teachers call for a ban on primary homework

Teachers call for a ban on primary homework

An overwhelming number of teachers say their pupils get upset or stressed with homework, even though school policy and parental pressure demand it.

Nearly all teachers say they set homework, despite scepticism about its value in the profession and among learning specialists. Most teachers say school policy and parents require them to assign homework, according to a survey of by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL).

But many children do not complete the homework set for them - 87 per cent of teachers blame that on lack of support at home.

Teachers will argue next week that homework should be scrapped entirely for primary pupils because the pressure makes them miserable. They also propose strict limits on homework at secondary school.

Government guidelines say four and five-year-olds should be set an hour of homework a week, increasing to 2.5 hours a week by Year 6. Guidelines published by the former education secretary David Blunkett 10 years ago say that GCSE pupils should be set up to 2.5 hours’ homework every night.

At the ATL annual conference in Torquay next week, teachers will call for a Royal Commission into why so many children are “unhappy and anxious” and dislike school.

Richard Rowe, head of Holy Trinity School at Guildford, Surrey, said he would happily vote to abolish homework but had been unable to persuade parents.

“I genuinely think that if children of primary age are taught well and do a good day’s work, there should be no need for homework,” he said. “They should be allowed to have a childhood.

“But it’s the one issue where we can’t come to any consensus or compromise with our parents - most parents want to keep current levels of homework.”

Margaret Morrissey, of the National Confederation for Parent Teacher Associations, said: “Schools need to explain to parents that they want their pupils to be fresh and excited in class.

“Younger children go to school quite early and, if their parents work, don’t get home till 6pm. To have homework on top of that just risks burnout.”

Pupils in England are among the most intensively tested in the world, and their teachers believe the pressure and workload is causing them great stress.

The in-depth Primary Review, led by Professor Robin Alexander, found last year that England’s 3.5 million primary children were affected by a “loss of childhood”.

Dr Mary Bousted, ATL general secretary, said that much of primary pupils’ homework was “a waste of time”.

She said children from poorer homes were worst affected because they did not have access to books, computers or assistance from well-educated parents.

“We have to tell parents that their children work extremely hard in school and come home tired,” she said. “What they want from parents is some relaxation and fun time. Parents should stop trying to be teachers.”

But the Department for Children, Schools and Families defended the importance of homework, saying it helped young people to develop the skills and attitudes needed for successful, independent, lifelong learning.

SHOULD PUPILS HAVE TO STUDY AT HOME?

YES: Simon Harper, a Year 4 teacher at Rushmore School in Hackney, east London.

“Learning should be a shared activity with parents, in the home environment, rather than just something directed by teachers. It prepares them for secondary school. At Mossbourne Academy, here in Hackney, they do colossal amounts of homework and the kids love it.”

NO: Kathy Harris, a Year 5 teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary in Southport.

“I assign homework because school policy requires it, but I don’t think it is appropriate for young children.

“A lot of parents will intervene too much. They will make them do it again because the parent thought they had done it wrong. The children end up in tears.”

YES: Andrew Carter, head of South Farnham, a primary in Surrey.

“Nobody wants to overwhelm children with homework, but a reasonable level of studies at home, with their parents, helps children become independent learners, and can be great fun.”

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Education researcher calls for primary schools to have 'courage' to rethink homework

When Estelle Trueman was growing up, homework was par for the course.

But now her two daughters are in primary school at Townsville in north Queensland, homework isn't mentioned.

"There's no pressure," Ms Trueman said.

"If we get home and want to prepare a meal together, or spend time together outside before bed, we can, and don't have to hope that we won't get in trouble tomorrow because we haven't done the reader."

Across Australia, there's anecdotal evidence a growing number of primary schools have introduced no – or low – homework policies since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to University of Melbourne Emeritus Professor of Education John Hattie.

Professor Hattie said while there was some evidence homework benefited high-school students, there was no need for it in primary schools.

"The evidence is pretty clear that homework in primary school has a very low to zero effect," he said.

In a bid to modernise the education system, Poland last month scrapped homework for students in years one to three and made it optional for students in years four to eight .

