Homework Reform: Should Montgomery County and the U.S.

Take Notes From

Finland?
Critical Thinking Paper
Jackson Plank
CAP 9
Blue Group
 The Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Board of Education must limit the

amount of homework that teachers may assign because homework can interfere with

extracurricular activities, can lead to sleep deprivation, and can widen the achievement gap.

While homework and independent study are necessary albeit sometimes tedious tasks that every

student must navigate, these educational activities could be reformed in ways which would lead

to positive results for students. MCPS is one of the leading public school systems in the nation so

it only makes sense that the district would lead the charge in education and homework reform.

MCPS could follow the lead of a country such as Finland, whose schools require considerably

less homework than their international peers. Finland was also ranked the number one education

system in the world while the United States ranked twentieth (Human Rights Advocate).

Finland is regarded as one of the top countries in the world when it comes to education.

Compared to the rest of the world, their approach to learning is extremely unconventional;

however, it has proven to produce high success rates relative to other countries. Pasi Sahlberg,

PhD, Director General of CIMO (Ministry of Education), explained in a lecture at the

Empowerment through Learning in a Global World Conference that in Finland school days are

much shorter, about half as long as the average US school day. At the same time, achievement

and academic success rates are significantly higher in Finland than in the United States. Time in

the classroom does not always equate to greater success. Finnish students have little or no

homework, and standardized testing is not heavily relied on. According to a news report on

education in Finland, “Finland’s system hasn’t always been successful” (Tung). The article

explains that Finland used to be regarded as one of the worst educational systems in the world,

but in the past 40 years it has gone from worst to first, and “in the last decades, U.S. and Finnish
education policies have appeared to be moving in opposite directions.” (Tung). While Finland is

much smaller than the US and our country could not replicate Finnish education in all aspects,

there are differences between our systems that we could take note of. The US has moved towards

greater reliance on standardized testing for all or most students, while Finland focuses on

sample-based testing (testing a representative sample rather than all students) to evaluate

schools, teachers, and students. Finland does not have nearly the same budget as the US but they

spend their money differently. Funding in the US is local, mainly generated by property taxes,

but Finnish schools are nationally funded based with resources flowing to individual schools

according to population, income, and immigrant numbers. Arguably the most important

difference between these systems is the way teachers are regarded in society. Finnish teachers

are thought of as equals to lawyers, architects, and doctors, differing from the US where teachers

do not receive the respect and pay they deserve.

In the typical US high school, students struggle to balance large amounts of homework

with extracurriculars, all after a long, exhausting day of school. Student athletes and their peers

who strive to be successful in the classroom and in their respective activities feel tremendous

pressure to excel at everything. This balancing act, however, can be an extreme challenge to

manage, leading to anxiety and feelings of inability to live up to all expectations. Journalist

William Ramsey writes about the pressures student athletes experience as they are “juggling

class, practice, regular meals, games, homework, chores. Maybe also a paying job.” Many of the

teens Ramsey interviews conclude that they are forced to choose between homework and sleep.

Students are at school for an average of seven hours per day, then sports can take up another

three hours. By the time these kids get home, they are exhausted but still have a long night of
homework ahead of them. Many students have two hours of homework each night at a minimum,

sometimes up to four or five hours. Ramsey wrote that one student said she felt guilty if she

didn’t do her homework. Many kids hold themselves to high standards of success and are not

satisfied until all their work is done. This perfectionism takes a toll on their amount of sleep and

ultimately their performance in the classroom and on the field.

Students do not get the necessary number of hours of sleep when they have to stay up late

doing homework. Attempting to retain knowledge through late-night study sessions has proven

to be ineffective. A Stanford study found that, “students who spent more hours on homework

tended to be more engaged in school, but were also more stressed about school work – they also

had more health issues due to stress such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight

loss and stomach problems” (Burns). While homework benefits some students and helps them

practice skills learned in school, it has negative implications on their health. If schools and

families are concerned about these health issues, it might be wise to reimagine homework as

something that requires much less time than is presently true, perhaps being limited to practicing

and reviewing skills and topics already presented in class. Classroom time during the school day

could be dedicated to both presentation of new material and mastering concepts through

exercises with teacher assistance immediately available.

