Let's look at Homework

I know most of you assign homework for your students.  I did almost everyday when I taught.  It was always a good way to have the students pratice the lessons we learned that day.  But, was that home work always fair for all my students.  I realize now that it may not have been.  According to (Rothstein, 2004), middle-and upper-class parents are more likely than lower-class parnets to help with homework.  When lower-class children are unabel to complete homework because of family or economic conditions, teachers run the risk of unfairly punishing those children for factors beyond their control. 
What if the way teachers use homework worsened the achievement gap between rich and poor students?  Would that cause us to consider homework more carefully?  When assigning homework, the following advice should be followed. (Payne, 2008)

• Do not assume the child has a quiet place to do homework.
• Do not assume the child has a parent home in the evening.
• Do not assume the child's parents speak and read English.
• Do not assume the family has money for school supplies.
• Do not asume the child has access to materials such as paper, a pencil sharpener, scissors, glue, magazines, or a calculator.
• Do not assume the child has access to a comupter or the Internet.

I always thought,( they don't have money for supplies, but they have money to buy $150 sneakers!)  That choice is not our call.  How families choose to spend their money is a reflection of family values.  It is not our place to judge families based on our values.
We might want to think about who we are teaching, and where these families are financially, before making homework decisions.