Seems like the easy fix here is move all evaluation in-class. Are schools really that reliant on internet/computer based assignments? Actually, this could be a great opportunity to dial back unnecessary and wasteful edu-tech creep.
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Teacher explains material, you get homework about the material and are graded on it.
It shouldn't be like that. If the work (i.e. the exercises) are important to grasp the material, they should be done in class.
Also removes the need of hiring tutors.
I'd like to offer what I've come to realize about the concept of homework. There are two main benefits to it: [1] it could help drill in what you learned during the lecture and [2] it could be the "boring" prep work that would allow teachers to deliver maximum value in the classroom experience.
Learning simply can't be confined in the classroom. GP suggestion would be, in my view, detrimental for students.
[1] can be done in class but I don't think it should be. A lot of students already lack the motivation to learn the material by themselves and hence need the space to make mistakes and wrap their heads around the concept. A good instructor can explain any topic (calculus, loops and recursion, human anatomy) well and make the demonstration look effortless. It doesn't mean, however, that the students have fully mastered the concept after watching someone do it really well. You only start to learn it once you've fluffed through all the pitfalls at least mostly on your own.
[2] can't be done in class, obviously. You want your piano teacher to teach you rhythm and musical phrasing, hence you better come to class already having mastered notation and the keyboard and with the requisite digital dexterity to perform. You want your coach to focus on the technical aspects of your game, focus on drilling you tactics; you don't want him having to pace you through conditioning exercises---that would be a waste of his expertise. We can better discuss Hamlet if we've all read the material and have a basic idea of the plot and the characters' motivations.
That said, it might make sense to simply not grade homeworks. After all, it's the space for students to fail. Unfortunately, if it weren't graded, a lot of students will just skip it.
Ultimately, it's a question of behavior, motivation, and incentives. I agree that the current system, even pre-AI, could only barely live up to ideals [1] and [2] but I don't have any better system in mind either, unfortunately.
I fundamentally disagree - I vividly remember, many times during homework in maths for example, I realised that I am stuck and so don’t understand something explained earlier, and I need to ask someone. For me, my parents were able to help. But later in Highschool, when you get to differential equations - they no longer can. And obviously if your parents are poorly educated they can’t rather.
Second point, there is no feedback loop this way - a teacher should see how difficult is his homework, how much time students spend on it, and why they are struggling. Marking a piece of paper does not do it. There was wild inconsistency between teachers for how much homework they would set and how long they thought it would take students.
Lastly, the school + homework should be able to accommodate tag the required learning within 1 working day. It is anyway a form of childcare while parents work