homework assistance near me

homework assistance near me

The Importance of Accessible and Effective Homework Assistance Programs

1. Introduction

– Develop teaching and interpersonal skills. – Increase their sense of self-efficacy. “I can teach and I can help others learn.” – Increase their professional knowledge. “By reviewing what is learned in coursework, I can better understand it and its practical applications.”

Homework assistance programs can be a compelling learning experience for those who provide the assistance, often older students or undergraduate college students. During the experience, the providers:

– They will develop a sense of professional identity. “The teacher gives me the work to do; therefore I must be doing what professionals do when they do their work: be responsible, accurate, and methodical.” – They will improve their analytical and communication skills. – They will realize the importance of working with precision. “In my work, I have to be careful about writing out the steps and avoiding errors that could lead to unsatisfactory results.” – They will acquire a sense of purpose. “School work, like professional work, is carried out to achieve a specific and important goal.” – They will achieve a sense of independence. “With proper preparation, I can do my work without having to rely on others.”

If homework and the additional instruction that assists students in completing their homework are carefully planned and implemented, students will receive the following benefits:

2. Challenges Faced by Students in Completing Homework

The data from the self-assessment questionnaire revealed that there is a clear need for homework assistance. It is concerning to find that only a few children get any homework assistance from parents. It was also found that a considerable number of children come from homes in which there is little guidance in relation to homework, due to the fact that parents are not educated. Most of these parents do not have good jobs and therefore they do not earn a good income. Many parents come home from work late and are tired, and as a result, children do not receive guidance. Furthermore, some children’s parents are not equipped to facilitate their children’s homework. The home environment is thus not conducive to supporting children’s homework. It is rather disturbing that many children, from as young as Grade 1, spend between three and four hours doing their homework. On the other hand, a considerable number of children do not do their homework. They did not explain why homework was not completed.

3. Benefits of Homework Assistance Programs

There is an urgency about the goals and challenges we have outlined. We recognize and affirm that resources we seek to draw upon – time, energy, and additional resources whether equivalent or supplemental to those that currently provide much of our support for the poor – are limited. Our field is committed to the most effective use of those resources. Accordingly, we stress that careful evaluation of alternative means and approaches is essential to achieve these goals. Yet by drawing upon replicable models and developing partnerships, these products can be supported by many local sources and the national government acting as a source of knowledge and catalytic support which will enhance and not supplant existing policy debates.

The goals of such programs should be consistent with general educational improvement and should aim to improve children’s attitudes towards school work, the amount of assistance they receive with their school work, and the overall educational climate of the home. Ideally, measurable improvements should be achieved in academic performance. The establishment of specific learning and achievement goals is a necessary preliminary step to the creation of innovative means for fostering and enhancing home influence such as computer-based tutorials for students and adults or volunteer programs which link a child to community members through shared experiences.

4. Strategies for Establishing and Improving Homework Assistance Programs

We believe that homework assistance programs are critical. We have identified ways to improve existing programs, have endorsed some new and promising approaches, and have argued for enabling all families to participate. We believe that in only a few short years there will indeed be a safe, nurturing, and enriching out-of-school environment for children through age 13, where all children and their families, including those whose first language is not English, can access quality services. It is our hope that this report contributes to the dialogue about how to change policies and programs that address the fundamental issue of educational equity and the responsibility of this country to ensure that all children have the capacity to compete in an increasingly high-tech economy.

The number of high-quality homework assistance programs has grown over the years. Critical to this growth has been the leadership of public and private organizations that have developed the infrastructure for supporting the programs, provided training and technical assistance, and set the stage for continued improvement. Unfortunately, significant gaps in the ability of thousands of young people to take advantage of homework assistance programs continue to exist. At the same time, as stated earlier, the quality of these programs varies greatly across geography and time, falling well short of the expectation that children should have access to homework assistance programs that make a real difference in learning. It is especially troubling that among children for whom English is not their first language, a group of young people who can benefit greatly, there is no expectation at all that these young people will have access to such a program.

5. Conclusion and Recommendations for Future Implementation

Recommendations: • Begin by describing, in discussions with participating students and their parents, the program, its purpose, significance, and guidelines, how to use it effectively, the possible negative consequences of not addressing potential “time management” and its solutions. “Give it a shot for a couple of weeks. It will never add to your child’s homework, but can help his or her understanding and completion of the homework for all of their school courses. If after a couple of weeks the student needs to learn from a more experienced tutor, the effectiveness of directed study is greatly enhanced by personalized attention.

Effective local implementation of homework assistance programs for low-income, at-risk youth is not only essential but also attainable. The inadequate time, public expenditure, or number of available role models may explain the insufficient support for voluntary after-school homework programs, as compared with other means of helping these students. Given that research has shown that after-school investment in homework does produce substantial improvements in test scores and school success, a goal of directed study should be to free up classroom subject time for nonperforming students, so that there is more consistent coverage of the targeted subject matter, and accomplished work, to avoid the consequences of drill, practice, and unchallenged tedium. The benefits to students and to those who become role models are clear. Unlike tutorial or remediation, the costs are minimal. For directed study, classroom teachers can be recruited as supervisors and coaches. It is hoped that this practical implementation guide will be found by local communities as useful as previous reports have proven to be.