Nickelodeon's Nick.com Covers the Spring Branch Homework Task Force

Coming on the heels of last week's coverage of the Spring Branch Homework Task Force (click here, here, and here), Nickelodeon has now picked up the story.  The nick.com story appears below.

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Texas School District Considers New Limits on Homework

It's that time of year again "back to school" time.

And that means it's "back to homework time," too.

"It's kinda hard. But it's my job to do it, said Julio Ceja, a 6th grader at YES Prep Public Schools in Houston, Texas, in an interview with the Houston Chronicle.

But not everyone is as dedicated as Julio when it comes to homework.

"I'd rather spend my time outside," said 15-year-old Charlie Russell, a freshman at Houston's Memorial High School, speaking with Chronicle reporter Ericka Mellon. "I get enough learning at school."

Maybe, maybe not.

But Charlie may actually have a valid point.

Some kids have so much homework they don't have time to play outside.

And that's no good, especially at a time when so many kids are overweight and out of shape.

So Charlie's school district is deciding whether to put strict new limits on homework.

A task force created by the Board of Trustees of the Spring Branch Independent School District is discussing the idea.

According to Houston TV station KPRC, the task force will report back to the school board in December.

Some Spring Branch parents say limiting homework is a good idea.

"I'm not a believer in sending home 25 algebra questions as homework when five would let the teacher know if the student gets it," said Mike Falick, who's on the Board of Trustees, in an interview with the Chronicle.

Some researchers say you should get no more than ten minutes of homework per grade level per night.

For example, they say 3rd graders should get no more than a half-hour of homework a night (30 minutes).

And they say 8th graders should get no more than an hour and 20 minutes a night (80 minutes).

"An hour or two of homework is reasonable," said Charlie's mom, Carla Russell, in an interview with the Chronicle. "(But) it would be really nice to have some family time in the evenings, to unwind, to talk about your day."

A small number of schools have banned homework altogether. They say kids are burning out from the heavy workload and the stress that comes with it.

Grant Elementary School in Glenrock, Wyoming, is one of those schools. Principal Christine Hendricks told the Chronicle she imposed a "no homework" rule last year.

"We want kids to be kids," Hendricks said.