This quote from the Daily Report Card 6/19/96 reports what common sense
should've told anyone is true! (i.e. doing homework increases student
performance!)
What it makes me wonder is this: If students have been doing so
lamentably poorly in such subjects as Geography, does this mean: a)
there has been no homework assigned, b) homework was assigned but
students simply didn't do it? (and were teachers aware this was going
on?), or c) something else?
*******************(quoted material begins)**************************
-> *3   MORE HOMEWORK IN GEOGRAPHY:  MEANS HIGHER TEST SCORES
->    The latest National Assessment of Education Progress
-> Geography Report Card confirms conventional wisdom:  students who
-> complete more homework assignments have higher average scores
-> than those who do less (DoEd press release, 6/18).  The NAEP
-> report also revealed that most students have achieved at least a
-> basic level of geography knowledge.
->    "I'm encouraged by these findings that show many of our
-> students have a basic understanding of geography," said U.S. Ed Sec
-> Richard Riley.  "It indicates that they're ready for more
-> challenging course work and the higher standards for learning
-> that are required for world-class competition."
->    Students in grades 4, 8 and 12 were tested and achievement
-> levels were set at basic, proficient and advanced.  According to the
-> report, about 70% of all student who took the exam placed at or above
-> the basic level.  The study also found that students
-> performed better if they had support from home -- if they
-> discussed their studies at home, if their homes contained
-> literary materials and if T.V. viewing was restricted.
->    Students enrolled in classes in which the teacher used maps
-> and globes once or twice a week scored better than students who
-> reported never using them.  The release notes that a positive
-> correlation was found between student performance and use of
-> films, videos and filmstrips in classes.
->    Other findings:  4th-grade students who had spent more class
-> time on social studies, and 8th-graders who had taken a course in
-> geography since 6th grade or a course in earth science, performed
-> better in geography than other students; students whose parents had
-> more education scored higher; and students who reported that
-> geography was their favorite subject on average scored higher.
->    Single copies of the NAEP geography report are available
-> while they last from the National Library of Education; 800/424-
-> 1616.
--- PCBoard (R) v15.22/M 10
---------------