homework plan example

Homework Planner Template

The best thing I can say about this homework planner is that my own kids like it enough to want me to print a copy for them each week. The design for this planner came from a mash-up of the techniques that my brother and I used in college to organize our time. I've refined the design based on feedback from my kids (one high-schooler and two home-schoolers).

How It Works : This planner combines two very useful tools for keeping track of your homework assignments, both on a single page. First, on the left is a homework check list for each of your classes. Use it to list the assignments, due dates, and the estimated time to complete each assignment. List upcoming exams and plan times to study. Second, on the right side you can plan your week to figure out how you will get everything done.

Printable Homework Planners

The following PDF files can be printed as needed. The main difference is in the weekly schedule because high-schoolers and home-schoolers tend to do their homework at different times of the day.

License : Private Use (not for distribution or resale)

Authors: Jon Wittwer and Jim Wittwer

Description

This spreadsheet includes two separate worksheets with slightly different designs. The Homeschool design doesn't include the "time" column because we found it wasn't as critical to predict how much time a particular assignment would take. However, for high school and college, estimating the time to complete each assignment can be extremely helpful.

We designed it so that you can either print blank copies of the planner, or edit it electronically. You may be able to store and edit this planner on your mobile device if you are using Excel for iPad/iPhone or Google Sheets.

Tips for Students:

1. Customize the template: Using Excel or Word, enter your class names on the left and your typical weekly schedule. For example, use the schedule to highlight the times for each of your classes, your extracurricular activities, part-time jobs, etc.

2. Print blank copies: After customizing the template, you can print as many of these planner pages as you need, and you won't need to enter your typical weekly schedule each time.

3. Don't forget incomplete assignments: When switching to a new page each week, don't forget to go through your list of assignments and transfer the incomplete assignments to the new page.

4. Don't lose it: Keep your planner page in a folder that you always have with you. If you are worried about misplacing it, try taking a picture of it with your phone as a backup.

5. Use a mobile app: If you have a phone with the Excel or Word app or Google Docs app, and you are allowed to use a mobile device in school, you could try going paperless and editing the template on your phone. You could also try using one of the many "student planner" or "homework planner" mobile apps. The problem with this approach is that phones can be a huge distraction. If you are obsessed with Instagram or texting, it may be better to avoid using your phone if you want to get anything done.

Note to Teachers:

You are welcome to print copies of this planner to give to your students. The worksheet is pretty intuitive, but don't assume that students will know how to use it. Teach them about managing their time and help them learn how a planner can help.

One important thing that you can do to help your students is to give them a realistic estimate of how much time each assignment will take. If you get a lot of students complaining that an assignment took longer than you said, either cut back the work (if it was excessive), or use the feedback to give a better estimate next time around.

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If you’re a parent, you know how incredibly overwhelming it can be for students to stay on top of studying and all other homework assignments.

Especially when they’re juggling multiple classes.

Due dates can pile up quickly if they aren’t staying organized and managing their time wisely.

However, there is a tool that can be quite helpful – A printable homework planner! You’ll find a few different styles below.

Weekly homework planners

These free printables will help students plan and track all their assignments for each day of the week.

They can write down the class, a description of the homework assignment, and when it’s due. Once it’s completed it, check “done” and move on to the next!

I recommend printing a few copies at a time. Encourage your middle schooler or high schooler to keep one in their binder.

Monthly homework calendars

In addition to weekly planners , older students may benefit from a blank homework calendar as well.

It’s nice to have a bird’s-eye view of each month.

Some of these templates have extra lines below the calendar for writing down reminders and other misc. notes.

Monthly assignment and exam trackers

Some students may prefer a simple running list of what’s due each month.

With these trackers, they can write down the class, jot down a quick description of what’s due (whether it’s a basic assignment, project, or exam), and the due date.

And, of course, once the assignment is finished, they can mark done.

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Get Free Homework Planner Templates In Google Docs, Google Sheets, Google Slides

Convenient Homework Planner

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Are you having trouble optimizing your homework time? Or do you constantly forget to do it, and then you have to get bad grades? To get rid of this inattention, we advise you to write down all tasks and duties received. And to make this process fast, modern, and simple, we recommend using our homework planner templates. With our options, with a user-friendly structure, easy-to-read, eye-pleasing and cute design, and many built-in tools, you will achieve maximum productivity in school and at home when doing homework.

Why is it worth using our services? TheGoodocs is the largest provider of free templates. Our designers with vast experience and high skills in creating editable layouts are ready to help you. We employ only the best template developers for Google Docs, Google Slides, and Google Sheets presets. And you can see it personally! Right now, we offer you to check out all the advantages of our platform and find out why our services are preferred by tens of thousands of people around the world.

Use the Services of the Largest Template Provider

Our platform has been operating for a long time. During the function of the website, more than three thousand unique and exclusive custom templates on any subject have been added. Now, we are visited by people from every corner of the world and are simplifying their routine work with documents, designs for business cards, and flyers, and helping with a search for a free homework planner template. And we will give you access to any template! We are very glad you have decided to visit our website, and believe us, we will not disappoint you!

Free Templates Available Now

You can start customizing your favorite homework planner in Google Docs, Google Slides, or Google Sheets without restrictions. All you have to do is select the appropriate template, go to its page and click on the red "Edit Template" button. Right after that, you will get access to the desired homework planner and will be able to start filling and customizing it.

And is that all that is needed to use our layouts? Exactly! We do not force you to give us good ratings, register, or buy any subscription to access the service. The platform was launched for you to choose the printable template and make work easier!

Continuous Work to Improve the Website

Although there are already more than three thousand actual templates available to our users, we are not going to stop there. Our professionals are working on creating new, relevant templates for any topic. Every day we add more than ten options that become available to users worldwide.

Also, on our website, you will find a "Requests" section. There you can always leave your comments and wishes for further development, which we will take into account.

Simple and Convenient Customization

You can start working on customizing the homework planner template in Google Docs right now. We suggest using Google Docs, Google Slides, or Google Sheets formats. But this does not mean that everything is limited to this. You can always download the layout to a convenient device and use other online or offline editors.

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How to Make a Homework Planner

Last Updated: January 6, 2024

This article was co-authored by Jake Adams and by wikiHow staff writer, Danielle Blinka, MA, MPA . Jake Adams is an academic tutor and the owner of Simplifi EDU, a Santa Monica, California based online tutoring business offering learning resources and online tutors for academic subjects K-College, SAT & ACT prep, and college admissions applications. With over 14 years of professional tutoring experience, Jake is dedicated to providing his clients the very best online tutoring experience and access to a network of excellent undergraduate and graduate-level tutors from top colleges all over the nation. Jake holds a BS in International Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University. This article has been viewed 44,892 times.

Keeping track of homework and assignment due dates can be tricky without an organizational strategy. With several classes worth of work to remember, relying on your memory can be a challenge. Put your mind at ease by making a homework planner, and soon you will have all of your assignments at your fingertips.

Crafting Your Own Planner

• You could also use just a calendar with extended areas for writing notes and planning. Also, you can use post-it or sticky notes to add extra notes to your planner.

• Notebook paper offers a quick solution because you probably already have some in your backpack.
• Blank computer paper allows you an unstructured space to plan, which may work really well for people who are creative.
• Using templates makes it easier to get started and stay organized. Since you’ll be printing your own templates, you can choose what best suits your needs. Templates may take more work than notebook paper, but they will make it easier to get started with your planning since the calendar and planning spaces are already created for you.
• Try printed papers for a fun approach to creating your planner. Visit your local craft store for tons of design options. If you use printed paper, keep in mind how you will be using the planner when you pick your designs. For example, don’t choose all dark colors if you want to write directly onto the paper because you won’t be able to see what you wrote.

• Organizing into monthly, weekly, and daily sections will allow you to keep similar planning sheets together. This is a standard format for many planners and will allow you to keep weeks together when the month changes midweek. It also allows you to be flexible with how you use your to-do list sheets.
• If you want to organize by month, take one monthly calendar and pair it with five weekly planning sheets and enough to-do list sheets to accommodate your planning needs.

• You can mark your sections by placing a sheet of colored paper between them.
• You could also use dividers or stick-on divider tabs.
• Another option is to mark the sections with tape. Take a strip of tape and fold it over on itself so that just the edges of the tape touch the paper between two sections, leaving the fold of the tape sticking out of the stack.
• If you have post-it notes, you can use them as section dividers or to highlight important sections.

• If you like to work on the computer, design your cover using your favorite app and then print it out.
• If you want to skip decorating your cover or want something that looks store-bought, use a piece of scrapbook paper from the craft store as your cover. For example, you could buy a piece of zebra print paper and print your planner title on the front.
• If you’re an artist, draw or paint your cover.
• If you don’t like to draw or craft, you could try decorating your planner with stickers that represent something you love, such as your hobby or favorite bands.

• You can also decide if this planner will be for all of your classes or just one of them. This could affect how many sections you decide to make.

• For a cleaner look, cut a two-inch-wide slip of paper and fold it so that it will fit over your staples. Glue the paper in place to make your homemade planner look like a composition book.
• You can also make a notebook using a hole punch and ribbon.

• Use the different colored inks for each class for the best results. [2] X Trustworthy Source Understood Nonprofit organization dedicated to resources and support to people with thinking differences, such as ADHD or dyslexia Go to source If you're using your planner for just one class, you could use different colored inks for different types of assignments. For example, you could use blue for essays, orange for worksheets, red for tests, etc.
• Enter assignments for the whole grading period at once, which will prevent you from overlooking due dates.
• Divide your larger assignments over several days so that you have time to complete the assignment. For example, if you have a science project due at the end of the month, you need to start working on it in advance. Write your project workdays onto your calendar as well.

