Homework Assistance Program in Elementary School

1) Category:
Specific program

2) Issues Behind the Program:

Dropping out and academic delay are reaching alarming levels. Ways must be found to: o o o increase primary-level students interest in school and enhance their chances for success; create or improve parent-student ties; involve the community more in homework assistance initiatives.

) !"#ecti$es:
rovide help with homework and assignments to all students who need it. !ncrease students motivation with regard to school and their ability to take responsibility for their academic progress. !ncrease the involvement of parents and the community in student retention.

%) En$ironment:
rimary schools

&) 'arget (rou):

Students from " to #$ years old who: o o o have learning difficulties or motivation problems; do not do homework or assignments; do not receive ade%uate or sufficient help at home.

*) +ey ,ords:
&omework assistance' coeur(action' school-community partnership' specific program' elementary' learning disability' support' mentoring' minist)re de l*ducation' du +oisir et du Sport ,-.+S/' academic success' homework' assignments

0his factsheet was taken from the following website: www.coeureaction.%c.ca.

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-) .escri)tion:
0he purpose of the Homework Assistance Program in Elementary School is to provide help with homework and assignments to all students who need it and to increase these students2 motivation with regard to school and their ability to take responsibility for their academic progress. 0o implement the program' schools now have to diversify the kind of services they offer' for e3ample' by organi4ing pro5ects for parents and other stakeholders as well as students. 0he &omework 6ssistance rogram in .lementary School was launched by -.+S in $771. 8nder the program' funding is provided for homework assistance pro5ects. !n $779-$7#7' the program came with investments of :$7 million. ;or that same school year' school boards received a subsidy that factored in the number of institutions and students in primary schools on September <7 of the preceding year. School boards should select pro5ects that meet the following criteria: o ro5ects must include a variety of measures of assistance and support. o ro5ects must include direct services that involve having an adult present to help the students' as well as indirect services to people' including parents' who are responsible for helping the students and who can support them as they complete their homework and assignments and throughout their schooling. o ro5ects involving direct services must be completed outside class time.

/) Ste)s:
Su"mission o0 a))lications: !. 0he -inist)re notifies school boards of the funding they will receive and the criteria the pro5ects must meet. !!. 0he school board asks its schools to draw up homework assistance pro5ects that respect the orientations and criteria of the -inist)re and any additional criteria the school board has established' and provides the support needed. !!!. 0he school defines its pro5ect' has it approved by the =overning >oard and submits it to the school board before ?ovember #@. !A. 0he school board studies the pro5ects submitted in light of the -inist)re2s and its own criteria' respecting the ma3imum budget set by the -inist)re. A. 8sing the form provided' the school board submits the list of accepted pro5ects' containing a description of the pro5ect' to the -inist)re before December #@. A!. >efore Bune <7' the school board reports to the -inist)re on the activities carried out' using the form provided by the -inist)re.

1) Acti$ities2Action:
6ctivities and actions vary according to the pro5ects created and are tailored to local needs and resources. ;or e3ample' these activities can consist of assistance to students whose mother tongue is not the language of instruction in that particular school' or of support for parents ,lectures' pedagogical material' home assistance' etc./.

0his factsheet was taken from the following website: www.coeureaction.%c.ca.

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13) 4esources 4e5uired:

&uman resources: o School principal' =overning >oard' teachers' non-teaching staff' other school workers' and possibly' parents and members of the community Cperating budget ,-.+S grant' school board or school fund and' where re%uired' funding from community partners/ &omework rooms

;inancial resources: o

!nfrastructure: o

11) 4oles o0 the Stakeholders:

School board: o o o o o o o o o o o o re%uires each of their primary schools to draft a homework assistance pro5ect; analy4es these pro5ects ,based on ministerial and school board aims' ob5ectives and criteria/; transmits the re%uired paperwork to -.+S; provides the support needed to establish the pro5ects. work with the =overning >oard' the teachers and the members of the school staff to draft the pro5ect; submit the proposals to the school boards according to the prescribed ob5ectives and timetable; use the subsidy to carry out the pro5ect; find the re%uired human resources; encourage community organi4ations to contribute supervise the pro5ect. lead the activities. arents and members of the community: may be involved in the pro5ect.

School principals:

Cther school staff and workers:

12) Scienti0ic Basis or 6alidity:

0he program was evaluated for three years ,$771-$77D/ by the governments Direction de la recherche' des statisti%ues et de linformation ,DES!/. 0he full report is at: http:FFwww.mels.gouv.%c.caFreferencesFpublicationsFresultats-de-larechercheFdetailFarticleFevaluation-de-programme-programme-emaide-au3-devoirsemF Gin ;rench onlyH. 0he following is a sample of observations by the schools whose homework assistance program was approved' as entered in the above report:

0his factsheet was taken from the following website: www.coeureaction.%c.ca.

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6t this stage of implementation' the respondents consider that goals have been partly achieved. &owever' opinions different as to the e3tent of achievement. 0he respondents recogni4e that more students do their homework. ;ewer than half of teaching staffs ,1"I/ said that the community was more completely or partly interested in student success as a result of the program. ?ote that @"I of =overning >oard Jhairs and DKI of school principals concur with this opinion. -ost members of the teaching staff said that the students in the program do their homework and assignments more often. @#I feel that these students show more interest in school in general and @DI found that the students show more interest in homework and assignments. Slightly less than half of teaching staffs feel that the community ,family' partners' organi4ations/ now show more interest in the success of the young people and of students with difficulties in school. 0he opinions of =overning >oard Jhairs were more positive' even though one person out of five had no opinion on the sub5ect. .ven more school principals ,DKI/ perceived that the community was interested' despite the fact that the schools receive very little community support. 0hree %uarters of the teachers and K1I of school board authorities consider that homework assistance is a good way of acting against dropping out and academic delay. &owever' respondents noted that one of the negative effects of the program is that parents feel less responsible for homework and assignments ,section 1.<.# of the %uestionnaire' which deals with the response to parent needs/.

1 ) Program 7aterial:
rogram description on the -.+S website 6pplication form for schools

1%) Additional In0ormation:

!n $77D-$77K' all schools boards concerned ,D7/ presented proposals for homework assistance pro5ects. 0he appropriations granted made it possible for # K@1 primary schools to implement pro5ects under the program. 0he information contained in this factsheet was taken from: o o http:FFwww.mels.gouv.%c.caFaidedevoirsF; http:FFwww.mels.gouv.%c.caFreferencesFpublicationsFresultats-de-larechercheFdetailFarticleFevaluation-de-programme-programme-emaide-au3devoirsemF

1&) Contacts:
-arie-&(l)ne Soucy' rogram Director -inist)re de l2*ducation' du +oisir et du Sport ,-.+S/ #7<@' rue De +a Jhevroti)re' $Ke (tage Lu(bec ,Lu(bec/ =#E @6@ 0el.: ,1#K/ "1<-D79@' e3t. <##7

0his factsheet was taken from the following website: www.coeureaction.%c.ca.

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