HOW TO MAKE A PROJECT HAPPEN:STEP-BY-STEP

1

HOW TO MAKE A PROJECT HAPPEN: STEP-BY-STEP

1. Choose a Project (p. 3)

2. Develop a Plan of Action (p. 5)

3. Survey Constituents, Compile Data and Draft a Position Paper (p. 6)

4. Gather Support and Start Lobbying (p. 6)

5. Follow-Up/Track Progress (p. 6)

6. Next Steps/Looking to the Future (p. 7)

7. Appendices (p. 8)

2

1. Choose a project

First, think about what kind of an issue and project you would like to take on, You may want to brainstorm with students about all the issues that are affecting them. Adults can also bring up issues that they think have been thinking about and see if the group is interested in taking on these issues, as well. Use a chart to decide which issues are most winnable, most realistically able to be completed in one year and inspire the greatest interest. Determine what type of project (policy change, policy creation or advocacy) could be developed around the issue that you have chosen and examine the key questions on an issue before deciding on final project for the year.

3

Boston Student Advisory Council

Criteria for choosing BSAC Project(See Appendix for diagrams of BSAC’s structure)

Projects should: Be related to youth power and youth engagement Be attainable in a school year and have a realistic time table for

completion Be rewarding and interesting Be winnable Have a real impact on an existing policy or effort Bring youth voice into the center of BPS conversations, activities

and issues

Things to think about when choosing an issue: Is it a policy, legislative piece or contractual issue? Is it a district-wide issue?

Projects come from students with input from: Superintendent School Committee Other partnering groups

4

2. Develop a Plan of Action

Think about the goals you want to accomplish, what needs to be done and what could possibly go wrong with your project. When you are done, develop an action plan and timeline for the project

SAMPLE ACTION PLAN:

TASK LIST AND TIMELINE

Issue: Mandatory testing for high school seniors

Goal: Eliminate mandatory testing as a means of graduating from high school

Strategy: Survey the student body about what they think about testing and present the results in a meeting with student leaders and the administration

Task Resources Needed Who? By When?

1. Announce the meeting and ask the student body to attend

flyers, access to school PA system, space in school newspaper

Group member – Jill Jones

Two weeks before date

2. Design a survey that addresses the questions you want answered about testing

library to research surveys, computer, proofreader, copier

Student Council Treasurer

Three weeks from now

3. Make an informational flyer Computer, colored paper, meeting info, copy machine, tape

Group member – Sam Smith

Three weeks before meeting

5

3. Survey Constituents, Compile Data and Draft a Position Paper

Survey within the group what resources are needed to successfully complete the project and what assets the group already has. Develop and distribute a survey for greater student body opinion, if needed. After you have finished surveying, collect the results and compile a report based on the findings. Using data from the survey report, write the first draft of a position paper around the issue/project.

See a sample survey and position paper on the Homework Policy in Appendix

4. Gather Support and Start Lobbying

In order for the project to gain momentum, you need to brainstorm about who needs to be on board with the campaign. Start lobbying and building relationships with outside parties whose support is needed or who could be an ally. After gaining input from outside parties, rewrite the position paper to reflect all the information you have. At this point, present the final report to all parties involved and get commitments from policy makers to move on policy change or submit to moving on an issue that has been advocated for.

5. Follow-Up/Track Progress

Track the project’s progress and ensure that all involved parties are following through on what they committed to. After some time has passed, evaluate and document the success of the project to see if the goals have been met.

6

6. Next Steps/Looking To the Future

Now that your action plan has been completed and you have made sure that all parties have followed up on their responsibilities, it’s time to brainstorm about what the next steps might be. If you haven’t met all of your goals, think about what else you can do or how you can do things differently in the future. Even if you have accomplished all of your goals, what can you do to ensure that you build on the momentum you have?

Make a chart that determines what tasks need to be done, who will do them and what the deadlines are.