Using a Standard Notebook

• If you’re artistic, take this as an opportunity to express your talent by sketching or painting your planner cover. Another option is to create a collage using clippings of photos, words, and phrases from a magazine. Simply glue the clippings to the cover of your notebook in your desired arrangement. To protect your work, self-laminate it with clear packing tape.
• If you enjoy crafting, you could glue fabric, paper, or magazine photos to your notebook.
• If you don’t like to draw or craft, you could try decorating your planner with stickers or photos. For example, you could cover your notebook with stickers representing your favorite bands, or you could print out your favorite photos of your friends to glue on the cover.

• Count out the number of sheets for each section. Because it’s your planner, how many sheets of paper you will need per section will depend on you. However, for a standard year-long planner, you would need at least 14 sheets of paper for monthly planning and 54 sheets of paper for weekly planning. Including extra sheets in each section will allow for section labels, do-overs, and section buffers.
• Create your section dividers by either using tape or cutting the edges of the paper. To make your dividers using tape, fold a piece of tape over on itself so that just the ends touch the paper. Leave a flap of tape sticking out from the paper so that you can easily see the divide between sections. You can also divide your planner by cutting the corners of two of your sections. For example, you could cut the top outer corner of the monthly calendars and cut the bottom outer corner of the weekly planning sheets, leaving your third section un-cut. This would allow you to easily find each of those three sections.

• To draw your calendar, you will need a ruler or a straight surface to trace. Using your ruler, draw a large box.
• Lengthwise, trace six evenly-spaced lines to create seven columns for the seven days of the week.
• Then draw four evenly-spaced lines down the width of the box to create the rows of weeks. When you are finished, you will have 35 boxes.
• Write the days of the week above each column.
• Write the name of the month and the correct dates for the first month of your homework planner.

• Draw a line down the center of your paper and then draw three evenly-spaced lines across your paper to create eight boxes.
• Label seven of the boxes with the days of the week, and label the eighth box “Notes.”

Using a Binder

• To avoid adding bulk to your backpack, print out calendars and weekly planning templates and put them in your regular binder. That way you can easily track your assignments without worrying about juggling an extra notebook.

• Open the rings on your binder and first insert your to-do list paper. Place an index divider on top of the stack.
• Add your monthly planning sheets, followed by the index divider for that section.
• Finally, add your calendars, and, if you like, an index divider for that section.
• You may want to also add a special index page or key that explains your organizational strategy.

Homework Planner Template

Expert Q&A

Using a Digital Planner

• If you already have an iPad or similar tablet device, there are a number of notetaking and calendar apps available that make digital planning an easy way to stay organized.
• You can take your notes or design your own custom planner directly through the apps, utilizing the numerous writing tools within them. However, you can also purchase planner templates from the internet to use as a base for your planner.
• New Semester, New Year, New Season. The first phase of maintaining a planner is to enter all known and repeating dates, these are usually established at the beginning of each new school year, semester, or season. The earlier you put these events in your planner, the better. It may take time to set this up, but the benefits are worth it! You’ll always know what’s going on rather than feeling in the dark.
• Sundays. The next anchor point is at the beginning of the week. First, take a look at your week ahead. Do you have any tests coming up? Special events? Appointments? Get familiar with your week at the front end to prevent surprises. Then, coordinate with your family during a Sunday Meeting.
• In Class. As soon as you receive a calendar or syllabus, enter: key dates, large assignments, projects, tests, and final exams in your planner. In class, assignments should be entered in a digital (or paper) planner as soon as they are assigned. Just be careful to not get distracted by other apps and messages.
• Take the time to personalize your homework planner so that you have an incentive to use it. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• You can customize the sections however you like, so don’t feel like you have to use the suggested sections. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• Cutting out paper and gluing it into your planner is a great solution for people who hate drawing. Thanks Helpful 1 Not Helpful 0

• Don’t spend more time working on your planner than you do on your homework. Thanks Helpful 33 Not Helpful 3

You Might Also Like

• ↑ Jake Adams. Academic Tutor & Test Prep Specialist. Expert Interview. 24 July 2020.
• ↑ https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/learning-at-home/homework-study-skills/how-to-help-your-teen-develop-good-study-habits

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How to Create Effective Homework

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Based on a recent spate of articles on homework, it’s clear that the homework wars -- how much? how often? -- are still topic of big interest to both parents and teachers. Some teachers hate to give homework; others see it as a vital necessity. But according to some research presented by Annie Murphy Paul, the question isn’t how much, but whether the homework teachers do give actually advances learning.

“A recent study, published in the Economics of Education Review,” Paul wrote in “How Can We Make Homework Worthwhile?” , “reports that homework in science, English and history has ‘little to no impact’ on student test scores. (The authors did note a positive effect for math homework.) Enriching children’s classroom learning requires making homework not shorter or longer, but smarter.” Paul goes on to describe specific practices, like spaced repetition (in which information is presented and repeated spaced out over time), retrieval practice (testing or quizzing not for assessment, but to reinforce material learned), and cognitive disfluency (“desirable difficulties” used to make learning stick) -- all memory/retrieval techniques that may help homework move beyond busy work and advance real learning.

But to get those elements to work, said Fires in the Mind author and speaker Kathleen Cushman, students must be motivated to do their homework in the first place. One example Cushman gave was creating a project so interesting and involved, students naturally wanted to keep working on it after the bell rang. She pointed to a chapter in the book where she describes a particular motivation for some high school students she interviewed, under the heading “Homework We Actually Want to Do”:

“Christina and Nicholas both remembered a global studies unit on the French Revolution in which students acted out a courtroom trial of the king and queen. The project brought even routine homework assignments to life, they said.

“I was the queen. So of course I wanted to do my homework all the time, so I could know the facts of what happened and what didn’t happen, know what I wanted to say when someone tried to say I did this or that thing. I could say, ‘Oh no, I didn’t!’ - because I’d read my homework,” said Christina.

Christina was using a form of retrieval practice -- but because it was so much fun to be the queen, she only knew she wanted to stay in character. The queen had to study the information to get it right.

Another way teachers can take a good, hard look at homework practices, said Cushman, is to ask themselves a few vital questions: “Does this homework ask each student to practice something that the student hasn’t yet mastered? Does the student clearly see its purpose? When students are asked to repeat or rehearse something, does it require them to focus? Or can they do it without really paying attention?” If the homework meets these criteria, she said, then it falls into the desirable realm of “deliberate practice .”

Dan Bisaccio, former high school science teacher and now Director of Science Education at Brown University, said that after years of experience giving homework to high school students, he now “preaches” to his future teachers: “Homework should be practice and extensions of what happens in class and should not be ‘new learning,’” he said. “That is, students [shouldn’t be] having to teach themselves new content or skills.”

He said he agreed with Cushman that motivation is key, and tried to design homework that kept students interested. “Teachers need to clue into what motivates their students, giving them something that they really want to complete, and complete well.” One assignment Bisaccio used, called an “Experience Map,” asked students to create a map of their experiences after a field study or other important project - a technique employing both retrieval practice and the somewhat trickier interleaving, a “desirable difficulty” in which problems of different types are presented in one assignment, making students think harder to come up with solutions and answers.

“We ‘map’ mentally and physically each day. It helps to keep us orientated through our frenzied sun-up to sun-down daily experiences,” reads the assignment. Directions are to draw a field experience map, including -- with regard to the class -- where students have been, what they have done, new challenges, and insights. Special suggestions for drawing include “a place of danger, a favorite place, a place of power, a place with a secret.” Students are also called upon to map the places where they learned the most, where they were challenged the most, and where the funniest experience happened.

In addition, Bisaccio asked students to write what had challenged them most as a learner, what had stretched their limits most -- meant to be reflections just for students themselves, and asked to be kept on the back of the map. “What they wrote on the back was not shared with others,” he said. Once the assignment was completed, maps were posted to form a class atlas of what they had learned.

All the examples included here, however, are examples of homework in a traditional classroom. What about homework in a flipped classroom , where the lectures, usually videos, are the homework? A recent New York Times article on flipped classrooms may provide insight into flipping homework on its head, too: it quoted high school senior Luwayne Harris, saying, “Whenever I had a problem on the homework, I couldn’t do anything about it at home. Now if I have a problem with a video, I can just rewind and watch it over and over again.”

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, how to do homework: 15 expert tips and tricks.

Coursework/GPA

Everyone struggles with homework sometimes, but if getting your homework done has become a chronic issue for you, then you may need a little extra help. That’s why we’ve written this article all about how to do homework. Once you’re finished reading it, you’ll know how to do homework (and have tons of new ways to motivate yourself to do homework)!

We’ve broken this article down into a few major sections. You’ll find:

• A diagnostic test to help you figure out why you’re struggling with homework
• A discussion of the four major homework problems students face, along with expert tips for addressing them
• A bonus section with tips for how to do homework fast

By the end of this article, you’ll be prepared to tackle whatever homework assignments your teachers throw at you .

So let’s get started!

How to Do Homework: Figure Out Your Struggles 

Sometimes it feels like everything is standing between you and getting your homework done. But the truth is, most people only have one or two major roadblocks that are keeping them from getting their homework done well and on time. 

The best way to figure out how to get motivated to do homework starts with pinpointing the issues that are affecting your ability to get your assignments done. That’s why we’ve developed a short quiz to help you identify the areas where you’re struggling. 

Take the quiz below and record your answers on your phone or on a scrap piece of paper. Keep in mind there are no wrong answers! 

1. You’ve just been assigned an essay in your English class that’s due at the end of the week. What’s the first thing you do?

A. Keep it in mind, even though you won’t start it until the day before it’s due  B. Open up your planner. You’ve got to figure out when you’ll write your paper since you have band practice, a speech tournament, and your little sister’s dance recital this week, too.  C. Groan out loud. Another essay? You could barely get yourself to write the last one!  D. Start thinking about your essay topic, which makes you think about your art project that’s due the same day, which reminds you that your favorite artist might have just posted to Instagram...so you better check your feed right now. 

