To fail or not to fail: That is the question

In Education Week, a teacher poses the question whether or not to fail a student who understands the material but who has not done the work. I'm a psychologist, not an educator, and I see this issue as a lifespan problem, not one that is isolated to one particular class. The question is one that is central to my book, The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers. The purpose of education is to prepare for the future, and I see many people through different stages of life, and into adulthood, suffer from the homework system. In this videotape, I shed light on what happens to children who are under constant homework pressure, not just in school, but in later life as well.

Dr. Kenneth Goldberg is a clinical psychologist with 35 years of professional experience in dealing with many different psychological issues. He is the author of The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers and currently works in his own private practice.

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Gloversville, NY takes a positive step toward improving its homework policy

I came across this policy that was recently approved by the school board in Gloversville, NY. It is a good policy and goes well with my recommendations for homework-trapped children:

• Clock based homework times
• Reduced penalties
• Respect for parental authority in the home.

To implement these steps, I have advised parents to set time caps on homework and have the child stop doing homework when the time is up. The question I always get is how one can do that if the penalties keep coming in, to which I respond that even with continued penalties, the homework-trapped child will get more done in a time container than by being engaged in conflict all night long. Still, it is difficult for parents to give up the unproductive, nagging role when they foresee and fear failure for their children. This policy gives parents the freedom to take the rational step of putting caps through time limits on the work that must get done.

Dr. Kenneth Goldberg is a clinical psychologist with 35 years of professional experience in dealing with many different psychological issues. He is the author of The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers and currently works in his own private practice.

Visit the website
Read book reviews of The Homework TrapWhat is The Homework Trap?
A Roadmap to Success
504 plans

Homework Zeros

Yesterday, I came across a radio interview and blog post by Joe Bower addressing the problem with giving zeros for schoolwork. I was so impressed by what Mr. Bower said that I felt compelled to address the issue of zeros here on a blog. Mr. Bower is an educator and speaks from the point of an educator. I am a psychologist and want to lend some understanding about what happens to the child (and the parent) under the unrelenting pressure of zeros for work not done. Rather than motivate behavior, zeros teach negative and avoidant behaviors. At the core of the problem are concepts such as what constitutes a good penalty (one that need not be given again) and how one turns around well-ingrained negative behaviors (shaping, i.e. full reward for partial success). I explain these concepts further in the video below.


Dr. Kenneth Goldberg is a clinical psychologist with 35 years of professional experience in dealing with many different psychological issues. He is the author of The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers and currently works in his own private practice.

Visit the The Homework Trap website

Giving weight to homework

Presently, teachers have wide range in determining the amount of homework, how to grade it, and the weight it has in the grade. Much of the debate centers on the type and amount of homework. I think its weight needs more discussion. There was a recent movement in Los Angeles to cap homework at 10% of the grade. I wrote an op-ed piece in the LA Daily News on that debate. It seems to me that a 10% limit on factoring homework into the grade along with a standard grade of 60% for homework not done would go far in reducing the severe penalties that go with homework noncompliance, send parents into a frenzy, and work counter to the goals of motivating children and helping them succeed at school. Even if the school does not accept this as across-the-board policy, It would still be helpful as a standard provision available in 504 plans.



Dr. Kenneth Goldberg is a clinical psychologist with 35 years of professional experience in dealing with many different psychological issues. He is the author of The Homework Trap: How to Save the Sanity of Parents, Students and Teachers and currently works in his own private practice.

Visit the The Homework Trap website