100 reasons why homework is bad

Reasons Why Homework Is Bad For Students?

• Post author By admin
• October 12, 2022

Homework is a word that most students don’t want to hear. Because, after many hours of sitting in the same class, the last thing students get is more schoolwork over their precious weekends. Well, it is known to be a traditional schooling system. Lets now 

Some feel that Homework is a necessary part of education. On the other hand, some believe that the time should be invested in extra activities. Many studies have found that most students are getting too much extra Homework and assignments that lead to many problems like stress, sleeping problems, and other problems related to health. 

Typically in high schools, students take six classes a day, which means they receive 24.5 hours of homework weekly. But this is not the main problem. The problem with the school nowadays is that it promotes stress at a very high level by giving students extra work that most of the students don’t want to do. 

There are plenty of reasons why Homework is bad for students, but in this Blog, we will look at the top 18 most crucial reasons.

Without wasting any time, let’s get started.

Table of Contents

18 Reasons Why Homework Is Bad For Students

There are many reasons why Homework is bad, but in this Blog, we will cover the top 18 reasons why Homework is bad for students. 

• May lead to Stress Problems

No time for outside activities

Excessive homework cause depression, have no real impact on performance, homework control the student’s freedom.

• May break student’s confidence

No real benefit

The school became a full-time job, irrelevant content, lack of social skills , waste of time, no time for family, destroy sleep cycle.

• Excessive Homework encourages cheating 

Can lower your grades

Counterproductivity.

• No time for daily exercise

Consume free time

May lead to stress problems..

Extra assignments given by high schools and universities to students may lead to unhealthy stress levels. If bombarded with countless work at the school and at home, students may feel anxiety and stress. I know students need to learn in the class, but they also get some time to explore other things outside the academic world. 

This is obvious if you get work after work and fail to complete that work. You will automatically get stressed, and that gets worse over time. 

According to the survey, 56 percent of the students think that Homework is the primary cause of stress. At the same time, the remaining students think that giving tests and getting good marks causes stress. Only 1 percent of the students think that Homework does not cause notable stress.

One of the main reasons Homework is bad is that you get no time to go outside and play something that will automatically boost your productivity and instantly kill stress. Doing outside activities will not only boost your productivity but also make you healthy physically as well as mentally. 

Excessive Homework may cause Depression, which then affects students mentally and physically too. According to the studies, more than 39% of the students have experienced Depression daily. The main reason is that most students want more grades rather than doing Homework. When students are unable to attain their goals, then it is really hard to maintain their health, so as a result, they get depressed. All of these issues can have a negative impact on someone’s life. 

Extra time spent on Homework does not have a real impact on performance. As a result, it’s more like you’re wasting time by doing the same thing repeatedly, which does not produce any result.

Childhood is meant to be enjoyed, but extra Homework makes it impossible. Instead of spending time on something else, students spend most of their time on Homework. As a result, Homework became the reason to control students’ freedom. 

May break students’ confidence

If you’re doing the same thing repeatedly, you don’t get any result from this. Then the probability is high that you will lose your confidence. So, to boost your confidence, students should take some breaks and then get back to work.

A decrease in academic performance is directly connected to spending more time on Homework. Homework can help you get better marks, but it usually has a low return. As a result, there is no real benefit from the Homework. 

This is the seventh reason why Homework is bad for the students. 

In Chile, most school days start from 8 a.m and end at 4 p.m or later. Every day, students spend approximately 9 hours in school, like you’re doing a full-time job. 

If the Homework has nothing to do with the topic or the subject, it should be prohibited. It is unfair to provide Homework that a student did not cover in the class and expect a better report. 

Heavy homework activities may have a terrible effect on student life. Everyone needs some time for daily routine activity and quality time with their friends and family. But teachers assign heavy Homework during weekends. Then there is no choice but for the students to complete the task rather than be more social. 

Most studies found that Homework is a waste of time that keeps people from doing things they want to do. Such as attending important events or sports. As a result, even if a student wants to attend or participate in such events, in such circumstances, students don’t have enough time due to workload. 

This is the twelfth reason why Homework is bad and should be banned. In most parts of the world, students doest have time to spend with their family members. Well, the most difficult thing for today’s parents is that they don’t spend enough time with their children. Students start working on their homework as soon as they get back home. As a result, students barely have time to talk with their parents.

Even on the weekend, students work on their extra assignments and Homework. That being said, students miss weekends that they are supposed to spend with their family members. However, without work, students have more time for family. 

In most cases, students don’t want to get up early in the morning. When you sleep for a longer period and wake up late in the morning, you would feel more relaxed and chill. But due to excessive amounts of Homework, students barely get 7 hours of sleep. As a result, Homework is the biggest concern that destroys the sleep cycle. 

This is the thirteenth reason why Homework should be banned. 

Excessive Homework encourages cheating

When students have an excessive amount of work to complete in a short period, it is really difficult for them to complete their Homework. As a result, to complete Homework in time, they copy from other students. Cheating is illegal in any school. If the teacher finds out that both assignments have relevant material, they get punished. That is why Homework is bad. 

One of the main reasons Homework is bad is that many teachers cannot provide all the important information in the class, and parents can not help children. If you spend most of the time doing homework, you don’t get time to study. As a result, it can lower your grades. 

Rather than improving education, a heavy homework load may affect the students’ performance. Students have too much stress to complete Homework every other night, which can affect the student’s performance in school. A homework load may counter your productivity skills. 

No Time For Daily Workout

This is the seventeenth reason why Homework is bad. Well, exercise has many benefits, like if you work out daily then it can improve your mental health, and remove stress. On the other hand, some aerobic exercise can even help you with Depression. Students don’t have time for daily workouts due to an excessive homework load. 

Everybody needs some free time to chill or relax, but what if you don’t have time to do anything? How do you feel? Well, the obvious answer is you feel very bad. That’s what students feel when they don’t have time to play or to spend some time with family, just because of frequently given Homework and assignments by the teachers. 

Reasons Why Homework Is Bad & Should be Banned

Four main reasons why homework should be banned

• It creates family stress : Some parents argue with their children about getting Homework done or being frustrated with their inability to teach children about any topic.
• Students can do other important activities : Other activities include outdoor time, family bonding time, and other unscheduled play.
• Doesn’t increase academic achievement : According to many studies, Homework has weak links to get better academic achievements.
• Leads to more anxiety : It can cause more academic stress for students. 

Conclusion: Why Homework is Bad

In this blog, we have learned 18 reasons why Homework is bad. I hope you understand why Homework is bad for the student; not only do students in the same city face this problem, but it’s a worldwide cause. Students also have the freedom to do other activities and have some free time to chill and relax. 

This is the end of this Blog. I hope you like it. Also, Read: Best Homework Songs to Listen While Study

Q1. Is Homework Good or bad?

Ans. Too much of anything can harm you instead of helping you. So, if students get too much work, it can do more harm than good. Studies have shown that if a student gets less Homework, it’s good, but if it’s too much, it’s bad.

Q2. Why is too much Homework bad for mental health?

Ans. Studies conducted at Stanford University in 2013 have found that top-performing students are distracted and mostly spend more time on Homework than on improving academic skills. As a result, they experienced more stress, problems related to health, lack of social skills, and many more.

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Home » Tips for Teachers » 7 Research-Based Reasons Why Students Should Not Have Homework: Academic Insights, Opposing Perspectives & Alternatives

7 Research-Based Reasons Why Students Should Not Have Homework: Academic Insights, Opposing Perspectives & Alternatives

In recent years, the question of why students should not have homework has become a topic of intense debate among educators, parents, and students themselves. This discussion stems from a growing body of research that challenges the traditional view of homework as an essential component of academic success. The notion that homework is an integral part of learning is being reevaluated in light of new findings about its effectiveness and impact on students’ overall well-being.

The push against homework is not just about the hours spent on completing assignments; it’s about rethinking the role of education in fostering the well-rounded development of young individuals. Critics argue that homework, particularly in excessive amounts, can lead to negative outcomes such as stress, burnout, and a diminished love for learning. Moreover, it often disproportionately affects students from disadvantaged backgrounds, exacerbating educational inequities. The debate also highlights the importance of allowing children to have enough free time for play, exploration, and family interaction, which are crucial for their social and emotional development.

Checking 13yo’s math homework & I have just one question. I can catch mistakes & help her correct. But what do kids do when their parent isn’t an Algebra teacher? Answer: They get frustrated. Quit. Get a bad grade. Think they aren’t good at math. How is homework fair??? — Jay Wamsted (@JayWamsted) March 24, 2022

As we delve into this discussion, we explore various facets of why reducing or even eliminating homework could be beneficial. We consider the research, weigh the pros and cons, and examine alternative approaches to traditional homework that can enhance learning without overburdening students.

Once you’ve finished this article, you’ll know:

• Insights from Teachers and Education Industry Experts →
• 7 Reasons Why Students Should Not Have Homework →
• Opposing Views on Homework Practices →
• Exploring Alternatives to Homework →

Insights from Teachers and Education Industry Experts: Diverse Perspectives on Homework

In the ongoing conversation about the role and impact of homework in education, the perspectives of those directly involved in the teaching process are invaluable. Teachers and education industry experts bring a wealth of experience and insights from the front lines of learning. Their viewpoints, shaped by years of interaction with students and a deep understanding of educational methodologies, offer a critical lens through which we can evaluate the effectiveness and necessity of homework in our current educational paradigm.

Check out this video featuring Courtney White, a high school language arts teacher who gained widespread attention for her explanation of why she chooses not to assign homework.

Here are the insights and opinions from various experts in the educational field on this topic:

“I teach 1st grade. I had parents ask for homework. I explained that I don’t give homework. Home time is family time. Time to play, cook, explore and spend time together. I do send books home, but there is no requirement or checklist for reading them. Read them, enjoy them, and return them when your child is ready for more. I explained that as a parent myself, I know they are busy—and what a waste of energy it is to sit and force their kids to do work at home—when they could use that time to form relationships and build a loving home. Something kids need more than a few math problems a week.” — Colleen S. , 1st grade teacher

“The lasting educational value of homework at that age is not proven. A kid says the times tables [at school] because he studied the times tables last night. But over a long period of time, a kid who is drilled on the times tables at school, rather than as homework, will also memorize their times tables. We are worried about young children and their social emotional learning. And that has to do with physical activity, it has to do with playing with peers, it has to do with family time. All of those are very important and can be removed by too much homework.” — David Bloomfield , education professor at Brooklyn College and the City University of New York graduate center

“Homework in primary school has an effect of around zero. In high school it’s larger. (…) Which is why we need to get it right. Not why we need to get rid of it. It’s one of those lower hanging fruit that we should be looking in our primary schools to say, ‘Is it really making a difference?’” — John Hattie , professor

”Many kids are working as many hours as their overscheduled parents and it is taking a toll – psychologically and in many other ways too. We see kids getting up hours before school starts just to get their homework done from the night before… While homework may give kids one more responsibility, it ignores the fact that kids do not need to grow up and become adults at ages 10 or 12. With schools cutting recess time or eliminating playgrounds, kids absorb every single stress there is, only on an even higher level. Their brains and bodies need time to be curious, have fun, be creative and just be a kid.” — Pat Wayman, teacher and CEO of HowtoLearn.com

7 Reasons Why Students Should Not Have Homework

Let’s delve into the reasons against assigning homework to students. Examining these arguments offers important perspectives on the wider educational and developmental consequences of homework practices.

1. Elevated Stress and Health Consequences

The ongoing debate about homework often focuses on its educational value, but a vital aspect that cannot be overlooked is the significant stress and health consequences it brings to students. In the context of American life, where approximately 70% of people report moderate or extreme stress due to various factors like mass shootings, healthcare affordability, discrimination, racism, sexual harassment, climate change, presidential elections, and the need to stay informed, the additional burden of homework further exacerbates this stress, particularly among students.

Key findings and statistics reveal a worrying trend:

• Overwhelming Student Stress: A staggering 72% of students report being often or always stressed over schoolwork, with a concerning 82% experiencing physical symptoms due to this stress.
• Serious Health Issues: Symptoms linked to homework stress include sleep deprivation, headaches, exhaustion, weight loss, and stomach problems.
• Sleep Deprivation: Despite the National Sleep Foundation recommending 8.5 to 9.25 hours of sleep for healthy adolescent development, students average just 6.80 hours of sleep on school nights. About 68% of students stated that schoolwork often or always prevented them from getting enough sleep, which is critical for their physical and mental health.
• Turning to Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms: Alarmingly, the pressure from excessive homework has led some students to turn to alcohol and drugs as a way to cope with stress.

This data paints a concerning picture. Students, already navigating a world filled with various stressors, find themselves further burdened by homework demands. The direct correlation between excessive homework and health issues indicates a need for reevaluation. The goal should be to ensure that homework if assigned, adds value to students’ learning experiences without compromising their health and well-being.

By addressing the issue of homework-related stress and health consequences, we can take a significant step toward creating a more nurturing and effective educational environment. This environment would not only prioritize academic achievement but also the overall well-being and happiness of students, preparing them for a balanced and healthy life both inside and outside the classroom.

2. Inequitable Impact and Socioeconomic Disparities

In the discourse surrounding educational equity, homework emerges as a factor exacerbating socioeconomic disparities, particularly affecting students from lower-income families and those with less supportive home environments. While homework is often justified as a means to raise academic standards and promote equity, its real-world impact tells a different story.

The inequitable burden of homework becomes starkly evident when considering the resources required to complete it, especially in the digital age. Homework today often necessitates a computer and internet access – resources not readily available to all students. This digital divide significantly disadvantages students from lower-income backgrounds, deepening the chasm between them and their more affluent peers.

Key points highlighting the disparities:

• Digital Inequity: Many students lack access to necessary technology for homework, with low-income families disproportionately affected.
• Impact of COVID-19: The pandemic exacerbated these disparities as education shifted online, revealing the extent of the digital divide.
• Educational Outcomes Tied to Income: A critical indicator of college success is linked more to family income levels than to rigorous academic preparation. Research indicates that while 77% of students from high-income families graduate from highly competitive colleges, only 9% from low-income families achieve the same . This disparity suggests that the pressure of heavy homework loads, rather than leveling the playing field, may actually hinder the chances of success for less affluent students.

Moreover, the approach to homework varies significantly across different types of schools. While some rigorous private and preparatory schools in both marginalized and affluent communities assign extreme levels of homework, many progressive schools focusing on holistic learning and self-actualization opt for no homework, yet achieve similar levels of college and career success. This contrast raises questions about the efficacy and necessity of heavy homework loads in achieving educational outcomes.

The issue of homework and its inequitable impact is not just an academic concern; it is a reflection of broader societal inequalities. By continuing practices that disproportionately burden students from less privileged backgrounds, the educational system inadvertently perpetuates the very disparities it seeks to overcome.

3. Negative Impact on Family Dynamics

Homework, a staple of the educational system, is often perceived as a necessary tool for academic reinforcement. However, its impact extends beyond the realm of academics, significantly affecting family dynamics. The negative repercussions of homework on the home environment have become increasingly evident, revealing a troubling pattern that can lead to conflict, mental health issues, and domestic friction.

A study conducted in 2015 involving 1,100 parents sheds light on the strain homework places on family relationships. The findings are telling:

• Increased Likelihood of Conflicts: Families where parents did not have a college degree were 200% more likely to experience fights over homework.
• Misinterpretations and Misunderstandings: Parents often misinterpret their children’s difficulties with homework as a lack of attention in school, leading to feelings of frustration and mistrust on both sides.
• Discriminatory Impact: The research concluded that the current approach to homework disproportionately affects children whose parents have lower educational backgrounds, speak English as a second language, or belong to lower-income groups.

The issue is not confined to specific demographics but is a widespread concern. Samantha Hulsman, a teacher featured in Education Week Teacher , shared her personal experience with the toll that homework can take on family time. She observed that a seemingly simple 30-minute assignment could escalate into a three-hour ordeal, causing stress and strife between parents and children. Hulsman’s insights challenge the traditional mindset about homework, highlighting a shift towards the need for skills such as collaboration and problem-solving over rote memorization of facts.

The need of the hour is to reassess the role and amount of homework assigned to students. It’s imperative to find a balance that facilitates learning and growth without compromising the well-being of the family unit. Such a reassessment would not only aid in reducing domestic conflicts but also contribute to a more supportive and nurturing environment for children’s overall development.

4. Consumption of Free Time

In recent years, a growing chorus of voices has raised concerns about the excessive burden of homework on students, emphasizing how it consumes their free time and impedes their overall well-being. The issue is not just the quantity of homework, but its encroachment on time that could be used for personal growth, relaxation, and family bonding.