2. Your mom asked you to pick up your room before she gets home from work. You’ve just gotten home from school. You decide you’ll tackle your chores: 

A. Five minutes before your mom walks through the front door. As long as it gets done, who cares when you start?  B. As soon as you get home from your shift at the local grocery store.  C. After you give yourself a 15-minute pep talk about how you need to get to work.  D. You won’t get it done. Between texts from your friends, trying to watch your favorite Netflix show, and playing with your dog, you just lost track of time! 

3. You’ve signed up to wash dogs at the Humane Society to help earn money for your senior class trip. You: 

A. Show up ten minutes late. You put off leaving your house until the last minute, then got stuck in unexpected traffic on the way to the shelter.  B. Have to call and cancel at the last minute. You forgot you’d already agreed to babysit your cousin and bake cupcakes for tomorrow’s bake sale.  C. Actually arrive fifteen minutes early with extra brushes and bandanas you picked up at the store. You’re passionate about animals, so you’re excited to help out! D. Show up on time, but only get three dogs washed. You couldn’t help it: you just kept getting distracted by how cute they were!

4. You have an hour of downtime, so you decide you’re going to watch an episode of The Great British Baking Show. You: 

A. Scroll through your social media feeds for twenty minutes before hitting play, which means you’re not able to finish the whole episode. Ugh! You really wanted to see who was sent home!  B. Watch fifteen minutes until you remember you’re supposed to pick up your sister from band practice before heading to your part-time job. No GBBO for you!  C. You finish one episode, then decide to watch another even though you’ve got SAT studying to do. It’s just more fun to watch people make scones.  D. Start the episode, but only catch bits and pieces of it because you’re reading Twitter, cleaning out your backpack, and eating a snack at the same time.

5. Your teacher asks you to stay after class because you’ve missed turning in two homework assignments in a row. When she asks you what’s wrong, you say: 

A. You planned to do your assignments during lunch, but you ran out of time. You decided it would be better to turn in nothing at all than submit unfinished work.  B. You really wanted to get the assignments done, but between your extracurriculars, family commitments, and your part-time job, your homework fell through the cracks.  C. You have a hard time psyching yourself to tackle the assignments. You just can’t seem to find the motivation to work on them once you get home.  D. You tried to do them, but you had a hard time focusing. By the time you realized you hadn’t gotten anything done, it was already time to turn them in. 

Like we said earlier, there are no right or wrong answers to this quiz (though your results will be better if you answered as honestly as possible). Here’s how your answers break down: 

• If your answers were mostly As, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is procrastination. 
• If your answers were mostly Bs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is time management. 
• If your answers were mostly Cs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is motivation. 
• If your answers were mostly Ds, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is getting distracted. 

Now that you’ve identified why you’re having a hard time getting your homework done, we can help you figure out how to fix it! Scroll down to find your core problem area to learn more about how you can start to address it. 

And one more thing: you’re really struggling with homework, it’s a good idea to read through every section below. You may find some additional tips that will help make homework less intimidating. 

How to Do Homework When You’re a Procrastinator  

Merriam Webster defines “procrastinate” as “to put off intentionally and habitually.” In other words, procrastination is when you choose to do something at the last minute on a regular basis. If you’ve ever found yourself pulling an all-nighter, trying to finish an assignment between periods, or sprinting to turn in a paper minutes before a deadline, you’ve experienced the effects of procrastination. 

If you’re a chronic procrastinator, you’re in good company. In fact, one study found that 70% to 95% of undergraduate students procrastinate when it comes to doing their homework. Unfortunately, procrastination can negatively impact your grades. Researchers have found that procrastination can lower your grade on an assignment by as much as five points ...which might not sound serious until you realize that can mean the difference between a B- and a C+. 

Procrastination can also negatively affect your health by increasing your stress levels , which can lead to other health conditions like insomnia, a weakened immune system, and even heart conditions. Getting a handle on procrastination can not only improve your grades, it can make you feel better, too! 

The big thing to understand about procrastination is that it’s not the result of laziness. Laziness is defined as being “disinclined to activity or exertion.” In other words, being lazy is all about doing nothing. But a s this Psychology Today article explains , procrastinators don’t put things off because they don’t want to work. Instead, procrastinators tend to postpone tasks they don’t want to do in favor of tasks that they perceive as either more important or more fun. Put another way, procrastinators want to do things...as long as it’s not their homework! 

3 Tips f or Conquering Procrastination 

Because putting off doing homework is a common problem, there are lots of good tactics for addressing procrastination. Keep reading for our three expert tips that will get your homework habits back on track in no time. 

#1: Create a Reward System

Like we mentioned earlier, procrastination happens when you prioritize other activities over getting your homework done. Many times, this happens because homework...well, just isn’t enjoyable. But you can add some fun back into the process by rewarding yourself for getting your work done. 

Here’s what we mean: let’s say you decide that every time you get your homework done before the day it’s due, you’ll give yourself a point. For every five points you earn, you’ll treat yourself to your favorite dessert: a chocolate cupcake! Now you have an extra (delicious!) incentive to motivate you to leave procrastination in the dust. 

If you’re not into cupcakes, don’t worry. Your reward can be anything that motivates you . Maybe it’s hanging out with your best friend or an extra ten minutes of video game time. As long as you’re choosing something that makes homework worth doing, you’ll be successful. 

#2: Have a Homework Accountability Partner 

If you’re having trouble getting yourself to start your homework ahead of time, it may be a good idea to call in reinforcements . Find a friend or classmate you can trust and explain to them that you’re trying to change your homework habits. Ask them if they’d be willing to text you to make sure you’re doing your homework and check in with you once a week to see if you’re meeting your anti-procrastination goals. 

Sharing your goals can make them feel more real, and an accountability partner can help hold you responsible for your decisions. For example, let’s say you’re tempted to put off your science lab write-up until the morning before it’s due. But you know that your accountability partner is going to text you about it tomorrow...and you don’t want to fess up that you haven’t started your assignment. A homework accountability partner can give you the extra support and incentive you need to keep your homework habits on track. 

#3: Create Your Own Due Dates 

If you’re a life-long procrastinator, you might find that changing the habit is harder than you expected. In that case, you might try using procrastination to your advantage! If you just can’t seem to stop doing your work at the last minute, try setting your own due dates for assignments that range from a day to a week before the assignment is actually due. 

Here’s what we mean. Let’s say you have a math worksheet that’s been assigned on Tuesday and is due on Friday. In your planner, you can write down the due date as Thursday instead. You may still put off your homework assignment until the last minute...but in this case, the “last minute” is a day before the assignment’s real due date . This little hack can trick your procrastination-addicted brain into planning ahead! 

If you feel like Kevin Hart in this meme, then our tips for doing homework when you're busy are for you. 

How to Do Homework When You’re too Busy

If you’re aiming to go to a top-tier college , you’re going to have a full plate. Because college admissions is getting more competitive, it’s important that you’re maintaining your grades , studying hard for your standardized tests , and participating in extracurriculars so your application stands out. A packed schedule can get even more hectic once you add family obligations or a part-time job to the mix. 

If you feel like you’re being pulled in a million directions at once, you’re not alone. Recent research has found that stress—and more severe stress-related conditions like anxiety and depression— are a major problem for high school students . In fact, one study from the American Psychological Association found that during the school year, students’ stress levels are higher than those of the adults around them. 

For students, homework is a major contributor to their overall stress levels . Many high schoolers have multiple hours of homework every night , and figuring out how to fit it into an already-packed schedule can seem impossible. 

3 Tips for Fitting Homework Into Your Busy Schedule

While it might feel like you have literally no time left in your schedule, there are still ways to make sure you’re able to get your homework done and meet your other commitments. Here are our expert homework tips for even the busiest of students. 

#1: Make a Prioritized To-Do List 

You probably already have a to-do list to keep yourself on track. The next step is to prioritize the items on your to-do list so you can see what items need your attention right away. 

Here’s how it works: at the beginning of each day, sit down and make a list of all the items you need to get done before you go to bed. This includes your homework, but it should also take into account any practices, chores, events, or job shifts you may have. Once you get everything listed out, it’s time to prioritize them using the labels A, B, and C. Here’s what those labels mean:

• A Tasks : tasks that have to get done—like showing up at work or turning in an assignment—get an A. 
• B Tasks : these are tasks that you would like to get done by the end of the day but aren’t as time sensitive. For example, studying for a test you have next week could be a B-level task. It’s still important, but it doesn’t have to be done right away.
• C Tasks: these are tasks that aren’t very important and/or have no real consequences if you don’t get them done immediately. For instance, if you’re hoping to clean out your closet but it’s not an assigned chore from your parents, you could label that to-do item with a C.

Prioritizing your to-do list helps you visualize which items need your immediate attention, and which items you can leave for later. A prioritized to-do list ensures that you’re spending your time efficiently and effectively, which helps you make room in your schedule for homework. So even though you might really want to start making decorations for Homecoming (a B task), you’ll know that finishing your reading log (an A task) is more important. 

#2: Use a Planner With Time Labels

Your planner is probably packed with notes, events, and assignments already. (And if you’re not using a planner, it’s time to start!) But planners can do more for you than just remind you when an assignment is due. If you’re using a planner with time labels, it can help you visualize how you need to spend your day.

A planner with time labels breaks your day down into chunks, and you assign tasks to each chunk of time. For example, you can make a note of your class schedule with assignments, block out time to study, and make sure you know when you need to be at practice. Once you know which tasks take priority, you can add them to any empty spaces in your day. 

Planning out how you spend your time not only helps you use it wisely, it can help you feel less overwhelmed, too . We’re big fans of planners that include a task list ( like this one ) or have room for notes ( like this one ). 

#3: Set Reminders on Your Phone 

If you need a little extra nudge to make sure you’re getting your homework done on time, it’s a good idea to set some reminders on your phone. You don’t need a fancy app, either. You can use your alarm app to have it go off at specific times throughout the day to remind you to do your homework. This works especially well if you have a set homework time scheduled. So if you’ve decided you’re doing homework at 6:00 pm, you can set an alarm to remind you to bust out your books and get to work. 

