Homework begone! say kids, parents, maybe school boards

Kids—and their parents—who feel bogged down by school homework may have lighter loads in sight. Ontario’s education minister said yesterday (Wednesday, April 2, 2008) school boards should review their homework policy to ensure kids aren’t overloaded. Kathleen Wynne, Ontario’s education minister, also said reducing the load for kindergarten kids, not assigning holiday homework and killing penalties for late assignments seem like “reasonable” ideas.

Her comments came as Toronto’s public school board looks at setting stricter rules to reduce homework in the wake of a study suggesting Ontario kids spend more time than others in Canada on homework, leaving them stressed out and even sparking spats between their parents. Read more about homework heartache in The London Free Press, The Globe and Mail, and The Hamilton Spectator.