The Homework Crunch, Problems of Language, and Poisoned Coffee

Teacher Magazine ’s take on education news from around the Web, Dec. 9-15.

It used to be that kids just complained about having too much homework. In these hypercompetitive times, though, it seems they’re reduced to begging for more time in the day to get all of it done. That’s the situation in Norton, Massachusetts, where three 7th grade girls are petitioning their school to restore two weekly study halls it eliminated to meet new state class-time requirements. The girls’ plight has become a focal point in the ongoing debate about homework quantity, with many parents and educators charging that test-score-obsessed schools are trying cram too much into kids’ heads—and backpacks. “The standards have been raised, and it can’t all be covered in the school day,” said Diana Potter, a Norton parent. “But it’s hard on kids who are already overscheduled.” Others, however, retort that if kids don’t have enough time in the day, it’s because they are overburdened by sundry extracurricular and...