be more strict; many private schools require a uniform and a student may face consequences for getting a dress code violation.
After acquiring knowledge about the difference between public and private schools, the right choice depends on a child’s individual needs and a family’s educational wants/values and financial capacity.
As a student at Highland, you have probably heard a teacher at some point talk about your “learning style.” We are told that there are three learning styles, visual, auditory, and tactile, and that everyone prefers one of these as a method of learning.
Visual learners like to see things to understand them, auditory learners prefer to have things explained to them through audio or text, and tactile learners like to understand things using physical objects and things they can touch and feel. We are instructed to take tests to determine our learning style.
Supposedly, understanding our learning style will help us in school by allowing us to understand how we learn. It will help our teachers teach us as well, by catering to our preferred method of learning.
We are made to assume that the concept of learning styles, and these tests to determine them, are backed up by science. But in fact, they are not.
The idea of learning styles gained popularity in the 1970s, at a time when psychology was focused on individual differences between people. The idea was that people learned in different ways, and that these differences could be split into different categories of learning. Since then, at least 71 different models have been created of learning styles. And none of them have stood up when held to scientific scrutiny.
A recent study by the University of Michigan broke down many of the problems with learning styles. It found that nearly everyone experiences traits of the various learning styles at different times. For example, they found that nearly everyone learned to ride a bike best tactilly, that is, by the physical act of doing such. Furthermore, the same person can exhibit different “styles” at different times, and when learning different things.
The larger, fundamental problem was that there was no evidence that teaching to a learning style had any impact on student’s ability to gain knowledge and skills.
The American Psychological Association estimates that nearly 90% of teachers still believe in the myth that teaching to a learning style improves learning and academic performance. In addition, 29 states, including Minnesota, still require teachers to be taught about the supposed benefits of learning styles. Only one state, Massachusetts, educates teachers on the fact that this theory has been disproven by various studies.
I think it is time that we stop telling teachers about these debunked theories, which waste time and effort in teaching and learning. It may even be detrimental, prescribing students specific strategies rather than allowing us to determine what works best for us.
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