Professor Hattie said Poland's move sent an important message, but it would take a "brave" politician to rattle the cage in Australia because of widespread views among parents here.

"There are parents who think homework is critical and essential for their children's future, which is not true," he said.

Homework out, reading in

In Townsville in north Queensland, Belgian Gardens State School has scrapped compulsory homework in favour of reading, practice, and play.

"[Worksheet saturation] does not foster parent engagement, neglects the individual needs of students and in some cases leads to drawbacks including disengagement and frustration," principal Ryan Pedley said.

Students were given the option to undertake "practice" or "study habits" at home.

Mr Pedley said parents were highly engaged, through regular information sessions, about what was being taught at school. 

St Benedict's Catholic School in the city's west is similarly taking a minimalist approach.

"We couldn't really see the benefits for doing homework … but we do require our students to be reading at home each night," assistant principal Aleesha Rockemar said.

"It [homework] can become a nightmare for families to get done."

For 10-year-old Keira Warren, it was a pleasant surprise when she transferred to the school this year.

"I was very relieved, I hated having to go home and do more work," she said.

"I didn't like having to either get in trouble because I didn't go to sports, or get in trouble because I didn't do homework."

What are the rules on homework?

In Queensland, there is no one-size-fits all approach; it's up to each school principal to decide their homework rule book.

The Department of Education said it did not collect data on the state's 1,264 public schools' policies.

Instead, it stipulated principals needed to determine what worked for their individual school communities and to ensure any homework was meaningful.

"Schools work collaboratively with students and families to make sure to allow sufficient time for family, recreation and, community and cultural values," a department spokesperson said.

Brisbane Catholic Education, which oversees 146 schools across south-east Queensland, said it did not have a mandated homework policy, but any homework should complement students' learning and wellbeing.

Pros and cons

Professor Hattie has been researching teaching and student learning since the 1970s.

His latest publication in 2023 analysed more than 130,000 studies worldwide on what helps students learn. 

Professor Hattie said the research found homework in primary school – if at all — should be kept short, review what had already been learned at school and not require parental surveillance.

"Don't get [children] to do a project unless you want to see what the parents contribute," he said.

"You've got to seriously question why you need homework at all. I want to give some courage to [primary] schools to drop it, if parents don't get upset.

"There's no need for it in primary school."

Lecturer in early childhood education Amanda Hoffensetz, from James Cook University, said homework was a difficult topic to research and there were too many variables for conclusive evidence.

"Schools vary greatly in quality, quantity, and the amount of support that children are getting at home," she said.

For Scott Wiseman, the chief executive of P&Cs Qld, the peak body representing state school parents and communities, homework had traditionally played an important role in helping parents engage in their child's learning.

"Everyone learns differently and for some kids, doing the sight words or the fact sheets may actually be really important to reinforce their schoolwork," he said.

"It needs to be a consultation process between the school and parents and the community as to how they want education to work in that particular school."

Family impacts

At Townsville's Marian Catholic School, principal Kylie Helmore said changing its homework policy in 2023 had resulted in more student engagement in class and less stress on working families.

"We're not getting the reports that 'my child is refusing to do anything'," Ms Helmore said.

But reading at home is still required and senior students must complete a passion project each term.

For mum-of-two Estelle Trueman, home life was more manageable without the burden of homework.

"Our kids are only little once," she said.

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Why more and more teachers are joining the anti-homework movement

The word homework doesn’t just elicit groans from students. Many veteran educators aren’t fans of it either.

Barbara Tollison, a high school English teacher with nearly four decades in the classroom, stopped assigning homework five years ago. In lieu of writing papers, she asks her 10th graders in San Marcos, California, to read more books before bed.

“For the kids who understand the information, additional practice is unnecessary,” she told TODAY Parents . “The kids who need more support are going to go home and not do it right. It's just going to confuse them more. They don’t have the understanding and they need guidance.”

Tollison is part of a growing movement that believes learners can thrive academically without homework. According to Alfie Kohn, author of “ The Homework Myth ,” there’s never a good excuse for making kids work a second shift of academics in elementary and middle school.

