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Open Forum News 2000-2001 Topanga Elementary Open Forum November Report At the last Leadership Council meeting, we discussed what role monthly open forum’s might play in the governance of the school. In addition to providing a space for collective deliberation and parent to parent support, monthly forums will provide an opportunity to share ideas, concerns, suggestions with your parent representatives, Bert Gleicher and Karen Quartz, who will take these items to the Leadership Council. Below, we’ve listed all the members of school committees and councils—both to facilitate school-wide communication and to encourage more people to hop on board. A public school is only as strong as its public. And while we all value the strength of our Topanga community, the same faces assume much of the work. Let’s enter the new year with a renewed collective will to reach out to others, find meaningful ways for everyone to participate (including working parents) and model for our children civic virtue. Together we can move mountains! HOMEWORK UPDATE During last month’s open forum, a group of parents met to share their views on homework. Some were frustrated with having to "police" homework; others worried about the amount of time it took away from family life, while still others shared stories of working with teachers to adapt homework to meet children’s needs. For some, homework was not a struggle, but they attended the forum to join in the deliberation so vital to our public schools. What emerged from the evening was a desire to know what other parents felt about this important topic. The idea of a homework survey was then taken to the leadership council where we learned that just such a survey had been conducted two years ago. In order to assess the need for another data collection effort, the idea was turned over to the curriculum committee for further consideration. For parents struggling with their child’s homework, the following excerpt from the school’s homework policy might come as helpful advice: Homework should not be a stressful experience that causes conflict. Homework will be modified as necessary by classroom teachers to meet individual needs. Please do not hesitate to meet with your child’s teacher if you have any questions or concerns relating to homework. Together we can achieve the ideal situation and have each child learn responsibility and develop a sense of accomplishment for a job well done. October Report At the first open forum meeting last month, a group of parents met to chart the course for the upcoming year-what was this group about and how best could it become a vital public space for parents and other Topangans concerned about education? As the conversation progressed, the need for open dialogue and community support took center stage. Sending in our TEP pledges and attending school events are crucial, but where and how can we talk openly and constructively about school policies, classroom instruction, or what happens on the playground? As we all talked, four topics emerged as avenues to encourage more reflection and action:
Doing Our Homework on Homework Like most educational issues, homework inspires vociferous debate. On one side, there are those who advocate the benefits of a regimented home environment for learning. Homework teaches responsibility; it builds study skills; it boosts test scores. Popular education writer Lee Canter, in Homework Without Tears : A Parent's Guide for Motivating Children to Do Homework and to Succeed in School, counsels parents to stand firm on the importance of homework and provides helpful hints, checklists and charts to create a stress-free homework environment. At the other end of the spectrum, educators Etta Kralovec and John Buell question the value of homework altogether. In The End of Homework : How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning, they argue that children’s leisure time needs protecting to provide a balance of work and play that allows them to prepare for their futures in work and citizenship. Schools should be able, they maintain, to educate our children without the bind of homework. Wherever you find yourself in this debate, homework forces us to think hard about how best to support our child’s learning at home. Come to the forum next week and share with other parents your ideas, concerns and strategies for encouraging meaningful home learning.
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