Parents generally support the schools their children attend, and that support is vital. Students whose parents offer support of education and teachers generally perform better than in schools that lack such support. That doesn’t mean that parents shouldn’t ask questions about school policies.
How Much Homework is Enough for a Child
The issue of how much homework is enough is difficult to answer with precision. However, there are some facts that offer clarification. First, it is important to know that homework has not been determined in research studies to be very useful with very young children as a tool for either learning or for developing responsibility.
The value of homework increases with age. High school students seem to benefit the most. The most widely accepted “rule of thumb” for homework is a bit arbitrary, but seems to be reasonable enough. The rule is simple – a total of 10 minutes of homework per night per grade. That means, for example, that 3rd grade students should not have more than 30 minutes of homework per night.
Slight variations in this guideline are to be expected especially since teachers don’t always consult with each other about how much homework each one assigns. Also, many experts shun weekend homework for students. A good education is of great value, but children need a break to enjoy family and friends. Too much homework can interfere with necessary social activities that also are valuable.
School and Teacher Policies Regarding Homework are not Consistent
The lack of consistency from school to school and from teacher to teacher attests to the confusion about homework’s usefulness. If homework were a truly essential it stands to reason that it would not be optional. Teachers, however, use homework for a variety of different reasons. Many assign it primarily to help develop responsibility, but parents have the greatest impact on the growth of responsible behavior in children.
Certainly if children begin to show signs of stress because of too much homework a conference with the teacher is appropriate. If grades begin to suffer because of missing homework or low homework grades, parents have reason to question grading policies regarding homework. Generally speaking, the grading of homework is controversial because homework is what educators call a formative assessment. That means simply that it is assigned for practice and diagnosis of progress, not for grading. Grades are typically for assessments after something has been taught.
Parents Have a Right to Question Homework Policies
Many parents believe that whatever schools do is based on decades of sound practice, but it is often not the case, and it is certainly not the case with homework, which was used sparingly in the past. The push for more homework over the past two or three decades was the partially the result of concern over American students not measuring up to some foreign nations. For reasons that are really not clear, there was a collective assumption that more homework would generate better test scores, but it has not.
Parents have the right and responsibility to question unreasonable homework policies, especially if the assigned work is excessively time-consuming, has the appearance of “busy work,” and does not relate clearly to learning standards. If the teacher posts homework policies on a school website, parents should review them and politely request an explanation for what is not clear or reasonable. This is especially true if homework is graded and urgent if it counts more than 10 percent of the final grade.
Homework is not Universally Accepted by All Educators
Parents who peruse the Internet for information about homework might be surprised to find that homework has many detractors. There are many teachers who do not assign it and many who assign it sparingly but do not grade it. But it gets more confusing – many teachers assign homework, check it off, and somehow turn those checks into a grade without ever collecting the papers. Also, there are parents and educators who support the abolition of homework altogether.
The sensible stance for parents is to turn to reliable resources and become educated about the use and abuse of homework. To simply advise children to not do homework because it is bad is not wise because it invites conflict and may encourage children to lack respect for teachers and what they do in general. That is not helpful to parents, teachers, or children. Parents must be tactful and children must respect education as a way to better themselves.
Homework policies are inconsistent across the nation. Homework and its effectiveness as a teaching tool are not well-understood. There is good evidence that is not of great benefit to elementary children. This is especially true if the assignments interfere with socialization and family plans. The ten-minute-per-grade level “rule” is a good way to assess whether or not too much homework is being assigned. Parents have a right to politely question homework policies, and should do so if they understand the issues well enough. The Internet is a good place to begin parental enlightenment.
Sources:
Bennett, Sara and Kalish, Nancy, The Case Against Home Work: How Home work is Hurting Children and What Parents Can Do About It. New York: Three Rivers Press, 2007.
Kohn, Alfie. The Homework Myth. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2007.
Harvey Craft - I am a retired educator with diverse experience. I read anything science, education, and history. I write to share what I learn.
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