Published: Aug 14, 2002 12:50 a.m. ET


Tools to help parents with their kids' homework



SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- School is about to start: Do you remember the Pythagorean theorem?

You thought you put middle-school math behind you, but parents are increasingly exhorted to be involved with their children's schooling, especially their homework.

It's easy enough to supply pencils and a desk. Even setting up a routine homework time is under a parent's control. But what do you do about your faded memory of geometry, or the fact that teaching methods have changed in the last 20 years?

A recent survey found 51 percent of parents are concerned about being unable to remember homework subject matter, and 41 percent worried that the subjects being taught now were not in the curriculum when they were in school. Microsoft Corp. MSFT, +0.36% commissioned the survey of 1,028 parents of 10- to 18-year-olds.

That anxiety can lead to more hindrance than help, with parents getting mad or overly critical with their kids, experts say. Parents often need to forego a perfect answer in order to preserve the peace at home.

"It's not their job that their kid gets it 100 percent correct," said Dr. Peg Dawson, a psychologist and president of the International School Psychology Association.

When she helped her own kids, Dawson said: "My job was to make sure they got it done. It was the teacher's job to look at accuracy and quality."

Personal enrichment

A majority of parents surveyed, 65 percent, said helping their kids with homework is a bonding and educational experience, but 26 percent find it exhausting and frustrating. Just 9 percent said it was a relaxing and enjoyable activity.

There are some tools available to make parents' lives easier, many of them available online. ( has a "homework central" database that allows students and parents to find help with particular homework questions. The company also offers a paid subscription to their "home library." For $59.95 a year, parents and kids gain access to an international assortment of magazines and newspapers, including the Washington Post and USA Today.

For the same price of $59.95 a year parents can gain access to an online version of the Encyclopedia Britannica. The book set runs upwards of $1,200.

Microsoft sells its 5-disc CD-ROM Encarta Reference Library for an estimated retail price of $74.95, and its standard Encarta Encyclopedia for $24.95.

There is, of course, always the good, old-fashioned library. And don't forget your child's teacher.

"The most important thing is to develop a partnership with the child's teacher so the parent knows what is expected, how much homework is generally assigned, what kind of homework will it be, and to get suggestions from the teacher about what the parent can provide for the child," said Shirley Igo, president of the National PTA.

"For some parents, brushing up on math skills is not the answer. They may never be able to assist the child with math," Igo said, adding that parents should find out whether the school offers a homework hotline or tutoring program. Or parents should help their child find the right resource book, she said.

The child as teacher

Some schools are using a program that encourages parents to relax rather than brushing up on their teaching skills. The Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork (TIPS) program developed at Johns Hopkins University encourages kids to show their parents what they're learning.

That way, kids learn by teaching someone else, and parents remain involved in the homework process without having to remember the periodic table.

"We can't ask parents to learn what children are being taught in every grade level before we ask them to assist with homework," said Joyce Epstein, director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University.

Schools using the program require children to read aloud their written work, show parents how they do their math, and ask parents how scientific activities have bearing on life at home.

"The goal is to have positive conversations about homework because what children learn in school is interesting, relevant and worthy of note," Epstein said.

She added: "You don't have to have a formal education to interact with your children about homework."


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