While some proponents of homework believe in its purpose, a question still persists about the role of homework in determining the student’s grade. Should homework be assigned and graded on a regular basis, or should it be viewed as an educational means to an end? As a means to an end, should one centralized school or district policy govern homework, or should some flexibility exist?
Education consultant Ken O’Connor (1999) suggests eight guidelines for successful assessment, which includes a directive to not mark every single assignment for grades, but rather take a sampling of student efforts in order to assess how much they have learned. His approach pushes for a more standards based approach in determining grades, combining formative assessment to track students’ grasp of lesson concepts as they learn, enabling adjustment of teaching practice on-the-fly, and summative assessment in the form of a test or quiz, which measures the level of student knowledge and understanding after the learning process. This is also a valuable tool for the teacher, as they may be better able to gauge the efficacy of their lessons and unit.In a study conducted by Hill, Spencer, Alston and Fitzgerald (1986), homework was positively linked to student achievement. They indicate that homework is an inexpensive method of improving student academic preparation without increasing staff or modifying curriculum. “So, as the pressure to improve test scores continues to increase, so does the emphasis on homework” (p. 58). 142 school systems in North Carolina were contacted.
Of the initial 142 schools, 96 responded, and were sent three-part questionnaires seeking information about the existence, scope, development and evaluation of homework policies in their schools. The researchers cite several general conclusions based on their findings, including the importance, and apparent lack, of homework policies in existence. Despite the pervasive nature of homework in every participating school, only 50% of the schools indicated the existence of a written homework policy.
Amongst the policies reported by the other half of the participating schools, most of the policies specified the type or quality of homework to be assigned, and allowed some flexibility in the assignment and evaluation of homework. The authors indicated:
. (Hill, Spencer, et. al, 1986, p. 68)
Homework is seen as a valuable resource for teaching, allowing students to practice, and in doing so, learn the unit material. This study documented the importance of flexibility in the assignment and evaluation of quality homework assignments, but also the alarming lack of a written homework policy in 50% of the participating schools.
It can be drawn from this study that some type of homework policy is necessary, as is the assignment of higher cognitive types of homework and the flexible assessment and grading of that work in order to foster and track student learning.
Cauley and McMillan (2009) define formative assessment as, “A process through which assessment-elicited evidence of student learning is gathered and instruction is modified in response to feedback” (p. 1). The authors suggest the use of feedback in the process, but suggest a steering away from performance-goal oriented extrinsic motivators such as grades. Emphasis on performance and grades during the formative process can be detrimental to eventual student achievement because it might shift student focus away from their goal of mastery of course material to concern over the way their abilities might be judged by their peers (Cauley & McMillan, 2009, p. 3).
Constructive feedback throughout this process maintains the focus on mastery goals created at the outset, and provides the student with the support necessary to make connections between new learning and prior knowledge. Homework, ongoing formative assessment, and feedback are all considered to be part of the instruction process. Grading and recording the work completed throughout this time would not accurately create a record of the student’s level of understanding and knowledge because they are still in the process of learning the material.
McMillan, Myran and Workman (2002) conducted a study of over 900 teachers in order to investigate the assessment and grading practices in practice. The authors used surveys returned by a sample of 901 participating teachers of grades 3-5, representing a total population of 1,561 teachers of those grade levels from 124 schools near Richmond, Virginia.
The surveys featured a 6-point scale for participants to rate the emphasis they placed on different assessment and grading practices, with 1 being and 6 representing The findings revealed relatively low emphasis on homework grades, but also a positive correlation between the importance of homework and increasing grade levels. The authors state that:
. (McMillan, Myran, & Workman, 2002, p. 209)
This study documents the importance of homework in the construction of knowledge, but also identifies the fact that there was little emphasis placed on the grades for that work. The majority of the assessment for the students was derived from test and quiz scores, or other forms of summative assessment.
O’Connor (1999) begins his list of eight guidelines for successful assessment with the indication that the only acceptable basis for student grades is their own individual achievement. He goes on to specify that grades recorded must measure the student’s achievement of the learning goals established at the outset of the unit. This suggestion is aligned with the information provided by Cauley and McMillan (2009), which emphasizes the importance of setting mastery goals prior to the instruction process.
They also convey the idea that feedback, and not grades, should be used during the learning process, as formative assessment takes place. The true measurement of what the student has learned comes at the end of that learning process, in the form of a summative assessment, which McTighe and O’Connor (2005) suggest also be used at the outset of the unit to establish realistic performance goals:
. (McTighe and O’Connor, 2005, p. 2)
Waiting until the end of a unit, however, to measure student learning is a mistake, since the time for instruction and learning of that material has ended. It is in the course of the instruction and learning process that McTighe and O’Connor also place importance on the formative assessment process.