“In high school, it’s a little more nuanced,” Kohn told TODAY Parents . “Some research has found a tiny correlation between doing more homework and doing better on standardized tests . But No. 1, standardized tests are a lousy measure of learning. No. 2, the correlation is small. And No. 3, it doesn’t prove a causal relationship. In other words, just because the same kids who get more homework do a little better on tests, doesn’t mean the homework made that happen.”

Kohn noted that “newer, better” studies are showing that the downside of homework is just as profound in 16-year-olds as it is in 8-year-olds, in terms of causing causing anxiety, a loss of interest in learning and family conflict.

Parents Is homework robbing your family of joy? You're not alone

“For my book, I interviewed high school teachers who completely stopped giving homework and there was no downside, it was all upside,” he shared.

“There just isn’t a good argument in favor of homework,” Kohn said.

Katie Sluiter, an 8th grade teacher in Michigan, couldn’t agree more. She believes that the bulk of instruction and support should happen in the classroom.

“What I realized early on in my career is that the kids who don’t need the practice are the only ones doing their homework,” Sluiter told TODAY Parents .

Sluiter added that homework is stressful and inequitable. Many children, especially those from lower-income families, have little chance of being successful with work being sent home.

“So many things are out of the student’s control, like the ability to have a quiet place to do homework,” Sluiter explained. “In my district, there are many parents that don’t speak any English, so they’re not going to be able to help with their child’s social studies homework. Some kids are responsible for watching their younger siblings after school.”

Parents Too much homework? Study shows elementary kids get 3 times more than they should

Sluiter also doesn’t want to add “an extra pile of stress” to already over-scheduled lives.

“Middle school is hard enough without worrying, ‘Did I get my conjunctions sheet done?’” she said. “It’s ridiculous. It’s just too much. We need to let them be kids."

Kohn, who has written 14 books on parenting and education, previously told TODAY that moms and dads should speak up on behalf of their children.

"If your child's teacher never assigns homework, take a moment to thank them for doing what's in your child's best interest — and for acknowledging that families, not schools, ought to decide what happens during family time," he said. "If your child is getting homework, organize a bunch of parents to meet with the teacher and administrators — not to ask, 'Why so much?' but, given that the research says it's all pain and no gain, to ask, 'Why is there any?'"

Related video:

Rachel Paula Abrahamson is a lifestyle reporter who writes for the parenting, health and shop verticals. Her bylines have appeared in The New York Times, Good Housekeeping, Redbook, and elsewhere. Rachel lives in the Boston area with her husband and their two daughters. Follow her on Instagram .

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Why I Think All Schools Should Abolish Homework

H ow long is your child’s workweek? Thirty hours? Forty? Would it surprise you to learn that some elementary school kids have workweeks comparable to adults’ schedules? For most children, mandatory homework assignments push their workweek far beyond the school day and deep into what any other laborers would consider overtime. Even without sports or music or other school-sponsored extracurriculars, the daily homework slog keeps many students on the clock as long as lawyers, teachers, medical residents, truck drivers and other overworked adults. Is it any wonder that,deprived of the labor protections that we provide adults, our kids are suffering an epidemic of disengagement, anxiety and depression ?

With my youngest child just months away from finishing high school, I’m remembering all the needless misery and missed opportunities all three of my kids suffered because of their endless assignments. When my daughters were in middle school, I would urge them into bed before midnight and then find them clandestinely studying under the covers with a flashlight. We cut back on their activities but still found ourselves stuck in a system on overdrive, returning home from hectic days at 6 p.m. only to face hours more of homework. Now, even as a senior with a moderate course load, my son, Zak, has spent many weekends studying, finding little time for the exercise and fresh air essential to his well-being. Week after week, and without any extracurriculars, Zak logs a lot more than the 40 hours adults traditionally work each week — and with no recognition from his “bosses” that it’s too much. I can’t count the number of shared evenings, weekend outings and dinners that our family has missed and will never get back.

How much after-school time should our schools really own?

In the midst of the madness last fall, Zak said to me, “I feel like I’m working towards my death. The constant demands on my time since 5th grade are just going to continue through graduation, into college, and then into my job. It’s like I’m on an endless treadmill with no time for living.”

