Homework Talk!: The Art of Effective Communication about Your Child's Homework

Cerra and Jacoby look at homework from every possible angle in their latest addition to the School Talk series (Parent Talk, School Board Talk, Principal Talk). The text is laid out in a series of ""snapshots,"" each covering a different question about or aspect of homework. Snapshots cover the basics (""Why should my child do homework?"") as well as the specific (""My child has too many projects due the same day"") and the esoteric (""My child has the homework blues""). Responses are fair, balanced and adapted from current educational research. The authors present some great ideas as well as an array of useful tools for parents and students, including information on how to organize time during teacher conferences, sample letters to teachers and sample homework calendars. Though their techniques don't always jibe with generally accepted practice (educators normally think in terms of three Learning Styles and eight Multiple Intelligences; Cerra and Jacoby have repositioned these as seven Learning Styles), this will make little difference in the book's utility. Parents of school-aged children should find this a handy reference.