Homework is a form of formative assessment, along with draft work, ungraded quizzes and other exercises used with the intent of guiding and instructing the student to promote higher-level cognitive connections. Placing little or no emphasis on grades on those types of exercises and activities allows for focus on the mastery goal, and keeps feedback constructive. “Although teachers may record the results of formative assessments, we shouldn’t factor these results into summative evaluation and grading” (McTighe & O’Connor, 2005, p. 1).
This philosophy could be seen in the low levels of emphasis placed on homework grades in the study by McMillan, Myran, and Workman. Effort, ability, and improvement remained important factors in that study, and McTighe and O’Connor echo that idea in their discussion of replacing old student achievements with new ones. They take into consideration, the varying learning curves of different students, and their progress toward goals set at the beginning of the unit. A student will likely have a greater mastery over the unit material at the end of instruction, than at the outset of instruction.
That point, at the end of instruction is the appropriate time to measure what the student has learned, allowing improvements to replace previous difficulties or failures. McTighe and O’Conner (2005) note, “Allowing new evidence to replace old conveys an important message to students – that teachers care about their successful learning, not merely their grades” (p. 6).
The material reviewed has established the importance of the existence of a flexible, written homework policy on a school or district level. Mr. O’Connor presents a total package, in this respect, to schools and districts that are seeking to establish a policy, or re-evaluate their current one. Following my research and analysis of the relationships between the literature, and Mr. O’Connor’s work, questions still remains unanswered, possibly to be addressed in further study: Will students be motivated to complete homework and/or classroom activities that they know will not be graded?
If there were a problem with student motivation in this respect, what would the impact be on achievement in a setting where the same, or similar type of policy is in place? If a teacher wishes to use homework for the purposes of ungraded formative assessment, they must be certain that the work is truly that of the learner him or herself, with no outside assistance coming from family members or tutors they might see outside of school. This is a major problem related to the use of homework in this way, as homework results may not truly be indicative of the student’s acquired knowledge.
Cauley, K., McMillan, J. (2009). Formative assessment techniques to support student motivation and achievement. Retrieved from Professional Development Collection.
Good, T., Brophy, J. (2003). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Hill, S., Spencer, S., Alston, R., Fitzgerald, J. (1986). Homework policies in the schools. . Retrieved from Professional Development Collection database: .
McMillan, J., Myran, S., Workman, D. (2002). Elementary teachers' classroom assessment and grading practices. . Retrieved from Professional Development Collection database: .
McTighe, J., O’Connor, K. (2005). Seven practices for effective learning.
O'Connor, K. (1999). Arlington Heights: .
Retrieved from Professional Development Collection.Good, T., Brophy, J. (2003). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Hill, S., Spencer, S., Alston, R., Fitzgerald, J. (1986). Homework policies in the schools. . Retrieved from Professional Development Collection database: .
McMillan, J., Myran, S., Workman, D. (2002). Elementary teachers' classroom assessment and grading practices. . Retrieved from Professional Development Collection database: .
McTighe, J., O’Connor, K. (2005). Seven practices for effective learning.
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Carbone II, S. A. (2009). "The Value of Homework: Is Homework an Important Tool for Learning in the Classroom?" , (12). Retrieved from
Carbone II, Steven A. "The Value of Homework: Is Homework an Important Tool for Learning in the Classroom?" 1.12 (2009). < >
Carbone II, Steven A. 2009. The Value of Homework: Is Homework an Important Tool for Learning in the Classroom? 1 (12),
CARBONE II, S. A. 2009. The Value of Homework: Is Homework an Important Tool for Learning in the Classroom? [Online], 1. Available:
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Fed up with the tension over homework, some schools are opting out altogether.
No-homework policies are popping up all over, including schools in the U.S., where the shift to the Common Core curriculum is prompting educators to rethink how students spend their time.
“Homework really is a black hole,” said Etta Kralovec, an associate professor of teacher education at the University of Arizona South and co-author of “The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning.”
“I think teachers are going to be increasingly interested in having total control over student learning during the class day and not relying on homework as any kind of activity that’s going to support student learning.”
College de Saint-Ambroise, an elementary school in Quebec, is the latest school to ban homework, announcing this week that it would try the new policy for a year. The decision came after officials found that it was “becoming more and more difficult” for children to devote time to all the assignments they were bringing home, Marie-Ève Desrosiers, a spokeswoman with the Jonquière School Board, told the CBC .
