The Anti-Homework Revolution and Its Opponents

The anti-homework movement is mounting. In recent years, there has been a loud outcry against the traditional practice of assigning homework to students. The complaints against homework aren't just coming from the students themselves: today, homework is commonly railed against by parents, journalists, and educational reformers alike. Is homework good for our kids, or is it the source of too many of our modern family woes?

Opponents of homework typically make four major points:

1) Homework doesn't really help students to learn.

In their book The Case Against Homework, Sara Bennet and Nancy Kalish cite studies that show little or no correlation with academic achievement and the amount of homework assigned. Of course, what "little" correlation is shown by these studies does indicate a positive, and not a negative, correlation between homework and academic achievement, a point homework advocates emphasize. But in The Homework Myth, Alfie Kohn argues that test scores and grades are not an "accurate" measurement of "real" academic achievement. Proponents of homework might ask, "Then what is?"

Homework proponents believe that "practice makes perfect" and that homework is a way to re-emphasize and master skills initially learned in school. They believe homework can teach children self-discipline and time management skills as well as reinforcing material taught in school.

2) Homework extends the school's control into the home.

Parents and not teachers, many anti-homework advocates insist, should be deciding how children spend their time at home. Homework time necessarily takes away from family time. Some parents are so frustrated by the amount of family time homework consumes that they've even started anti-homework blogs and anti-homework coalitions to protest homework policies.

Those in favor of homework, however, suggest that homework allows parents to have more influence over their children's educations. It keeps them aware of what their children are learning in school, so that they can raise concerns and questions about the curriculum. It allows them to participate directly in their children's education by assisting with homework.

3) Homework takes too much time--time that would better be spent in physical play.

If only kids could spend the time they usually spend on homework outside playing, anti-homework advocates argue, we might not have an obesity epidemic. Advocates of homework, however, suggest that parents might be exaggerating the amount of work their children actually do. In their book, Bennet and Kalish give numerous examples of students overwhelmed by homework, with notes like this: "6-9 homework (with some texting)." Ahomework advocate might suspect, instead, that what was really happening was texting with some homework.

Indeed, a ccording to data collected by the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, the national average for time spent on homework is only 22 minutes a day in elementary school and 50 minutes a day for teenagers. Given a 6.5 hour school day and the fact that kids aren't even in school for at least 180 days a year, this doesn't seem particularly overwhelming to homework advocates. The real culprits preventing our children from outside play, argue pro-homework advocates, are television, video games, and a helicopter parenting style that won't let kids free range outside.

4) Homework causes family stress.

Opponents of homework point out that homework is a frequent source of arguments in families. The Institute of Education in London released a report showing that, according to parents, homework creates "anxiety" and "emotional exhaustion."

Pro-homework advocates argue that such conflicts can be minimized or eliminated by offering moral support and creating a specific, set-aside time and space for homework. Parents can also allow children to suffer the consequences of not doing their homework, so that they will learn to do on their own, rather than attempting to force them to do it.

The case against homework remains debatable, but whether you are a member of the anti-homework movement or of the pro-homework movement, you as a parent can work with your child's school to obtain a reasonable compromise. Monitor the time your child actually spends on homework (absent texting, TV, or daydreaming), and, if you think it is too much, report it to the teacher. Recruit other parents to support you, and present your case politely. If, on the other hand, you would like your child to practice more at home, ask the teacher for a copy of the curriculum and find additional worksheets or activities for your student online.