homework assistance hotline

homework assistance hotline

Enhancing Academic Success: A Comprehensive Guide to Homework Assistance Hotlines

1. Introduction to Homework Assistance Hotlines

Since hotlines are an educational support, they must be designed to teach students how to learn, not just to coach them through a one-time problem. They must be based on sound educational principles and develop questioning tactics that teach students how to approach a problem, rather than simply telling the student how to solve the problem at hand. The hotline must also make accessible ways in which the student can obtain additional help. Teachers gain recognition and respect from students when they explain a concept clearly. A hotline should take the same time and care to clarify the response to a question. While the primary objective, of course, is to instruct the student, the hotline staff should view giving assistance as an important part of their personal learning experience.

The US Secretary of Education, Lauro F. Cavazos, has expressed his concern about how homework problems at the secondary school level can interfere with the educational process. He has also stressed that teachers, students, and families all play a vital role in teaching our children to think for themselves—to explore new concepts and ideas personally so that creativity and analytical abilities can mature. The task is to develop students who can think clearly and express their thoughts; students who understand the concepts and work to master skills, not simply homework assignments. In response to the statement of concern and the expressed goal, the Educational Equity Center (EEC) has compiled this guide of homework assistance hotlines.

2. Benefits and Impact on Student Performance

The benefits of a homework phone line extend beyond student academic success, although increasing student learning is a primary purpose of a homework assistance hotline. Several of the intangible benefits of the Portland Public Schools’ Homework Hotline Project are that the organizational structure of homework assistance hotlines helps to present parents as education resources for children and provide direct evidence for the school community that parents are their children’s most important educational resources. Furthermore, the visibility of real parents during the work night with their children during phone line broadcasts should help to demonstrate the importance and the success of such studying. Finally, more direct tutoring services are also provided by the program. Assistant teachers tutor specific children in short segments within phone line programs, approximately one-half to two-thirds of the air time. The principal tutor must identify which children need tutoring, preteach the task to the tutor, and redirect the child if the tutor proves mechanically incorrect or prompts the child to correct the error.

Homework assistance programs are one way to reduce distance between students, parents, and teachers, as well as increase student retention and success in school. In fact, studies suggest that secondary students do not receive enough academic support in school, and relatives are not providing the support that students need to succeed academically. A homework assistance hotline program can be evaluated along with factors impacting student performance. Two comprehensive sources of data would be the impact of student variables, such as parental education, on student achievement, and the impact of specific student assistance programs on student performance.

3. How to Access and Utilize Homework Assistance Hotlines

Although not all students live within close enough proximity to branch locations to easily access these services daily, the time limits at the branch locations may not meet their needs. The next most expedient method for a student to obtain assistance, as well as the only available method for many, is to call, fax, or email the library branch directly. Assistance is available, but not always possible. See the individual branch’s schedule for date, time, and service availability by scanning the following: In order to protect themselves from data entry errors, students need accurate account setup information before attempting to use email assistance tools. Any authorized personnel of the school systems can obtain password-protected access to the thematically appropriate homework assistance hotlines.

Students or parents must fully understand how to access and utilize the assigned homework assistance hotlines in order to take full advantage of the potential learning opportunities that homework help programs provide. Generally, homework assistance programs are offered from a selected hour to the close of the library’s daily business schedule, and the time in the initial semester period may vary between branch locations. Students are encouraged to select alternative branch locations in the event of unscheduled closings, e.g. holidays, flooding, power outages, etc., the forecast of inclement weather, and other emergency situations. The most expedient method for a student to access their homework assistance hotline is to go to the library branch location most convenient for them and use these services on site.

4. Best Practices for Implementing Homework Assistance Hotlines in Schools

Guidance counselors can often be of assistance in providing necessary confidentiality. If an individual, for example from colleges, provides a training program, arrangements should be made through school authorities. Volunteers should be trained adequately and encouraged to contribute suggestions for hotline improvement. Sponsors generally see an improvement in services and goodwill by having more volunteers serve than less. Depending on the caller’s level of sophistication, volunteers need to be able to adjust their styles so that they use language that is comfortable and understandable to the caller. Each hotline needs to develop its own sets of somewhat natural next questions so that volunteers can gently get the information they need to provide the best advice. When a hotline call might be only slightly connected to the purpose of the hotline (for example, a request for a drug referral in a tobacco hotline), volunteers need to know what to do. Volunteering time can help hotline operating costs and facilitate hiring needed staff.

All teachers and students in the school need to be aware of the program. Students are legally allowed to use the hotline. There needs to be an effective way to make the hotline number widely known to students and staff. If the hotline is new, a kickoff assembly or ongoing announcements should help market it. A simple and memorable telephone number is a great asset. The program, regardless of when calls come in, needs to have time to call students back. Individuals manning the hotline should not be allowed to drink alcohol or use drugs when volunteering.

School systems interested in providing homework assistance hotlines should abide by certain guidelines to ensure program effectiveness.

5. Case Studies and Success Stories

We test the service by identifying and training high school students with compatible high school course experience. We also develop our tracking system to monitor the training and the support provided by teachers, and the distribution of successful and unsuccessful homework requests by subject matter, and its resolution times. Qualitative data includes all formal and informal advice, objectives achieved, and the suggested alternatives in the selected process. There is an automatic approach that reduces the effect of specific employees and the psychological burden of initiating change request in a predictive process. And in the near future, we are continuing to develop our integrative support, working through homework requests, and verifying. The Homework Assistance Hotline is one tool in how to reform mathematics. Its implementation structures are not revolutionary. However, the depth and public focus provide leverage. Our goal is improved instruction leading to improved student performance in mathematics. Surely we can figure out how to accomplish that.

The main concern regarding the development of a new service is to ensure its appropriateness prior to launching. It is important to test the service in the actual environment in which it will be used and operated. Therefore, mock simulations were set up in order to allow evaluation and feedback, redesigning of the service. The following are some of the steps that were taken leading up to the launch of our Homework Assistance Hotline “Homework Helpline” in the spring of 2000.