The superintendent of Marion County Public Schools decided that elementary school students will no longer have homework. Instead they'll read.
Dr. Heidi Maier joined Intersection to talk about her decision.
Maier said the decision was based off of a recent research from the University of Tennessee, that shows traditional homework doesn't have any correlation to academic success.
Rather than giving students homework they will be required to read a book of the students choice aloud for 20 minutes each night.
"Reading aloud with your family at night does show academic gain, so that's why we made this decision," Maier said.
It also gives teachers more time to teach, rather than grading homework, she said.
"They don't have to worry about grading traditional homework that we know didn't show academic gains anyway," she said.
"There's no struggle with students who couldn't do the homework because of life circumstances at home."
Maier said they have been receiving good feedback from students and their families.
"What is most exciting to me is that these families are saying 'I have time for my kids' and the discussions these families are having with their kids as they read," Maier said.
The new homework policy was implemented in August at the start of the 2017-2018 school year.
Education reporting on 90.7 is supported in part by the Helios Education Foundation.