If you use your phone as your planner, you may have the option to add alerts, emails, or notifications to scheduled events . Many calendar apps, including the one that comes with your phone, have built-in reminders that you can customize to meet your needs. So if you block off time to do your homework from 4:30 to 6:00 pm, you can set a reminder that will pop up on your phone when it’s time to get started. 

This dog isn't judging your lack of motivation...but your teacher might. Keep reading for tips to help you motivate yourself to do your homework.

How to Do Homework When You’re Unmotivated 

At first glance, it may seem like procrastination and being unmotivated are the same thing. After all, both of these issues usually result in you putting off your homework until the very last minute. 

But there’s one key difference: many procrastinators are working, they’re just prioritizing work differently. They know they’re going to start their homework...they’re just going to do it later. 

Conversely, people who are unmotivated to do homework just can’t find the willpower to tackle their assignments. Procrastinators know they’ll at least attempt the homework at the last minute, whereas people who are unmotivated struggle with convincing themselves to do it at a ll. For procrastinators, the stress comes from the inevitable time crunch. For unmotivated people, the stress comes from trying to convince themselves to do something they don’t want to do in the first place. 

Here are some common reasons students are unmotivated in doing homework : 

• Assignments are too easy, too hard, or seemingly pointless 
• Students aren’t interested in (or passionate about) the subject matter
• Students are intimidated by the work and/or feels like they don’t understand the assignment 
• Homework isn’t fun, and students would rather spend their time on things that they enjoy 

To sum it up: people who lack motivation to do their homework are more likely to not do it at all, or to spend more time worrying about doing their homework than...well, actually doing it.

3 Tips for How to Get Motivated to Do Homework

The key to getting homework done when you’re unmotivated is to figure out what does motivate you, then apply those things to homework. It sounds tricky...but it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it! Here are our three expert tips for motivating yourself to do your homework. 

#1: Use Incremental Incentives

When you’re not motivated, it’s important to give yourself small rewards to stay focused on finishing the task at hand. The trick is to keep the incentives small and to reward yourself often. For example, maybe you’re reading a good book in your free time. For every ten minutes you spend on your homework, you get to read five pages of your book. Like we mentioned earlier, make sure you’re choosing a reward that works for you! 

So why does this technique work? Using small rewards more often allows you to experience small wins for getting your work done. Every time you make it to one of your tiny reward points, you get to celebrate your success, which gives your brain a boost of dopamine . Dopamine helps you stay motivated and also creates a feeling of satisfaction when you complete your homework !  

#2: Form a Homework Group 

If you’re having trouble motivating yourself, it’s okay to turn to others for support. Creating a homework group can help with this. Bring together a group of your friends or classmates, and pick one time a week where you meet and work on homework together. You don’t have to be in the same class, or even taking the same subjects— the goal is to encourage one another to start (and finish!) your assignments. 

Another added benefit of a homework group is that you can help one another if you’re struggling to understand the material covered in your classes. This is especially helpful if your lack of motivation comes from being intimidated by your assignments. Asking your friends for help may feel less scary than talking to your teacher...and once you get a handle on the material, your homework may become less frightening, too. 

#3: Change Up Your Environment 

If you find that you’re totally unmotivated, it may help if you find a new place to do your homework. For example, if you’ve been struggling to get your homework done at home, try spending an extra hour in the library after school instead. The change of scenery can limit your distractions and give you the energy you need to get your work done. 

If you’re stuck doing homework at home, you can still use this tip. For instance, maybe you’ve always done your homework sitting on your bed. Try relocating somewhere else, like your kitchen table, for a few weeks. You may find that setting up a new “homework spot” in your house gives you a motivational lift and helps you get your work done. 

Social media can be a huge problem when it comes to doing homework. We have advice for helping you unplug and regain focus.

How to Do Homework When You’re Easily Distracted

We live in an always-on world, and there are tons of things clamoring for our attention. From friends and family to pop culture and social media, it seems like there’s always something (or someone!) distracting us from the things we need to do.

The 24/7 world we live in has affected our ability to focus on tasks for prolonged periods of time. Research has shown that over the past decade, an average person’s attention span has gone from 12 seconds to eight seconds . And when we do lose focus, i t takes people a long time to get back on task . One study found that it can take as long as 23 minutes to get back to work once we’ve been distracte d. No wonder it can take hours to get your homework done! 

3 Tips to Improve Your Focus

If you have a hard time focusing when you’re doing your homework, it’s a good idea to try and eliminate as many distractions as possible. Here are three expert tips for blocking out the noise so you can focus on getting your homework done. 

#1: Create a Distraction-Free Environment

Pick a place where you’ll do your homework every day, and make it as distraction-free as possible. Try to find a location where there won’t be tons of noise, and limit your access to screens while you’re doing your homework. Put together a focus-oriented playlist (or choose one on your favorite streaming service), and put your headphones on while you work. 

You may find that other people, like your friends and family, are your biggest distraction. If that’s the case, try setting up some homework boundaries. Let them know when you’ll be working on homework every day, and ask them if they’ll help you keep a quiet environment. They’ll be happy to lend a hand! 

#2: Limit Your Access to Technology 

We know, we know...this tip isn’t fun, but it does work. For homework that doesn’t require a computer, like handouts or worksheets, it’s best to put all your technology away . Turn off your television, put your phone and laptop in your backpack, and silence notifications on any wearable tech you may be sporting. If you listen to music while you work, that’s fine...but make sure you have a playlist set up so you’re not shuffling through songs once you get started on your homework. 

If your homework requires your laptop or tablet, it can be harder to limit your access to distractions. But it’s not impossible! T here are apps you can download that will block certain websites while you’re working so that you’re not tempted to scroll through Twitter or check your Facebook feed. Silence notifications and text messages on your computer, and don’t open your email account unless you absolutely have to. And if you don’t need access to the internet to complete your assignments, turn off your WiFi. Cutting out the online chatter is a great way to make sure you’re getting your homework done. 

#3: Set a Timer (the Pomodoro Technique)

Have you ever heard of the Pomodoro technique ? It’s a productivity hack that uses a timer to help you focus!

Here’s how it works: first, set a timer for 25 minutes. This is going to be your work time. During this 25 minutes, all you can do is work on whatever homework assignment you have in front of you. No email, no text messaging, no phone calls—just homework. When that timer goes off, you get to take a 5 minute break. Every time you go through one of these cycles, it’s called a “pomodoro.” For every four pomodoros you complete, you can take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.

The pomodoro technique works through a combination of boundary setting and rewards. First, it gives you a finite amount of time to focus, so you know that you only have to work really hard for 25 minutes. Once you’ve done that, you’re rewarded with a short break where you can do whatever you want. Additionally, tracking how many pomodoros you complete can help you see how long you’re really working on your homework. (Once you start using our focus tips, you may find it doesn’t take as long as you thought!)

Two Bonus Tips for How to Do Homework Fast

Even if you’re doing everything right, there will be times when you just need to get your homework done as fast as possible. (Why do teachers always have projects due in the same week? The world may never know.)

The problem with speeding through homework is that it’s easy to make mistakes. While turning in an assignment is always better than not submitting anything at all, you want to make sure that you’re not compromising quality for speed. Simply put, the goal is to get your homework done quickly and still make a good grade on the assignment! 

Here are our two bonus tips for getting a decent grade on your homework assignments , even when you’re in a time crunch. 

#1: Do the Easy Parts First 

This is especially true if you’re working on a handout with multiple questions. Before you start working on the assignment, read through all the questions and problems. As you do, make a mark beside the questions you think are “easy” to answer . 

Once you’ve finished going through the whole assignment, you can answer these questions first. Getting the easy questions out of the way as quickly as possible lets you spend more time on the trickier portions of your homework, which will maximize your assignment grade. 

(Quick note: this is also a good strategy to use on timed assignments and tests, like the SAT and the ACT !) 

#2: Pay Attention in Class 

Homework gets a lot easier when you’re actively learning the material. Teachers aren’t giving you homework because they’re mean or trying to ruin your weekend... it’s because they want you to really understand the course material. Homework is designed to reinforce what you’re already learning in class so you’ll be ready to tackle harder concepts later.

When you pay attention in class, ask questions, and take good notes, you’re absorbing the information you’ll need to succeed on your homework assignments. (You’re stuck in class anyway, so you might as well make the most of it!) Not only will paying attention in class make your homework less confusing, it will also help it go much faster, too.

What’s Next?

If you’re looking to improve your productivity beyond homework, a good place to begin is with time management. After all, we only have so much time in a day...so it’s important to get the most out of it! To get you started, check out this list of the 12 best time management techniques that you can start using today.

You may have read this article because homework struggles have been affecting your GPA. Now that you’re on the path to homework success, it’s time to start being proactive about raising your grades. This article teaches you everything you need to know about raising your GPA so you can

Now you know how to get motivated to do homework...but what about your study habits? Studying is just as critical to getting good grades, and ultimately getting into a good college . We can teach you how to study bette r in high school. (We’ve also got tons of resources to help you study for your ACT and SAT exams , too!)

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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A Simple, Effective Homework Plan For Teachers: Part 1

So for the next two weeks I’m going to outline a homework plan–four strategies this week, four the next–aimed at making homework a simple yet effective process.

Let’s get started.

Homework Strategies 1-4

The key to homework success is to eliminate all the obstacles—and excuses—that get in the way of students getting it done.

Add leverage and some delicately placed peer pressure to the mix, and not getting homework back from every student will be a rare occurrence.

Here is how to do it.

1. Assign what students already know.

Most teachers struggle with homework because they misunderstand the narrow purpose of homework, which is to practice what has already been learned. Meaning, you should only assign homework your students fully understand and are able to do by themselves.

Therefore, the skills needed to complete the evening’s homework must be thoroughly taught during the school day. If your students can’t prove to you that they’re able to do the work without assistance, then you shouldn’t assign it.

It isn’t fair to your students—or their parents—to have to sit at the dinner table trying to figure out what you should have taught them during the day.