Authors Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish , in their book “The Case Against Homework,” offer an insightful window into the lives of families grappling with the demands of excessive homework. They share stories from numerous interviews conducted in the mid-2000s, highlighting the universal struggle faced by families across different demographics. A poignant account from a parent in Menlo Park, California, describes nightly sessions extending until 11 p.m., filled with stress and frustration, leading to a soured attitude towards school in both the child and the parent. This narrative is not isolated, as about one-third of the families interviewed expressed feeling crushed by the overwhelming workload.

Key points of concern:

• Excessive Time Commitment: Students, on average, spend over 6 hours in school each day, and homework adds significantly to this time, leaving little room for other activities.
• Impact on Extracurricular Activities: Homework infringes upon time for sports, music, art, and other enriching experiences, which are as crucial as academic courses.
• Stifling Creativity and Self-Discovery: The constant pressure of homework limits opportunities for students to explore their interests and learn new skills independently.

The National Education Association (NEA) and the National PTA (NPTA) recommend a “10 minutes of homework per grade level” standard, suggesting a more balanced approach. However, the reality often far exceeds this guideline, particularly for older students. The impact of this overreach is profound, affecting not just academic performance but also students’ attitudes toward school, their self-confidence, social skills, and overall quality of life.

Furthermore, the intense homework routine’s effectiveness is doubtful, as it can overwhelm students and detract from the joy of learning. Effective learning builds on prior knowledge in an engaging way, but excessive homework in a home setting may be irrelevant and uninteresting. The key challenge is balancing homework to enhance learning without overburdening students, allowing time for holistic growth and activities beyond academics. It’s crucial to reassess homework policies to support well-rounded development.

5. Challenges for Students with Learning Disabilities

Homework, a standard educational tool, poses unique challenges for students with learning disabilities, often leading to a frustrating and disheartening experience. These challenges go beyond the typical struggles faced by most students and can significantly impede their educational progress and emotional well-being.

Child psychologist Kenneth Barish’s insights in Psychology Today shed light on the complex relationship between homework and students with learning disabilities:

• Homework as a Painful Endeavor: For students with learning disabilities, completing homework can be likened to “running with a sprained ankle.” It’s a task that, while doable, is fraught with difficulty and discomfort.
• Misconceptions about Laziness: Often, children who struggle with homework are perceived as lazy. However, Barish emphasizes that these students are more likely to be frustrated, discouraged, or anxious rather than unmotivated.
• Limited Improvement in School Performance: The battles over homework rarely translate into significant improvement in school for these children, challenging the conventional notion of homework as universally beneficial.

These points highlight the need for a tailored approach to homework for students with learning disabilities. It’s crucial to recognize that the traditional homework model may not be the most effective or appropriate method for facilitating their learning. Instead, alternative strategies that accommodate their unique needs and learning styles should be considered.

In conclusion, the conventional homework paradigm needs reevaluation, particularly concerning students with learning disabilities. By understanding and addressing their unique challenges, educators can create a more inclusive and supportive educational environment. This approach not only aids in their academic growth but also nurtures their confidence and overall development, ensuring that they receive an equitable and empathetic educational experience.

6. Critique of Underlying Assumptions about Learning

The longstanding belief in the educational sphere that more homework automatically translates to more learning is increasingly being challenged. Critics argue that this assumption is not only flawed but also unsupported by solid evidence, questioning the efficacy of homework as an effective learning tool.

Alfie Kohn , a prominent critic of homework, aptly compares students to vending machines in this context, suggesting that the expectation of inserting an assignment and automatically getting out of learning is misguided. Kohn goes further, labeling homework as the “greatest single extinguisher of children’s curiosity.” This critique highlights a fundamental issue: the potential of homework to stifle the natural inquisitiveness and love for learning in children.

The lack of concrete evidence supporting the effectiveness of homework is evident in various studies:

• Marginal Effectiveness of Homework: A study involving 28,051 high school seniors found that the effectiveness of homework was marginal, and in some cases, it was counterproductive, leading to more academic problems than solutions.
• No Correlation with Academic Achievement: Research in “ National Differences, Global Similarities ” showed no correlation between homework and academic achievement in elementary students, and any positive correlation in middle or high school diminished with increasing homework loads.
• Increased Academic Pressure: The Teachers College Record published findings that homework adds to academic pressure and societal stress, exacerbating performance gaps between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds.

These findings bring to light several critical points:

• Quality Over Quantity: According to a recent article in Monitor on Psychology , experts concur that the quality of homework assignments, along with the quality of instruction, student motivation, and inherent ability, is more crucial for academic success than the quantity of homework.
• Counterproductive Nature of Excessive Homework: Excessive homework can lead to more academic challenges, particularly for students already facing pressures from other aspects of their lives.
• Societal Stress and Performance Gaps: Homework can intensify societal stress and widen the academic performance divide.

The emerging consensus from these studies suggests that the traditional approach to homework needs rethinking. Rather than focusing on the quantity of assignments, educators should consider the quality and relevance of homework, ensuring it truly contributes to learning and development. This reassessment is crucial for fostering an educational environment that nurtures curiosity and a love for learning, rather than extinguishing it.

7. Issues with Homework Enforcement, Reliability, and Temptation to Cheat

In the academic realm, the enforcement of homework is a subject of ongoing debate, primarily due to its implications on student integrity and the true value of assignments. The challenges associated with homework enforcement often lead to unintended yet significant issues, such as cheating, copying, and a general undermining of educational values.

Key points highlighting enforcement challenges:

• Difficulty in Enforcing Completion: Ensuring that students complete their homework can be a complex task, and not completing homework does not always correlate with poor grades.
• Reliability of Homework Practice: The reliability of homework as a practice tool is undermined when students, either out of desperation or lack of understanding, choose shortcuts over genuine learning. This approach can lead to the opposite of the intended effect, especially when assignments are not well-aligned with the students’ learning levels or interests.
• Temptation to Cheat: The issue of cheating is particularly troubling. According to a report by The Chronicle of Higher Education , under the pressure of at-home assignments, many students turn to copying others’ work, plagiarizing, or using creative technological “hacks.” This tendency not only questions the integrity of the learning process but also reflects the extreme stress that homework can induce.
• Parental Involvement in Completion: As noted in The American Journal of Family Therapy , this raises concerns about the authenticity of the work submitted. When parents complete assignments for their children, it not only deprives the students of the opportunity to learn but also distorts the purpose of homework as a learning aid.

In conclusion, the challenges of homework enforcement present a complex problem that requires careful consideration. The focus should shift towards creating meaningful, manageable, and quality-driven assignments that encourage genuine learning and integrity, rather than overwhelming students and prompting counterproductive behaviors.

Addressing Opposing Views on Homework Practices

While opinions on homework policies are diverse, understanding different viewpoints is crucial. In the following sections, we will examine common arguments supporting homework assignments, along with counterarguments that offer alternative perspectives on this educational practice.

1. Improvement of Academic Performance

Homework is commonly perceived as a means to enhance academic performance, with the belief that it directly contributes to better grades and test scores. This view posits that through homework, students reinforce what they learn in class, leading to improved understanding and retention, which ultimately translates into higher academic achievement.

However, the question of why students should not have homework becomes pertinent when considering the complex relationship between homework and academic performance. Studies have indicated that excessive homework doesn’t necessarily equate to higher grades or test scores. Instead, too much homework can backfire, leading to stress and fatigue that adversely affect a student’s performance. Reuters highlights an intriguing correlation suggesting that physical activity may be more conducive to academic success than additional homework, underscoring the importance of a holistic approach to education that prioritizes both physical and mental well-being for enhanced academic outcomes.

2. Reinforcement of Learning

Homework is traditionally viewed as a tool to reinforce classroom learning, enabling students to practice and retain material. However, research suggests its effectiveness is ambiguous. In instances where homework is well-aligned with students’ abilities and classroom teachings, it can indeed be beneficial. Particularly for younger students , excessive homework can cause burnout and a loss of interest in learning, counteracting its intended purpose.

Furthermore, when homework surpasses a student’s capability, it may induce frustration and confusion rather than aid in learning. This challenges the notion that more homework invariably leads to better understanding and retention of educational content.

3. Development of Time Management Skills

Homework is often considered a crucial tool in helping students develop important life skills such as time management and organization. The idea is that by regularly completing assignments, students learn to allocate their time efficiently and organize their tasks effectively, skills that are invaluable in both academic and personal life.

However, the impact of homework on developing these skills is not always positive. For younger students, especially, an overwhelming amount of homework can be more of a hindrance than a help. Instead of fostering time management and organizational skills, an excessive workload often leads to stress and anxiety . These negative effects can impede the learning process and make it difficult for students to manage their time and tasks effectively, contradicting the original purpose of homework.

4. Preparation for Future Academic Challenges

Homework is often touted as a preparatory tool for future academic challenges that students will encounter in higher education and their professional lives. The argument is that by tackling homework, students build a foundation of knowledge and skills necessary for success in more advanced studies and in the workforce, fostering a sense of readiness and confidence.

Contrarily, an excessive homework load, especially from a young age, can have the opposite effect . It can instill a negative attitude towards education, dampening students’ enthusiasm and willingness to embrace future academic challenges. Overburdening students with homework risks disengagement and loss of interest, thereby defeating the purpose of preparing them for future challenges. Striking a balance in the amount and complexity of homework is crucial to maintaining student engagement and fostering a positive attitude towards ongoing learning.

5. Parental Involvement in Education

Homework often acts as a vital link connecting parents to their child’s educational journey, offering insights into the school’s curriculum and their child’s learning process. This involvement is key in fostering a supportive home environment and encouraging a collaborative relationship between parents and the school. When parents understand and engage with what their children are learning, it can significantly enhance the educational experience for the child.

However, the line between involvement and over-involvement is thin. When parents excessively intervene by completing their child’s homework,  it can have adverse effects . Such actions not only diminish the educational value of homework but also rob children of the opportunity to develop problem-solving skills and independence. This over-involvement, coupled with disparities in parental ability to assist due to variations in time, knowledge, or resources, may lead to unequal educational outcomes, underlining the importance of a balanced approach to parental participation in homework.

Exploring Alternatives to Homework and Finding a Middle Ground

In the ongoing debate about the role of homework in education, it’s essential to consider viable alternatives and strategies to minimize its burden. While completely eliminating homework may not be feasible for all educators, there are several effective methods to reduce its impact and offer more engaging, student-friendly approaches to learning.

Alternatives to Traditional Homework

• Project-Based Learning: This method focuses on hands-on, long-term projects where students explore real-world problems. It encourages creativity, critical thinking, and collaborative skills, offering a more engaging and practical learning experience than traditional homework. For creative ideas on school projects, especially related to the solar system, be sure to explore our dedicated article on solar system projects .
• Flipped Classrooms: Here, students are introduced to new content through videos or reading materials at home and then use class time for interactive activities. This approach allows for more personalized and active learning during school hours.
• Reading for Pleasure: Encouraging students to read books of their choice can foster a love for reading and improve literacy skills without the pressure of traditional homework assignments. This approach is exemplified by Marion County, Florida , where public schools implemented a no-homework policy for elementary students. Instead, they are encouraged to read nightly for 20 minutes . Superintendent Heidi Maier’s decision was influenced by research showing that while homework offers minimal benefit to young students, regular reading significantly boosts their learning. For book recommendations tailored to middle school students, take a look at our specially curated article .

Ideas for Minimizing Homework

• Limiting Homework Quantity: Adhering to guidelines like the “ 10-minute rule ” (10 minutes of homework per grade level per night) can help ensure that homework does not become overwhelming.
• Quality Over Quantity: Focus on assigning meaningful homework that is directly relevant to what is being taught in class, ensuring it adds value to students’ learning.
• Homework Menus: Offering students a choice of assignments can cater to diverse learning styles and interests, making homework more engaging and personalized.
• Integrating Technology: Utilizing educational apps and online platforms can make homework more interactive and enjoyable, while also providing immediate feedback to students. To gain deeper insights into the role of technology in learning environments, explore our articles discussing the benefits of incorporating technology in classrooms and a comprehensive list of educational VR apps . These resources will provide you with valuable information on how technology can enhance the educational experience.

For teachers who are not ready to fully eliminate homework, these strategies offer a compromise, ensuring that homework supports rather than hinders student learning. By focusing on quality, relevance, and student engagement, educators can transform homework from a chore into a meaningful component of education that genuinely contributes to students’ academic growth and personal development. In this way, we can move towards a more balanced and student-centric approach to learning, both in and out of the classroom.

Useful Resources

• Is homework a good idea or not? by BBC
• The Great Homework Debate: What’s Getting Lost in the Hype
• Alternative Homework Ideas

The evidence and arguments presented in the discussion of why students should not have homework call for a significant shift in homework practices. It’s time for educators and policymakers to rethink and reformulate homework strategies, focusing on enhancing the quality, relevance, and balance of assignments. By doing so, we can create a more equitable, effective, and student-friendly educational environment that fosters learning, well-being, and holistic development.

• “Here’s what an education expert says about that viral ‘no-homework’ policy”, Insider
• “John Hattie on BBC Radio 4: Homework in primary school has an effect of zero”, Visible Learning
• HowtoLearn.com
• “Time Spent On Homework Statistics [Fresh Research]”, Gitnux
• “Stress in America”, American Psychological Association (APA)
• “Homework hurts high-achieving students, study says”, The Washington Post
• “National Sleep Foundation’s updated sleep duration recommendations: final report”, National Library of Medicine
• “A multi-method exploratory study of stress, coping, and substance use among high school youth in private schools”, Frontiers
• “The Digital Revolution is Leaving Poorer Kids Behind”, Statista
• “The digital divide has left millions of school kids behind”, CNET
• “The Digital Divide: What It Is, and What’s Being Done to Close It”, Investopedia
• “COVID-19 exposed the digital divide. Here’s how we can close it”, World Economic Forum
• “PBS NewsHour: Biggest Predictor of College Success is Family Income”, America’s Promise Alliance
• “Homework and Family Stress: With Consideration of Parents’ Self Confidence, Educational Level, and Cultural Background”, Taylor & Francis Online
• “What Do You Mean My Kid Doesn’t Have Homework?”, EducationWeek
• “Excerpt From The Case Against Homework”, Penguin Random House Canada
• “How much homework is too much?”, neaToday
• “The Nation’s Report Card: A First Look: 2013 Mathematics and Reading”, National Center for Education Statistics
• “Battles Over Homework: Advice For Parents”, Psychology Today
• “How Homework Is Destroying Teens’ Health”, The Lion’s Roar
• “ Breaking the Homework Habit”, Education World
• “Testing a model of school learning: Direct and indirect effects on academic achievement”, ScienceDirect
• “National Differences, Global Similarities: World Culture and the Future of Schooling”, Stanford University Press
• “When school goes home: Some problems in the organization of homework”, APA PsycNet
• “Is homework a necessary evil?”, APA PsycNet
• “Epidemic of copying homework catalyzed by technology”, Redwood Bark
• “High-Tech Cheating Abounds, and Professors Bear Some Blame”, The Chronicle of Higher Education
• “Homework and Family Stress: With Consideration of Parents’ Self Confidence, Educational Level, and Cultural Background”, ResearchGate
• “Kids who get moving may also get better grades”, Reuters
• “Does Homework Improve Academic Achievement? A Synthesis of Research, 1987–2003”, SageJournals
• “Is it time to get rid of homework?”, USAToday
• “Stanford research shows pitfalls of homework”, Stanford
• “Florida school district bans homework, replaces it with daily reading”, USAToday
• “Encouraging Students to Read: Tips for High School Teachers”, wgu.edu
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Student Opinion

Should We Get Rid of Homework?

Some educators are pushing to get rid of homework. Would that be a good thing?

By Jeremy Engle and Michael Gonchar

Do you like doing homework? Do you think it has benefited you educationally?

Has homework ever helped you practice a difficult skill — in math, for example — until you mastered it? Has it helped you learn new concepts in history or science? Has it helped to teach you life skills, such as independence and responsibility? Or, have you had a more negative experience with homework? Does it stress you out, numb your brain from busywork or actually make you fall behind in your classes?

Should we get rid of homework?

In “ The Movement to End Homework Is Wrong, ” published in July, the Times Opinion writer Jay Caspian Kang argues that homework may be imperfect, but it still serves an important purpose in school. The essay begins:

Do students really need to do their homework? As a parent and a former teacher, I have been pondering this question for quite a long time. The teacher side of me can acknowledge that there were assignments I gave out to my students that probably had little to no academic value. But I also imagine that some of my students never would have done their basic reading if they hadn’t been trained to complete expected assignments, which would have made the task of teaching an English class nearly impossible. As a parent, I would rather my daughter not get stuck doing the sort of pointless homework I would occasionally assign, but I also think there’s a lot of value in saying, “Hey, a lot of work you’re going to end up doing in your life is pointless, so why not just get used to it?” I certainly am not the only person wondering about the value of homework. Recently, the sociologist Jessica McCrory Calarco and the mathematics education scholars Ilana Horn and Grace Chen published a paper, “ You Need to Be More Responsible: The Myth of Meritocracy and Teachers’ Accounts of Homework Inequalities .” They argued that while there’s some evidence that homework might help students learn, it also exacerbates inequalities and reinforces what they call the “meritocratic” narrative that says kids who do well in school do so because of “individual competence, effort and responsibility.” The authors believe this meritocratic narrative is a myth and that homework — math homework in particular — further entrenches the myth in the minds of teachers and their students. Calarco, Horn and Chen write, “Research has highlighted inequalities in students’ homework production and linked those inequalities to differences in students’ home lives and in the support students’ families can provide.”