7

Appendix A: BSAC structure

8

9

Appendix B: Sample Survey on BSAC Homework Policy

HOMEWORK SURVEY FOR GREATER STUDENT BODY

School Grade

The current Boston Public School homework policy states, “meaningful, productive, focused homework that reinforces the curriculum and strengthens students’ understandings will be assigned and completed on a regular basis for every class.” The policy also states that homework should be flexible, and that teachers are responsible for setting clear expectations and assignment practices. Recent research shows that too much homework and uninteresting assignments do not improve academic performance, while negatively impacting students’ sleep and relationships with family and peers. Every BPS student should have reasonable homework assigned ever school day, and teachers who are responsible for assigning it.

Is this happening in your school, in your classes? We want to know.Yes No I don’t

know/NA

Did you receive the BPS student/parent handbook at the beginning of the school year?Did you read the handbook?Do you know the existing BPS Homework Policy?

Here is what is written in the BPS Student/Parent Handbook:High Schools (9-12th Grade)

Homework provides practice and reinforcement of the day’s lessons, preparation for the next day’s lessons and/or activities to deepen students’ understanding. The school should have a homework plan that fits the school’s curriculum. Teachers should coordinate assignments so students do not have too much homework on any given night. For instance, a school might assign reading and writing every day; math and history on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; and science and world language on Tuesday and Thursday. Homework makes up part of the report card grade.

Recommended average time: 2½ hours per dayAlways Sometimes Rarely Never I don’t know/

NA

My homework provides practice and reinforcement of the day’s lessonsMy homework is closely connected to each day’s lesson.My homework prepares me for the next day’s lessons and/or activitiesMy teachers coordinate homework assignments across different subjects to ensure my nightly homework is both productive and manageable

(I.E. For instance, a school might assign reading and writing every day; math and history on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; and science and world language on Tuesday and Thursday.)

Always Sometimes Rarely Never I don’t know/

10

NAThe amount of homework I receive per night is manageableHomework makes up part of my report card grade.

My Homework: (check all that apply) Is meaningful Is productive Is useful Reinforces what I learned Builds on my classroom work Encourages the development of self-discipline Develops responsibility, cooperation, and parental relationships with the school. Builds my capacity for independence and decision-making. Is busy work

The following statement is from the Instructional Priorities Policy: “Homework assignments should be flexible, allow for differentiation among students, provide some level of student choice, and fall into one or more of the following categories”:

Based on that statement check off all that apply. Homework is: Research Writing Reading Project-based work (e.g., science fair project, research paper, history diorama) Note-making, annotating Study for upcoming tests and quizzes

Yes No I don’t know/NA

My teachers introduce homework expectations and assignments at the beginning of the year, orally and in writing.My teachers explain how homework will count towards my class gradeMy teachers clearly explain the purpose of the homework assignmentMy teachers teach me how to manage my independent timeMy teachers regularly check in with meMy teachers give me an opportunity to complete assignments before the end-of-term grade is assigned.My teachers review the items I got wrong on the homework so I understand the concept.Does homework impact the time you get to sleep?

What else impacts the time you get to sleep? (check off all that apply) Job TV Family matters Other____________________________

All Most Few NoneHomework makes up part of my grade in my classes

0 1-2 2-3 Over 3The average amount of time I spend on homework per night = (how many hours)

4-5 6-7 8 Over 8How many hours of sleep on average do you get each night?

On average, what time do you get to sleep at night?___________________

11

Appendix C: Sample Position Paper on BSAC Homework Policy

BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL HOMEWORK POSITION PAPER:Concerns and Recommendations

The current Boston Public School homework policy states that “meaningful, productive, focused homework that reinforces the curriculum and strengthens students’ understandings will be assigned and completed on a regular basis for every class.”1 The policy also states that homework should be flexible, and that teachers are responsible for setting clear expectations and assignment practices.

Out of BSAC’s recent work on School Start Time evolved questions about the current Boston Public School homework policy. BSAC reviewed the existing policy and agreed it was overall a fair document.

BSAC is concerned that the policy is not uniformly enforced throughout the district, and that some schools are assigning significantly more homework than the recommended 2.5 hours at the high school level. The quality of assignments is also not consistent.