2. Don’t involve parents.

Homework is an agreement between you and your students. Parents shouldn’t be involved. If parents want to sit with their child while he or she does the homework, great. But it shouldn’t be an expectation or a requirement of them. Otherwise, you hand students a ready-made excuse for not doing it.

You should tell parents at back-to-school night, “I got it covered. If ever your child doesn’t understand the homework, it’s on me. Just send me a note and I’ll take care of it.”

Holding yourself accountable is not only a reminder that your lessons need to be spot on, but parents will love you for it and be more likely to make sure homework gets done every night. And for negligent parents? It’s best for their children in particular to make homework a teacher/student-only agreement.

3. Review and then ask one important question.

Set aside a few minutes before the end of the school day to review the assigned homework. Have your students pull out the work, allow them to ask final clarifying questions, and have them check to make sure they have the materials they need.

And then ask one important question: “Is there anyone, for any reason, who will not be able to turn in their homework in the morning? I want to know now rather than find out about it in the morning.”

There are two reasons for this question.

First, the more leverage you have with students, and the more they admire and respect you , the more they’ll hate disappointing you. This alone can be a powerful incentive for students to complete homework.

Second, it’s important to eliminate every excuse so that the only answer students can give for not doing it is that they just didn’t care. This sets up the confrontation strategy you’ll be using the next morning.

4. Confront students on the spot.

One of your key routines should be entering the classroom in the morning.

As part of this routine, ask your students to place their homework in the top left-hand (or right-hand) corner of their desk before beginning a daily independent assignment—reading, bellwork , whatever it may be.

During the next five to ten minutes, walk around the room and check homework–don’t collect it. Have a copy of the answers (if applicable) with you and glance at every assignment.

You don’t have to check every answer or read every portion of the assignment. Just enough to know that it was completed as expected. If it’s math, I like to pick out three or four problems that represent the main thrust of the lesson from the day before.

It should take just seconds to check most students.

Remember, homework is the practice of something they already know how to do. Therefore, you shouldn’t find more than a small percentage of wrong answers–if any. If you see more than this, then you know your lesson was less than effective, and you’ll have to reteach

If you find an assignment that is incomplete or not completed at all, confront that student on the spot .

Call them on it.

The day before, you presented a first-class lesson and gave your students every opportunity to buzz through their homework confidently that evening. You did your part, but they didn’t do theirs. It’s an affront to the excellence you strive for as a class, and you deserve an explanation.

It doesn’t matter what he or she says in response to your pointed questions, and there is no reason to humiliate or give the student the third degree. What is important is that you make your students accountable to you, to themselves, and to their classmates.

A gentle explanation of why they don’t have their homework is a strong motivator for even the most jaded students to get their homework completed.

The personal leverage you carry–that critical trusting rapport you have with your students–combined with the always lurking peer pressure is a powerful force. Not using it is like teaching with your hands tied behind your back.

Homework Strategies 5-8

Next week we’ll cover the final four homework strategies . They’re critical to getting homework back every day in a way that is painless for you and meaningful for your students.

I hope you’ll tune in.

If you haven’t done so already, please join us. It’s free! Click here and begin receiving classroom management articles like this one in your email box every week.

What to read next:

• A Powerful Way To Relieve Stress: Part One
• A Simple Exercise Program For Teachers
• The Best Time To Review Your Classroom Management Plan
• Why Your New Classroom Management Plan Isn't Working
• 27 Things That Make Your Classroom Management Plan Work

21 thoughts on “A Simple, Effective Homework Plan For Teachers: Part 1”

Good stuff, Michael. A lot of teachers I train and coach are surprised (and skeptical) at first when I make the same point you make about NOT involving parents. But it’s right on based on my experience as a teacher, instructional coach, and administrator the past 17 years. More important, it’s validated by Martin Haberman’s 40 years of research on what separates “star” teachers from “quitter/failure” teachers ( http://www.habermanfoundation.org/Book.aspx?sm=c1 )

I love the articles about “homework”. in the past I feel that it is difficuty for collecting homework. I will try your plan next year.

I think you’ll be happy with it, Sendy!

How do you confront students who do not have their homework completed?

You state in your book to let consequences do their job and to never confront students, only tell them the rule broken and consequence.

I want to make sure I do not go against that rule, but also hold students accountable for not completing their work. What should I say to them?

They are two different things. Homework is not part of your classroom management plan.

Hi Michael,

I’m a first-year middle school teacher at a private school with very small class sizes (eight to fourteen students per class). While I love this homework policy, I feel discouraged about confronting middle schoolers publicly regarding incomplete homework. My motive would never be to humiliate my students, yet I can name a few who would go home thinking their lives were over if I did confront them in front of their peers. Do you have any ideas of how to best go about incomplete homework confrontation with middle school students?

The idea isn’t in any way to humiliate students, but to hold them accountable for doing their homework. Parts one and two represent my best recommendation.:)

I believe that Homework is a vital part of students learning.

I’m still a student–in a classroom management class. So I have no experience with this, but I’m having to plan a procedure for my class. What about teacher sitting at desk and calling student one at a time to bring folder while everyone is doing bellwork or whatever their procedure is? That way 1) it would be a long walk for the ones who didn’t do the work :), and 2) it would be more private. What are your thoughts on that? Thanks. 🙂

I’m not sure I understand your question. Would you mind emailing me with more detail? I’m happy to help.

I think what you talked about is great. How do you feel about flipping a lesson? My school is pretty big on it, though I haven’t done it yet. Basically, for homework, the teacher assigns a video or some other kind of media of brand new instruction. Students teach themselves and take a mini quiz at the end to show they understand the new topic. Then the next day in the classroom, the teacher reinforces the lesson and the class period is spent practicing with the teacher present for clarification. I haven’t tried it yet because as a first year teacher I haven’t had enough time to make or find instructional videos and quizzes, and because I’m afraid half of my students will not do their homework and the next day in class I will have to waste the time of the students who did their homework and just reteach what the video taught.

Anyway, this year, I’m trying the “Oops, I forgot my homework” form for students to fill out every time they forget their homework. It keeps them accountable and helps me keep better track of who is missing what. Once they complete it, I cut off the bottom portion of the form and staple it to their assignment. I keep the top copy for my records and for parent/teacher conferences.

Here is an instant digital download of the form. It’s editable in case you need different fields.

Thanks again for your blog. I love the balance you strike between rapport and respect.

Your site is a godsend for a newbie teacher! Thank you for your clear, step-by-step, approach!

I G+ your articles to my PLN all the time.

You’re welcome, TeachNich! And thank you for sharing the articles.

Hi Michael, I’m going into my first year and some people have told me to try and get parents involved as much as I can – even home visits and things like that. But my gut says that negligent parents cannot be influenced by me. Still, do you see any value in having parents initial their student’s planner every night so they stay up to date on homework assignments? I could also write them notes.

Personally, no. I’ll write about this in the future, but when you hold parents accountable for what are student responsibilities, you lighten their load and miss an opportunity to improve independence.

I am teaching at a school where students constantly don’t take work home. I rarely give homework in math but when I do it is usually something small and I still have to chase at least 7 kids down to get their homework. My way of holding them accountable is to record a homework completion grade as part of their overall grade. Is this wrong to do? Do you believe homework should never be graded for a grade and just be for practice?

No, I think marking a completion grade is a good idea.

I’ve been teaching since 2014 and we need to take special care when assigning homework. If the homework assignment is too hard, is perceived as busy work, or takes too long to complete, students might tune out and resist doing it. Never send home any assignment that students cannot do. Homework should be an extension of what students have learned in class. To ensure that homework is clear and appropriate, consider the following tips for assigning homework:

Assign homework in small units. Explain the assignment clearly. Establish a routine at the beginning of the year for how homework will be assigned. Remind students of due dates periodically. And Make sure students and parents have information regarding the policy on missed and late assignments, extra credit, and available adaptations. Establish a set routine at the beginning of the year.

Thanks Nancie L Beckett

Dear Michael,

I love your approach! Do you have any ideas for homework collection for lower grades? K-3 are not so ready for independent work first thing in the morning, so I do not necessarily have time to check then; but it is vitally important to me to teach the integrity of completing work on time.

Also, I used to want parents involved in homework but my thinking has really changed, and your comments confirm it!

Hi Meredith,

I’ll be sure and write about this topic in an upcoming article (or work it into an article). 🙂

Overall, this article provides valuable insights and strategies for teachers to implement in their classrooms. I look forward to reading Part 2 and learning more about how to make homework a simple and effective process. Thanks

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Plan template bundle, 10+ homework planner templates, 1. homework calendar template, 2. homework checklist template, 3. study planner template in excel, 5 steps to create a homework planner, 4. assignment planner template, 5. student homework planner template, 6. teacher planner template, 7. homework planner template for highschool, 8. student study calendar template, 9. weekly study schedule planner template, 10. free homework planner template in pdf, 11. free daily homework planner template, plan templates, 10+ homework planner templates in docs | word | pages | pdf | sheets | excel | numbers | ai | psd | indesign.

Stanford research associates excessive homework with higher stress levels, noting that 56% of students consider it as a primary stressor. As much as students hate the idea of doing tasks outside the four corners of the classroom, it is undeniable that homework still has a positive academic impact. And if you’ve got no choice but to accomplish the tasks handed to you, we’re here to help you. As you scroll through this page, you’ll find the most suitable homework planner template you can make use of so you can manage your time well—because effective time management enables you to carry out various activities efficiently.

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Homework Planner

For students, it is very important to make a proper plan of action before completing their homework so that they can complete their whole project without any problem. Especially, if you are not a big fan of doing your homework on time. So, if you want to complete your homework on time and want to make your teacher proud of you, then you should use proper planners to implement your homework projects.

To create functional and informative homework planners, you can download any of the following Homework Planner Examples & Templates. The below-mentioned templates are highly structured and can be easily used by kids.

Homework Planner Examples & Templates

1. daily homework planner.