Mr. Kang argues:

But there’s a defense of homework that doesn’t really have much to do with class mobility, equality or any sense of reinforcing the notion of meritocracy. It’s one that became quite clear to me when I was a teacher: Kids need to learn how to practice things. Homework, in many cases, is the only ritualized thing they have to do every day. Even if we could perfectly equalize opportunity in school and empower all students not to be encumbered by the weight of their socioeconomic status or ethnicity, I’m not sure what good it would do if the kids didn’t know how to do something relentlessly, over and over again, until they perfected it. Most teachers know that type of progress is very difficult to achieve inside the classroom, regardless of a student’s background, which is why, I imagine, Calarco, Horn and Chen found that most teachers weren’t thinking in a structural inequalities frame. Holistic ideas of education, in which learning is emphasized and students can explore concepts and ideas, are largely for the types of kids who don’t need to worry about class mobility. A defense of rote practice through homework might seem revanchist at this moment, but if we truly believe that schools should teach children lessons that fall outside the meritocracy, I can’t think of one that matters more than the simple satisfaction of mastering something that you were once bad at. That takes homework and the acknowledgment that sometimes a student can get a question wrong and, with proper instruction, eventually get it right.

Students, read the entire article, then tell us:

Should we get rid of homework? Why, or why not?

Is homework an outdated, ineffective or counterproductive tool for learning? Do you agree with the authors of the paper that homework is harmful and worsens inequalities that exist between students’ home circumstances?

Or do you agree with Mr. Kang that homework still has real educational value?

When you get home after school, how much homework will you do? Do you think the amount is appropriate, too much or too little? Is homework, including the projects and writing assignments you do at home, an important part of your learning experience? Or, in your opinion, is it not a good use of time? Explain.

In these letters to the editor , one reader makes a distinction between elementary school and high school:

Homework’s value is unclear for younger students. But by high school and college, homework is absolutely essential for any student who wishes to excel. There simply isn’t time to digest Dostoyevsky if you only ever read him in class.

What do you think? How much does grade level matter when discussing the value of homework?

Is there a way to make homework more effective?

If you were a teacher, would you assign homework? What kind of assignments would you give and why?

Want more writing prompts? You can find all of our questions in our Student Opinion column . Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate them into your classroom.

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.

Jeremy Engle joined The Learning Network as a staff editor in 2018 after spending more than 20 years as a classroom humanities and documentary-making teacher, professional developer and curriculum designer working with students and teachers across the country. More about Jeremy Engle

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Stanford research shows pitfalls of homework

A Stanford researcher found that students in high-achieving communities who spend too much time on homework experience more stress, physical health problems, a lack of balance and even alienation from society. More than two hours of homework a night may be counterproductive, according to the study.

Education scholar Denise Pope has found that too much homework has negative effects on student well-being and behavioral engagement. (Image credit: L.A. Cicero)

A Stanford researcher found that too much homework can negatively affect kids, especially their lives away from school, where family, friends and activities matter.

“Our findings on the effects of homework challenge the traditional assumption that homework is inherently good,” wrote Denise Pope , a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and a co-author of a study published in the Journal of Experimental Education .

The researchers used survey data to examine perceptions about homework, student well-being and behavioral engagement in a sample of 4,317 students from 10 high-performing high schools in upper-middle-class California communities. Along with the survey data, Pope and her colleagues used open-ended answers to explore the students’ views on homework.

Median household income exceeded $90,000 in these communities, and 93 percent of the students went on to college, either two-year or four-year.

Students in these schools average about 3.1 hours of homework each night.

“The findings address how current homework practices in privileged, high-performing schools sustain students’ advantage in competitive climates yet hinder learning, full engagement and well-being,” Pope wrote.

Pope and her colleagues found that too much homework can diminish its effectiveness and even be counterproductive. They cite prior research indicating that homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night, and that 90 minutes to two and a half hours is optimal for high school.

Their study found that too much homework is associated with:

• Greater stress: 56 percent of the students considered homework a primary source of stress, according to the survey data. Forty-three percent viewed tests as a primary stressor, while 33 percent put the pressure to get good grades in that category. Less than 1 percent of the students said homework was not a stressor.

• Reductions in health: In their open-ended answers, many students said their homework load led to sleep deprivation and other health problems. The researchers asked students whether they experienced health issues such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss and stomach problems.

• Less time for friends, family and extracurricular pursuits: Both the survey data and student responses indicate that spending too much time on homework meant that students were “not meeting their developmental needs or cultivating other critical life skills,” according to the researchers. Students were more likely to drop activities, not see friends or family, and not pursue hobbies they enjoy.

A balancing act

The results offer empirical evidence that many students struggle to find balance between homework, extracurricular activities and social time, the researchers said. Many students felt forced or obligated to choose homework over developing other talents or skills.

Also, there was no relationship between the time spent on homework and how much the student enjoyed it. The research quoted students as saying they often do homework they see as “pointless” or “mindless” in order to keep their grades up.

“This kind of busy work, by its very nature, discourages learning and instead promotes doing homework simply to get points,” Pope said.

She said the research calls into question the value of assigning large amounts of homework in high-performing schools. Homework should not be simply assigned as a routine practice, she said.

“Rather, any homework assigned should have a purpose and benefit, and it should be designed to cultivate learning and development,” wrote Pope.

High-performing paradox

In places where students attend high-performing schools, too much homework can reduce their time to foster skills in the area of personal responsibility, the researchers concluded. “Young people are spending more time alone,” they wrote, “which means less time for family and fewer opportunities to engage in their communities.”

Student perspectives

The researchers say that while their open-ended or “self-reporting” methodology to gauge student concerns about homework may have limitations – some might regard it as an opportunity for “typical adolescent complaining” – it was important to learn firsthand what the students believe.

The paper was co-authored by Mollie Galloway from Lewis and Clark College and Jerusha Conner from Villanova University.

Homework could have an impact on kids’ health. Should schools ban it?

Professor of Education, Penn State

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Gerald K. LeTendre has received funding from the National Science Foundation and the Spencer Foundation.

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Reformers in the Progressive Era (from the 1890s to 1920s) depicted homework as a “sin” that deprived children of their playtime . Many critics voice similar concerns today.

Yet there are many parents who feel that from early on, children need to do homework if they are to succeed in an increasingly competitive academic culture. School administrators and policy makers have also weighed in, proposing various policies on homework .

So, does homework help or hinder kids?

For the last 10 years, my colleagues and I have been investigating international patterns in homework using databases like the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) . If we step back from the heated debates about homework and look at how homework is used around the world, we find the highest homework loads are associated with countries that have lower incomes and higher social inequality.

Does homework result in academic success?

Let’s first look at the global trends on homework.

Undoubtedly, homework is a global phenomenon ; students from all 59 countries that participated in the 2007 Trends in Math and Science Study (TIMSS) reported getting homework. Worldwide, only less than 7% of fourth graders said they did no homework.

TIMSS is one of the few data sets that allow us to compare many nations on how much homework is given (and done). And the data show extreme variation.

For example, in some nations, like Algeria, Kuwait and Morocco, more than one in five fourth graders reported high levels of homework. In Japan, less than 3% of students indicated they did more than four hours of homework on a normal school night.

TIMSS data can also help to dispel some common stereotypes. For instance, in East Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan – countries that had the top rankings on TIMSS average math achievement – reported rates of heavy homework that were below the international mean.

In the Netherlands, nearly one out of five fourth graders reported doing no homework on an average school night, even though Dutch fourth graders put their country in the top 10 in terms of average math scores in 2007.

Going by TIMSS data, the US is neither “ A Nation at Rest” as some have claimed, nor a nation straining under excessive homework load . Fourth and eighth grade US students fall in the middle of the 59 countries in the TIMSS data set, although only 12% of US fourth graders reported high math homework loads compared to an international average of 21%.

So, is homework related to high academic success?

At a national level, the answer is clearly no. Worldwide, homework is not associated with high national levels of academic achievement .

But, the TIMSS can’t be used to determine if homework is actually helping or hurting academic performance overall , it can help us see how much homework students are doing, and what conditions are associated with higher national levels of homework.

We have typically found that the highest homework loads are associated with countries that have lower incomes and higher levels of social inequality – not hallmarks that most countries would want to emulate.

Impact of homework on kids

TIMSS data also show us how even elementary school kids are being burdened with large amounts of homework.

Almost 10% of fourth graders worldwide (one in 10 children) reported spending multiple hours on homework each night. Globally, one in five fourth graders report 30 minutes or more of homework in math three to four times a week.

These reports of large homework loads should worry parents, teachers and policymakers alike.

Empirical studies have linked excessive homework to sleep disruption , indicating a negative relationship between the amount of homework, perceived stress and physical health.

What constitutes excessive amounts of homework varies by age, and may also be affected by cultural or family expectations. Young adolescents in middle school, or teenagers in high school, can study for longer duration than elementary school children.

But for elementary school students, even 30 minutes of homework a night, if combined with other sources of academic stress, can have a negative impact . Researchers in China have linked homework of two or more hours per night with sleep disruption .

Even though some cultures may normalize long periods of studying for elementary age children, there is no evidence to support that this level of homework has clear academic benefits . Also, when parents and children conflict over homework, and strong negative emotions are created, homework can actually have a negative association with academic achievement.

Should there be “no homework” policies?

Administrators and policymakers have not been reluctant to wade into the debates on homework and to formulate policies . France’s president, Francois Hollande, even proposed that homework be banned because it may have inegaliatarian effects.

However, “zero-tolerance” homework policies for schools, or nations, are likely to create as many problems as they solve because of the wide variation of homework effects. Contrary to what Hollande said, research suggests that homework is not a likely source of social class differences in academic achievement .

Homework, in fact, is an important component of education for students in the middle and upper grades of schooling.

Policymakers and researchers should look more closely at the connection between poverty, inequality and higher levels of homework. Rather than seeing homework as a “solution,” policymakers should question what facets of their educational system might impel students, teachers and parents to increase homework loads.

At the classroom level, in setting homework, teachers need to communicate with their peers and with parents to assure that the homework assigned overall for a grade is not burdensome, and that it is indeed having a positive effect.

Perhaps, teachers can opt for a more individualized approach to homework. If teachers are careful in selecting their assignments – weighing the student’s age, family situation and need for skill development – then homework can be tailored in ways that improve the chance of maximum positive impact for any given student.

I strongly suspect that when teachers face conditions such as pressure to meet arbitrary achievement goals, lack of planning time or little autonomy over curriculum, homework becomes an easy option to make up what could not be covered in class.

Whatever the reason, the fact is a significant percentage of elementary school children around the world are struggling with large homework loads. That alone could have long-term negative consequences for their academic success.

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More than two hours of homework may be counterproductive, research suggests.

A Stanford education researcher found that too much homework can negatively affect kids, especially their lives away from school, where family, friends and activities matter.   "Our findings on the effects of homework challenge the traditional assumption that homework is inherently good," wrote Denise Pope , a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and a co-author of a study published in the Journal of Experimental Education .   The researchers used survey data to examine perceptions about homework, student well-being and behavioral engagement in a sample of 4,317 students from 10 high-performing high schools in upper-middle-class California communities. Along with the survey data, Pope and her colleagues used open-ended answers to explore the students' views on homework.   Median household income exceeded $90,000 in these communities, and 93 percent of the students went on to college, either two-year or four-year.   Students in these schools average about 3.1 hours of homework each night.   "The findings address how current homework practices in privileged, high-performing schools sustain students' advantage in competitive climates yet hinder learning, full engagement and well-being," Pope wrote.   Pope and her colleagues found that too much homework can diminish its effectiveness and even be counterproductive. They cite prior research indicating that homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night, and that 90 minutes to two and a half hours is optimal for high school.   Their study found that too much homework is associated with:   • Greater stress : 56 percent of the students considered homework a primary source of stress, according to the survey data. Forty-three percent viewed tests as a primary stressor, while 33 percent put the pressure to get good grades in that category. Less than 1 percent of the students said homework was not a stressor.   • Reductions in health : In their open-ended answers, many students said their homework load led to sleep deprivation and other health problems. The researchers asked students whether they experienced health issues such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss and stomach problems.   • Less time for friends, family and extracurricular pursuits : Both the survey data and student responses indicate that spending too much time on homework meant that students were "not meeting their developmental needs or cultivating other critical life skills," according to the researchers. Students were more likely to drop activities, not see friends or family, and not pursue hobbies they enjoy.   A balancing act   The results offer empirical evidence that many students struggle to find balance between homework, extracurricular activities and social time, the researchers said. Many students felt forced or obligated to choose homework over developing other talents or skills.   Also, there was no relationship between the time spent on homework and how much the student enjoyed it. The research quoted students as saying they often do homework they see as "pointless" or "mindless" in order to keep their grades up.   "This kind of busy work, by its very nature, discourages learning and instead promotes doing homework simply to get points," said Pope, who is also a co-founder of Challenge Success , a nonprofit organization affiliated with the GSE that conducts research and works with schools and parents to improve students' educational experiences..   Pope said the research calls into question the value of assigning large amounts of homework in high-performing schools. Homework should not be simply assigned as a routine practice, she said.   "Rather, any homework assigned should have a purpose and benefit, and it should be designed to cultivate learning and development," wrote Pope.   High-performing paradox   In places where students attend high-performing schools, too much homework can reduce their time to foster skills in the area of personal responsibility, the researchers concluded. "Young people are spending more time alone," they wrote, "which means less time for family and fewer opportunities to engage in their communities."   Student perspectives   The researchers say that while their open-ended or "self-reporting" methodology to gauge student concerns about homework may have limitations – some might regard it as an opportunity for "typical adolescent complaining" – it was important to learn firsthand what the students believe.   The paper was co-authored by Mollie Galloway from Lewis and Clark College and Jerusha Conner from Villanova University.

Clifton B. Parker is a writer at the Stanford News Service .

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It’s not uncommon to hear students, parents, and even some teachers always complaining about homework. Why, then, is homework an inescapable part of the student experience? Worksheets, busy work, and reading assignments continue to be a mainstay of students’ evenings.

Whether from habit or comparison with out-of-class work time in other nations, our students are getting homework and, according to some of them, a LOT of it. Educators and policy makers must ask themselves—does assigning homework pay off?

Is there evidence that homework benefits students younger than high school?

The Scholastic article Is Homework Bad? references Alfie Kohn’s book The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing , in which he says, “There is no evidence to demonstrate that homework benefits students below high school age.”

The article goes on to note that those who oppose homework focus on the drawbacks of significant time spent on homework, identifying one major negative as homework’s intrusion into family time. They also point out that opponents believe schools have decided homework is necessary and thus assign it simply to assign some kind of homework, not because doing the work meets specifically-identified student needs.

“Busy work” does not help students learn

Students and parents appear to carry similar critiques of homework, specifically regarding assignments identified as busy work—long sheets of repetitive math problems, word searches, or reading logs seemingly designed to make children dislike books.

When asked how homework can negatively affect children, Nancy Kalish, author of The Case Against Homework: How Homework is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It , says that many homework assignments are “simply busy work” that makes learning “a chore rather than a positive, constructive experience.”

Commenters on the piece, both parents and students, tended to agree. One student shared that on occasion they spent more time on homework than at school, while another commenter pointed out that, “We don’t give slow-working children a longer school day, but we consistently give them a longer homework day.”

Without feedback, homework is ineffective

The efficacy of the homework identified by Kalish has been studied by policy researchers as well. Gerald LeTendre, of Penn State’s Education Policy Studies department points out that the shotgun approach to homework, when students all receive the same photocopied assignment which is then checked as complete rather than discussed individually with the student, is “not very effective.”  He goes on to say that, “If there’s no feedback and no monitoring, the homework is probably not effective.”

Researchers from the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia had similar findings in their study, “ When Is Homework Worth The Time ?” According to UVAToday, these researchers reported no “substantive difference” in the grades of students related to homework completion.

As researcher Adam Maltese noted, “Our results hint that maybe homework is not being used as well as it could be.” The report further suggested that while not all homework is bad, the type and quality of assignments and their differentiation to specific learners appears to be an important point of future research.

