He has served as the Director for Program Development for Nova Southeastern University’s Masters in Life Span Care and Administration and was a faculty member of the Masters Program in Applied Addiction Studies, the Florida School of Addiction Studies, the Arkansas School, New England School, Rutgers, Alaska School and others. He also served as the Chief Consultant on Substance Abuse Issues for the Child Welfare League of America.

He is the co-author of four books:

12 Steps to Self-Parenting 12 Steps to Self-Parenting Workbook: Windows to Your Inner Child Breaking the Cycle of Addiction: A Parents Guide to Raising Healthy Kids The Lowdown on Families

Who Get High Mr. Diaz is an internationally known lecturer. His work has appeared in Women’s Day Magazine, USA Today, and Focus on the Family. He has appeared on numerous television and radio programs, including the TV special “The National Parent Quiz,” and is the recipient of numerous awards for his work.

“Who would have thought that the subject of homework would turn out to be our site’s most read feature? Good stuff! But methinks we need less heat and more light.
Let’s start with some hard data. MetLife devoted its major annual report on teachers and the teaching life last year to homework. Here is what they found:
Most teachers, students, and parents believe in the value of homework:
Eight in ten teachers (83%) believe that doing homework is important or very important.
Eight in ten parents (81%) believe that doing homework is important or very important.
Three-quarters of students (77%) believe that doing homework is important or very important.
However, sizable numbers of students say that their homework is not relevant to their current schoolwork or their future goals.
One-quarter of students (26%) agree that their homework is busywork and not related to what they are learning in schools.
Over half of students (55%) do not think that their homework assignments are interesting. Secondary school students, in particular, hold this view (62% vs. 44% of elementary school students).
Four in ten parents (40%) say that a great deal (9%) or some (31%) of the homework assigned at their child’s school is just busywork.
While three quarters of teachers with more than 20 years of experience
feel extremely or very prepared to create engaging homework assignments, only 58% of new teachers (5 years or less experience) feel this way.
The full report can be found here.
http://www.metlife.com/WPSAssets/10124301191202765628V1FTeacherSurvey…
An NPR report on the survey can be found here.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=19055522
Clearly, when about half of our parents and students think that homework is really busywork or uninteresting and unhelpful, we have a problem. Even a sizable minority of teachers think that, in general,
there is too much busywork assigned (though not in my class, of course!). In theory though, everyone agrees that homework is important.

So, the debate about whether to assign or not to assign homework begs a crucial question: What is the point of homework, done right? Or is the belief in the importance of homework in theory a piece of wistful
nonthinking?

Sorely absent from the discussion is a consideration of the concept itself – what is homework and what is its purpose? When we argue for reinforcement or extension of learning, what are we calling for – and
what right do we have to call for it?

But let’s start with simpler questions. Note that there are three venues of work – in class, outside of class but still in school, and outside of school. So, every teacher and administrator should ponder
often and clarify with parents and students the three questions:
What is the optimal use of our limited time together in class? What work is best done in class?
What is the best use of time out of class (but still in school) in support of one’s education, and the goals of individual courses? What worthy course goals can only be met by assigning work out of class but
in school (such as library research or project work in free periods)? What assignments outside of school greatly help learners meet key course and program goals (even as we are mindful of the student’s
right to a life outside of school)? I admit to being prejudiced. As a former high school English teacher I
simply cannot imagine an education that does not require students to read and write outside of class, so that great discussion and coaching can occur in class. I am flabbergasted to go into some high school
classes and see teachers and students reading texts aloud in place of homework – what a waste of time. Nor can I fathom an education – as I have seen in many places – that does not assign homework in high
school because kids just won’t do it. That sets those kids up for failure later; it is abdicating our professional responsibility.
Here are the things I think we can all agree on, regardless of our place in the system:
The best use of class time is not mostly teacher talk or one-way worksheets and activities, but vital opportunities for students to try to learn and get coaching and feedback from teacher and peers. In a
world of ipods and Internet, using precious class time for teacher talk is nuts. Mere busywork is unacceptable. Homework should explicitly help students meet key unit and course goals, and should be
justified in writing as such on course syllabi. Mere piling on of more work after school is unwise and ultimately counter-productive. The student has a right to down time, family time, social time.
Homework should rarely involve the student trying to learn new things on her own (without anyone to help) but should be needed reinforcement or practice in already-understood lessons, or quiet, reflective work
best done on one’s own (like reading and writing).
Outside reading, especially in upper-level courses, is a vital component of a good education, and essential preparation for college and adult life.
Excellence in research and in writing can only occur if upper-level students are asked to write papers outside of class. From this vantage point, the disputes in this lively set of blog entries perhaps obscure the areas of agreement that exist under the surface. And so, what we must do is act professionally: faculty should engage in formal fact-finding and discussion, culminating in clear and enforced policy at the local level, about homework done right. To allow each teacher to free-lance homework policy, as we do now, is a
recipe for failure and frustration, as the research and common sense make clear.”  Grant Wiggins

It takes a Village!

“But we must also admit that programs alone can’t replace parents; that government can’t turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need.”
Obama Speech at DNC 08′

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