Size: 86 KB

If your kid always makes excuses to complete his homework on time, then you can use this daily homework planner and create one seamless homework schedule for him. By creating an effective homework schedule using this template, you can make sure that your kid won’t miss out his homework ever. This template can be downloaded free of cost in the PDF file format. After downloading the template, you can easily edit it with the help of a computer. You can take the print out of the homework schedule and put in the sight of your kid so he won’t delay doing homework.

2. Subject Daily Homework Planner

Size: 38 KB

For school going students, it is a very useful template in which they can create their homework plan according to the subjects. In the template, different subject heads are already designed in which you can easily add your homework details and add time to complete it. However, if you aren’t pleased with the content of the template, then you can easily edit the template with the help of your smart gadgets. Once you are done creating template content, then you can print it or share digitally with your friends.

3. Weekly Homework Planner

Size: 10 KB

Doing homework during the weekend is one of the difficult tasks. The weekends are usually relaxing and nobody likes to work during that relaxing period, but if you have to complete homework during weekends, then you can use this homework planner to create your schedule . When you edit your homework plan with this template, then you can complete your homework on time with some spare time to relax over the weekend as well.

4. Homework Planner in PDF

Size: 53 KB

This is a simple and easy to use homework planner which can be operated by anyone even the kids can use it without any problem. To make sure that you are able to complete your homework on time, you can create a plan for your homework in advance using this PDF file template. The template ready to use, but if you like you can make some adjustments in the content and layout of the template. It is a fully functional and productive template for students.

5. Daily Homework Planner Example

Size: 71 KB

This homework planner example let you design the perfect homework schedule for your kid so that he can complete his work on time. You can easily download this template and edit it with your schedule. Once you have created the template, then you can print it on A4 size sheet and paste on your kid’s room so that he always completes his work as per the plan.

6. Sample Homework Planner

Size: 46 KB

On this homework planner sample, full dummy plan has been created so that you can follow it and create one effective homework schedule for yourself. You can easily edit the already written content from this template and replace it with your own content. The template can be printed and shared digitally with your fellow classmates as well.

7. Homework Planner for the Week

Size: 65 KB

It is a good habit to plan out your homework schedule for the entire week in advance. To make one effective and efficient homework planner, you can download this ready to use the template for free and make your whole week productive. The template can be edited and printed with ease by anyone, anywhere and anytime.

8. Homework Planner Simple

Size: 97 KB

If you want a simple but effective homework planner template for your kid, then you can download this template without further thinking. The template has a simple layout and designing that can be easily understood by your child. Moreover, you can easily edit the template to make it more suitable for your kid. By using this template, you can make your kid productive and efficient.

9. Homework Planner Setup

Size: 573 KB

This homework planner setup will make your life simpler and punctual. You can plan your homework using this template and always stay productive. This professionally designed template can be effortlessly downloaded in the PDF file format and edited with the ease. You will never miss any deadlines with this template.

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Sending Homework to Clients in Therapy: The Easy Way

Successful therapy relies on using assignments outside of sessions to reinforce learning and practice newly acquired skills in real-world settings (Mausbach et al., 2010).

Up to 50% of clients don’t adhere to homework compliance, often leading to failure in CBT and other therapies (Tang & Kreindler, 2017).

In this article, we explore how to use technology to create homework, send it out, and track its completion to ensure compliance.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free . These science-based exercises will explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.

This Article Contains:

Is homework in therapy important, how to send homework to clients easily, homework in quenza: 5 examples of assignments, 5 counseling homework ideas and worksheets, using care pathways & quenza’s pathway builder, a take-home message.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy has “been shown to be as effective as medications in the treatment of a number of psychiatric illnesses” (Tang & Kreindler, 2017, p. 1).

Homework is a vital component of CBT, typically involving completing a structured and focused activity between sessions.

Practicing what was learned in therapy helps clients deal with specific symptoms and learn how to generalize them in real-life settings (Mausbach et al., 2010).

CBT practitioners use homework to help their clients, and it might include symptom logs, self-reflective journals , and specific tools for working on obsessions and compulsions. Such tasks, performed outside therapy sessions, can be divided into three types (Tang & Kreindler, 2017):

• Psychoeducation Reading materials are incredibly important early on in therapy to educate clients regarding their symptoms, possible causes, and potential treatments.
• Self-assessment Monitoring their moods and completing thought records can help clients recognize associations between their feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.
• Modality specific Therapists may assign homework that is specific and appropriate to the problem the client is presenting. For example, a practitioner may use images of spiders for someone with arachnophobia.

Therapists strategically create homework to lessen patients’ psychopathology and encourage clients to practice skills learned during therapy sessions, but non-adherence (between 20% and 50%) remains one of the most cited reasons for CBT failure (Tang & Kreindler, 2017).

Reasons why clients might fail to complete homework include (Tang & Kreindler, 2017):

Internal factors

• Lack of motivation to change what is happening when experiencing negative feelings
• Being unable to identify automatic thoughts
• Failing to see the importance or relevance of homework
• Impatience and the wish to see immediate results

External factors

• Effort required to complete pen-and-paper exercises
• Inconvenience and amount of time to complete
• Failing to understand the purpose of the homework, possibly due to lack of or weak instruction
• Difficulties encountered during completion

Homework compliance is associated with short-term and long-term improvement of many disorders and unhealthy behaviors, including anxiety, depression, pathological behaviors, smoking, and drug dependence (Tang & Kreindler, 2017).

Greater homework adherence increases the likelihood of beneficial therapy outcomes (Mausbach et al., 2010).

With that in mind, therapy must find ways to encourage the completion of tasks set for the client. Technology may provide the answer.

The increased availability of internet-connected devices, improved software, and widespread internet access enable portable, practical tools to enhance homework compliance (Tang & Kreindler, 2017).

Clients who complete their homework assignments progress better than those who don’t (Beck, 2011).

Having an ideal platform for therapy makes it easy to send and track clients’ progress through assignments. It must be “user-friendly, accessible, reliable and secure from the perspective of both coach and client” (Ribbers & Waringa, 2015, p. 103).

In dedicated online therapy and coaching software, homework management is straightforward. The therapist creates the homework then forwards it to the client. They receive a notification and complete the work when it suits them. All this is achieved in one system, asynchronously; neither party needs to be online at the same time.

For example, in Quenza , the therapist can create a worksheet or tailor an existing one from the library as an activity that asks the client to reflect on the progress they have made or work they have completed.

The activity can either be given directly to the client or group, or included in a pathway containing other activities.

Here is an example of the activity parameters that Quenza makes possible.

A message can be attached to the activity, using either a template or a personally tailored message for the client. Here’s an example.

Once the activity is published and sent, the client receives a notification about a received assignment via their coaching app (mobile or desktop) or email.

The client can then open the Quenza software and find the new homework under their ‘To Do’ list.

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Quenza provides the ability to create your own assignments as well as a wide selection of existing ones that can be assigned to clients for completion as homework.

The following activities can be tailored to meet specific needs or used as-is. Therapists can share them with the client individually or packaged into dedicated pathways.

Such flexibility allows therapists to meet the specific needs of the client using a series of dedicated and trackable homework.

Examples of Quenza’s ready-to-use science-based activities include the following:

Wheel of Life

The Wheel of Life is a valuable tool for identifying and reflecting on a client’s satisfaction with life.

You can find the worksheet in the Positive Psychology Toolkit© , and it is also included in the Quenza library. The client scores themselves between 1 and 10 on specific life domains (the therapist can tailor the domains), including relationships, career development, and leisure time.

This is an active exercise to engage the client early on in therapy to reflect on their current and potential life. What is it like now? How could it look?

The wheel identifies where there are differences between perceived balance and reality .

The deep insights it provides can provide valuable input and prioritization for goal setting.

The Private Garden: A Visualization for Stress Reduction

While stress is a normal part of life, it can become debilitating and interfere with our everyday lives, stopping us from reaching our life goals.

We may notice stress as worry, anxiety, and tension and resort to avoidant or harmful behaviors (e.g., abusing alcohol, smoking, comfort eating) to manage these feelings.

Visualization is simple but a powerful method for reducing physical and mental stress, especially when accompanied by breathing exercises.

The audio included within this assignment helps the listener visualize a place of safety and peace and provides a temporary respite from stressful situations.

20 Guidelines for Developing a Growth Mindset

Research into neuroplasticity has confirmed the ability of the adult brain to continue to change in adulthood and the corresponding capacity for people to develop and transform their mindsets (Dweck, 2017).

The 20 guidelines (included in our Toolkit and part of the Quenza library) and accompanying video explain our ability to change mentally and develop a growth mindset that includes accepting imperfection, leaning into challenges, continuing to learn, and seeing ‘failure’ as an opportunity for growth.

Adopting a growth mindset can help clients understand that our abilities and understanding are not fixed; we can develop them in ways we want with time and effort.

Self-Contract

Committing to change is accepted as an effective way to promote behavioral change – in health and beyond. When a client makes a contract with themselves, they explicitly state their intention to deliver on plans and short- and long-term goals.

Completing and signing such a self-contract (included in our Toolkit and part of the Quenza library) online can help people act on their commitment through recognizing and living by their values.

Not only that, the contract between the client and themselves can be motivational, building momentum and self-efficacy.

The contract can be automatically personalized to include the client’s name but also manually reworded as appropriate.

The client completes the form by restating their name and committing to a defined goal by a particular date, along with their reasons for doing so.

Realizing Long-Lasting Change by Setting Process Goals

We can help clients realize their goals by building supportive habits. Process goals – for example, eating healthily and exercising – require ongoing actions to be performed regularly.

Process goals (unlike end-state goals, such as saving up for a vacation) require long-lasting and continuous change that involves monitoring standards.

This tool (included in our Toolkit and part of the Quenza library) can help clients identify positive actions (rather than things to avoid) that they must carry out repeatedly to realize change.

We have many activities that can be used to help clients attending therapy for a wide variety of issues.

In this section, we consider homework ideas that can be used in couples therapy, family therapy, and supporting clients with depression and anxiety.