If homework is assigned, it should heighten understanding of the subject

The Curry School of Education report did find a positive association between standardized test performance and time spent on homework, but standardized test performance shouldn’t be the end goal of assignments—a heightened understanding and capability with the content material should.

As such, it is important that if/when teachers assign homework assignments, it is done thoughtfully and carefully—and respectful of the maximum times suggested by the National Education Association, about 10 minutes per night starting in the first grade, with an additional 10 minutes per year after.

Continue reading — The Homework Debate: How Homework Benefits Students

Monica Fuglei is a graduate of the University of Nebraska in Omaha and a current adjunct faculty member of Arapahoe Community College in Colorado, where she teaches composition and creative writing.

You may also like to read

• The Homework Debate: How Homework Benefits Students
• Ending the Homework Debate: Expert Advice on What Works
• Advice on Creating Homework Policies
• Elementary Students and Homework: How Much Is Too Much?
• Homework in Middle School: Building a Foundation for Study Skills
• Homework Helps High School Students Most — But it Must Be Purposeful

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Does homework still have value? A Johns Hopkins education expert weighs in

Joyce epstein, co-director of the center on school, family, and community partnerships, discusses why homework is essential, how to maximize its benefit to learners, and what the 'no-homework' approach gets wrong.

By Vicky Hallett

The necessity of homework has been a subject of debate since at least as far back as the 1890s, according to Joyce L. Epstein , co-director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University. "It's always been the case that parents, kids—and sometimes teachers, too—wonder if this is just busy work," Epstein says.

But after decades of researching how to improve schools, the professor in the Johns Hopkins School of Education remains certain that homework is essential—as long as the teachers have done their homework, too. The National Network of Partnership Schools , which she founded in 1995 to advise schools and districts on ways to improve comprehensive programs of family engagement, has developed hundreds of improved homework ideas through its Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork program. For an English class, a student might interview a parent on popular hairstyles from their youth and write about the differences between then and now. Or for science class, a family could identify forms of matter over the dinner table, labeling foods as liquids or solids. These innovative and interactive assignments not only reinforce concepts from the classroom but also foster creativity, spark discussions, and boost student motivation.

"We're not trying to eliminate homework procedures, but expand and enrich them," says Epstein, who is packing this research into a forthcoming book on the purposes and designs of homework. In the meantime, the Hub couldn't wait to ask her some questions:

What kind of homework training do teachers typically get?

Future teachers and administrators really have little formal training on how to design homework before they assign it. This means that most just repeat what their teachers did, or they follow textbook suggestions at the end of units. For example, future teachers are well prepared to teach reading and literacy skills at each grade level, and they continue to learn to improve their teaching of reading in ongoing in-service education. By contrast, most receive little or no training on the purposes and designs of homework in reading or other subjects. It is really important for future teachers to receive systematic training to understand that they have the power, opportunity, and obligation to design homework with a purpose.

Why do students need more interactive homework?

If homework assignments are always the same—10 math problems, six sentences with spelling words—homework can get boring and some kids just stop doing their assignments, especially in the middle and high school years. When we've asked teachers what's the best homework you've ever had or designed, invariably we hear examples of talking with a parent or grandparent or peer to share ideas. To be clear, parents should never be asked to "teach" seventh grade science or any other subject. Rather, teachers set up the homework assignments so that the student is in charge. It's always the student's homework. But a good activity can engage parents in a fun, collaborative way. Our data show that with "good" assignments, more kids finish their work, more kids interact with a family partner, and more parents say, "I learned what's happening in the curriculum." It all works around what the youngsters are learning.

Is family engagement really that important?

At Hopkins, I am part of the Center for Social Organization of Schools , a research center that studies how to improve many aspects of education to help all students do their best in school. One thing my colleagues and I realized was that we needed to look deeply into family and community engagement. There were so few references to this topic when we started that we had to build the field of study. When children go to school, their families "attend" with them whether a teacher can "see" the parents or not. So, family engagement is ever-present in the life of a school.

My daughter's elementary school doesn't assign homework until third grade. What's your take on "no homework" policies?

There are some parents, writers, and commentators who have argued against homework, especially for very young children. They suggest that children should have time to play after school. This, of course is true, but many kindergarten kids are excited to have homework like their older siblings. If they give homework, most teachers of young children make assignments very short—often following an informal rule of 10 minutes per grade level. "No homework" does not guarantee that all students will spend their free time in productive and imaginative play.

Some researchers and critics have consistently misinterpreted research findings. They have argued that homework should be assigned only at the high school level where data point to a strong connection of doing assignments with higher student achievement . However, as we discussed, some students stop doing homework. This leads, statistically, to results showing that doing homework or spending more minutes on homework is linked to higher student achievement. If slow or struggling students are not doing their assignments, they contribute to—or cause—this "result."

Teachers need to design homework that even struggling students want to do because it is interesting. Just about all students at any age level react positively to good assignments and will tell you so.

Did COVID change how schools and parents view homework?

Within 24 hours of the day school doors closed in March 2020, just about every school and district in the country figured out that teachers had to talk to and work with students' parents. This was not the same as homeschooling—teachers were still working hard to provide daily lessons. But if a child was learning at home in the living room, parents were more aware of what they were doing in school. One of the silver linings of COVID was that teachers reported that they gained a better understanding of their students' families. We collected wonderfully creative examples of activities from members of the National Network of Partnership Schools. I'm thinking of one art activity where every child talked with a parent about something that made their family unique. Then they drew their finding on a snowflake and returned it to share in class. In math, students talked with a parent about something the family liked so much that they could represent it 100 times. Conversations about schoolwork at home was the point.

How did you create so many homework activities via the Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork program?

We had several projects with educators to help them design interactive assignments, not just "do the next three examples on page 38." Teachers worked in teams to create TIPS activities, and then we turned their work into a standard TIPS format in math, reading/language arts, and science for grades K-8. Any teacher can use or adapt our prototypes to match their curricula.

Overall, we know that if future teachers and practicing educators were prepared to design homework assignments to meet specific purposes—including but not limited to interactive activities—more students would benefit from the important experience of doing their homework. And more parents would, indeed, be partners in education.

Posted in Voices+Opinion

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August 16, 2021

Is it time to get rid of homework? Mental health experts weigh in

by Sara M Moniuszko

It's no secret that kids hate homework. And as students grapple with an ongoing pandemic that has had a wide-range of mental health impacts, is it time schools start listening to their pleas over workloads?

Some teachers are turning to social media to take a stand against homework .

Tiktok user @misguided.teacher says he doesn't assign it because the "whole premise of homework is flawed."

For starters, he says he can't grade work on "even playing fields" when students' home environments can be vastly different.

"Even students who go home to a peaceful house, do they really want to spend their time on busy work? Because typically that's what a lot of homework is, it's busy work," he says in the video that has garnered 1.6 million likes. "You only get one year to be 7, you only got one year to be 10, you only get one year to be 16, 18."

Mental health experts agree heavy work loads have the potential do more harm than good for students, especially when taking into account the impacts of the pandemic. But they also say the answer may not be to eliminate homework altogether.

Emmy Kang, mental health counselor at Humantold, says studies have shown heavy workloads can be "detrimental" for students and cause a "big impact on their mental, physical and emotional health."

"More than half of students say that homework is their primary source of stress, and we know what stress can do on our bodies," she says, adding that staying up late to finish assignments also leads to disrupted sleep and exhaustion.

Cynthia Catchings, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist at Talkspace, says heavy workloads can also cause serious mental health problems in the long run, like anxiety and depression.

And for all the distress homework causes, it's not as useful as many may think, says Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, a psychologist and CEO of Omega Recovery treatment center.

"The research shows that there's really limited benefit of homework for elementary age students, that really the school work should be contained in the classroom," he says.

For older students, Kang says homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night.

"Most students, especially at these high-achieving schools, they're doing a minimum of three hours, and it's taking away time from their friends from their families, their extracurricular activities. And these are all very important things for a person's mental and emotional health."

Catchings, who also taught third to 12th graders for 12 years, says she's seen the positive effects of a no homework policy while working with students abroad.

"Not having homework was something that I always admired from the French students (and) the French schools, because that was helping the students to really have the time off and really disconnect from school ," she says.

The answer may not be to eliminate homework completely, but to be more mindful of the type of work students go home with, suggests Kang, who was a high-school teacher for 10 years.

"I don't think (we) should scrap homework, I think we should scrap meaningless, purposeless busy work-type homework. That's something that needs to be scrapped entirely," she says, encouraging teachers to be thoughtful and consider the amount of time it would take for students to complete assignments.

The pandemic made the conversation around homework more crucial

Mindfulness surrounding homework is especially important in the context of the last two years. Many students will be struggling with mental health issues that were brought on or worsened by the pandemic, making heavy workloads even harder to balance.

"COVID was just a disaster in terms of the lack of structure. Everything just deteriorated," Kardaras says, pointing to an increase in cognitive issues and decrease in attention spans among students. "School acts as an anchor for a lot of children, as a stabilizing force, and that disappeared."

But even if students transition back to the structure of in-person classes, Kardaras suspects students may still struggle after two school years of shifted schedules and disrupted sleeping habits.

"We've seen adults struggling to go back to in-person work environments from remote work environments. That effect is amplified with children because children have less resources to be able to cope with those transitions than adults do," he explains.

'Get organized' ahead of back-to-school

In order to make the transition back to in-person school easier, Kang encourages students to "get good sleep, exercise regularly (and) eat a healthy diet."

To help manage workloads, she suggests students "get organized."

"There's so much mental clutter up there when you're disorganized... sitting down and planning out their study schedules can really help manage their time," she says.

Breaking assignments up can also make things easier to tackle.

"I know that heavy workloads can be stressful, but if you sit down and you break down that studying into smaller chunks, they're much more manageable."

If workloads are still too much, Kang encourages students to advocate for themselves.

"They should tell their teachers when a homework assignment just took too much time or if it was too difficult for them to do on their own," she says. "It's good to speak up and ask those questions. Respectfully, of course, because these are your teachers. But still, I think sometimes teachers themselves need this feedback from their students."

©2021 USA Today Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Is it time to get rid of homework? Mental health experts weigh in.

It's no secret that kids hate homework. And as students grapple with an ongoing pandemic that has had a wide range of mental health impacts, is it time schools start listening to their pleas about workloads?

Some teachers are turning to social media to take a stand against homework. 

Tiktok user @misguided.teacher says he doesn't assign it because the "whole premise of homework is flawed."

For starters, he says, he can't grade work on "even playing fields" when students' home environments can be vastly different.

"Even students who go home to a peaceful house, do they really want to spend their time on busy work? Because typically that's what a lot of homework is, it's busy work," he says in the video that has garnered 1.6 million likes. "You only get one year to be 7, you only got one year to be 10, you only get one year to be 16, 18."

Mental health experts agree heavy workloads have the potential do more harm than good for students, especially when taking into account the impacts of the pandemic. But they also say the answer may not be to eliminate homework altogether.

Emmy Kang, mental health counselor at Humantold , says studies have shown heavy workloads can be "detrimental" for students and cause a "big impact on their mental, physical and emotional health."

"More than half of students say that homework is their primary source of stress, and we know what stress can do on our bodies," she says, adding that staying up late to finish assignments also leads to disrupted sleep and exhaustion.

Cynthia Catchings, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist at Talkspace , says heavy workloads can also cause serious mental health problems in the long run, like anxiety and depression. 

And for all the distress homework  can cause, it's not as useful as many may think, says Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, a psychologist and CEO of Omega Recovery treatment center.

"The research shows that there's really limited benefit of homework for elementary age students, that really the school work should be contained in the classroom," he says.

For older students, Kang says, homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night. 

"Most students, especially at these high achieving schools, they're doing a minimum of three hours, and it's taking away time from their friends, from their families, their extracurricular activities. And these are all very important things for a person's mental and emotional health."

Catchings, who also taught third to 12th graders for 12 years, says she's seen the positive effects of a no-homework policy while working with students abroad.

"Not having homework was something that I always admired from the French students (and) the French schools, because that was helping the students to really have the time off and really disconnect from school," she says.

The answer may not be to eliminate homework completely but to be more mindful of the type of work students take home, suggests Kang, who was a high school teacher for 10 years.

"I don't think (we) should scrap homework; I think we should scrap meaningless, purposeless busy work-type homework. That's something that needs to be scrapped entirely," she says, encouraging teachers to be thoughtful and consider the amount of time it would take for students to complete assignments.

The pandemic made the conversation around homework more crucial 

Mindfulness surrounding homework is especially important in the context of the past two years. Many students will be struggling with mental health issues that were brought on or worsened by the pandemic , making heavy workloads even harder to balance.

"COVID was just a disaster in terms of the lack of structure. Everything just deteriorated," Kardaras says, pointing to an increase in cognitive issues and decrease in attention spans among students. "School acts as an anchor for a lot of children, as a stabilizing force, and that disappeared."

But even if students transition back to the structure of in-person classes, Kardaras suspects students may still struggle after two school years of shifted schedules and disrupted sleeping habits.

"We've seen adults struggling to go back to in-person work environments from remote work environments. That effect is amplified with children because children have less resources to be able to cope with those transitions than adults do," he explains.

'Get organized' ahead of back-to-school

In order to make the transition back to in-person school easier, Kang encourages students to "get good sleep, exercise regularly (and) eat a healthy diet."

To help manage workloads, she suggests students "get organized."

"There's so much mental clutter up there when you're disorganized. ... Sitting down and planning out their study schedules can really help manage their time," she says.

Breaking up assignments can also make things easier to tackle.

"I know that heavy workloads can be stressful, but if you sit down and you break down that studying into smaller chunks, they're much more manageable."

If workloads are still too much, Kang encourages students to advocate for themselves.

"They should tell their teachers when a homework assignment just took too much time or if it was too difficult for them to do on their own," she says. "It's good to speak up and ask those questions. Respectfully, of course, because these are your teachers. But still, I think sometimes teachers themselves need this feedback from their students."

More: Some teachers let their students sleep in class. Here's what mental health experts say.

More: Some parents are slipping young kids in for the COVID-19 vaccine, but doctors discourage the move as 'risky'

Unveiling 100 Reasons Why Homework is Bad: Examining the Downsides

Check out “100 Reasons Why Homework is Bad” to uncover the myriad of challenges students face with excessive assignments. Ever feel like homework is just the worst?

You’re not alone! It’s like this never-ending chore that just kills your vibe, right? Well, guess what? We’re about to dive into why homework might actually be a real downer.

From messing with your sleep to cramping your style, we’re gonna lay it all out. So, grab a seat and get ready to uncover why homework isn’t always the friend we thought it was.

What Is Homework?

Homework is what teachers give you to do outside of class. Pretty common in schools everywhere.

• Practice: Helps practice what we learn.
• Preparation: Gets us ready for more.
• Skills: Teaches time management, problem-solving.
• Projects: Fun stuff like research and projects.
• Practice: Math problems, writing.
• Reading: Extra reading to learn more.
• Projects: Big stuff like reports and models.
• Review: Summarize what we’ve learned.
• Stress: Too much can stress us.
• Fairness: Not everyone has the same resources.
• Boredom: The same stuff can be boring.

Homework’s okay, but let’s keep it balanced and fun!

Importance of homework

Check out the importance of homework

Good Homework

• Practice Helps: Homework makes learning stick.
• Prepares You: Gets you ready for what’s next.
• Teaches Skills: Like time management and problem-solving.

Not-so-Great

• Stressful: Too much makes you tired.
• Not Fair: Some struggle more than others.
• Can Be Boring: Sometimes it’s just memorizing.

Making It Better

• Fit Your Age: Matches what you’re learning.
• Quality First: Good homework over lots of busywork.
• Connected Learning: Tied to what’s happening in class.
• Talk About It: Share thoughts with teachers for improvement.

Homework’s cool when done right. Keep it fun and balanced!

100 Reasons Why Homework is Bad

Check out 100 reasons why homework is bad:-

Stress and Mental Health

• Increases stress levels.
• Causes anxiety about completion.
• Leads to burnout.
• Limits relaxation time.
• Impacts mental well-being.
• Affects confidence.
• Adds academic pressure.
• Disrupts sleep patterns.
• Can lead to depression.
• Creates feelings of helplessness.

Impact on Family Life

• Reduces family time.
• Causes tension between parents and kids.
• Limits family activities.
• Creates a school-home divide.
• Strains parent-child relationships.
• Increases parental involvement.
• Disrupts family routines.
• Frustrates parents trying to help.
• Generates negativity at home.
• Can lead to resentment.

Physical Health Concerns

• Reduces physical activity.
• Limits outdoor play.
• Causes prolonged sitting.
• Increases screen time.
• Impacts eating habits.
• Neglects physical health.
• Can worsen existing conditions.
• Leads to fatigue.
• Limits relaxation.
• Weakens immune systems.