My spirit crumbled along with his.

Like Zak, many people are now questioning the point of putting so much demand on children and teens that they become thinly stretched and overworked. Studies have long shown that there is no academic benefit to high school homework that consumes more than a modest number of hours each week. In a study of high schoolers conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), researchers concluded that “after around four hours of homework per week, the additional time invested in homework has a negligible impact on performance.”

In elementary school, where we often assign overtime even to the youngest children, studies have shown there’s no academic benefit to any amount of homework at all.

Our unquestioned acceptance of homework also flies in the face of all we know about human health, brain function and learning. Brain scientists know that rest and exercise are essential to good health and real learning . Even top adult professionals in specialized fields take care to limit their work to concentrated periods of focus. A landmark study of how humans develop expertise found that elite musicians, scientists and athletes do their most productive work only about four hours per day .

Yet we continue to overwork our children, depriving them of the chance to cultivate health and learn deeply, burdening them with an imbalance of sedentary, academic tasks. American high school students , in fact, do more homework each week than their peers in the average country in the OECD, a 2014 report found.

It’s time for an uprising.

Already, small rebellions are starting. High schools in Ridgewood, N.J. , and Fairfax County, Va., among others, have banned homework over school breaks. The entire second grade at Taylor Elementary School in Arlington, Va., abolished homework this academic year. Burton Valley Elementary School in Lafayette, Calif., has eliminated homework in grades K through 4. Henry West Laboratory School , a public K-8 school in Coral Gables, Fla., eliminated mandatory, graded homework for optional assignments. One Lexington, Mass., elementary school is piloting a homework-free year, replacing it with reading for pleasure.

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Across the Atlantic, students in Spain launched a national strike against excessive assignments in November. And a second-grade teacher in Texas, made headlines this fall when she quit sending home extra work , instead urging families to “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.”

It is time that we call loudly for a clear and simple change: a workweek limit for children, counting time on the clock before and after the final bell. Why should schools extend their authority far beyond the boundaries of campus, dictating activities in our homes in the hours that belong to families? An all-out ban on after-school assignments would be optimal. Short of that, we can at least sensibly agree on a cap limiting kids to a 40-hour workweek — and fewer hours for younger children.

Resistance even to this reasonable limit will be rife. Mike Miller, an English teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va., found this out firsthand when he spearheaded a homework committee to rethink the usual approach. He had read the education research and found a forgotten policy on the county books limiting homework to two hours a night, total, including all classes. “I thought it would be a slam dunk” to put the two-hour cap firmly in place, Miller said.

But immediately, people started balking. “There was a lot of fear in the community,” Miller said. “It’s like jumping off a high dive with your kids’ future. If we reduce homework to two hours or less, is my kid really going to be okay?” In the end, the committee only agreed to a homework ban over school breaks.

Miller’s response is a great model for us all. He decided to limit assignments in his own class to 20 minutes a night (the most allowed for a student with six classes to hit the two-hour max). His students didn’t suddenly fail. Their test scores remained stable. And they started using their more breathable schedule to do more creative, thoughtful work.

That’s the way we will get to a sane work schedule for kids: by simultaneously pursuing changes big and small. Even as we collaboratively press for policy changes at the district or individual school level, all teachers can act now, as individuals, to ease the strain on overworked kids.

As parents and students, we can also organize to make homework the exception rather than the rule. We can insist that every family, teacher and student be allowed to opt out of assignments without penalty to make room for important activities, and we can seek changes that shift practice exercises and assignments into the actual school day.

We’ll know our work is done only when Zak and every other child can clock out, eat dinner, sleep well and stay healthy — the very things needed to engage and learn deeply. That’s the basic standard the law applies to working adults. Let’s do the same for our kids.

Vicki Abeles is the author of the bestseller Beyond Measure: Rescuing an Overscheduled, Overtested, Underestimated Generation, and director and producer of the documentaries “ Race to Nowhere ” and “ Beyond Measure. ”

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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'

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March 25, 2024, by Rupert Knight

• Is it possible to abolish primary homework? A view from Norway

In this post, Rachel Lehner-Mear revisits the place of primary homework with an international eye.