Kralovec called the ban on homework a movement, though she estimated just a small handful of schools in the U.S. have such policies.
Gaithersburg Elementary School in Rockville, Maryland, is one of them, eliminating the traditional concept of homework in 2012. The policy is still in place and working fine, Principal Stephanie Brant told TODAY Parents. The school simply asks that students read 30 minutes each night.
“We felt like with the shift to the Common Core curriculum, and our knowledge of how our students need to think differently… we wanted their time to be spent in meaningful ways,” Brant said.
“We’re constantly asking parents for feedback… and everyone’s really happy with it so far. But it’s really a culture shift.”
It was a decision that was best for her community, Brant said, adding that she often gets phone calls from other principals inquiring how it’s working out.
The VanDamme Academy, a private K-8 school in Aliso Viejo, California, has a similar policy , calling homework “largely pointless.”
The Buffalo Academy of Scholars, a private school in Buffalo, New York, touts that it has called “a truce in the homework battle” and promises that families can “enjoy stress-free, homework-free evenings and more quality time together at home.”
Some schools have taken yet another approach. At Ridgewood High School in Norridge, Illinois, teachers do assign homework but it doesn’t count towards a student’s final grade.
Many schools in the U.S. have toyed with the idea of opting out of homework, but end up changing nothing because it is such a contentious issue among parents, Kralovec noted.
“There’s a huge philosophical divide between parents who want their kids to be very scheduled, very driven, and very ambitiously focused at school -- those parents want their kids to do homework,” she said.
“And then there are the parents who want a more child-centered life with their kids, who want their kids to be able to explore different aspects of themselves, who think their kids should have free time.”
So what’s the right amount of time to spend on homework?
National PTA spokeswoman Heidi May pointed to the organization’s “ 10 minute rule ,” which recommends kids spend about 10 minutes on homework per night for every year they’re in school. That would mean 10 minutes for a first-grader and an hour for a child in the sixth grade.
But many parents say their kids must spend much longer on their assignments. Last year, a New York dad tried to do his eight-grader’s homework for a week and it took him at least three hours on most nights.
More than 80 percent of respondents in a TODAY.com poll complained kids have too much homework. For homework critics like Kralovec, who said research shows homework has little value at the elementary and middle school level, the issue is simple.
“Kids are at school 7 or 8 hours a day, that’s a full working day and why should they have to take work home?” she asked.
Follow A. Pawlowski on Google+ and Twitter .
Pop culture.
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.
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.
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'
A teacher in Texas gained national attention — and sparked debate — when she invoked a no-homework policy for her second-grade students.
Brandy Young, who's been teaching for 8 years, told INSIDER that she handed out flyers detailing her new policy at a "Meet the Teacher" night at Godley Elementary School in Godley, Texas. Here's what it said:
"After much research this summer, I am trying something new. Homework will only consist of work that your student did not finish during the school day. There will be no formally assigned homework this year. Research has been unable to prove that homework improves student performance. Rather, I ask that you spend your evenings doing things that are proven to correlate with student success. Eat dinner as a family, read together, play outside, and get your child to bed early."
The policy went viral when a parent posted a photo of the flyer on Facebook. So far it's been shared more than 70,000 times.
Most parents seem to agree with Young's decision — there's an outpouring of supportive comments on Facebook.
But others aren't so sure. " This seems to be the lazy extreme," one commenter wrote. "I s that how we want to prepare kids for college and then real life?" asked another.
But what does an education expert say?
David Bloomfield, education professor at Brooklyn College and the City University of New York graduate center, told INSIDER that Young's judgment is sound.
"The lasting educational value of homework at that age is not proven," he said.
Here's the example he offered:
"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."
In other words: Why assign something as homework when it can be done just as effectively in the classroom?
That question becomes even more important when we consider that homework often takes away from other important activities.
"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," he said.
The situation is slightly more complicated when it comes to older students, Bloomfield explained. Certain constructive assignments — like lengthy essays — aren't a great use of instructional, in-class time, so they're better off as homework.
But when it comes to second-graders like Mrs. Young's, a relaxed homework policy is right in line with the research.
Young told INSIDER that both school administrators and parents are excited about the new policy.
"Traditions can be great, but it's always good to periodically step back and ask 'why are we doing this?'" she said. "And if there is no good answer or benefit to what you're doing, then someone has to voice that."
Follow INSIDER on Facebook .
The impact of no homework policy: a comprehensive analysis.