Social Implications

• Reduces socializing time.
• Less participation in activities.
• Creates feelings of isolation.
• FOMO on social events.
• Leads to social withdrawal.
• Impairs social skill development.
• Reliance on virtual communication.
• Hinders forming relationships.
• Limits community involvement.
• Can lead to peer alienation.

Educational Concerns

• Diminishes joy of learning.
• Promotes surface-level understanding.
• Limits hands-on learning.
• Focuses on grades over learning.
• Encourages cheating.
• Fosters competition.
• Narrows focus to test scores.
• Leads to disengagement.
• Impacts teacher-student relationships.
• Exacerbates inequalities.

Equity and Access Issues

• Reinforces inequalities.
• Limits access to resources.
• Disadvantages students with disabilities.
• Creates disparities in achievement.
• Widens the homework gap.
• Impacts rural students.
• Perpetuates stereotypes.
• Disadvantages working students.
• Contributes to the cycle of poverty.
• Excludes marginalized communities.

Creativity and Exploration

• Limits time for creativity.
• Reduces self-expression.
• Constrains imagination.
• Impacts exposure to diversity.
• Suppresses curiosity.
• Hinders innovation.
• Stifles individuality.
• Reduces self-directed learning.
• Impacts long-term creativity.
• Diminishes exploration.

Work-Life Balance

• Encroaches on free time.
• Limits part-time employment.
• Affects personal life balance.
• Reduces time for personal interests.
• Hinders time management skills.
• Creates imbalance.
• Impacts relationships.
• Diminishes downtime.
• Affects overall well-being.

Motivation and Engagement

• Reduces intrinsic motivation.
• Diminishes enthusiasm for learning.
• Contributes to disillusionment.
• Reduces engagement.
• Leads to procrastination.
• Diminishes curiosity.
• Limits self-directed exploration.
• Impacts motivation for higher education.

Overall Well-being

• Impacts quality of life.
• Reduces happiness.
• Affects physical, mental, emotional health.
• Can have long-term effects.
• Diminishes personal growth.
• Hinders life skills development.
• Creates a sense of powerlessness.
• Impacts life satisfaction.
• Limits holistic development.

These points offer a concise overview of the potential negative impacts of homework across various aspects of students’ lives.

Alternatives to traditional homework

Traditional homework doesn’t always hit the mark when it comes to learning. Here are some fun alternatives that really get students involved:

Project Adventures

• Idea: Instead of boring exercises, try exciting projects where students get to explore, research, and show off what they find.
• Perks: It boosts thinking skills, teamwork, and creativity. Plus, students feel like they’re in charge of their learning!
• Examples: Cool science experiments, presentations on historical heroes, or even building models of crazy inventions.

Game Time Learning

• Idea: Turn learning into a game with points, challenges, and maybe even a leaderboard.
• Benefits: It makes learning super fun, keeps students motivated, and they learn without even realizing it!
• Examples: Quiz competitions, online math challenges, or historical adventures in a virtual world.

Teamwork Triumphs

• Idea: Get students working together outside of class. It builds teamwork and they learn from each other.
• Perks: Communication skills get a boost, and it’s way more fun than solo work.
• Examples: Group projects on interesting topics, or online chats to solve tricky problems together.

Real-Life Lessons

• Idea: Connect classroom stuff to real life by giving tasks that are actually useful.
• Perks: It makes learning feel meaningful and shows how cool school stuff can be in the real world.
• Examples: Solving local community problems, planning a budget for a dream vacation, or analyzing real data to find trends.

Flip the Classroom

• Idea: Let students watch lessons at home and save class time for fun activities and discussions.
• Perks: They can learn at their own pace, and class time becomes way more interactive and interesting.
• Needs: Just some tech and internet access for home learning.

Student Choice Power

• Idea: Let students pick their homework tasks or explore topics they’re curious about.
• Perks: It boosts motivation big time, and learning feels more personal and exciting.
• How-to: Offer a menu of homework choices related to what’s being taught.

So, instead of the same old homework routine, these ideas shake things up and make learning a real adventure!

Why homework is a bad thing?

Homework has its perks, but some folks aren’t sold on it. Here’s why:

Stress and Anxiety

• Too Much Work: Loads of homework stress students out and mess with their sleep.
• Time Crunch: Balancing homework with fun stuff is hard, especially for younger kids.

Inequality and the Achievement Gap

• Uneven Help: Some kids struggle more because they don’t have the right support.
• Just Memorizing: Doing the same drills doesn’t always help students really get it.

Boredom and Motivation

• Snooze Fest: Boring homework makes learning feel like a drag and kills motivation.
• Curiosity Killer: When it’s all about finishing tasks, students miss out on exploring cool ideas.

But hey, there are better ways to do homework

• Project Fun: Let students dive into projects that get them thinking and creating.
• Real-Life Stuff: Connect learning to things students care about and can use in their lives.
• Teamwork Time: Have students work together, so they can learn from each other.

The secret sauce? Homework should be helpful, not stressful. It should be interesting, help students understand, and let them show what they know in different ways.

Who invented homework 😡?

Homework didn’t just pop up one day with a single inventor! While some say an Italian educator named Roberto Nevilis started it all in the 1900s, the real story is a bit hazy.

The idea of homework goes way back

• Ancient Times: In places like Greece and Rome, students did practice tasks like writing and copying texts.
• Middle Ages: Apprentices learned skills by working alongside masters, a bit like homework on the job.

Then, in the 19th century

• Prussia: A strict education system there likely influenced homework worldwide.
• United States: Horace Mann, a big name in education, helped make homework a thing in the US after seeing the Prussian system .

Homework’s changed a lot over time, but the debate about whether it’s helpful or not still rages. It can be useful, sure, but we’ve got to be careful not to pile on too much and stress students out.

Why should homework be banned?

The homework debate is a big one, and there are strong reasons why some folks think homework should hit the road:

Messing with Well-being

• Too Much Stress: Loads of homework stress kids out and mess with their sleep, making them feel crummy.
• No Time for Fun: Homework overload means less time for chilling, hobbies, and hanging with pals, which isn’t cool.

Not Fair for Everyone

• Uneven Help: Some kids have a tough time with homework because they don’t have the right support or space to work quietly.
• Just Filling Time: Doing the same old drills over and over doesn’t really help students get it, and they might just do it to finish, not to learn.

Killing Creativity and Curiosity

• Snoozeville Tasks: Homework that’s all about finishing tasks can be super boring, and it doesn’t encourage students to ask questions or explore cool stuff.

But hey, there are other ways to learn

• Fun Projects: Get students working on cool projects that make them think and get creative.
• Real-Life Stuff: Connect learning to stuff students actually care about and can use in real life.
• Quick Checks: Little activities that give feedback right away so students can adjust and learn better.
• Student’s Choice: Let students pick tasks or explore stuff they’re into, so learning feels more like their own thing.

It’s not about ditching homework altogether, but finding a good balance. Homework should be interesting, help students get it, and let them show what they know in different ways. And most importantly, it should leave time for other fun stuff!

Why we should have no homework?

Why Some Say Goodbye to Homework:

Less Stress, More Smiles

Removing homework means students, especially younger ones, can breathe easier without piles of stress from juggling school and other activities. More time to chill means happier, healthier kids.

Playtime Power

Play is key for kids’ growth, sparking creativity and social skills. No homework means more time for play and exploration, letting kids learn at their own pace.

Quality Time in Class

With no homework to worry about, teachers can focus on making class time count, tailoring lessons to fit students’ needs and making learning super engaging.

Closing the Gap

Homework can be tough for students without resources or facing learning challenges. Getting rid of it levels the field, giving every student a fair shot.

Letting Learning Flow

Without homework deadlines looming, students might be more eager to explore topics on their own, driven by curiosity instead of duty.

Projects for the Win

Many think project-based learning is where it’s at, diving deep into topics and sparking creativity. Bye-bye homework means more time for these awesome projects.

While some argue for well-designed homework, striking a balance might be the ticket. Homework can be useful, but not if it takes over. Let’s find that sweet spot where learning feels exciting, not exhausting.

Homework has its downsides. From stressing kids out to eating into their free time, it’s not all good. We’ve gotta rethink things to make school a place where kids can really shine. Let’s focus on sparking curiosity and growth, without all the homework hassle.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much homework is too much.

The amount of homework that is considered excessive varies depending on factors such as age, grade level, and individual circumstances.

How can educators design effective homework assignments?

Educators can design effective homework assignments by ensuring that tasks are meaningful, relevant, and aligned with learning objectives, providing clear instructions and expectations, and offering timely feedback and support to students.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

100 Reasons Why Homework is Bad: Breaking Down the Burden

Discover an in-depth analysis of the potential downsides to homework with a breakdown of 100 reasons why homework is bad. Dive into the complexities of the ongoing debate, exploring various concerns and issues associated with homework assignments. Uncover diverse viewpoints regarding the impact of excessive homework on students’ overall well-being and academic experiences.

Attention, anti-homework advocates, gather around! We’ve all experienced that familiar dread when opening our backpacks to face a daunting pile of assignments. Fret not, as we present the ultimate compilation – 100 reasons shedding light on why homework may be casting a shadow on the education scene.

From encroaching on our social lives to transforming our minds into mush, get ready for an inside look at why some of us believe homework deserves a significant makeover. So, grab your snacks, settle in, and let’s discuss why hitting the books post-school hours isn’t exactly our idea of a good time!

Table of Contents

Historical Perspective

Hey time-traveling scholars! Today, buckle up for a wild ride as we hop into our history capsuled DeLorean and zoom through the ages of homework. We’re not talking about dusty old scrolls or ancient tablets – we’re diving into the real-life saga of how homework went from “eh” to “ugh” in the coolest way possible.

Get ready for a rollercoaster of cultural twists, societal turns, and some seriously epic homework highlights. From quills to keyboards, it’s time to uncover the rad evolution of everyone’s favorite after-school companion.

So, grab your time-travel snacks and let’s embark on this mind-bending adventure into the historical homework zone!

100 Reasons Why Homework is Bad

Check out 100 reasons why homework is bad:-

Impact on Well-being

• Increased stress levels
• Sleep deprivation
• Negative effects on mental health
• Physical health concerns due to sedentary behavior
• Limited relaxation time

Social and Family Issues

• Reduced family time
• Negative impact on social life
• Strain on parent-child relationships
• Limited participation in extracurricular activities
• Inequality in family support affecting homework completion

Educational Concerns

• Limited exploration of personal interests
• Ineffectiveness in enhancing academic performance
• Lack of focus on understanding concepts
• Potential for cheating and academic dishonesty
• Erosion of creativity and critical thinking

Equality and Inclusion

• Inequality in homework assistance based on parental involvement
• Strain on students with learning differences
• Mismatched learning styles not addressed in homework
• Unequal access to resources for completing homework
• Disparities in homework assignments across different classes

Time Management and Burnout

• Limited time for relaxation and play
• Potential for burnout due to excessive academic pressure
• Reduction in the time available for hobbies and personal interests
• Struggle with time management skills
• Limited opportunities for self-directed learning

Relationships and Teacher Dynamics

• Strain on teacher-student relationships due to homework-related stress
• Negative impact on peer interactions
• Reduced collaboration and teamwork opportunities
• Unequal distribution of homework assistance from teachers
• Impact on students’ perceptions of teachers and education

Quality of Learning

• Potential for rote memorization over genuine understanding
• Homework not tailored to individual learning needs
• Limited time for in-depth exploration of subjects
• Negative impact on long-term retention of information
• Homework not always aligned with curriculum objectives

Assessment and Grading Issues

• Counterintuitive correlation between homework and grades
• Lack of standardized homework grading criteria
• Inconsistency in the grading of subjective assignments
• Limited feedback on homework, hindering learning improvement
• Potential for unfair grading based on subjective evaluation

Digital Divide and Technological Challenges

• Unequal access to technology for completing online assignments
• Technological issues leading to frustration and completion delays
• Digital distractions affecting the quality of homework
• Inequity in exposure to technology-related learning opportunities
• Limited digital literacy development due to reliance on homework

Cultural and Societal Factors

• Homework not culturally relevant or inclusive
• Reinforcement of societal expectations and stereotypes through homework
• Limited exposure to diverse perspectives in homework assignments
• Pressure to conform to societal norms through academic performance
• Negative impact on cultural celebrations and family traditions

Pedagogical Concerns

• Overemphasis on quantity over quality in homework assignments
• Lack of differentiation in homework for varying skill levels
• Limited real-world application of homework tasks
• Potential for homework to be a source of anxiety for students
• Homework as a barrier to fostering a love for lifelong learning

Workload Management

• Mismatched workloads across different classes
• Overloading students with extracurricular activities and homework
• Struggle with prioritization of multiple homework assignments
• Impact on the development of time management skills
• Limited opportunities for reflection and deeper understanding of concepts

Developmental Impact

• Pressure on gifted students to excel academically
• Negative effects on the development of self-regulation skills
• Impact on the development of self-esteem and confidence
• Struggle with transitioning from school to home mode
• Limited time for unstructured play and exploration

Resource Allocation

• Allocation of excessive resources to homework completion
• Unequal access to educational resources for homework
• Limited availability of supportive environments for homework completion
• Financial burden on families due to homework-related expenses
• Inequitable distribution of homework-related support services

Homework as a Source of Conflict

• Homework-related conflicts between parents and children
• Conflicts arising from incomplete or late homework submissions
• Struggle with setting boundaries on homework time
• Homework as a source of tension in the household
• Disagreements on the educational value of specific homework assignments

Policy and Implementation Issues

• Lack of standardized homework policies across educational institutions
• Inconsistent implementation of homework policies
• Limited consideration of student well-being in homework policy development
• Potential for bias in homework assignment and evaluation
• Lack of transparency in communication between educators and parents regarding homework

Global Perspectives

• Varied cultural attitudes toward the role of homework
• International disparities in the emphasis on homework
• Limited cross-cultural adaptation in homework assignments
• Differing global perspectives on the effectiveness of homework
• Global inequities in access to educational support for homework

Impact on Future Careers

• Limited time for exploration of potential career interests
• Potential for burnout affecting future career success
• Negative impact on the development of critical skills for the workforce
• Inadequate preparation for the evolving demands of future careers
• Limited exposure to diverse career opportunities through homework

Innovation and Creativity

• Limited opportunities for innovative approaches to learning outside of homework
• Homework as a potential barrier to fostering a culture of creativity
• Struggle with implementing project-based learning due to heavy homework loads
• Limited emphasis on cultivating entrepreneurial skills through homework
• Insufficient encouragement for students to pursue creative endeavors outside of homework

Student Autonomy and Responsibility

• Struggle with developing a sense of responsibility in homework completion
• Limited opportunities for students to make decisions about their learning
• Homework as a potential barrier to fostering a sense of autonomy in learning
• Unequal distribution of responsibility for homework completion
• Limited opportunities for students to take ownership of their educational journey

Why homework is a bad thing?

Check why homework is a bad thing:-

Negative Aspects

• Stress and Burnout: Too much homework can overwhelm students, making it hard to focus.
• Less Free Time: Lots of homework leaves less time for fun activities, important for health and social skills.
• Not Always Effective: Some homework tasks don’t help with real learning, just memorizing.
• Unequal Opportunities: Some students have fewer resources, making homework harder for them.
• Creativity Block: Doing the same tasks can be boring and stop students from exploring.
• Cheating Risk: Pressure to finish can lead to cheating, which doesn’t help learning.
• Balance Issue: Too much homework can mess with the balance between school and life.
• Quantity Over Quality: Focus on finishing lots of homework, not doing it well.

Improvement Ideas

• Quality Tasks: Give homework that helps students understand and think, not just memorize.
• Match the Task: Offer different kinds of homework to suit different learners .
• Balance: Ensure students have time for homework, fun, and sleep.
• Involve Parents: Help parents support their children with homework effectively.

By making these changes, homework can be more positive and helpful.

Why should homework be banned?

Homework Ban Reasons:

• Stress: Too much homework causes stress.
• Less Fun: Homework leaves less time for play.
• Balance: It’s hard to balance homework with rest.
• Memorization: Homework focuses on memorizing, not understanding.
• Not for Everyone: One type of homework doesn’t fit all.
• No Help: Some students struggle without support.
• Resource Gap: Some have fewer resources, making homework harder.
• Quantity Over Quality: Focus is on finishing lots, not doing well.
• Engaging Activities: In-class activities can be more helpful.
• Projects: Projects can be more interesting than homework.
• Personalized Learning: Tailored activities can be better.
• Love of Learning: Focus on enjoying learning for better education.

Why we should have no homework?

