I graduated from a typical suburban school district, following a typical college-prep program that met the requirements for admission into University of California, in 1986. Starting in fourth grade I had a little more than an hour, daily. In 6th through 8th it settled into at least two hours nightly, occasionaly three, but usuallly around two. Once I got to high school, I considered it a good night when I could get everything done in three hours, but five was more the norm, and that did not include preparing for quizzes, tests, and the ever looming SATs. Once I got into college, most of the literature, science and social science I took was a reiteration of what had been covered in my high school classes, only slightly more in .depth. However, if I had gone the GED route, I would not have met the admission requirements to that university. I think at some point in the 80s there was a push for homework across all the grades, that it was going to improve achievement over the long term. As a high school teacher, I am in amazement of how the clear majority of students are coerced into the same college prep path. Many don't have the interest, inclination, and even for some the innate ability. For three years they invest all sorts of effort, doing all this homework, taking all these classes, and just missing the mark to get the grades/SATs to get into those four-year schools. In California there is a trend to dupe kids into believing that college is for everyone, when it really is not. They lose a lot of the high school experience, get no practical skills, and can't get into college. Anyway, I assign homework that mostly can be finished in class, except in honors courses. No matter what I assign, though, those honors kids still get it done in class...(or the next class...) Shoshana
