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Texas Teacher's Homework Policy Has Gone Viral

No homework, kids, but you have to eat dinner with your family and go to sleep early
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 23, 2016 11:35 AM CDT
Texas Teacher's Edict: No Homework, Go Play Outside
Parents in Mrs. Young's class are celebrating because of this letter.   (Facebook)

As the school year kicks off to a staggered start around the country, parents everywhere are bracing themselves for lengthy school-supply lists and soon-to-come homework battles—unless they have a child in Texas teacher Brandy Young's class. KTRK reports on the second-grade teacher's homework policy, which has gone viral since the teacher at Godley Elementary School distributed a copy at "Meet the Teacher" night and a parent posted it last week on Facebook. "Brooke is loving her new teacher already!" Samantha Gallagher raved about Young's edict on homework, which basically is that there won't be any, except for classroom work her students don't finish during regular school hours. "Research has been unable to prove that homework improves student performance," Young writes.

Instead, she wants kids to take part in after-school activities "proven to correlate with student success." To wit: "Eat dinner as a family, read together, play outside, and get your child to bed early." Business Insider agrees with Young, noting that even though better test scores and knowledge retention have been linked to homework in some research, "there has never been any conclusive evidence ... that says homework gives kids a unique leg up in achievement." Young's message has struck a chord with parents worldwide—Gallagher's Facebook post has so far been shared more than 68,000 times. Young credits the school's superintendent for pushing teachers in her district to think outside the box, CBS News reports. "For any teacher considering anything that might benefit their students, I say go for it," she says. "If something doesn't work, change it." (A teacher's viral summer assignment included dancing.)

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