Couples therapy homework

Conflict is inevitable in most long-term relationships. Everyone has their idiosyncrasies and individual set of needs. The Marital Conflicts worksheet captures a list of situations in which conflicts arise, when they happen, and how clients feel when they are (un)resolved.

Family therapy homework

Families, like individuals, are susceptible to times of stress and disruptions because of life changes such as illness, caring for others, and job and financial insecurity.

Mind the Gap is a family therapy worksheet where a family makes decisions together to align with goals they aspire to. Mind the gap is a short exercise to align with values and improve engagement.

How holistic therapist Jelisa Glanton uses Quenza

Homework ideas for depression and anxiety: 3 Exercises

The following exercises are all valuable for helping clients with the effects of anxiety and depression.

Activity Schedule is a template assisting a client with scheduling and managing normal daily activities, especially important for those battling with depression.

Activity Menu is a related worksheet, allowing someone with depression to select from a range of normal activities and ideas, and add these to a schedule as goals for improvement.

The Pleasurable Activity Journal focus on activities the client used to find enjoyable. Feelings regarding these activities are journaled, to track recovery progress.

Practicing mindfulness is helpful for those experiencing depression (Shapiro, 2020). A regular gratitude practice can develop new neural pathways and create a more grateful, mindful disposition (Shapiro, 2020).

Each activity can be tailored to the client’s needs; shared as standalone exercises, worksheets, or questionnaires; or included within a care pathway.

A pathway is an automated and scheduled series of activities that can take the client through several stages of growth, including psychoeducation , assessment, and action to produce a behavioral change in a single journey.

How to build pathways

The creator can add two pathway titles. The second title is not necessary, but if entered, it is seen by the client in place of the first.

Once named, a series of steps can be created and reordered at any time, each containing an activity. Activities can be built from scratch, modified from existing ones in the library, or inserted as-is.

New activities can be created and used solely in this pathway or made available for others. They can contain various features, including long- and short-answer boxes, text boxes, multiple choice boxes, pictures, diagrams, and audio and video files.

Quenza can automatically deliver each step or activity in the pathway to the client following the previous one or after a certain number of days. Such timing is beneficial when the client needs to reflect on something before completing the next step.

Practitioners can also designate steps as required or optional before the client continues to the next one.

Practitioners can also add helpful notes not visible to the client. These comments can contain practical reminders of future changes or references to associated literature that the client does not need to see.

It is also possible to choose who can see client responses: the client and you, the client only, or the client decides.

Tags help categorize the pathway (e.g., by function, intended audience, or suggested timing within therapy) and can be used to filter what is displayed on the therapist’s pathway screen.

Once designed, the pathway can be saved as a draft or published and sent to the client. The client receives the notification of the new assignment either via email or the coaching app on their phone, tablet, or desktop.

17 Top-Rated Positive Psychology Exercises for Practitioners

Expand your arsenal and impact with these 17 Positive Psychology Exercises [PDF] , scientifically designed to promote human flourishing, meaning, and wellbeing.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

Success in therapy is heavily reliant on homework completion. The greater the compliance, the more likely the client is to have a better treatment outcome (Mausbach et al., 2010).

To improve the likelihood that clients engage with and complete the assignments provided, homework must be appropriate to their needs, have a sound rationale, and do the job intended (Beck, 2011).

Technology such as Quenza can make homework readily available on any device, anytime, from any location, and ensure it contains clear and concise psychoeducation and instructions for completion.

The therapist can easily create, copy, and tailor homework and, if necessary, combine multiple activities into single pathways. These are then shared with the click of a button. The client is immediately notified but can complete it at a time appropriate to them.

Quenza can also send automatic reminders about incomplete assignments to the client and highlight their status to the therapist. Not only that, but any resulting questions can be delivered securely to the therapist with no risk of getting lost in a busy email inbox.

Why not try the Quenza application? Try using some of the existing science-based activities or create your own. It offers an impressive array of functionality that will not only help you scale your business, but also ensure proactive, regular communication with your existing clients.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free .

• Beck, J. S. (2011). Cognitive behavior therapy: Basics and beyond . Guilford Press.
• Dweck, C. S. (2017).  Mindset: The new psychology of success.  Robinson.
• Mausbach, B. T., Moore, R., Roesch, S., Cardenas, V., & Patterson, T. L. (2010). The relationship between homework compliance and therapy outcomes: An updated meta-analysis. Cognitive Therapy and Research , 34 (5), 429–438.
• Ribbers, A., & Waringa, A. (2015). E-coaching: Theory and practice for a new online approach to coaching . Routledge.
• Shapiro, S. L. (2020).  Rewire your mind: Discover the science and practice of mindfulness. Aster.
• Tang, W., & Kreindler, D. (2017). Supporting homework compliance in cognitive behavioural therapy: Essential features of mobile apps. JMIR Mental Health , 4 (2).

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CFL Sample Plan Sheets

CFLHD Sample Plan Sheets are intended to illustrate presentation format and have been developed with the goal of uniformity in the presentation of roadway construction plans. The various Sample Plan Sheets have been compiled from an assortment of projects including 3R and 4R projects.

NOTE:  Use the presentation and format of the Sample Plans Sheets as guidance during the development of contract plans. The Sample Plan Sheets do not depict all possible circumstances that may be encountered in the design of the various sheets. It is recognized that situations will occur where good engineering judgment dictates deviations from the presentation shown in the Sample Plan Sheets. 

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Business | Selling an asset? Don’t forget to plan before…

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Business | Selling an asset? Don’t forget to plan before you sign

What if you found out, after the sale, that instead of only a small amount or no taxes being owed, your tax bill was close to 50% of the profit? Because you did not consider tax planning before selling the asset, the proceeds you planned to spend on a new car, kitchen remodel, or vacation must now be paid immediately to the government instead.

Here are some cautionary examples of when assets were sold without planning for taxes and how to avoid these mistakes.

Outdated or incorrect advice

As a simple example, you have heard how capital gains tax rates are lower than ordinary tax rates, which is true. Long-term federal capital gains are taxed at 0-20%. However, to qualify for those lower rates, you must hold the asset for over a year. Otherwise, the sale is taxed as a short-term capital gain at 10-37% ordinary tax rates. Add in state taxes, and your tax rate can approach 50% if you did not hold the asset for more than a year.

Many other holding periods and restrictions can be found throughout the IRS Code. For example, if you want to take advantage of the exclusion available when you sell your residence, according to the IRS, you must have owned the home and used it as your residence for at least 24 months of the previous 5 years unless certain exceptions are met.

Since your primary residence is generally the largest asset you will sell in your lifetime, here is another common tax planning mistake. Even though it has not been true for some time, many still believe you will pay no tax if you trade up to a more expensive home. Also, the excluded amount on home sales is only $250,000. It is only $500,000 if your filing status is married filing jointly.

The cost of not qualifying for the $500,000 exclusion could result in an additional $100k in federal taxes.

Not documenting losses and costs

A married couple, both medical doctors, neglected to report their many rental property activities on their tax returns because their preparer said their high income prohibited them from writing off the passive losses they incurred. Therefore, they assumed there was no reason to include the income and expenses on their returns.

When they disposed of the properties, those passive losses they did not report could have been written off against the sale proceeds. Not keeping track of and reporting those accumulated losses resulted in the couple paying several hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes they should not have owed.

Another mistake is that some do not report capital losses, generally on stock sales, because they believe the losses are limited to $3,000. While it is true that the losses are limited, any losses in excess of $3,000 can be carried forward on your individual return to offset future gains.

The same is true for charitable contributions and some forms of accelerated depreciation. You can carry those excess deductions forward to future years.

If someone says, “Don’t bother” to keep track of losses or expenses, seek another opinion. For instance, those capital improvement expenditures for your home can be used when you sell. In many cases, the documented improvements over the years, like roofs, patios, and pools,  can eliminate the gains on the sales of homes. Keep those receipts and use them later!

The danger of corporations

While the use of entities like LLCs and corporations can often offer asset protection, tax, and estate planning benefits, there are many tax ramifications when you eventually sell assets that are no longer owned by you personally.

For example, we often advise clients not to hold appreciable assets in their closely held corporations. Why? When you sell an asset held by a corporation but want to use the sale proceeds personally, the taxes will often be much higher than if the asset was held in your name or an LLC. Since the asset belongs to a corporation and not you,  you must somehow transfer that asset or the profit from the asset’s sale from the corporation to you as a shareholder.

One client put all her properties in several C-Corporations just before death and left it for her kids to figure out what to do. They would have paid no taxes had she not put the real estate in the corporation. The trustee also had to file unnecessary corporate returns and close the corporations.

Unfortunately, new business owners often elect to be an S-corporation without considering what will happen when they sell the business. (I also think clients assume that since the S stands for small and they are a small business, they figure they must be an S-Corporation. This is not the case.)

If, instead of electing to be an S-Corporation, they chose to operate as a C-corporation, with some other qualifying factors, they could pay little or no tax when the business sells five or more years in the future. One business owner could have saved $300k in federal and state taxes on selling $1 mil in stock. For more information, read about Sec. 1202 small business stock here- https://www.sba.gov/blog/qualified-small-business-stock-what-it-how-use-it.

Instead of using an online or do-it-yourself incorporation service, work with a qualified attorney and knowledgeable accountant and ask questions to avoid making costly planning mistakes.

A renowned tax attorney and educator of other attorneys with fifty years of experience offers profound insight: “Paying an income tax is a reflection that something good has happened, not something bad. As a result, the fact a tax related event has occurred is, almost always, a reason to celebrate.”

Just make sure to do some tax planning before the sale; then, the tax savings will be an additional reason to celebrate.

Michelle C. Herting is a CPA, an accredited business valuator, and an accredited estate planner. She specializes in succession planning, business valuations, and settling trusts.

