Making the Grade: Homework-Free Weekends

With increasing homework demands on high school students, one Massachusetts school district is offering a little relief this Thanksgiving break.

Norwell High School has implemented four homework-free weekends this school year, the first coinciding with homecoming.

"It's awesome. It's such a nice thing that the school did this year," said senior Alexei Sherman, a three-sport athlete with a rigorous course load.

"The idea was that it would give students the opportunity to relax, to recharge, to reconnect with their families," said Principal William Fish.

Fish said the school recognizes that academic, social and emotional growth are equally important when it comes to child development.

"We've been able to maintain the conversation that homework is still an incredibly important part of the educational process, but it doesn't have to be a part of the process every weekend of every school year," Fish said.

The value of homework is something Janine Bempechat, professor of Human Development and Psychology at Wheelock College, has been studying for years.

"Homework is most beneficial as children get older," said Bempechat.

She says in affluent communities, students tend to be more burdened by homework, and she supports the decision by some schools in the Bay State to give kids a break.

"The most important thing for parents to pay attention to is their child's well-being. That to me counts more than how well they are doing in school," Bempechat said.

Principal Fish told NECN feedback from faculty and parents after the first homework-free weekend has been overwhelmingly positive.

"I had a parent tell me she got to watch the Patriots game with her son for the first time in four years because they didn't have the stress of a homework assignment that needed to be completed by Monday morning," he said.

Next week, they'll have another chance to unwind, this time over Thanksgiving. It's something Alexei is looking forward to.

"I'm just going to be able to hang out with my family and not have to worry about anything. It's going to be really nice," she said.

"Family responsibility and connection to the people in your life, the people you love, is more important than any assignment that could be put forth over a four-day weekend," said Fish.

Norwell Middle School is also following suit and giving students a break over Thanksgiving. The other homework-free weekends this school year will coincide with Easter and Memorial Day.