Table of Contents
The No Homework Policy, a revolutionary concept in the education sector, has been a subject of intense debate among educators, parents, and students alike. This policy, which aims to eliminate or significantly reduce homework, has been met with both applause and criticism. This article delves into the impact of the No Homework Policy, drawing from personal experiences of teachers and students who have been significantly affected by it.
Historically, homework has been viewed as an essential tool for reinforcing what students learn during the school day, preparing for upcoming lessons, and providing parents with a window into their children’s academic progress. However, critics argue that homework often leads to stress and burnout, infringes on students’ personal time, and exacerbates social inequalities.
From a student’s perspective, the No Homework Policy has had a profound impact. Many students have reported feeling less stressed and more able to balance their academic responsibilities with extracurricular activities and family time. However, some students feel that the policy has made it more difficult for them to retain information and fully understand the material taught in class.
Teachers, too, have had mixed reactions to the No Homework Policy. Some teachers feel that the policy allows them to focus more on in-class instruction and less on grading homework. However, others worry that without homework, students may not be getting enough practice with new concepts.
Research has shown that homework can play a significant role in reinforcing the concepts taught in class. However, excessive homework can lead to burnout and stress, negatively impacting a student’s ability to learn and retain information. The No Homework Policy aims to strike a balance, reducing the burden of homework while ensuring that students still have opportunities to practice and reinforce what they’ve learned.
One of the significant benefits of the No Homework Policy is the potential for increased family time. With less homework to complete, students have more time to spend with their families, engage in hobbies, and simply relax and recharge. This can lead to improved mental health and overall well-being for students.
Educators have also experienced a variety of reactions to the No Homework Policy. For some, the policy has allowed them to shift their focus towards more in-depth in-class instruction, reducing the time spent on grading homework. However, there are concerns among others that the absence of homework may limit students’ opportunities to practice new concepts.
The No Homework Policy has also left its mark on the broader educational landscape. It has challenged conventional norms and prompted educators to reconsider their teaching methodologies. While some educational institutions have welcomed the policy, others have shown resistance, resulting in a diverse array of practices across different schools and districts.
The No Homework Policy has also affected the relationships between parents and teachers. With less homework to monitor, parents may feel less involved in their child’s education. On the other hand, some parents have welcomed the policy, appreciating the reduced stress and increased family time it provides.
The debate around the No Homework Policy’s influence on student success is ongoing. Some studies indicate that homework can boost academic outcomes, particularly for older students. Conversely, other research highlights that an overabundance of homework can lead to student burnout and disengagement, potentially negatively affecting academic success in the long term.
In wrapping up, the No Homework Policy is a complex issue with a broad range of implications. It’s evident that this policy has instigated significant changes in the experiences of both educators and learners. As we continue to navigate this conversation, it’s crucial to consider these personal experiences and aim for a balanced approach that encourages learning while also prioritizing the wellbeing of students and teachers.
As we cast our gaze towards the future of education, it’s important to continually assess the effects of the No Homework Policy. As an increasing number of schools adopt this policy, we’ll gain a more comprehensive understanding of its impact on students, teachers, and the educational landscape as a whole. It’s also key to explore other strategies that can offer the benefits of homework, such as practice and reinforcement of learning, without leading to undue stress and burnout.
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Social media has sparked into life about whether children should be given homework - should students be freed from this daily chore? Dr Gerald Letendre, a professor of education at Pennsylvania State University, investigates.
We’ve all done it: pretended to leave an essay at home, or stayed up until 2am to finish a piece of coursework we’ve been ignoring for weeks. Homework, for some people, is seen as a chore that’s ‘wrecking kids’ or ‘killing parents’, while others think it is an essential part of a well-rounded education. The problem is far from new: public debates about homework have been raging since at least the early-1900s, and recently spilled over into a Twitter feud between Gary Lineker and Piers Morgan.
Ironically, the conversation surrounding homework often ignores the scientific ‘homework’ that researchers have carried out. Many detailed studies have been conducted, and can guide parents, teachers and administrators to make sensible decisions about how much work should be completed by students outside of the classroom.
So why does homework stir up such strong emotions? One reason is that, by its very nature, it is an intrusion of schoolwork into family life. I carried out a study in 2005, and found that the amount of time that children and adolescents spend in school, from nursery right up to the end of compulsory education, has greatly increased over the last century . This means that more of a child’s time is taken up with education, so family time is reduced. This increases pressure on the boundary between the family and the school.
Plus, the amount of homework that students receive appears to be increasing, especially in the early years when parents are keen for their children to play with friends and spend time with the family.
