By Michèle De Meglio
What’s a kid to do when mom and dad don’t know the answer to a challenging mathematics problem? Well, check out a new website designed to aid students in their academic pursuits. Dubbed www.HomeworkNYC.org, the site offers schoolchildren research materials, study tips, and access to the city’s vast literary resources all so they can complete their evening assignments and projects. Geared for students from kindergarten to 12th grade, the website was created through a collaboration between the New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Library, with input from the city Department of Education (DOE) and financial support from the Wallace Foundation, which provides grants to fund educational programs. “HomeworkNYC.org brings together a wide range of information in one easy-to-use site,” explained Susan Kent, director and chief executive of the New York Public Library’s branch libraries. “It helps students pinpoint the answers they need, and because it has been developed by a team of librarians and educators, young researchers can trust that the information is thorough and reliable.” The website provides “invaluable assistance to all New York City schoolchildren,” said Ginnie Cooper, executive director of the Brooklyn Public Library. “From languages to history, to art, science and math, all subjects are covered,” she said. “Now, whether working from home or from the library, the homework help students need is just a mouse click away.” On the site, students can access information from encyclopedias and reference books about a variety of topics, including math, science, history, government, language arts, music, art, religion, mythology, geography, and health. Even physical education makes an appearance. Website visitors are also provided details about books dedicated to the subjects – and info on which local libraries carry the research materials. For students to borrow the cited books from a library, they must have a library card. So, of course, www.HomeworkNYC.org details how children can apply for a card. Library cards also come in handy when students are navigating the website. While many of the links on the site are available to all Internet surfers, some parts are only accessible by children with library cards. These features include homework help services, in which students can email a question to a librarian or have a one-on-one session with an online tutor. The site also includes details about the city’s Dial-A-Teacher hotline, which directly connects students and educators – Monday through Thursday from 4-7 p.m., schoolchildren can call 212-777-3380 to receive instruction in math, reading, writing or science. Other tools featured on the website include a scientific calculator, which is often vital for teens tackling calculus homework, math textbooks, and high school students’ favorite literary cheat sheets, Spark Notes and CliffsNotes. Since its debut, the website has proven to be a valuable tool for teaching children how to do research independently – a necessary skill when they enter college. “Now that kids are doing a lot of research online,” Kent said, “they can get on the website and learn a lot and get pointed in the right direction.” Kent gave an example to explain the site’s usefulness. Say a class in an elementary school is given an assignment: write a report about a famous explorer. While 30 or so students rush to their local libraries to check out books on Christopher Columbus or Juan Ponce de León, one resourceful youngster heads to a computer. After logging onto www.HomeworkNYC.org, the child quickly accesses a list of dozens of explorers. The student selects one and is then given a brief synopsis of the explorer’s life and accomplishments, as well as a list of books penned about the individual and details about which libraries carry the books. The entire process takes a matter of seconds (or minutes, depending on the speed of the Internet connection). “This is our online library,” Kent said. “It’s very easy to use and it will be enriched and growing as time goes on.”