By conducting a survey focused on student homework, extracurricular activities, and

sleep patterns at Montgomery Blair High School (MBHS), I learned that most of the students

surveyed (9th graders) participate in a wide range of activities while working hard in school

(Plank). Most also admitted to being overwhelmed by the academic and extracurricular
obligations they all share. When asked for suggestions, over 50% of those who offered ideas said

that homework is often overbearing and repetitive. Those who felt that way also suggested more

in-class time to do problem sets and apply the skills rather than listening to lectures and

preparing for standardized tests. The article by Burns, referenced in the previous paragraph

regarding health implications, also states that the Stanford study suggests that two or more hours

of homework per night is not benefiting students. This amount of homework takes away from

adolescents’ time to be socially engaged and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Students are up late

trying to finish assignments. The later it gets, the more exhausted they are and the longer the

work takes. Furthermore, performance tends to drop off late at night. Students are constantly

stressed by school assignments and social interactions with their peers which are very difficult to

navigate in the teenage years. If students have a tiring game or practice and then come home to

hours of homework, they are sacrificing sleep just to try to not fall behind.

My previously referenced survey of MBHS students concluded that 75% of the

participants got less than seven hours of sleep each night (Plank). This deprivation of sleep along

with the tiring schedule of a teenager can lead to many health problems. Seven hours of sleep

falls short of the recommended eight to ten hours for a teenager (National Sleep Foundation).

Also according to the National Sleep Foundation, “skipping sleep can be harmful — even

deadly” and that “many teens suffer from treatable sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy, insomnia,

restless legs syndrome or sleep apnea” (National Sleep Foundation). While homework can lead

to engagement, higher grades, and sometimes greater knowledge, lack of sleep does not help test

scores or retention of knowledge. “Not getting enough sleep or having sleep difficulties can limit

your ability to learn, listen, concentrate and solve problems. You may even forget important
information like names, numbers, your homework or a date with a special person in your life”

(National Sleep Foundation). Even though there are benefits of homework, the costs generally

outweigh them.

Data from the survey on students who participate in extracurricular activities at MBHS.
75% of students surveyed reported that receive less than 7 hours of sleep per night. (Plank)

Large amounts of homework often result in a widening of the achievement gap due to the

inequity of resources at home. Places like Montgomery County, Maryland, have a great deal of

diversity. In this one large county one finds everyone from million dollar tech company CEOs to

low-income immigrant families. It is necessary that the school system provides everyone with an

excellent education and provides every child with the resources to be successful in life. Leading

expert Linda Darling-Hammond gave a keynote lecture at the Empowerment through Learning in

a Global World Conference in 2012 and explained reasons why the US is behind other nations

when it comes to education. Her comments included attention to the achievement gap in the

United States. New Jersey is an example of a state that closed the achievement gap and now has

top 5 test scores on average in the nation. Darling-Hammond described New Jersey as “the only

top-achieving state serving large proportions of low-income students of color – 45% of NJ

students are ‘minority’ and more than 1/3 are low-income” (Darling-Hammond). She explains in
her lecture that New Jersey made a change to focus on equity across the state. Preparedness of

teachers was a huge investment. Teachers at all level were trained to make education higher-

quality. Parent involvement was stressed, and funding was directed towards high-minority, low-

wealth districts. In Montgomery County, there is a huge range of incomes and parental education

levels. Not everyone has the money, time or resources to make supporting student achievement

easy. Homework can put those with a head start further ahead while causing children without

resources or support to fall further and further behind their peers. Instead of widening the

achievement gap as often occurs under current homework policies and practices, a more limited

homework policy could provide students needed opportunities to practice acquired skills without

significantly influencing student success rates on each end of the achievement spectrum.