Finally, success in school has become increasingly important to success in life. Parents can use homework to promote, or exercise control over, their child’s academic trajectory, and hopefully ensure their future educational success. But this often leaves parents conflicted – they want their children to be successful in school, but they don’t want them to be stressed or upset because of an unmanageable workload.
However, the issue isn’t simply down to the opinions of parents, children and their teachers – governments also like to get involved. In the autumn of 2012, French president François Hollande hit world headlines after making a comment about banning homework, ostensibly because it promoted inequality. The Chinese government has also toyed with a ban, because of concerns about excessive academic pressure being put on children.
The problem is, some politicians and national administrators regard regulatory policy in education as a solution for a wide array of social, economic and political issues, perhaps without considering the consequences for students and parents.
Homework seems to generally have a positive effect for high school students, according to an extensive range of empirical literature. For example, Duke University’s Prof Harris Cooper carried out a meta-analysis using data from US schools, covering a period from 1987 to 2003. He found that homework offered a general beneficial impact on test scores and improvements in attitude, with a greater effect seen in older students. But dig deeper into the issue and a complex set of factors quickly emerges, related to how much homework students do, and exactly how they feel about it.
In 2009, Prof Ulrich Trautwein and his team at the University of Tübingen found that in order to establish whether homework is having any effect, researchers must take into account the differences both between and within classes . For example, a teacher may assign a good deal of homework to a lower-level class, producing an association between more homework and lower levels of achievement. Yet, within the same class, individual students may vary significantly in how much homework improves their baseline performance. Plus, there is the fact that some students are simply more efficient at completing their homework than others, and it becomes quite difficult to pinpoint just what type of homework, and how much of it, will affect overall academic performance.
Over the last century, the amount of time that children and adolescents spend in school has greatly increased
Gender is also a major factor. For example, a study of US high school students carried out by Prof Gary Natriello in the 1980s revealed that girls devote more time to homework than boys, while a follow-up study found that US girls tend to spend more time on mathematics homework than boys. Another study, this time of African-American students in the US, found that eighth grade (ages 13-14) girls were more likely to successfully manage both their tasks and emotions around schoolwork, and were more likely to finish homework.
So why do girls seem to respond more positively to homework? One possible answer proposed by Eunsook Hong of the University of Nevada in 2011 is that teachers tend to rate girls’ habits and attitudes towards work more favourably than boys’. This perception could potentially set up a positive feedback loop between teacher expectations and the children’s capacity for academic work based on gender, resulting in girls outperforming boys. All of this makes it particularly difficult to determine the extent to which homework is helping, though it is clear that simply increasing the time spent on assignments does not directly correspond to a universal increase in learning.
The lack of empirical data supporting homework in the early years of education, along with an emerging trend to assign more work to this age range, appears to be fuelling parental concerns about potential negative effects. But, aside from anecdotes of increased tension in the household, is there any evidence of this? Can doing too much homework actually damage children?
Evidence suggests extreme amounts of homework can indeed have serious effects on students’ health and well-being. A Chinese study carried out in 2010 found a link between excessive homework and sleep disruption: children who had less homework had better routines and more stable sleep schedules. A Canadian study carried out in 2015 by Isabelle Michaud found that high levels of homework were associated with a greater risk of obesity among boys, if they were already feeling stressed about school in general.
For useful revision guides and video clips to assist with learning, visit BBC Bitesize . This is a free online study resource for UK students from early years up to GCSEs and Scottish Highers.
It is also worth noting that too much homework can create negative effects that may undermine any positives. These negative consequences may not only affect the child, but also could also pile on the stress for the whole family, according to a recent study by Robert Pressman of the New England Centre for Pediatric Psychology. Parents were particularly affected when their perception of their own capacity to assist their children decreased.
What then, is the tipping point, and when does homework simply become too much for parents and children? Guidelines typically suggest that children in the first grade (six years old) should have no more that 10 minutes per night, and that this amount should increase by 10 minutes per school year. However, cultural norms may greatly affect what constitutes too much.
A study of children aged between 8 and 10 in Quebec defined high levels of homework as more than 30 minutes a night, but a study in China of children aged 5 to 11 deemed that two or more hours per night was excessive. It is therefore difficult to create a clear standard for what constitutes as too much homework, because cultural differences, school-related stress, and negative emotions within the family all appear to interact with how homework affects children.