I recently came across a report documenting the introduction of a ‘no homework policy’ in one Norwegian municipality. This is not the first time the idea of a homework ban has been discussed in Norway. In 2015, a coalition of politicians on Oslo city council proposed ending homework due to fears it exacerbates inequalities. The councillors instead promised what they called ‘school exercises’ which would provide the practice dimension of homework, but would be completed under teacher guidance in schools.

Calls to rid children’s lives of homework are not unusual. Earlier this year, for example, the President of Ireland told RTE’s children’s news programme that:

… time in the school is an educational experience and it should get finished at the school and people should be able to use their time for other creative things.

The Irish Mirror newspaper followed this up with a poll of its readers, finding that 98%, or 57,440 readers, agreed with the idea of a homework ban. However, examples of where such aspirations have been actioned into a formal ‘no homework policy’ are rare. This makes the story of the Norwegian municipality which has achieved this, particularly striking.

So, this got me thinking: why don’t we abolish homework , given that research highlights its limited academic impact at primary level? In this blog post I reflect on what happened in the Norwegian case, the additional changes needed to make a ‘no homework policy’ work, and what this tells us about whether we could alter primary homework’s dominance in English schools.

The UK homework context

Some years ago, I wrote a post for this blog , reflecting on the fact that although homework is not a statutory requirement and there is no consistent view of what it should be like, it has become a common educational tool in UK primary schools. This can be seen, for example, in Medwell and Wray’s 2019 study of teacher homework practices. I suggested that, since both its purpose and academic value are in doubt, teachers might reconsider what they set for homework to ensure it is at least an enjoyable activity.

Several years on, homework’s position in the UK education system remains entrenched. Its framing as a fundamental activity, the expectations of both parents and teachers, and an accountability system which encourages school-to-school competition, all position homework as an undeniable, ubiquitous practice. Yet in 2017, an Ofsted Parents Panel report suggested that more than a third of parents (36%) believe primary homework is unhelpful, with parents of pupils with SEND finding it particularly problematic.

Homework’s proponents often point to Programme for International Student Assessment reports in which pupils from homework-heavy education systems in Singapore and the Chinese provinces consistently outperform those from other nations (for latest PISA results see here) . But the homework-PISA results association can be readily critiqued, since Finland and South Korea, which set no homework for primary children, also regularly appear near the top of the PISA league tables. Equally, Indonesia, a culture in which additional home learning is considered highly desirable, features amongst the lowest performing countries. Moreover, a multitude of research studies and meta-analyses cast doubt on homework’s effectiveness – at best , primary homework might have marginal benefits. ( A 2014 interview with the researcher John Hattie provides an overview of some of the research).

I won’t rehearse these debates further here. Instead, recognising the contention around homework, I play devil’s advocate and propose that perhaps it’s time we simply abolished homework altogether …

Are we ready to change how we use homework?

Although homework prevails in the UK context, it is not unusual to hear both teachers and academics bemoan its use, distrusting its value and pointing out its inherent problems. Common charges against homework include that it reproduces inequalities, since not all families are equally equipped to support children’s home learning (highlighted by some families’ low engagement with homeschooling during the Covid pandemic). Or, that homework’s benefits are outweighed by the tensions caused in the parent-child relationship. Or, that homework has a negative impact on family time, hobbies, and social interaction. Furthermore, for teachers themselves, homework is often experienced as yet another burden amongst myriad pressures on their time. Many educators also question homework’s academic benefits. The Confident Teacher , a teacher-turned-educational writer, has blogged about why he thinks homework doesn’t work , which sums up several of these teacher complaints. Even the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) toolkit , intended to guide schools’ decision-making, advocates its adoption for being ‘low cost’ rather than for robust evidence of its effectiveness. Frankly, if homework doesn’t offer substantial long-term gains, teachers can be forgiven for questioning whether it is worthwhile.

Teacher-to-teacher conversations like these hint that there might be an appetite for changing, or even abolishing homework. Given that government guidance regarding primary homework was withdrawn in 2012 (making Head Teachers the homework decisionmakers) and the current Ofsted Inspection Handbook no longer promotes it, the door appears open for radical change. So, could we just abolish homework?