Arguments for Eliminating Homework:

• Less Stress : Homework causes stress. Removing it gives more relaxation time.
• More Fun Time : Homework takes away playtime. Without it, there’s more time for fun activities.
• Focused Class Learning : Teachers can teach better without homework. This helps students learn more.
• Creative Teaching : No homework means teachers can use fun ways to teach, like projects.
• Fairness : Some students can’t do homework well. Removing it makes learning fairer for everyone.

Alright, homework skeptics, we’ve just unpacked a whopping 100 reasons why hitting the books after school might not be the educational superhero we once thought. But hey, before we declare homework public enemy number one, let’s take a breather and recap this rollercoaster ride.

From stress levels skyrocketing to family time taking a hit, it’s clear that homework has its fair share of detractors. We’ve heard the gripes about it playing favorites, messing with our social lives, and even being a suspect in the crime of sleep deprivation.

Now, as we wrap up this wild exploration, it’s not just about pointing fingers. It’s about waving a flag for change, shaking up the system, and rethinking how we approach education. Let’s be real – the learning game is evolving, and maybe it’s time homework evolved too.

So, whether you’re Team “Down with Homework” or just looking for a little less stress in your academic life, remember this: the future of learning might just be a little less about hitting the books and a lot more about embracing a fresh, student-friendly vibe. Ready for the homework revolution? Let’s do this!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is homework often seen as a necessary component of education.

Homework has traditionally been viewed as a tool to reinforce learning and promote independent study habits. It is perceived as a means to extend classroom lessons beyond school hours, allowing students to practice and apply what they have learned.

How does homework impact students’ mental health?

The pressure to complete homework within set deadlines, coupled with the demands of other responsibilities, can contribute to stress and anxiety in students. Sleep deprivation, a common result of excessive homework, further exacerbates mental health challenges.

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No More Homework: 12 Reasons We Should Get Rid of It Completely

Last Updated: February 16, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Finn Kobler . Finn Kobler graduated from USC in 2022 with a BFA in Writing for Screen/Television. He is a two-time California State Champion and record holder in Original Prose/Poetry, a 2018 finalist for the Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate, and he's written micro-budget films that have been screened in over 150 theaters nationwide. Growing up, Finn spent every summer helping his family's nonprofit arts program, Showdown Stage Company, empower people through accessible media. He hopes to continue that mission with his writing at wikiHow. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 127,867 times. Learn more...

The amount of homework students are given has increased dramatically in the 21st century, which has sparked countless debates over homework’s overall value. While some have been adamant that homework is an essential part of a good education, it’s been proven that too much homework negatively affects students’ mood, classroom performance, and overall well-being. In addition, a heavy homework load can stress families and teachers. Here are 12 reasons why homework should be banned (or at least heavily reduced).

School is already a full-time job.

• For years, teachers have followed the “10-minute rule” giving students roughly 10 minutes of homework per grade level. However, recent studies have shown students are completing 3+ hours of homework a night well before their senior years even begin. [2] X Trustworthy Source American Psychological Association Leading scientific and professional organization of licensed psychologists Go to source

Homework negatively affects students’ health.

Homework interferes with student’s opportunities to socialize.

Homework hinders students’ chances to learn new things.

Homework lowers students’ enthusiasm for school.

Homework can lower academic performance.

Homework cuts into family time.

Homework is stressful for teachers.

Homework is often irrelevant and punitive.

• There are even studies that have shown homework in primary school has no correlation with classroom performance whatsoever. [9] X Research source

Homework encourages cheating.

Homework is inequitable.

Other countries have banned homework with great results.

• There are even some U.S. schools that have adopted this approach with success. [13] X Research source

Community Q&A

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://www.edutopia.org/no-proven-benefits
• ↑ https://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/03/homework
• ↑ https://healthier.stanfordchildrens.org/en/health-hazards-homework/
• ↑ https://teensneedsleep.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/galloway-nonacademic-effects-of-homework-in-privileged-high-performing-high-schools.pdf
• ↑ https://time.com/4466390/homework-debate-research/
• ↑ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00220485.2022.2075506?role=tab&scroll=top&needAccess=true&journalCode=vece20
• ↑ https://kappanonline.org/teacher-stress-balancing-demands-resources-mccarthy/
• ↑ https://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/ct-life-homework-pros-cons-20180807-story.html
• ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6294446/
• ↑ https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/06/homework-inequality-parents-schedules-grades/485174/
• ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/education-37716005
• ↑ https://www.wsj.com/articles/no-homework-its-the-new-thing-in-u-s-schools-11544610600

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100 Reasons Why Homework Is Bad: A Mind-Blowing Exploration of the Burden on Students

Homework has long been an integral part of the educational landscape, a practice that reinforces learning beyond the classroom walls. However, a critical examination of this widespread academic tradition reveals many reasons why homework might not be as beneficial as commonly thought. This exploration delves into 100 reasons why homework is bad for students and the overall educational experience.

Beyond the conventional notion that homework is a constructive extension of classroom learning, a closer look reveals students’ challenges. From the overwhelming burden on young shoulders to the potential erosion of family time, this compilation aims to shed light on the various aspects of homework that have sparked debates among educators, parents, and students.

Also Read :  91+ Best Quantitative Research Topics For STEM Students

Table of Contents

Who invented homework?

The invention of homework is attributed to an Italian educator named Roberto Nevilis, who is believed to have introduced the concept in the early 20th century. The story goes that Nevilis, in an attempt to enhance students’ learning beyond the classroom, assigned tasks to be completed at home. However, it’s essential to note that the historical accuracy of this claim is debatable, as there is limited concrete evidence supporting Nevilis as the sole originator of homework.

The idea of assigning tasks for students to complete outside of school is not solely credited to Nevilis. Various educators and philosophers throughout history have advocated for the reinforcement of learning through practice outside the classroom setting.

The evolution of homework is a complex narrative influenced by educational philosophies, societal expectations, and the understanding of effective learning strategies. While Nevilis may have played a role in popularizing the concept, the true history of homework involves a broader context shaped by numerous educators over time.

100 Reasons Why Homework Is Bad

Have a close look at 100 reasons why homework is bad.

Strain on Students

1. Lack of Family Time

Homework chips away at family time, leaving less room for shared moments and bonding. It’s like a puzzle piece missing from the family picture, disrupting the natural flow of quality time that families need to thrive.

2. Increased Stress

Homework adds a hefty load of stress onto students’ shoulders, turning their learning journey into a stress marathon. It’s like carrying a backpack filled not just with books but with worries and anxiety.

3. Negative Impact on Health

Long homework hours mess with health, especially sleep. Sleep deprivation becomes a health stumbling block, affecting both physical and mental well-being. It’s like a domino effect on overall health.

4. Limited Time for Extracurricular Activities

Homework becomes a roadblock to sports and other enjoyable activities. It’s like telling students that the playing field is reserved for academics only, limiting their chances to explore and develop diverse interests.

5. Inequality

Not all students have the same support system at home, creating an uneven playing field. Those from disadvantaged backgrounds might face additional challenges in navigating their homework, leading to unequal outcomes.

6. Negative Impact on Social Life

Excessive homework acts as a social life spoiler. Less time for friends and social interactions means students miss out on the social aspects of learning, turning school life into a solo endeavor.

7. Lack of Creativity

Homework monopolizes time that could be spent on creative pursuits, stifling the natural flow of imagination. It’s like putting creativity on a timeout, hindering the development of well-rounded individuals.

8. Diminished Interest in Learning

When homework becomes an overwhelming task, the joy of learning evaporates. It’s like turning the excitement of learning into a dull routine, making students view education as a tiresome chore rather than an exciting journey.

9. Overemphasis on Grades

Homework sometimes shines a spotlight on grades, overshadowing the true essence of understanding. It’s like a magic show where the real trick is learning, but the focus shifts to the final score.

10. Reduced Interest in School

Excessive homework can transform school into a not-so-happy place, making students resent the educational experience. It’s like a cloud hanging over the school, casting a shadow on the joy of learning.

11. No Guarantee of Mastery

Completing homework doesn’t automatically mean a student has mastered the material. It’s akin to finishing a book without truly grasping the plot—a missed opportunity for genuine comprehension.

12. Cheating

Homework assignments sometimes create a temptation for cheating. The pressure to complete tasks might push students towards shortcuts, jeopardizing the integrity of their educational journey.

13. Stifles Curiosity

Homework focusing solely on rote memorization can snuff out curiosity. It’s like closing the door to exploration, leaving students with facts but without the curiosity that fuels real understanding.

14. Lack of Teacher Feedback

Insufficient feedback on homework leaves students in the dark about their progress. It’s like navigating a maze without a guide, unsure if they’re on the right path.

15. Parental Overinvolvement

Homework might unintentionally turn into a family project, with parents taking on more than a guiding role. This overinvolvement hinders the development of independent problem-solving skills in students.

16. Loss of Sleep

Late-night homework sessions snatch away essential sleep hours. It’s a trade-off between completing assignments and getting the necessary rest for overall well-being. It’s like exchanging a crucial puzzle piece for an extra hour of work, disrupting the delicate balance of a healthy lifestyle.

17. Burnout

Endless homework sessions become a highway to student burnout. It’s like running a marathon with no finish line, leaving students exhausted and drained. The continuous pressure to meet homework demands turns the learning journey into a survival race rather than a gradual, enjoyable stroll.

18. Lost Leisure Time

Homework acts as a time thief, snatching away precious moments meant for relaxation and leisure. It’s like replacing the joy of free time with the relentless ticking of the homework clock, leaving students longing for the balance between work and play.

19. Mismatch with Learning Styles

Homework sometimes wears the wrong shoes for different learners. It’s like expecting everyone to dance to the same tune, ignoring the unique rhythm of individual learning styles. This mismatch can leave some students struggling to keep up.

20. Neglect of Special Needs

Homework might forget to tailor its approach for students with special needs. It’s like offering a one-size-fits-all solution to a diverse audience, inadvertently leaving some students behind. A more adaptable approach is needed for everyone to succeed.

21. Increased Dropout Rates

The weight of excessive homework may contribute to students dropping out. It’s like asking them to carry an unbearable load, pushing some to the edge where dropping out seems like the only way to lighten the burden.

22. Overemphasis on Quantitative Assessment

Homework sometimes becomes a numbers game, prioritizing quantity over quality. It’s like counting the pages of a book without appreciating the story within. This overemphasis can overshadow the true purpose of learning.

23. Increased Pressure on Teachers

Teachers may feel the heat to assign homework, even if it doesn’t add much value. It’s like asking them to keep a leaky boat afloat. This added pressure can impact the overall quality of education, creating a cycle that benefits no one.

24. Reduction in Critical Thinking

Repetitive homework assignments act like a roadblock to critical thinking skills. It’s like pouring concrete over the pathways of the mind, hindering the development of thoughtful and analytical approaches to problem-solving.

25. Negative Impact on Mental Health

Homework stress isn’t just a bump in the road; it can be a major detour for mental health. It’s like navigating a maze of assignments without a clear exit, leading to increased anxiety and overall mental strain.

Academic and Social Implications

26. Potential for Academic Dishonesty

Homework opens the door to cheating, risking academic integrity. It’s like leaving a window open for dishonesty, compromising the fairness of assessments, and creating an uneven playing field among students.

27. No Standardized Homework Guidelines

The absence of consistent guidelines leads to a homework maze with different expectations. It’s like having a recipe without clear instructions, causing confusion and varying workloads across classes.

28. No Clear Link to Improved Academic Performance

Homework’s impact on academic success isn’t always crystal clear. It’s like searching for a direct path but encountering a few detours. Research suggests that the connection between homework and improved academic performance is not as straightforward as it seems.

29. Reduction in Motivation

Constant homework can sap the joy of learning, diminishing intrinsic motivation. It’s like turning a vibrant garden into a monotonous landscape where the love for learning disappears.

30. Neglect of Other Talents

Excessive homework may shadow students’ diverse talents and interests. It’s like having a one-track mind in a world full of possibilities, potentially hindering the discovery of hidden talents.

31. Pressure on Younger Students

Younger students may feel overwhelmed by the demands of too much homework. It’s like expecting them to carry a backpack that’s too heavy, hindering their ability to enjoy the learning journey.

32. Family Conflicts

Homework battles between parents and children create tension at home. It’s like having a storm brewing over dinner tables, straining family relationships, and turning homes into homework battlegrounds.

33. Gender Disparities

Homework may not treat genders equally, perpetuating stereotypes about academic abilities. It’s like assigning roles based on outdated scripts, potentially limiting the potential of every student.

34. Potential for Inequality

Students with additional resources may have an unfair advantage. It’s like starting a race with some runners already ahead, contributing to educational inequality.

35. Unrealistic Workload

Homework assignments might not consider varying student abilities and learning speeds. It’s like expecting everyone to run at the same pace, neglecting the unique journey of each learner.

36. Negative Impact on Mental Well-Being

Homework-related stress can cast a shadow on mental health. It’s like carrying an extra burden that clouds the sunshine of well-being, contributing to issues like depression.

37. Overemphasis on Academic Achievement

Homework sometimes steals the spotlight from personal growth. It’s like focusing only on the final act of a play, forgetting the character development that makes the story richer.

38. Limited Exploration of Hobbies

Homework leaves little time for students to explore hobbies and passions. It’s like closing the door to a room full of possibilities, hindering the development of well-rounded individuals.

39. Impact on Teacher-Student Relationship

Excessive homework strains the connection between students and teachers. It’s like building a bridge that’s about to collapse, affecting the trust and communication crucial for a healthy learning environment.

40. No Consensus on Optimal Amount

There’s no agreed-upon standard for the right amount of homework. It’s like setting sail without a compass, leaving both educators and students navigating in uncharted waters.

41. Potential for Homework Gaps

Some students struggle due to a lack of resources or support at home. It’s like asking everyone to participate in a race without ensuring they have the same running shoes, creating homework gaps that hinder learning.

42. No Quality Control

Homework quality can vary widely, affecting its educational value. It’s like having a menu with dishes of different quality; some assignments may not serve the educational nourishment they should.

43. Reduces Free Play Time

Lack of free playtime hinders the development of social and cognitive skills. It’s like removing recess from a school day, where the playground becomes a silent space instead of a lively hub of growth and interaction.

44. Negative Impact on Mental Resilience

Constant homework pressure can undermine students’ ability to handle setbacks. It’s like expecting a tree to stand tall in a constant storm without allowing it moments of stillness, potentially weakening mental resilience.

45. Potential for Overparenting

Homework may lead to overparenting, where parents micromanage their child’s academic life. It’s like having too many chefs in the kitchen, hindering the development of independent problem-solving skills in students.

46. Focuses on Quantity over Mastery

Homework often prioritizes completing tasks, sometimes overlooking the essential goal of understanding the material. It’s like counting the steps of a dance without ensuring everyone grasps the rhythm, potentially leaving students with a checklist but not genuine mastery.

47. Inability to Measure Learning Styles

Homework may not be the best tool to accommodate diverse learning styles and preferences. It’s like expecting everyone to enjoy the same flavor of ice cream, neglecting the richness of individual learning journeys.

48. Negative Impact on Self-Esteem

Struggling with homework can take a toll on students’ self-esteem. It’s like walking a tightrope where each assignment becomes a potential stumble, impacting their confidence in their abilities.

49. Potential for Detrimental Competition

Homework may inadvertently foster unhealthy competition among students. It’s like turning education into a race, where the finish line matters more than the personal growth experienced during the journey.

50. Reduction in Family Bonding

Time devoted to homework can replace valuable family bonding activities. It’s like removing a brick from the foundation of a strong family structure, potentially weakening the connections that matter most.

Cognitive and Developmental Concerns

51. Reduction in Critical Thinking

Homework can sometimes lead to a mindset fixated on memorization rather than critical thinking. It’s like asking students to collect puzzle pieces without encouraging them to see the bigger picture, potentially hindering the development of analytical skills.

52. Inhibits Deep Understanding

The pressure to complete assignments may discourage students from delving deep into topics. It’s like skimming the surface of a lake without exploring the depths, hindering a thorough understanding of the subject matter.

53. Rote Learning Emphasis

Homework might inadvertently encourage rote learning, where memorization takes precedence over understanding the underlying concepts. It’s like learning a script without understanding the plot, potentially limiting the application of knowledge.

54. No Room for Exploratory Learning

Excessive homework may leave no time for students to explore beyond the prescribed curriculum. It’s like having a closed book when the world is a library, limiting students’ exposure to diverse knowledge.

55. Neglect of Emotional Intelligence

Homework may not contribute to the development of emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills. It’s like focusing on equations while neglecting the emotional arithmetic crucial for navigating real-world situations.

56. Minimal Engagement with Real-World Issues

Homework might not incorporate real-world problems or applications. It’s like preparing for a play without understanding the relevance of the script to the audience, potentially leaving students disconnected from the practical aspects of their learning.