In my opinion, even though there are potential risks of negative effects, homework should not be banned. Small amounts, assigned with specific learning goals in mind and with proper parental support, can help to improve students’ performance. While some studies have generally found little evidence that homework has a positive effect on young children overall, a 2008 study by Norwegian researcher Marte Rønning found that even some very young children do receive some benefit. So simply banning homework would mean that any particularly gifted or motivated pupils would not be able to benefit from increased study. However, at the earliest ages, very little homework should be assigned. The decisions about how much and what type are best left to teachers and parents.
As a parent, it is important to clarify what goals your child’s teacher has for homework assignments. Teachers can assign work for different reasons – as an academic drill to foster better study habits, and unfortunately, as a punishment. The goals for each assignment should be made clear, and should encourage positive engagement with academic routines.
Parents should inform the teachers of how long the homework is taking, as teachers often incorrectly estimate the amount of time needed to complete an assignment, and how it is affecting household routines. For young children, positive teacher support and feedback is critical in establishing a student’s positive perception of homework and other academic routines. Teachers and parents need to be vigilant and ensure that homework routines do not start to generate patterns of negative interaction that erode students’ motivation.
Likewise, any positive effects of homework are dependent on several complex interactive factors, including the child’s personal motivation, the type of assignment, parental support and teacher goals. Creating an overarching policy to address every single situation is not realistic, and so homework policies tend to be fixated on the time the homework takes to complete. But rather than focusing on this, everyone would be better off if schools worked on fostering stronger communication between parents, teachers and students, allowing them to respond more sensitively to the child’s emotional and academic needs.
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Does your school have a homework policy? How does your school ensure that teachers don’t overload students with busy work?
The real question we should be asking is, "What do we believe should happen after the end of the school day to help ensure that students retain what they have learned and are primed to learn more?" Any answer with the word, "work" in its name, as in "homework," is not typically going to be met with eagerness or enthusiasm by students.
Ideally, we want children to understand that they are always learners. In school, we refer to them as "students" but outside of school, as children, they are still learners. So it makes no sense to even advertise a "no homework" policy in a school. It sends the wrong message. The policy should be, "No time-wasting, rote, repetitive tasks will be assigned that lack clear instructional or learning purposes."
A realistic homework strategy should be a key topic of back-to-school night and the first parent-teacher conferences of the school year. But it should also reflect a considered school policy and not simply be up to each individual teacher to carry out according to his or own theory of student learning. Another advantage of this approach is to ensure that individual children are not inadvertently overloaded with demands from teachers who may not know what other teachers are asking of the same student. This is a particular concern in secondary schools.
Children should be encouraged to read, write, perform arithmetic, better understand the world around them in terms of civics, science, and the arts, and, of course, develop their people skills -- their emotional intelligence. This encouragement should be part of everyday family interactions outside of school, and the school should provide developmental guidance to all parents, in the appropriate languages, to help them do this. For some children, specialized guidance will be needed, and this, too, should be provided proactively to parents.
Some parents will select focused programs or after-school experiences to help foster their children's learning in one or more of the aforementioned areas. To promote equity within and across schools, communities should think about how to make these kinds of experiences available to all children in high-quality ways -- without undue or unrealistic expense to families.
Of course, some teachers will have specific, creative ideas about how learning can be enhanced at home, in the context of particular units of study in school. Maybe what we need is a new word for all this. Instead of "homework," how about "continued learning" or "ongoing growth activities?"
Finally, students' learning would be greatly enhanced by schools taking a clear stance about supporting good parenting. My colleague Yoni Schwab and I have written about the importance of parents focusing on parenting as a priority, and secondarily working on assisting schools with educational issues (Elias, M. J., and Schwab, Y., 2004).
Aspects of good parenting that could be encouraged by schools include workshops, family nights, and discussion series on ways to promote:
Elias, M. J., and Schwab, Y. (2004). What About Parental Involvement in Parenting? The Case for Home-Focused School-Parent Partnerships. Education Week, 24 (8), 39,41.
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PASIG CITY, August 28, 2019 – With its issuance of the “Guidelines on Giving Homework or Assignment to All Public Elementary School Pupils,” otherwise known as DepEd Memorandum No. 392, series 2010, the Department of Education (DepEd) reiterates its commitment to the holistic development of learners inside and outside the classroom.
The said issuance aims to enable learners to have more quality time with their parents, family, and friends by limiting the homework/assignment to a reasonable quantity on school days and by eliminating the same during weekends.
It is in this regard that the Department supports the no-homework policy proposed by legislators from the House of Representatives. By ensuring that they complete all assignments and projects in school, the no-homework policy enables our learners to find balance between their academic development and personal growth by having ample time for enjoyable activities with family.
