Like many Liberians, Mercy Womeh missed several years of education as a result of the 14-year civil war. She is now 18 and determined to complete her final two years of schooling. To fund her education, she crushes rocks. On a good day, she fills as many as seven buckets with stones, selling them to pay her school fees (via Between a rock and a hard place: Mercy Womeh’s struggle to fund an education in postwar Liberia – in pictures | Global development | guardian.co.uk)
Spending more than two hours a night doing homework is linked to achieving better results in English, maths and science, according to a major study which has tracked the progress of 3,000 children over the past 15 years.
Spending any time doing homework showed benefits, but the effects were greater for students who put in two to three hours a night, according to the study published by the Department for Education.
The finding on homework runs counter to previous research which shows a “relatively modest” link between homework and achievement at secondary school.
The academics involved in the latest research say their study emphasises what students actually do, rather than how much work the school has set.
(via Two hours’ homework a night linked to better school results | Education | The Guardian)
Also see recent story on a group of French parents and teachers boycotting homework.