Nowadays, many schools are utilizing the internet for assignments. In-class work,

homework, and even tests can be done online. Technology is vital to education; however, not

every student has access to internet at home. MCPS uses the internet as the primary source of

work and grade reports, but many low-income families have poor or no access at home. A

student should not have to spend hours at the library every day just to complete school

assignments. When it comes to homework, practice in small doses is acceptable. Time

consuming tasks and large amounts of work such as reading long sections of a textbook should

be limited. Also, homework that requires new discovery and synthesis can actually cause

achievement gap or equity problems because those who have resources and help at home can

complete these tasks and benefit but those without help generally do not benefit in the same way.

Therefore, it is important to consider limiting homework assignments of this type.

 Education writer Clare Mclaughlin of the National Education Association reports,

“Three-fourths of school districts … are not doing anything about ensuring outside of school

access to broadband” (Mclaughlin). If schools rely heavily on technology but access remains

unequal, inevitably large groups of students will fall behind. This is not fair to them as it is not

their choice and many times is out of their control.

Homework has long been a part of education. While it might seem necessary and

beneficial, there are many negative effects. Costs of large amounts of homework generally

outweigh the benefits. The US has fallen behind many nations when it comes to educational

achievement. Many leaders and community members are looking for ways to reform the system.

Montgomery County Public Schools is a leading district and should therefore lead the change.

Homework may not be as necessary as portrayed. By considering the success of a nation like

Finland, which has little homework, MCPS should change policies in pursuit of better outcomes.

Health is more important than finishing tedious worksheets. Students are busy and under intense

pressure to do well in all aspects of life, but homework is weighing them down. Every student

does not have the same access to resources; homework is only widening the achievement gap. If

homework were minimized and limited mainly to activities that practice skills already presented

in school, students would benefit without some being left behind. The playing field needs to be

leveled for there to be equity for all students. Homework is not positively contributing to the

fight.
 Work Cited

Burns, Hilary. "Study: More than two hours of homework is not beneficial."

College.UsaToday.com, Usa Today, 19 Mar. 2014, college.usatoday.com/

2014/03/19/study-more-than-two-hours-of-homework-is-not-beneficial/.

Accessed 19 Mar. 2018.

Darling-Hammond, Linda. "Creating Empowering Education Systems: What Can We

Learn from Each Other?" Empowerment through Learning in a Global World

Conference, 18 Jan. 2012, Center for Educational Research at Stanford

 (CERAS), Room 100B, 520 Galvez Mall, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. Speech.

Human Rights Advocate. "2017 World Best Education Systems - 1st Quarter Report."

WorldTop20.org, 5 May 2017, worldtop20.org/

2017-world-best-education-systems-1st-quarter-report. Accessed 19 Mar.

2018.

Mclaughlin, Clare. "The Homework Gap: The 'Cruelest Part of the Digital

Divide.'" neaToday.org, National Education Association, 20 Apr. 2016,

neatoday.org/2016/04/20/the-homework-gap/. Accessed 19 Mar. 2018.

National Sleep Foundation. "Teens and Sleep." SleepFoundation.org,

sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/teens-and-sleep. Accessed 19 Mar. 2018.

Plank, Jackson. “Critical Thinking Paper Survey.” 17 Mar. 2018,

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ARFf-fi97EGmuAtngtLvnDsDu-C4Mu3WEsUtqF5dG0w/edit

Ramsey, William. "Student athletes can't escape homework struggle. Does it

matter?" NewsLeader.com, 4 Feb. 2016, www.newsleader.com/story/sports/

high-school/2016/02/04/too-much-homework-sports-high-school/79564182/.

Accessed 19 Mar. 2018.

Sahlberg, Pasi. "UnFinnished Business: Education Policy Lessons from Finland."

Empowerment through Learning in a Global World Conference, 18 Jan. 2012,

Center for Educational Research at Stanford (CERAS), Room 100B, 520 Galvez

Mall, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. Lecture.

Tung, Stephen. "How the Finnish school system outshines U.S. education."
 news.stanford.edu, Stanford University, 20 Jan. 2012,

news.stanford.edu/news/2012/january/finnish-schools-reform-012012.html.

Accessed 19 Mar. 2018.

Annotated Bibliography

Burns, Hilary. "Study: More than two hours of homework is not beneficial."

College.UsaToday.com, Usa Today, 19 Mar. 2014, college.usatoday.com/

2014/03/19/study-more-than-two-hours-of-homework-is-not-beneficial/.

