1. Parental involvement in their children’s homework in Dutch primary schools
PAPER
7TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE EUROPEAN RESEARCH NETWORK ABOUT PARENTS IN EDUCATION
Symposium : HOMEWORK IN A WORLD OF DIVERSITY
MALMÖ UNIVERSITY
August, 2009
Frederik Smit, Geert Driessen
ITS – Radboud University Nijmegen
The Netherlands

2. Background: Homework in the Dutch education system
CURRICULUM: Homework is an integral part of the curriculum for older students in primary school and for all students in secondary school.
POLICY: No national policy: each school is free to formulate its own policy, so there is much diversity.
PARENTS: Parents are encouraged to be partners/supporters in homework: parents as partners.

3. Research questions
What are (innovative) policies regarding homework and partnerships of schools with parents in primary education in the Netherlands?
What are the outcomes of these efforts?
What recommendations can be given on the basis of the present research?

4. Design A review of the literature.
A websurvey among school leaders (3000 primary school leaders were contacted via in the beginning of 2007, which resulted in 504 fully completed questionnaires).
Case studies in two major cities (Rotterdam, Almere, 2008).
Analyses.
Reporting.

5. The aim of the survey
The analyses of the survey results were aimed at primarily gaining insight into parental involvement in children’s homework, and the policies of primary schools with varying numbers of disadvantaged pupils to optimize parental involvement and participation.
In addition, the results provided the input for the subsequent case studies.

6. The aim of the case studies
Gaining a picture of the functioning of the different forms of cooperation between schools and parents in relation to homework.

7. Main results: Parental involvement in children’s homework
Policy and expectations of teachers:
Regular reading at home is encouraged.
Homework is part of schoolwork.
Parents take responsibility for the students’ schoolwork in their home situation.
Parents help the student do their homework (checking & testing).

8. Parental involvement in children’s homework
type of parents
middle and high-SES
native, low-SES
immigrant, low-SES
reading (aloud) together 87 89 88
playing together 53 59 63
talking about school 67 71
testing homework 62 57
visiting library together 65 72 76
helping with homework 56 50
watching tv together 24 27 31
checking breakfast 22 32

9. Problems in the relation with immigrant parents
Communication problems between parents and school.
Parents don’t have time.
Immigrant parents who are illiterate, have had no or little education and no knowledge of the (Dutch) education system.

10. Role immigrant parents regarding homework
Expectations and wishes of teachers:
LEARNING ENVIRONMENT: good learning environment at home.
NORMS AND VALUES: collaborative relationships regarding norms and values.
COMMUNICATION: two-way communication flows between families and school.
ATTENTION: more attention to discipline and structure.

11. State-of-the-art
HOMEWORK SUPPORT SERVICES: an increasing number of (private, commercial) homework institutes support homework activities.
HOMEWORK ASSISTANCE: recently, an increase of homework assistance projects are carried out for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
HOMEWORK SUPPORT NETWORKS: an increasing number of self-steering networks of immigrants that support homework activities.
‘HOMEWORK-FREE’ SCHOOLS: teachers of primary school in some cities support the students at school with the making of homework.

12. Differences between schools with a traditional concept and a homework-free concept
Tasks requested by teachers and performed by students outside school (Cooper, 2001)
Whole-Day School:
nearly all tasks performed by students inside school (extended schooltime)
Role parents
Parents monitoring, support and help their children at home, involving older siblings, extended family, friends
Students stay more hours at school: parents have more time for their own activities (work, schooling)
Support homework activities
Private and commercial services and networks for students and parents
Teachers supervises their proper completion
Dealing with discussions and controversies
‘Parent rooms’ in the school, to discuss homework problems (homework load, tensions in the family and between teachers and parents) and to give support if needed
The workload of teachers

13. Conclusions
What can be learned?
Homework institutes: positive if schools have an idea of what happens and how it is done. Negative side: extra work load for the children.
Homework assistance projects and self-steering networks that support homework activities are totally depended of volunteers. Problems mentioned are for the most part organizational and financial. It appeared that one cannot always build on them (attendance, keeping agreements, executing activities).
The new homework-free schools are popular, because the students’ own teachers are involved and are often the counselors themselves (high quality).

14. Recommendations
How to continue?
Greater emphasis on ‘new learning’ (innovative forms of learning w. ICT), asks for new forms of homework policies.
In developing and optimalization a true partnership between parents and school it is important that teachers and parents have a shared vision on homework and parental involvement.