Following are some effects that BSAC found cause for concern:

Research shows that effective homework is engaging, but BPS students report a low frequency of engaging assignments

Research shows that homework assignments lasting longer than 2 hours in high school are ineffective, but the current homework policy recommends 2.5 hours per school night

A large number of students enrolled in BPS high schools have after school commitments, including jobs, which leave them little time to complete hours’ worth of assignments

In order to complete assignments, many students do not get enough sleep, resulting in poor functioning in school:

o falling asleep in classo forgetting what they studiedo increased stress from lack of sleepo increased anxiety and irritability, impacting relationships with teachers and peers.

Many parents/guardians feel the need to enforce homework students do not want to complete, negatively impacting their relationship

Recommendations

Enforce and implement consistently across the district the current BPS homework policy. Homework should be:

o Limitedo Coordinated across classes and between teachers

1 Instructional Priorities, Boston Public Schools; 2006-2007

12

o Engaging

Examine professional development opportunities for teachers to learn how to design and assign engaging homework assignments

BSAC urges the Boston Public Schools to consistently implement the current homework policy. Homework for high school students should be limited to 2.5 hours per night; homework for students in grades 6-8 should be limited to 1.5 hours, and homework for elementary school students should be flexible. Homework should also be coordinated so that student to not have too much homework on any given night. Teachers should discuss assignments as a group to make sure that homework is providing reinforcement of the curriculum, preparation for future work, and deepening students’ understanding. Additionally, we ask that additional professional development time be devoted to designing and assigning engaging homework, and that any standardization of homework assignments be reconsidered. We recognize that homework is a contentious issue on which many have strong feelings, and we ask that the evidence be examined as objectively as possible.

Supporting Research

Out of BSAC’s recent work on School Start Time evolved questions about the current Boston Public School homework policy. As it stands, kindergarten through fifth grade students are expected to complete 30-60 minutes of homework every night2. Sixth through eighth grade students are assigned two hours of homework, and 2.5 hours of homework is recommended for high school students3. The issue of homework has been controversial for 100 years, with reputable organizations and educators taking dogmatic stands on both sides of the question.4 What exactly homework should look like and how it should be assigned and/or graded is being rethought in the face of recent research suggesting that studying more than 2 hours a night in high school has “no academic benefit.”5 Homework exceeding more than 1.5 hours a night for middle school students has no effect on academic performance, and elementary students get little to no benefit from at-home assignments.6

BSAC discovered in informal focus groups that large amounts of homework are negatively affecting student relationships and sleep patterns, and is in the process of conducting a formal survey. Several educators and authors have also questioned the effect of large amounts of homework on students’ home lives, particularly their relationship with parents who feel obligated to enforce assignments that can result in not enough sleep and feelings of guilt and stress.7 As nationally recognized educator Dorothy Rich states, “any possible benefit from busywork is overwhelmed by the injury it does to student self-esteem and family relationships.”8

2 Instructional Priorities, Boston Public Schools; 2006-20073 Instructional Priorities, Boston Public Schools; 2006-20074 Strauss, Valerie. “As Homework Grows, So Do Arguments Against It.” The Washington Post, 9/12/06, A045 Strauss, Valerie. “As Homework Grows, So Do Arguments Against It.” The Washington Post, 9/12/06, A046 Cooper, H.M. and J.C. Robinson and E. A. Patall. “Does Homework Improve Academic Achievement?: A synthesis of research, 1987-2004.” Review of Educational Research 76 (accepted, 2006): 1-627 Kohn, Alfie. “The Truth About Homework.” Education Week, 9/6/068 Rich, Dorothy, cited on http://www.homeandschoolinstitute.org on 1/18/07

13

Another concern is the type of homework being assigned and students’ disinterest in finishing the assignments. Authors point to effective professional development as a way to improve the experience of homework.9 Many teachers feel they lack the skills to design assignments that engage students in their learning process.10 Standard curriculum that all teachers follow does not address the homework problem, says Stanford professor Linda Darling-Hammond, because “students are not passive, and questions of practice are not simple, predictable, or standardized.”11

9 Strauss, Valerie. “As Homework Grows, So Do Arguments Against It.” The Washington Post, 9/12/06, A0410 Darling-Hammond, Linda, "Teacher Quality and Student Achievement.”Educational Policy Analysis Archives (2000)11 Darling-Hammond, Linda “The Right to Learn: A Blueprint for Creating Schools that Work.” Jossey-Bass, 1997

14