The Department will further study the other provisions of the bills to determine the repercussions on the current teaching and learning process.
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By Erin Gohl and Kristen Thorson
This is part two of a two-part series. See part one here .
Homework Could Be: A Way for Schools to Communicate with Families
Homework is a window into the student’s day in the classroom. It reveals what teachers feel is most important for students to understand. Sending home worksheets (or assigning digital versions) night after night that ask students to solve problems using rote skills without an opportunity to extend and apply that learning reveals a focus on product over process . In contrast, asking students to work with a family partner to write a television commercial about a machine that solves that same type of math problem, with a requirement that the problem is solved and explained within the commercial, reveals a focus on the learning process and family engagement.
Family engaged homework is also a way for the school to share its vision and expectations with families. Schools that send home activities inviting families into the learning process convey that they see value in collaborating with each student’s entire team of support, both at school and at home. Parents and caregivers oftentimes bring a different expertise in motivating and engaging their own children. Welcoming this expertise into the learning process on a regular basis provides additional information and observations on what issues might be creating challenges, and what supports might help the student succeed. This invitation results in the development of positive, trusting relationships between schools and families.
As families complete their family engaged homework, students bring stories and examples from home into the classroom allowing this type of homework to begin a cycle of positive and purposeful communication. This cycle strengthens the foundation for meaningful school-home relationships.
Homework Could Be: A Way to Connect Parents and Students
Encouraging parents and caregivers to actively engage with their children in the learning process–rather than simply overseeing completion–puts parents in the driver’s seat of their child’s educational development. Instead of providing ancillary support for completion, parents play an active and primary role in these kinds of activities.
This kind of homework allows lessons from school to be adapted to a student’s home life and background. It values the culture and experiences that each family can contribute to a child’s education. When students are learning about the point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of literature, teachers can invite families to share stories from their childhood. This type of learning allows children to see value in their families’ particular backgrounds, experiences, and skill sets.
Family engaged homework can also provide a model for parents on how to work with students at different ages. When teachers send home conversation starters connected to one book, parents can borrow that same language and adapt it for books they have at home. This is especially helpful for older students as parents can sometimes feel unsure about how to approach learning at home. Teacher guidance on how to engage in talking about and sharing an assigned text with independent readers can give parents tools for how to do so beyond a particular homework lesson.
There are a number of different shapes that family-engaged homework can take, and they often vary across grade leves.
Primary teachers, when students are working on comparing and contrasting texts on the same topic, can send a quick email to their students’ parents, and ask them to embark on a treasure hunt with their child in search of things that are similar, but not the same, and give them some sentence starters so they know where to begin the learning conversation. The next day, students can share about the items they found. Use the language from their conversations as a foundation for comparing and contrasting texts.
Intermediate teachers, when students are working with decimals, can have them work with a family partner to write about something that happened that week. (My mom had $20.00. She went to the store to purchase milk and bread. Her total bill was $3.62. How much money is left?) Then, students can solve each other’s math problems the next day.
For middle school teachers, when students are analyzing interactions between people and ideas in an informational text is an opportunity to encourage them to interview a family partner about a memorable life event and the various factors that influenced that event. They might brainstorm questions with peers in class before heading home. Then, students can use their families’ stories to better understand their reading.
High school teachers, when students are writing argumentative essays and working on developing claims and counterclaims, can have students choose a topic on which they disagree with someone in their family (e.g., their curfew, rules about cell phone use), then have them debate the issue with the person at home. Then, when they come to school, have them write an essay explaining their claims and the counterclaims for their argument.
As parents, we all want to help our children to be successful. We want to encourage a love of learning. We want our time with them to be worthwhile, constructive, and enjoyable. Unfortunately, though well-intended, traditional homework all too often has the opposite effect.
Family engaged homework, on the other hand, has the potential to create meaningful experiences, conversations, and memories for the entire family. Students benefit from active learning experiences, and engaging families is a powerful way to communicate the importance of ongoing, lifelong learning. This collaborative approach to homework values families and the powerful part they play in their child’s education. It empowers families to play a leading role in student learning. The family engaged homework approach is beneficial for all students, and it serves a special purpose for those whom traditional homework does not reach.
Each learning experience that engages families works to positively impact student success. Family engaged homework has the rigor and relevance of learning made continuous between home and school, while allowing each environment to support the student in a manner that best fits them. By reimagining homework, teachers have the potential to design purposeful experiences that transcend the walls of a classroom and build a solid foundation for learning. Hopefully, with these shifts, homework can feel like an opportunity for students and families rather than a nightly sentence of tension and struggle. This alternative response to the homework dilemma might just end up changing the question.
