Do Lindbergh Students Have Too Much Homework?

A father of three students has asked the school board to consider crafting a “homework policy” to ensure students are not overwhelmed with homework.

Justin Goodson, a teacher by trade, said he is the father of three current Lindbergh students and soon will add a fourth to the district rolls. During the board’s meeting on Tuesday night, he asked the board members to begin a dialogue with administrators to address what he described as an overwhelming amount of homework.

Goodson said cited examples of a mother worried homework cut into too much family time, and a Lindbergh junior who claimed the average student devoted two to three hours per night to “busy work.”

Goodson said he believed a homework policy would ensure an appropriate amount of homework was assigned allowing students time for families, exercise, socializing, and “enjoy childhood and keep from being burned out before even getting to college.”

An example of the homework policy could be teachers coordinating their lesson plans with one another to allow assignments to be staggered throughout the week. The staggered assignments would allow students to devote less time each night to homework, Goodson said.

“I don’t want my children, especially in their high school years, to feel continually exhausted ... ,” Goodson said. “I feel very passionate my children and others would benefit greatly from that.”

Those goals can be achieved without hurting the school’s academic excellence seen in recent accolades awarded by U.S. News and World Report’s “Best High Schools” and NewsWeek’s “America’s Best High Schools,” Goodson said.

As evidence, Goodson cited multiple academic studies that found excessive homework does not aid learning and some studies show such assignments are counterproductive to a student’s education.

Lindbergh Board President Vic Lenz said the board would consider Goodson’s proposal and respond to him through a letter.