57. Stress-induced Forgetfulness

The stress associated with homework may contribute to forgetfulness. It’s like carrying a heavy load and dropping pieces along the way, impacting both short-term memory and overall cognitive function.

58. Disregard for Individual Learning Paces

Homework may not consider variations in students’ learning speeds. It’s like expecting everyone to cross the finish line at the same time, neglecting the unique rhythm of each learner.

59. Loss of Enthusiasm for Learning

The repetitive nature of homework can diminish students’ enthusiasm for learning. It’s like playing the same note repeatedly instead of composing a vibrant melody, potentially turning education into a monotonous routine.

60. Unproductive Learning Hours

Homework doesn’t always guarantee productive use of learning time. It’s like expecting a garden to bloom without providing the right nutrients, potentially resulting in wasted efforts and unfulfilled educational potential.

61. Limited Time for Reflection

Continuous homework cycles may restrict students from reflecting on what they’ve learned. It’s like moving through a gallery without pausing to appreciate the artwork, hindering the development of critical thinking and self-awareness.

62. Reduction in Creativity

The emphasis on completing assignments may hinder the development of creative thinking. It’s like coloring within the lines without exploring the canvas, potentially stifling the natural creativity that students bring to their learning journey.

63. Undermines Intrinsic Motivation

Homework may shift the focus from curiosity-driven learning to task-driven completion. It’s like turning the joy of discovery into a race to the finish line, potentially diminishing the intrinsic motivation that fuels genuine interest in a subject.

64. Neglects Individual Learning Styles

Homework may not accommodate students’ diverse learning styles. It’s like expecting everyone to dance the same way, neglecting the beauty of individual expression in the learning process.

65. Hinders Cognitive Development

Excessive homework might hinder the natural cognitive development of students. It’s like building a house without a solid foundation, potentially affecting their ability to process information and think critically.

66. Overburdened Memory

Too much homework may overload students’ memory capacities. It’s like trying to fill a cup beyond its capacity, potentially leading to cognitive exhaustion and hindered information retention.

67. Limits Questioning

The need to finish homework may discourage students from asking questions. It’s like silencing the curiosity that fuels learning, potentially hindering their ability to explore and understand deeper concepts.

68. Overemphasis on Standardized Testing

Homework may tilt toward preparing students for standardized tests rather than nurturing comprehensive learning. It’s like rehearsing for a performance without understanding the beauty of the entire play, potentially sidelining holistic education in favor of test-centric preparation.

69. Reduced Opportunities for Skill Diversification

Excessive homework can narrow the scope for students to diversify their skill set. It’s like limiting a garden to only one type of flower, potentially hindering the development of a well-rounded set of abilities.

70. Potential for Learned Helplessness

Continuous struggle with homework may lead to a sense of learned helplessness. It’s like navigating a maze with no exit, potentially diminishing students’ belief in their ability to overcome challenges.

71. Disconnection from Real-World Application

Homework may lack relevance to real-world situations. It’s like studying a map without ever embarking on a journey, potentially leaving students without the practical skills needed beyond the classroom.

72. Reduced Problem-Solving Skills

The pressure to complete assignments may overshadow the development of problem-solving skills. It’s like focusing on the answer without understanding the process, potentially limiting the ability to tackle complex issues.

73. No Emphasis on Lifelong Learning

Homework may fall short of instilling a love for learning that extends beyond formal education. It’s like turning the pages of a book without appreciating the story, potentially leaving students without the motivation for continuous self-improvement.

74. Inadequate Preparation for Future Challenges

Homework might not equip students with the skills needed to face future challenges. It’s like preparing for a storm with only a small umbrella, potentially leaving students ill-equipped to weather the complexities of life.

75. Minimal Emphasis on Metacognition

Homework may not encourage students to reflect on their own learning processes. It’s like driving without ever checking the rearview mirror, potentially missing out on crucial insights that enhance understanding.

Systemic Issues

76. Homework Disparities

Certain groups of students may face disparities in access to resources for completing homework. This can create an uneven playing field, where some students have ample support while others struggle due to a lack of necessary resources.

77. Impact on Socioeconomic Inequality

Homework can exacerbate existing socioeconomic disparities in education. Students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds may face additional challenges in completing assignments, widening the educational gap.

78. Inequitable Access to Technology

The digital nature of some homework may disadvantage students without access to technology. This inequality in access can hinder students’ ability to fully participate in modern educational practices.

79. Teacher Bias in Grading

Homework grading may be influenced by teacher biases, impacting students unfairly. This introduces a subjective element to evaluation that may not accurately reflect a student’s understanding or effort.

80. Lack of Consistency in Homework Policies

Inconsistent homework policies can lead to confusion and stress among students. Clear and uniform guidelines are essential to create a fair and predictable learning environment.

81. Pressure on Teachers to Assign Homework

Teachers may feel compelled to assign homework due to institutional expectations. This pressure can compromise the quality and relevance of assignments, turning them into a checkbox rather than a meaningful learning tool.

82. Limited Training on Homework Strategies

Teachers may lack sufficient training on effective homework strategies. This gap in training can hinder the ability to create assignments that genuinely contribute to student learning.

83. Impact on Teacher Well-Being

The pressure to grade numerous assignments may contribute to teacher burnout. Managing a high volume of homework can strain teachers’ time and energy, impacting their overall well-being.

84. Neglect of Individual Student Needs

Homework may not be tailored to address the specific needs of individual students. A one-size-fits-all approach may leave some students behind, failing to meet them at their unique learning levels.

85. Potential for Academic Tracking

Homework completion may contribute to academic tracking and segregation. This practice may inadvertently pigeonhole students based on their ability to complete assignments rather than fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment.

86. Reinforces Gender Stereotypes

Homework expectations may reinforce traditional gender roles in academics. This can perpetuate stereotypes about who excels in certain subjects, potentially limiting students’ exploration of diverse academic interests.

87. Overemphasis on Compliance

Homework may prioritize compliance over understanding. Focusing solely on completing assignments rather than grasping the material can undermine the true purpose of education.

88. Neglect of Multiple Intelligences

Homework may not cater to various forms of intelligence beyond the academic. Some students may excel in areas not addressed by traditional homework, limiting their ability to shine in diverse talents.

89. Focus on Quantity over Quality in Teacher Evaluations

Teachers may be evaluated based on the quantity of homework assigned rather than its effectiveness. This approach may not accurately reflect a teacher’s impact on student learning and growth.

90. Teacher-Parent Conflicts

Homework may lead to conflicts between teachers and parents regarding its necessity and impact. These conflicts can create a tense environment that is not conducive to collaborative efforts in a child’s education.

91. No Regulation of Homework Load

The absence of regulations governing the maximum allowable homework load can lead to excessive expectations on students, potentially causing stress and hindering their overall well-being. Establishing clear guidelines can ensure a more balanced approach to homework assignments.

92. Overemphasis on Grades in Teacher Evaluations

Judging teachers primarily based on student performance in homework may overlook the broader spectrum of their teaching abilities. Evaluations should consider various factors to provide a more comprehensive understanding of a teacher’s effectiveness.

93. Impact on Parental Involvement

Homework that disproportionately involves parents with time and resources can create an uneven playing field for students. It’s essential to ensure that assignments are designed to be student-centric, promoting independent learning.

94. Potential for Grade Inflation

Using homework completion as a significant factor in grading may contribute to grade inflation. Grading should accurately reflect a student’s understanding rather than emphasizing completion rates.

95. Compromised Teacher-Student Relationship

Excessive emphasis on homework can strain the teacher-student relationship, as it may create an environment where the focus is on assignments rather than meaningful interaction and learning experiences.

96. Pressure on Schools to Conform

External pressure on schools to conform to traditional homework practices may hinder innovative and student-friendly approaches to education. Schools should have the flexibility to adapt their homework policies to better meet the needs of their students.

97. Homework as a Measure of Teacher Effectiveness

Judging teachers based on their ability to assign and manage homework may not accurately reflect their overall effectiveness as educators. Evaluation criteria should encompass a broader range of teaching skills and interactions.

98. Impact on School Reputation

Schools being judged based on the academic performance of students in homework may create an undue focus on metrics rather than fostering a holistic learning environment. Reputation should be built on a comprehensive understanding of the school’s educational commitment.

99. Limited Collaboration Among Teachers

Homework practices that hinder collaboration among teachers may limit the exchange of ideas and best practices. Encouraging collaborative efforts can enhance the overall quality of education.

100. Teacher Workload

The burden of grading numerous homework assignments can contribute to teacher workload issues. Striking a balance between meaningful assignments and manageable workloads is crucial to support teacher well-being.

Also Read:   51+ Interesting 5G Project Ideas For Students: Best Guide Ever

In conclusion, exploring 100 reasons homework is bad sheds light on the multifaceted challenges traditional homework practices pose. The overwhelming consensus is that the negative impacts of homework extend far beyond the potential benefits. From the strain it places on students’ mental well-being to the unequal access to resources, the evidence suggests a need for reevaluation.

The sheer volume of reasons against homework emphasizes the urgency for educators, parents, and policymakers to reconsider its role in the learning process. The adverse effects on family time, mental health, and the development of crucial life skills indicate a misalignment with the goals of a holistic education . The call for more personalized, meaningful, and flexible learning experiences becomes increasingly apparent.

As we navigate the evolving landscape of education, it becomes imperative to adapt teaching methods to suit the diverse needs of students better. Striking a balance between reinforcing learning and nurturing well-rounded individuals is key. By acknowledging these reasons against homework, we pave the way for a more inclusive and effective educational system that prioritizes every student’s overall well-being and success.

100 Reasons Why Homework Is Bad- FAQs 

Q1. are there any positive aspects to homework.

While some argue that homework reinforces learning, critics point out that the negative impacts, as detailed in the 100 reasons, outweigh these potential benefits. The debate continues over whether homework is an effective tool for educational enhancement.

Q2. Are there alternative methods to reinforce learning without homework?

Yes, proponents of progressive education advocate for alternatives such as project-based learning, experiential activities, and in-class discussions. These methods aim to provide a more holistic and effective learning experience without the drawbacks associated with homework.

Q3. Is there a link between homework and academic success?

Research suggests that the correlation between homework and academic success is not always clear-cut, challenging the notion that more homework equates to better academic outcomes.

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School Life Balance , Tips for Online Students

The Pros and Cons of Homework

Updated: December 7, 2023

Published: January 23, 2020

Homework is a word that most students dread hearing. After hours upon hours of sitting in class , the last thing we want is more schoolwork over our precious weekends. While it’s known to be a staple of traditional schooling, homework has also become a rather divise topic. Some feel as though homework is a necessary part of school, while others believe that the time could be better invested. Should students have homework? Have a closer look into the arguments on both sides to decide for yourself.

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Why should students have homework, 1. homework encourages practice.

Many people believe that one of the positive effects of homework is that it encourages the discipline of practice. While it may be time consuming and boring compared to other activities, repetition is needed to get better at skills. Homework helps make concepts more clear, and gives students more opportunities when starting their career .

2. Homework Gets Parents Involved

Homework can be something that gets parents involved in their children’s lives if the environment is a healthy one. A parent helping their child with homework makes them take part in their academic success, and allows for the parent to keep up with what the child is doing in school. It can also be a chance to connect together.

3. Homework Teaches Time Management

Homework is much more than just completing the assigned tasks. Homework can develop time management skills , forcing students to plan their time and make sure that all of their homework assignments are done on time. By learning to manage their time, students also practice their problem-solving skills and independent thinking. One of the positive effects of homework is that it forces decision making and compromises to be made.

4. Homework Opens A Bridge Of Communication

Homework creates a connection between the student, the teacher, the school, and the parents. It allows everyone to get to know each other better, and parents can see where their children are struggling. In the same sense, parents can also see where their children are excelling. Homework in turn can allow for a better, more targeted educational plan for the student.

5. Homework Allows For More Learning Time

Homework allows for more time to complete the learning process. School hours are not always enough time for students to really understand core concepts, and homework can counter the effects of time shortages, benefiting students in the long run, even if they can’t see it in the moment.

6. Homework Reduces Screen Time

Many students in North America spend far too many hours watching TV. If they weren’t in school, these numbers would likely increase even more. Although homework is usually undesired, it encourages better study habits and discourages spending time in front of the TV. Homework can be seen as another extracurricular activity, and many families already invest a lot of time and money in different clubs and lessons to fill up their children’s extra time. Just like extracurricular activities, homework can be fit into one’s schedule.

The Other Side: Why Homework Is Bad

1. homework encourages a sedentary lifestyle.

Should students have homework? Well, that depends on where you stand. There are arguments both for the advantages and the disadvantages of homework.

While classroom time is important, playground time is just as important. If children are given too much homework, they won’t have enough playtime, which can impact their social development and learning. Studies have found that those who get more play get better grades in school , as it can help them pay closer attention in the classroom.

Children are already sitting long hours in the classroom, and homework assignments only add to these hours. Sedentary lifestyles can be dangerous and can cause health problems such as obesity. Homework takes away from time that could be spent investing in physical activity.

2. Homework Isn’t Healthy In Every Home

While many people that think homes are a beneficial environment for children to learn, not all homes provide a healthy environment, and there may be very little investment from parents. Some parents do not provide any kind of support or homework help, and even if they would like to, due to personal barriers, they sometimes cannot. Homework can create friction between children and their parents, which is one of the reasons why homework is bad .

3. Homework Adds To An Already Full-Time Job

School is already a full-time job for students, as they generally spend over 6 hours each day in class. Students also often have extracurricular activities such as sports, music, or art that are just as important as their traditional courses. Adding on extra hours to all of these demands is a lot for children to manage, and prevents students from having extra time to themselves for a variety of creative endeavors. Homework prevents self discovery and having the time to learn new skills outside of the school system. This is one of the main disadvantages of homework.

4. Homework Has Not Been Proven To Provide Results

Endless surveys have found that homework creates a negative attitude towards school, and homework has not been found to be linked to a higher level of academic success.

The positive effects of homework have not been backed up enough. While homework may help some students improve in specific subjects, if they have outside help there is no real proof that homework makes for improvements.

It can be a challenge to really enforce the completion of homework, and students can still get decent grades without doing their homework. Extra school time does not necessarily mean better grades — quality must always come before quantity.

Accurate practice when it comes to homework simply isn’t reliable. Homework could even cause opposite effects if misunderstood, especially since the reliance is placed on the student and their parents — one of the major reasons as to why homework is bad. Many students would rather cheat in class to avoid doing their homework at home, and children often just copy off of each other or from what they read on the internet.

5. Homework Assignments Are Overdone

The general agreement is that students should not be given more than 10 minutes a day per grade level. What this means is that a first grader should be given a maximum of 10 minutes of homework, while a second grader receives 20 minutes, etc. Many students are given a lot more homework than the recommended amount, however.

On average, college students spend as much as 3 hours per night on homework . By giving too much homework, it can increase stress levels and lead to burn out. This in turn provides an opposite effect when it comes to academic success.

The pros and cons of homework are both valid, and it seems as though the question of ‘‘should students have homework?’ is not a simple, straightforward one. Parents and teachers often are found to be clashing heads, while the student is left in the middle without much say.

It’s important to understand all the advantages and disadvantages of homework, taking both perspectives into conversation to find a common ground. At the end of the day, everyone’s goal is the success of the student.

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As the Covid-19 pandemic began and students logged into their remote classrooms, all work, in effect, became homework. But whether or not students could complete it at home varied. For some, schoolwork became public-library work or McDonald’s-parking-lot work.

Luis Torres, the principal of PS 55, a predominantly low-income community elementary school in the south Bronx, told me that his school secured Chromebooks for students early in the pandemic only to learn that some lived in shelters that blocked wifi for security reasons. Others, who lived in housing projects with poor internet reception, did their schoolwork in laundromats.

According to a 2021 Pew survey , 25 percent of lower-income parents said their children, at some point, were unable to complete their schoolwork because they couldn’t access a computer at home; that number for upper-income parents was 2 percent.

The issues with remote learning in March 2020 were new. But they highlighted a divide that had been there all along in another form: homework. And even long after schools have resumed in-person classes, the pandemic’s effects on homework have lingered.

Over the past three years, in response to concerns about equity, schools across the country, including in Sacramento, Los Angeles , San Diego , and Clark County, Nevada , made permanent changes to their homework policies that restricted how much homework could be given and how it could be graded after in-person learning resumed.

Three years into the pandemic, as districts and teachers reckon with Covid-era overhauls of teaching and learning, schools are still reconsidering the purpose and place of homework. Whether relaxing homework expectations helps level the playing field between students or harms them by decreasing rigor is a divisive issue without conclusive evidence on either side, echoing other debates in education like the elimination of standardized test scores from some colleges’ admissions processes.

