According to this article featured in the New York Times, Mr. Damion Frye, a teacher in New Jersey, has his students' parents complete homework assignments along the lines of the assignments given to the students themselves. Every week, they are asked to read and respond to some piece of literature. He has the support of his own superiors, the National Council of Teachers of English, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and surprisingly, most of the parents themselves.
This is what surprises me. I know my mother would not be thrilled at all. However, almost all of the parents comply, some even enjoy it. They cite that it's an excellent resource for connecting with their children, and that it keeps them up to speed with what they are studying. In fact, Mr. Frye has had only one flat-out refusal in the three years that he has done this.
I applaud him for an innovative idea, but question if it is really necessary.
Why not teach students to take their own initiative in their studies? How many kids actually do their homework? Most of the time it is not a lack of parental involvement (though this is a factor) that causes low academic performance; it's just a lack of interest on the kid's part. A general apathy makes it difficult for teachers to teach, and therefore for students to learn. It's the apathy that's the problem, not the parents.
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