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Examining these arguments offers important perspectives on the wider educational and developmental consequences of homework practices. 1. Elevated Stress and Health Consequences. According to Gitnux, U.S. high school students who have over 20 hours of homework per week are 27% more likely to encounter health issues.
The teacher decides the amount of homework to be given and should do so based on the classroom's and school's needs. After all, all schools are different because no one school serves the same ...
A conversation with a Wheelock researcher, a BU student, and a fourth-grade teacher. "Quality homework is engaging and relevant to kids' lives," says Wheelock's Janine Bempechat. "It gives them autonomy and engages them in the community and with their families. In some subjects, like math, worksheets can be very helpful.
The Argument for No Homework Policies. The most common argument made for no-homework policies is that homework does not improve academic achievement. A Duke University meta-analysis of homework ...
A TIME cover in 1999 read: "Too much homework! How it's hurting our kids, and what parents should do about it.". The accompanying story noted that the launch of Sputnik in 1957 led to a push ...
It can be drawn from this study that some type of homework policy is necessary, as is the assignment of higher cognitive types of homework and the flexible assessment and grading of that work in order to foster and track student learning. Cauley and McMillan (2009) define formative assessment as, "A process through which assessment-elicited ...
College de Saint-Ambroise, an elementary school in Quebec, is the latest school to ban homework, announcing this week that it would try the new policy for a year. The decision came after officials ...
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.
Homework will only consist of work that your student did not finish during the school day. There will be no formally assigned homework this year. Research has been unable to prove that homework ...
average of about one hour daily on homework (Walberg, 1991). These data show that homework. accounts for about 20 percent of the total time the typical American student spends on academic tasks ...
The Impact on Family Time. One of the significant benefits of the No Homework Policy is the potential for increased family time. With less homework to complete, students have more time to spend with their families, engage in hobbies, and simply relax and recharge. This can lead to improved mental health and overall well-being for students.
A 'no homework' policy may pose a limitation to alternative homework activities in the case a child doesn't have parent guidance at home, or the financial means to engage in some of the activities ...
Next door, the kids have homework. This involves 30 minutes of child-wrangling and patience-testing five days a week, pressure-cooking the little downtime they have together as a family. Meanwhile ...
Homework is a controversial topic in education, but what does the science say? Explore the pros and cons of homework and its impact on students' well-being in this article from BBC Science Focus Magazine.
Any answer with the word, "work" in its name, as in "homework," is not typically going to be met with eagerness or enthusiasm by students. Ideally, we want children to understand that they are always learners. In school, we refer to them as "students" but outside of school, as children, they are still learners.
Homework, when designed and implemented properly, is a valuable tool for reinforcing learning. This essay provides a summary of educational research on homework, discusses the elements of effective homework, and suggests practical classroom applications for teachers. The synthesis of these three areas is intended to supplement the literature on ...
And homework has a greater positive effect on students in secondary school (grades 7-12) than those in elementary. "Every child should be doing homework, but the amount and type that they're doing ...
One of the main arguments is that excessive homework can lead to stress, burnout, and a lack of work-life balance for students. Young learners often have a multitude of responsibilities, including extracurricular activities and family commitments. Excessive homework can rob them of valuable free time, causing fatigue and hindering their ability ...
PASIG CITY, August 28, 2019 - With its issuance of the "Guidelines on Giving Homework or Assignment to All Public Elementary School Pupils," otherwise known as DepEd Memorandum No. 392, series 2010, the Department of Education (DepEd) reiterates its commitment to the holistic development of learners inside and outside the classroom. The ...
Maybe We're Asking the Wrong Question (Part 2) Equity & Access. By Erin Gohl and Kristen Thorson. This is part two of a two-part series. See part one here. Homework Could Be: A Way for Schools to Communicate with Families. Homework is a window into the student's day in the classroom. It reveals what teachers feel is most important for ...
Watch this short video (4:42 min.) for an explanation and example of a factual text. Show competence goals. CC BY-NC-SA. Video: Amendor AS. CC BY-NC-SA Rightsholder: Amendor AS. Last revised date. 11/28/2018. Cite or use. Learning content. Non-Fiction and Vocational Texts . Show additional content.
PRACTICE TASK 2 Directions: Read the following short articles and identify what type of Informational/factual text it is. Briefly explain your answer. No Homework Policy Have you ever wanted to just shred up your homework or throw it out of the window and have no consequences? Kids are assigned daily homework from