I first began to wonder if the homework abolition movement made sense after speaking with teachers in some Massachusetts public schools, who argued that rather than help disadvantaged kids, stringent homework restrictions communicated an attitude of low expectations. One, an English teacher, said she felt the school had “just given up” on trying to get the students to do work; another argued that restrictions that prohibit teachers from assigning take-home work that doesn’t begin in class made it difficult to get through the foreign-language curriculum. Teachers in other districts have raised formal concerns about homework abolition’s ability to close gaps among students rather than widening them.

Many education experts share this view. Harris Cooper, a professor emeritus of psychology at Duke who has studied homework efficacy, likened homework abolition to “playing to the lowest common denominator.”

But as I learned after talking to a variety of stakeholders — from homework researchers to policymakers to parents of schoolchildren — whether to abolish homework probably isn’t the right question. More important is what kind of work students are sent home with and where they can complete it. Chances are, if schools think more deeply about giving constructive work, time spent on homework will come down regardless.

There’s no consensus on whether homework works

The rise of the no-homework movement during the Covid-19 pandemic tapped into long-running disagreements over homework’s impact on students. The purpose and effectiveness of homework have been disputed for well over a century. In 1901, for instance, California banned homework for students up to age 15, and limited it for older students, over concerns that it endangered children’s mental and physical health. The newest iteration of the anti-homework argument contends that the current practice punishes students who lack support and rewards those with more resources, reinforcing the “myth of meritocracy.”

But there is still no research consensus on homework’s effectiveness; no one can seem to agree on what the right metrics are. Much of the debate relies on anecdotes, intuition, or speculation.

Researchers disagree even on how much research exists on the value of homework. Kathleen Budge, the co-author of Turning High-Poverty Schools Into High-Performing Schools and a professor at Boise State, told me that homework “has been greatly researched.” Denise Pope, a Stanford lecturer and leader of the education nonprofit Challenge Success, said, “It’s not a highly researched area because of some of the methodological problems.”

Experts who are more sympathetic to take-home assignments generally support the “10-minute rule,” a framework that estimates the ideal amount of homework on any given night by multiplying the student’s grade by 10 minutes. (A ninth grader, for example, would have about 90 minutes of work a night.) Homework proponents argue that while it is difficult to design randomized control studies to test homework’s effectiveness, the vast majority of existing studies show a strong positive correlation between homework and high academic achievement for middle and high school students. Prominent critics of homework argue that these correlational studies are unreliable and point to studies that suggest a neutral or negative effect on student performance. Both agree there is little to no evidence for homework’s effectiveness at an elementary school level, though proponents often argue that it builds constructive habits for the future.

For anyone who remembers homework assignments from both good and bad teachers, this fundamental disagreement might not be surprising. Some homework is pointless and frustrating to complete. Every week during my senior year of high school, I had to analyze a poem for English and decorate it with images found on Google; my most distinct memory from that class is receiving a demoralizing 25-point deduction because I failed to present my analysis on a poster board. Other assignments really do help students learn: After making an adapted version of Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book for a ninth grade history project, I was inspired to check out from the library and read a biography of the Chinese ruler.

For homework opponents, the first example is more likely to resonate. “We’re all familiar with the negative effects of homework: stress, exhaustion, family conflict, less time for other activities, diminished interest in learning,” Alfie Kohn, author of The Homework Myth, which challenges common justifications for homework, told me in an email. “And these effects may be most pronounced among low-income students.” Kohn believes that schools should make permanent any moratoria implemented during the pandemic, arguing that there are no positives at all to outweigh homework’s downsides. Recent studies , he argues , show the benefits may not even materialize during high school.

In the Marlborough Public Schools, a suburban district 45 minutes west of Boston, school policy committee chair Katherine Hennessy described getting kids to complete their homework during remote education as “a challenge, to say the least.” Teachers found that students who spent all day on their computers didn’t want to spend more time online when the day was over. So, for a few months, the school relaxed the usual practice and teachers slashed the quantity of nightly homework.

Online learning made the preexisting divides between students more apparent, she said. Many students, even during normal circumstances, lacked resources to keep them on track and focused on completing take-home assignments. Though Marlborough Schools is more affluent than PS 55, Hennessy said many students had parents whose work schedules left them unable to provide homework help in the evenings. The experience tracked with a common divide in the country between children of different socioeconomic backgrounds.

So in October 2021, months after the homework reduction began, the Marlborough committee made a change to the district’s policy. While teachers could still give homework, the assignments had to begin as classwork. And though teachers could acknowledge homework completion in a student’s participation grade, they couldn’t count homework as its own grading category. “Rigorous learning in the classroom does not mean that that classwork must be assigned every night,” the policy stated . “Extensions of class work is not to be used to teach new content or as a form of punishment.”

Canceling homework might not do anything for the achievement gap

The critiques of homework are valid as far as they go, but at a certain point, arguments against homework can defy the commonsense idea that to retain what they’re learning, students need to practice it.

“Doesn’t a kid become a better reader if he reads more? Doesn’t a kid learn his math facts better if he practices them?” said Cathy Vatterott, an education researcher and professor emeritus at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. After decades of research, she said it’s still hard to isolate the value of homework, but that doesn’t mean it should be abandoned.

Blanket vilification of homework can also conflate the unique challenges facing disadvantaged students as compared to affluent ones, which could have different solutions. “The kids in the low-income schools are being hurt because they’re being graded, unfairly, on time they just don’t have to do this stuff,” Pope told me. “And they’re still being held accountable for turning in assignments, whether they’re meaningful or not.” On the other side, “Palo Alto kids” — students in Silicon Valley’s stereotypically pressure-cooker public schools — “are just bombarded and overloaded and trying to stay above water.”

Merely getting rid of homework doesn’t solve either problem. The United States already has the second-highest disparity among OECD (the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) nations between time spent on homework by students of high and low socioeconomic status — a difference of more than three hours, said Janine Bempechat, clinical professor at Boston University and author of No More Mindless Homework .

When she interviewed teachers in Boston-area schools that had cut homework before the pandemic, Bempechat told me, “What they saw immediately was parents who could afford it immediately enrolled their children in the Russian School of Mathematics,” a math-enrichment program whose tuition ranges from $140 to about $400 a month. Getting rid of homework “does nothing for equity; it increases the opportunity gap between wealthier and less wealthy families,” she said. “That solution troubles me because it’s no solution at all.”

A group of teachers at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia, made the same point after the school district proposed an overhaul of its homework policies, including removing penalties for missing homework deadlines, allowing unlimited retakes, and prohibiting grading of homework.

“Given the emphasis on equity in today’s education systems,” they wrote in a letter to the school board, “we believe that some of the proposed changes will actually have a detrimental impact towards achieving this goal. Families that have means could still provide challenging and engaging academic experiences for their children and will continue to do so, especially if their children are not experiencing expected rigor in the classroom.” At a school where more than a third of students are low-income, the teachers argued, the policies would prompt students “to expect the least of themselves in terms of effort, results, and responsibility.”

Not all homework is created equal

Despite their opposing sides in the homework wars, most of the researchers I spoke to made a lot of the same points. Both Bempechat and Pope were quick to bring up how parents and schools confuse rigor with workload, treating the volume of assignments as a proxy for quality of learning. Bempechat, who is known for defending homework, has written extensively about how plenty of it lacks clear purpose, requires the purchasing of unnecessary supplies, and takes longer than it needs to. Likewise, when Pope instructs graduate-level classes on curriculum, she asks her students to think about the larger purpose they’re trying to achieve with homework: If they can get the job done in the classroom, there’s no point in sending home more work.

At its best, pandemic-era teaching facilitated that last approach. Honolulu-based teacher Christina Torres Cawdery told me that, early in the pandemic, she often had a cohort of kids in her classroom for four hours straight, as her school tried to avoid too much commingling. She couldn’t lecture for four hours, so she gave the students plenty of time to complete independent and project-based work. At the end of most school days, she didn’t feel the need to send them home with more to do.

A similar limited-homework philosophy worked at a public middle school in Chelsea, Massachusetts. A couple of teachers there turned as much class as possible into an opportunity for small-group practice, allowing kids to work on problems that traditionally would be assigned for homework, Jessica Flick, a math coach who leads department meetings at the school, told me. It was inspired by a philosophy pioneered by Simon Fraser University professor Peter Liljedahl, whose influential book Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics reframes homework as “check-your-understanding questions” rather than as compulsory work. Last year, Flick found that the two eighth grade classes whose teachers adopted this strategy performed the best on state tests, and this year, she has encouraged other teachers to implement it.

Teachers know that plenty of homework is tedious and unproductive. Jeannemarie Dawson De Quiroz, who has taught for more than 20 years in low-income Boston and Los Angeles pilot and charter schools, says that in her first years on the job she frequently assigned “drill and kill” tasks and questions that she now feels unfairly stumped students. She said designing good homework wasn’t part of her teaching programs, nor was it meaningfully discussed in professional development. With more experience, she turned as much class time as she could into practice time and limited what she sent home.

“The thing about homework that’s sticky is that not all homework is created equal,” says Jill Harrison Berg, a former teacher and the author of Uprooting Instructional Inequity . “Some homework is a genuine waste of time and requires lots of resources for no good reason. And other homework is really useful.”

Cutting homework has to be part of a larger strategy

The takeaways are clear: Schools can make cuts to homework, but those cuts should be part of a strategy to improve the quality of education for all students. If the point of homework was to provide more practice, districts should think about how students can make it up during class — or offer time during or after school for students to seek help from teachers. If it was to move the curriculum along, it’s worth considering whether strategies like Liljedahl’s can get more done in less time.

Some of the best thinking around effective assignments comes from those most critical of the current practice. Denise Pope proposes that, before assigning homework, teachers should consider whether students understand the purpose of the work and whether they can do it without help. If teachers think it’s something that can’t be done in class, they should be mindful of how much time it should take and the feedback they should provide. It’s questions like these that De Quiroz considered before reducing the volume of work she sent home.

More than a year after the new homework policy began in Marlborough, Hennessy still hears from parents who incorrectly “think homework isn’t happening” despite repeated assurances that kids still can receive work. She thinks part of the reason is that education has changed over the years. “I think what we’re trying to do is establish that homework may be an element of educating students,” she told me. “But it may not be what parents think of as what they grew up with. ... It’s going to need to adapt, per the teaching and the curriculum, and how it’s being delivered in each classroom.”

For the policy to work, faculty, parents, and students will all have to buy into a shared vision of what school ought to look like. The district is working on it — in November, it hosted and uploaded to YouTube a round-table discussion on homework between district administrators — but considering the sustained confusion, the path ahead seems difficult.

When I asked Luis Torres about whether he thought homework serves a useful part in PS 55’s curriculum, he said yes, of course it was — despite the effort and money it takes to keep the school open after hours to help them do it. “The children need the opportunity to practice,” he said. “If you don’t give them opportunities to practice what they learn, they’re going to forget.” But Torres doesn’t care if the work is done at home. The school stays open until around 6 pm on weekdays, even during breaks. Tutors through New York City’s Department of Youth and Community Development programs help kids with work after school so they don’t need to take it with them.

As schools weigh the purpose of homework in an unequal world, it’s tempting to dispose of a practice that presents real, practical problems to students across the country. But getting rid of homework is unlikely to do much good on its own. Before cutting it, it’s worth thinking about what good assignments are meant to do in the first place. It’s crucial that students from all socioeconomic backgrounds tackle complex quantitative problems and hone their reading and writing skills. It’s less important that the work comes home with them.

Jacob Sweet is a freelance writer in Somerville, Massachusetts. He is a frequent contributor to the New Yorker, among other publications.

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Is Homework Good or Bad for Students?

It's mostly good, especially for the sciences, but it also can be bad

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Homework isn't fun for students to do or for teachers to grade, so why do it? Here are some reasons why homework is good and why it's bad.

Why Homework Is Good

Here are 10 reasons why homework is good, especially for the sciences, such as chemistry:

• Doing homework teaches you how to learn on your own and work independently. You'll learn how to use resources such as texts, libraries, and the internet. No matter how well you thought you understood the material in class, there will be times when you'll get stuck doing homework. When you face the challenge, you learn how to get help, how to deal with frustration, and how to persevere.
• Homework helps you learn beyond the scope of the class. Example problems from teachers and textbooks show you how to do an assignment. The acid test is seeing whether you truly understand the material and can do the work on your own. In science classes, homework problems are critically important. You see concepts in a whole new light, so you'll know how equations work in general, not just how they work for a particular example. In chemistry, physics, and math, homework is truly important and not just busywork.
• It shows you what the teacher thinks is important to learn, so you'll have a better idea of what to expect on a quiz or test .
• It's often a significant part of your grade . If you don't do it, it could cost you , no matter how well you do on exams.
• Homework is a good opportunity to connect parents, classmates, and siblings with your education. The better your support network, the more likely you are to succeed in class.
• Homework, however tedious it might be, teaches responsibility and accountability. For some classes, homework is an essential part of learning the subject matter.
• Homework nips procrastination in the bud. One reason teachers give homework and attach a big part of your grade to it is to motivate you to keep up. If you fall behind, you could fail.
• How will you get all your work done before class? Homework teaches you time management and how to prioritize tasks.
• Homework reinforces the concepts taught in class. The more you work with them, the more likely you are to learn them. 
• Homework can help boost self-esteem . Or, if it's not going well, it helps you identify problems before they get out of control.

Sometimes Homework Is Bad

So, homework is good because it can boost your grades , help you learn the material, and prepare you for tests. It's not always beneficial, however. Sometimes homework hurts more than it helps. Here are five ways homework can be bad:

• You need a break from a subject so you don't burn out or lose interest. Taking a break helps you learn.
• Too much homework can lead to copying and cheating.
• Homework that is pointless busywork can lead to a negative impression of a subject (not to mention a teacher).
• It takes time away from families, friends, jobs, and other ways to spend your time.
• Homework can hurt your grades. It forces you to make time management decisions, sometimes putting you in a no-win situation. Do you take the time to do the homework or spend it studying concepts or doing work for another subject? If you don't have the time for the homework, you could hurt your grades even if you ace the tests and understand the subject.
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Why Homework Is Bad For Your Child.

Why Homework Is Bad For Your Child?

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1. Can stress the child

Extra assignments given to children, particularly younger school going children, can lead to unhealthy levels of stress, according to research. If bombarded with countless lessons at school and at home, students may feel stress and anxiety should they fail to complete the assignment on time. Students need to learn in a classroom setting, but they should also be able to spend some time exploring other things outside of the classroom.

Health Issues Consequences Many students wrote that homework causes them to sleep less than they should and leads to “headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss and stomach problems” as well as a lack of balance in their lives.

Most experienced distress and/or lacked time to engage in important life tasks outside of school. The majority (72%) reported being often or always stressed over schoolwork …and many reported that they experienced physical symptoms due to stress (82% reported experiencing at least one physical symptom in the past month, with 44% of the sample experiencing three or more symptoms). Overall, students reported getting less sleep than the National Sleep Foundation’s (2000) recommended 8.5 to 9.25 hours per night for healthy adolescent development. On average, students in our sample reported 6.80 hours of sleep on school nights … and 68% stated that schoolwork often or always kept them from getting enough sleep each night. Many (63%) reported that the amount of work they received often or always made it challenging to spend time with family and friends, and a similar percent (61%) indicated that they had been forced to drop an activity they enjoyed because of their school workload.

2. Can be a burden

The second reason that student should not be given homework is that they require time to rest and take their minds off school work. With all the activities in school, students, particularly those in the kindergarten, are already weary when they get home. They have spent the day solving difficult math problems, reading several chapters and memorizing long lines in school. So, bombarding them with homework will make them feel burnt out.

3. Counterproductive

Rather than improving educational achievement, heavy homework load can negatively affect the performance of students. The stress of having to complete homework every other night can affect the student’s performance is school. Students need to learn things in a classroom environment, but they also need to be able to spend time exploring other activities outside of school, spend time with friends, go on family vacation, to name a few.

4. Less important

While teachers do their best to give children homework that will engage their child, it’s hard to see the value in the work kids take home. This is because some parents or tutors are the ones doing these assignments. This means that the benefits of homework tasks as the learning tool are entirely lost. The excessive amount of homework may also mean that the child is not able to commit as much time to every task as he should.

5. Consume free time

As stated earlier, children need time to spend with their family, catch up with friends and attend extracurricular activities so they can refresh their minds and bodies. Sadly, homework eats up the time children have to do all these. For older students, school work might also compete with both part-time and casual work, making it difficult for them to strike a balance between school and work.

There you have it, five reasons why homework is bad for your child. Several studies have found that homework negatively affects the life of school children in many ways. Free-time plays a major role in fostering creativity and emotional development — factors as important to long-term success as education itself.

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