What can we learn from past calls to go ‘no homework’?

With this question in mind, I consider the cases of Italy and Norway, to gain insight from their attempts to eliminate homework.

In Italy , despite schools having autonomy for homework policy, it frequently enters the national debate, with politicians regularly advocating homework abolition. In December 2018, for example, Il Giornale newspaper reported the Education Minister’s demand for less holiday homework, to ensure families would have a happy Christmas. Added to these political calls, this 2015 study by Kremer-Sadlik and Fatigante found there is parent-teacher tension in Italy over homework: teachers view parental homework involvement as problematic; parents perceive teachers as unwilling to illuminate homework’s purpose. Yet despite teachers and parents finding homework difficult, and the political elite pursuing systemic change, homework remains embedded in Italian schooling. The Italian case suggests a discourse of change, or general dissatisfaction from either teachers or policymakers, is insufficient to shift the dial on homework.

In any case, UK politicians tend to take a different stance. In 2018, the actor Rob Delaney gained substantial media traction following this tweet:

Why do they give 7 year olds so much homework in the UK & how do I stop this. I want my kid frolicking & drawing & playing football. Who knows more about stopping this madness & can help me?

Whilst a twitter storm ensued, with high-profile personalities weighing in (Piers Morgan in favour of homework; Gary Lineker, against), the then Education Minister’s reaction was to put a statement on the gov.uk website reiterating support for the practice: ‘Homework is a staple of school life, and of home life,’ he wrote. In the UK then, political impetus for homework’s use prevails, despite publicly-aired counterarguments, a lack of supporting legislation, and possible teacher dissatisfaction.

What does a ‘no homework policy’ look like? The case of Moss, in Norway

This brings me to the published report I mentioned at the start of this piece, which describes how a Norwegian municipality has recently introduced a ‘no homework policy’.

In 2022, Kjersti Holte, a homework researcher, was invited to conduct an Action Research study in the Norwegian municipality of Moss, where local politicians had announced a policy to phase homework entirely from all 16 local schools by 2025 (later amended to an immediate ban). Holte’s focus was how to support school leaders in implementing the policy change, rather than on how the new policy would work. Nevertheless, her report provides a case study from which we might learn whether it is possible to realise fundamental change to established homework practices, and if it is, what needs to be considered to achieve this.

The Moss project defined eight ‘no homework principles’, paraphrased here:-

No homework to be assigned for after school hours.

School to hold primary responsibility for student achievement, with parental responsibility absolved., if a problem exists with student progress or motivation, adjustments to be made within school., parents to support their child’s learning in other ways e.g. ensuring sufficient sleep, good nutrition, participation in extra-curricular activities etc…, teachers to value both the student’s role in the family, home, and local community, and their participation in leisure activities., student knowledge and skills to be reviewed by teachers., teachers to give in-school opportunity to prepare for assessments., parents to be kept informed of their child’s academic and social development..

A review of these principles suggests important shifts in the way three key dimensions are being understood: ‘ childhood ’, ‘ the parental role ’ and ‘ education ’. Principles 1, 4 and 5 for example, afford children entitlement to leisure activities, and indicate a respect for their out-of-school life. This projects a particular view of ‘ childhood’ , with homelife both separated from, and given equal weighting to, school life.

Similarly, principles 2, 3, 4 and 8 make particular assumptions about ‘ the parental role ’ in children’s development, according parents responsibility for physical and mental wellbeing and rejecting their accountability for educational achievement. Indeed, parents are given a right to knowledge about their child’s progress, rather than a responsibility for it . This parental positioning contrasts the educational responsibilisation discourse prevalent in the UK, on which primary homework practices currently rest.

Finally, the principles situate ‘ education ’ firmly within schools, reinforcing sole teacher responsibility for academic progress (principles 2, 3, 6, 7). Thus, this no homework policy not only assumes a reframing of the teacher-parent, school-home relationship, but is also underpinned by a particular view of education – what it is, where it occurs and who is accountable for it.

What else is needed to go ‘no homework’?