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Campus protest crackdowns claim to be about antisemitism – but they’re part of a rightwing plan

Accusations of antisemitism are the tip of the spear in a frightening illiberal project serving an autocratic agenda

S ince 7 October, commentators have been ringing the alarm that a growing protest movement in solidarity with Palestine signals not just the end of a “golden age” for American Jews – as Franklin Foer recently put it in the Atlantic – but for American liberal democracy itself.

As Foer wrote, the “surge of antisemitism is a symptom of the decay of democratic habits, a leading indicator of rising authoritarianism”. Writing before the start of the encampments, he noted that Columbia was “a graphic example of the collapse of the liberalism that had insulated American Jews: it is a microcosm of a society that has lost its capacity to express disagreements without resorting to animus”. Meanwhile, on CNN, the anchor Dana Bash invoked 1930s Europe – “and I do not say that lightly … the fear among American Jews is palpable right now”.

There is no doubt that many Jewish students – especially those raised to believe that their Jewish identity is indivisible from the political ideology of Zionism – feel uncomfortable, or that many of them feel ostracized by their peers. But their discomfort has justified a powerful attack on academic freedom and first amendment rights that long predates the student encampments – part of a longstanding rightwing project to curb speech and reshape the public sphere.

Foer and Bash are right that American democracy is imperiled. But as the draconian crackdown on non-violent student protests makes clear, accusations of antisemitism are not themselves evidence of liberal decline, but rather the tip of the spear in a frightening illiberal project serving the agenda of an emboldened, autocratic right wing.

T he months since 7 October have seen shocking attacks on freedom of expression and assembly on campus. Even before the stunning display of police brutality in recent weeks, campuses have been home to canceled speakers and events , arbitrary disciplinary hearings , and outright censorship . The University of Southern California has canceled its entire commencement ceremony rather than let its valedictorian, Asna Tabassum, deliver a message of Palestine solidarity in her speech. Universities have suspended chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace , in decisions that PEN America has said are “united by a degree of opacity, in that university leaders have not been fully forthcoming in delineating how these student groups broke campus rules, or how the decision to suspend them was reached”.

These curtailments of civil liberties, enacted in the service of “protecting Jewish students”, are not now and will not be confined to Palestine-related speech. The recent history of suppression of Palestine activism suggests that tactics employed by legislatures, universities, and other institutions will soon pop up elsewhere.

Anti-boycott laws – targeting the non-violent tactic of boycott when applied to the state of Israel – exist in 38 states, under the argument that such boycotts constitute antisemitism. In the past few years, this tactic has spread to protect other causes beloved by the right. Now, several states have laws on the books that prohibit the government from doing business with groups or individuals who are boycotting fossil fuels or the gun industry. “They’re shrinking the space for public debate and action on some of the most important issues of our time,” Meera Shah, a senior staff attorney at Palestine Legal, told Jewish Currents in 2022, underscoring why “it’s so dangerous to permit this kind of Palestine exception to speech”.

The pro-Palestine movement has also provided cover for the right to expand its attack on protest – a project advanced significantly after the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. Building on laws that allow motorists to hit protesters with their cars, and bar convicted protesters from holding state employment or receiving public benefits, GOP lawmakers have introduced new legislation pinned to the wave of pro-Palestine protests since 7 October. In March, Senator Tom Cotton introduced the “Stop Pro-Terrorist Riots Now Act”, to “crack down on pro-Hamas riots”, increasing punishments for rioting and providing mandatory sentences for anyone committing violence as part of a riot. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Thom Tillis have introduced legislation making it a federal crime to block roads or highways, a move they said was in “direct response to radical tactics of pro-Palestinian protesters who have intentionally blocked roads and highways across the country”.

In a tactic familiar from the post-9/11 landscape , GOP lawmakers and civil society leaders from groups like the ADL and the Brandeis Center have endeavored to paint student protesters and groups as “terrorists”. This is bad news for activists across the country: a 2024 report by the Center for Constitutional Rights details how “core features” of US antiterrorism law, “driven by anti-Palestinian agendas”, were “expanded and ‘brought home’ to repress other protest movements”, including the Black Lives Matter movement and the protests against the “Cop City” Atlanta police training center. As early as next week, the Senate could vote on a bill designed to penalize criticism of Israel by suspending tax-exempt status for “terrorist supporting organizations” – which Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, said would “dispense with the due process” and empower “a single US official to act as prosecutor, judge, jury, and executioner of [American] orgs whose viewpoints that official disagrees with”.

Of course, some student groups have adopted inflammatory rhetoric, reminiscent of some anti-Vietnam war campus protesters’ adoption of the Viet Cong flag . Many observers have referenced a toolkit released by National SJP in the days after 7 October affirming their support for armed struggle. But these are political opinions that constitute protected political speech. “Students’ independent political rhetoric is not material support for terrorism,” Hina Shamsi, director of the National Security Project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), told Jewish Currents in November. “A blanket call to investigate every chapter of a pro-Palestinian student group for material support – without even an attempt to cite evidence – is unwarranted, wrong, and dangerous.”

Alongside this effort to tar protest as terrorism, the right is seizing on the emotions inflamed by Israel’s war to make headway in a longstanding offensive on education. Over the past several years, the GOP has sought to meddle in the academic freedom of universities, which they allege are indoctrinating students into “woke”, leftwing ideology. This is perhaps most dramatic in Florida, where, in a bid to control access to history and information, Governor Ron DeSantis has all but remade the public liberal arts college New College in his image , and has introduced the Stop Woke Act, curtailing what teachers can teach on topics of race and gender. Republicans have also taken aim nationally at diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, introducing more than 30 bills targeting DEI funding, practices, and promotion at schools. Nine have been signed into law – efforts that the ACLU says “represent yet another attempt to re-whitewash America’s history of racial subjugation, and to reverse efforts to pursue racial justice”.

The moral panic around antisemitism has been a useful vehicle to further the campaign against DEI, as congressional hearings on antisemitism since 7 Octoberhave made clear. “Evidence shows that campus DEI bureaucracies play a major role in propagating the spread of antisemitism,” said the US representative Burgess Owens at a November hearing . “It is a dirty little secret at the heart to DEI.”

Though these attacks on academic freedom and free speech on campus have been spearheaded by the right wing, under the guise of “fighting antisemitism”, Democrats are playing along. Last week, a bipartisan House vote affirmed the Antisemitism Awareness Act , which would codify the controversial International Holocaust Remembrace Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism for the purpose of campus harassment investigations. According to the ACLU , the adoption of this “overbroad” definition “could result in colleges and universities suppressing a wide variety of speech critical of Israel or in support of Palestinian rights in an effort to avoid investigations by the Department [of Education] and the potential loss of funding.” At the City University of New York (Cuny), faculty have been whispering for months about how the Democratic governor Kathy Hochul’s independent review into the school’s policies on antisemitism and discrimination has chilled speech and could feed calls to defund Cuny from Republican lawmakers at the state and federal level. This effort to defund higher education is part of a broader GOP plan to punish universities, as the Republican US representative Jim Banks admitted in a Zoom call with business leaders leaked to CNBC . “The hearing was the first step,” he said, in reference to the congressional hearings grilling college presidents about antisemitism allegations on their campuses.

Private universities will not be immune from these repressive headwinds, if the April testimony of Columbia’s president, Minouche Shafik, before Congress was any indication. Rather than stand up for academic freedom, Shafik obliged GOP lawmakers ’ agendas, suggesting she would meddle in departmental appointments, investigate and punish protected speech, and cordon off protest, all in the name of protecting Jewish students. A day later, she invited police to Columbia’s campus to arrest more than 100 students who had been peacefully protesting.

To be clear, all of the most serious violent attacks since October have been on Palestinians and their supporters. In Chicago, a six-year-old Palestinian American was killed and his mother injured in a stabbing attack by their landlord. In Vermont, three Palestinian students were shot while wearing keffiyehs and speaking Arabic; one is permanently paralyzed . At Stanford, an Arab Muslim student was targeted in a hit-and-run after a Palestine solidarity protest. Just this week, a cousin of the extremist Jewish leader Meir Kahane allegedly rammed protesters with his car outside the home of a Columbia trustee. And last week at UCLA, 25 students were hospitalized after an attack by a Zionist mob with wooden planks, fireworks, and pepper spray.

Yet there is no discourse in Washington suggesting that Palestinians are unsafe in the United States, or that pro-Israel supporters are “genocidal” – and no comparable rush to legislate.

Liberals, particularly older ones, have long scolded college students for their illiberalism, their “safe spaces”, and their low tolerance for discomfort and disagreement. But to watch the full-throated support for the violent repression of student activism resounding in the media, in university administrations, and at every level of government these past several weeks is to witness an astounding repudiation of our civil liberties on account of their discomfort. It’s worth remembering that the Vietnam anti-war protests were also unpopular at the time – three-quarters of the American public opposed them, and the country elected a racist, criminal president, Richard Nixon, in part to restore “law and order” .

Liberals know there is an autocratic strain spreading across this country – they identify it in Trump’s efforts to steal the election, or DeSantis’s attacks on history. Come November, Trump could return to office, and the erosions in our civil liberties we have written into law and practice in these months will be there for his use. But it’s worth remembering that the crackdowns on our first amendment rights over the last several weeks have happened under a Democratic president, in defense of a US-funded war that enjoys bipartisan support in Congress, if not among a changing Democratic party base.

As the White House repeatedly accuses the students of antisemitism, in a tacit endorsement of the police swarming university campuses, it’s worth taking the students’ word for why they’re there in the first place: Biden’s disastrous foreign policy , in which every opportunity for Israeli accountability has been spurned, has turned Gaza into a mass grave – off the charts compared with any other contemporary conflict by every metric – and brought the entire Middle East to the brink of all-out regional war.

I believe history will vindicate these students and their call for Palestinian liberation and an end to US complicity in a brutal, futile Israeli war. But even if you disagree, it’s clear that protecting them is also an investment in the protection of our fundamental liberties.

Arielle Angel is the editor-in-chief of Jewish Currents

• US campus protests
• Antisemitism
• Israel-Gaza war

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