Katy ISD to start no-homework 'family nights'

Creekside Forest Elementary School

Tomball ISD

Harris County

Rank:10 Creekside Forest Elementary School

Tomball ISD

Harris County

Rank:10 Photo: Google Streetview Photo: Google Streetview Image 1 of / 30 Caption Close Katy ISD to start no-homework 'family nights' 1 / 30 Back to Gallery

No-homework nights are officially district policy in the Katy ISD.

The suburban-Houston school district that serves nearly 73,000 students blocked off six "family nights" on its 2017-2018 school year calendar, days during which teachers will be dissuaded from assigning homework.

Maria DiPetta, a district spokeswoman, said students and parents lobbied for the no-homework nights in leadership meetings with Superintendent Lance Hindt.

READ ALSO: Texas teacher's 'no homework policy' is everything a parent wants

"Kids really love this and really pushed for it," DiPetta said. "The goal of that night is to encourage family gatherings, family dinners or going to a football game - anything geared around family."

Schools and districts across the country are taking a second look at the amount of homework they assign as parents complain that students are over-worked and stressed out by increasingly demanding course loads.

A second-grade teacher in Godley, Texas, made national headlines last year after she told parents she would not assign homework, asking instead that parents eat, read, play and bond with their children during after-school time.

In Florida's Marion County, elementary school students will not be assigned traditional homework during the coming school year. Instead, teachers will ask students to read a book of their choosing for 20 minutes each night.

Heidi Maier, the new superintendent of that 42,000-student school district, pointed to the Washington Post to research showing that homework assigned in elementary schools made no noticeable difference on student achievement and brought only a modest difference in middle and high school student performance.