As Holte and colleagues worked with school leaders to support the move to homework abolition, they discovered that the political ‘top down’ decision-making which introduced the new policy, caused difficulties. Some school leaders resisted the change, for example, while teacher unions objected because the policy originated with politicians and not educators. Holte’s report alerts us that buy-in from Head Teachers and teachers is essential for homework practices to change.

Whilst this positions school leaders as critical, the Norwegian experience also suggests it would be difficult for individual schools to ‘go it alone’. Comments recounted to Holte reveal that even when Heads were sceptical about the policy, they were willing to adopt it because all other schools in the area were also making the change . This speaks to homework’s assumed role in demonstrating ‘school quality’. To abolish an activity perceived by local communities as an indicator of a ‘good’ school is risky for a lone Head. Therefore, systems level change seems necessary to overhaul processes which have become universal. Both leadership support and widescale systemic change are necessary to alter a practice like homework which is deeply embedded in contemporary educational culture.

The Moss project also highlights the complementary measures required for schools to feel confident in dropping homework, some of which are connected to what happens in other parts of the teaching-learning system. Leaders spoke about the need to ensure the quality of in-school teaching, hinting that this demanded significant confidence in their staff. They also noted the need for teacher-parent relationships to realign, and spoke of their anxiety about what was considered a significant policy change. In other words, according to Head Teachers in Moss, abolishing homework is the ‘easy’ part. What happens next is more challenging.

The minor problem, in this case is to stop giving assignments. According to the leaders, the most significant challenges are ensuring high-quality teaching, finding new ways to engage parents, and engaging all the teachers in developing [their] practices. (Holte, 2023, p.16)

Indeed, what the Norwegian experiment reveals is not that homework cannot be eliminated, but that in abolishing such a well-established practice, other adaptations might simultaneously be required.

Furthermore, Holte’s report highlights that, ‘ while the evidence of the problems with homework is clear, more evidence is needed on the effects of the no-homework policy for many [teachers and Heads] to be convinced ’ (p.17).

Unfortunately, this conclusion produces a classic chicken-and-egg scenario. Whilst educators, talking in staffrooms, may be cognisant of problems with primary homework and its likely ineffectiveness, their confidence to ‘abolish’ it might only be secured by, first, explicitly demonstrating the success of operating without homework – a story which, ironically, can only be told once homework has been eliminated.

This makes future educational outcomes in places like Moss of critical importance. If pupils’ achievements in Moss hold up over the next few years, this might offer reassurance to teachers elsewhere that fundamental change to homework is possible – including, perhaps, its complete abolition.

What next in English schools?

The Norwegian case reviewed here suggests that moving away from homework, to any substantial degree, is complicated. To do so successfully, probably requires careful consideration of a number of interconnecting factors. For teachers who want to think about adapting homework, the following questions are intended to support internal school conversations about how this might be achieved. These prompts can be used to reflect broadly about how homework fits into the English education system, or applied at a more micro level to think about its use in an individual educational setting:

What principles underpin the way homework is currently used? What underlying principles could be used to create a different kind of homework policy or practice?

What small adaptations could be made to other connected practices which would support a reduction in homework, what role do / should parents play in their child’s education how else might parental engagement be encouraged, other than through homework, what do parents and the wider local community think about homework what does this mean for practice how could changes be communicated to parents, what existing indicators of school strength are there which do not rely on homework as a supporting practice do these indicators offer confidence that homework could be reduced or changed, how might local schools discuss or share a common homework approach.

Holte, K. (2023). Supporting School-leaders in Leadership for Social Justice Using a No-homework Policy After a Top-down Decision. Journal of Leadership in Education 54 , report no. 1/2023. Institute of Education for the Republic of Slovenia. https://doi.org/10.59132/vviz/2023/54/4-21

Kremer-Sadlik, T., & Fatigante, M. (2015). Investing in Children’s Future: Cross-cultural perspectives and ideologies on parental involvement in education. Childhood , 22(1), 67-84. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568213513307

Medwell, J., & Wray, D. (2019). Primary Homework in England: The beliefs and practices of teachers in primary schools. Education 3-13 , 47(2), 191-204. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2017.1421999