Accessed 19 Mar. 2018. Study: More than two hours of homework is not

beneficial written by Hilary Burns of USA Today provided me with

information on sleep, effects of sleep deprivation, and the retention of

knowledge.

Darling-Hammond, Linda. "Creating Empowering Education Systems: What Can We

Learn from Each Other?" Empowerment through Learning in a Global World

Conference, 18 Jan. 2012, Center for Educational Research at Stanford

 (CERAS), Room 100B, 520 Galvez Mall, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. Speech. The

powerpoint from Linda Darling-Hammond's lecture provided me with

information of the achievement gap and how it can be closed.

Grossman, Pam. "Learning from each other: Teacher Education in Finland and the

US." Empowerment through Learning in a Global World Conference, 18 Jan.

2012, Center for Educational Research at Stanford (CERAS), Room 100B, 520

Galvez Mall, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. Speech. The powerpoint from Pam

Grossman's lecture provided me with information on teachers and their

techniques in the US and Finland.

Human Rights Advocate. "2017 World Best Education Systems - 1st Quarter Report."

WorldTop20.org, 5 May 2017, worldtop20.org/

2017-world-best-education-systems-1st-quarter-report. Accessed 19 Mar.

2018.

Mclaughlin, Clare. "The Homework Gap: The 'Cruelest Part of the Digital

Divide.'" neaToday.org, National Education Association, 20 Apr. 2016,

neatoday.org/2016/04/20/the-homework-gap/. Accessed 19 Mar. 2018. The

Homework Gap: The "Cruelest Part of the Digital Divide written by Clare

McLaughlin of neaToday.org provided me with information on the achievement

gap and technology in relation to homework.

National Sleep Foundation. "Teens and Sleep." SleepFoundation.org,

sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/teens-and-sleep. Accessed 19 Mar. 2018.

This article by the National Sleep Foundation provided me with information

on how many hours of sleep a teenager should get and the consequences of

sleep deprivation.
Plank, Jackson. “Critical Thinking Paper Survey.” 17 Mar. 2018, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1ARFf-

fi97EGmuAtngtLvnDsDu-C4Mu3WEsUtqF5dG0w/edit

I created a google form to survey 9th

graders at MBHS. The statistics gained from this survey provided me with

information on sleep, activities, and thoughts on homework among students.

Ramsey, William. "Student athletes can't escape homework struggle. Does it

matter?" NewsLeader.com, 4 Feb. 2016, www.newsleader.com/story/sports/

high-school/2016/02/04/too-much-homework-sports-high-school/79564182/.

Accessed 19 Mar. 2018. Student athletes can't escape homework

struggle written by William Ramsey of NewsLeader.com provided me with information on

student athletes and the pressure they endure regarding perfectionism on

the field and in the classroom.

Sahlberg, Pasi. "UnFinnished Business: Education Policy Lessons from Finland."

Empowerment through Learning in a Global World Conference, 18 Jan. 2012,

Center for Educational Research at Stanford (CERAS), Room 100B, 520 Galvez

Mall, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. Lecture. The powerpoint from Pasi Sahlberg's

lecture on education reform provided me with information on the structure

of Finland's education system.

Schleicher, Andreas. "Strong performers and successful reformers in education

Lessons from FInland and other countries." Empowerment through Learning in

a Global World Conference, 17 Jan. 2012, Center for Educational Research at

Stanford (CERAS), Room 100B, 520 Galvez Mall, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.

Speech. The powerpoint form Andreas Schleicher's lecture provided me with

information on success rates throughout global education.

Tung, Stephen. "How the Finnish school system outshines U.S. education."

news.stanford.edu, Stanford University, 20 Jan. 2012,

news.stanford.edu/news/2012/january/finnish-schools-reform-012012.html.

Accessed 19 Mar. 2018. How the Finnish school system outshines U.S.

education by Stephen Tung of Stanford News provided me with information

on the success of the Finnish school system and how it differs from the US.

I learned what worked well for them and it allowed me to propose possible

ideas for US education reform.