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Poland’s kids rejoice over new rules against homework. Teachers and parents aren’t so sure

Ola Kozak, 11, sits at the table where she used to do her homework at the family home in Warsaw, Poland, Friday April 5, 2024. Ola is happy that Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. Julian enjoyed doing his homework. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Arkadiusz Korporowicz teaches history to 5th grade children at Primary School number 223 in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday April 3, 2024. Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday April 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Pawel Kozak and his wife Magda Kozak, parents of three, stand at their home in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, April 5, 2024. They have different opinions on the decision by Poland’s government that ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Children enter a classroom at the Primary School number 223 in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday April 3, 2024. Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Julian Kozak, 9, sits at the table where he used to do his homework at the family home in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday April 5, 2024. Julian is not very happy that Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Ola Kozak, 11, right, and her younger brother Julian Kozak, 9, sit at the table where they used to do their homework at the family home in Warsaw, Poland, Friday April 5, 2024. Ola is happy that Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. Julian enjoyed doing his homework. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Poland’s Education Minister Barbara Nowacka announces restrictions on the amount of homework for primary school children, at school number 223 in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday April 3, 2024. Opinions are divided on what results can be expected from the strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Pawel Kozak, father of three, speaks at his home in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, April 5, 2024. Pawel and her wife Magda have different opinions on the decision by Poland’s government that ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Magda Kozak, mother of three, stands at her home in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, April 5, 2024. Magda and her husband Pawel have different opinions on the decision by Poland’s government that ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Julian Kozak, 9, sits at the table where he used to do his homework at the family home in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, April 5, 2024. Julian is not very happy that Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Magda Kozak, right, spends time with her son Julian, 9, at their home in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, April 5, 2024. Neither of them is happy that starting in April, Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Children walk in the corridor of Primary School number 223 in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday April 3, 2024. Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Children with flowers wait for the arrival of Education Minister Barbara Nowacka at Primary School number 223 in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday April 3, 2024. Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Julian Kozak, 9, plays with his cat at their home in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, April 5, 2024. Starting in April, Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

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WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Ola Kozak is celebrating. The 11-year-old, who loves music and drawing, expects to have more free time for her hobbies after Poland’s government ordered strict limits on the amount of homework in the lower grades.

“I am happy,” said the fifth grader, who lives in a Warsaw suburb with her parents and younger siblings. The lilac-colored walls in her bedroom are covered in her art, and on her desk she keeps a framed picture she drew of Kurt Cobain.

“Most people in my class in the morning would copy the work off someone who had done the homework or would copy it from the internet. So it didn’t make sense,” she said.

The government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk enacted the ban against required homework this month amid a broad discussion about the need to modernize Poland’s education system, which critics say puts too much emphasis on rote learning and homework, and not enough on critical thinking and creativity.

Under the decree, teachers are no longer to give required homework to kids in the first to third grades. In grades four to eight, homework is now optional and doesn’t count towards a grade.

Not everyone likes the change – and even Ola’s parents are divided.

“If there is something that will make students enjoy school more, then it will probably be good both for the students and for the school,” said her father, Pawel Kozak.

His wife, Magda Kozak, was skeptical. “I am not pleased, because (homework) is a way to consolidate what was learned,” she said. “It helps stay on top of what the child has really learned and what’s going on at school.”

(Ola’s brother Julian, a third grader, says he sees both sides.)

Debates over the proper amount of homework are common around the globe. While some studies have shown little benefit to homework for young learners, other experts say it can help them learn how to develop study habits and academic concepts.

Poland’s educational system has undergone a number of controversial overhauls. Almost every new government has tried to make changes — something many teachers and parents say has left them confused and discouraged. For example, after communism was thrown off, middle schools were introduced. Then under the last government, the previous system was brought back. More controversy came in recent years when ultra-conservative views were pushed in new textbooks.

For years, teachers have been fleeing the system due to low wages and political pressure. The current government is trying to increase teacher salaries and has promised other changes that teachers approve of.

But Sławomir Broniarz, the head of the Polish Teachers’ Union, said that while he recognized the need to ease burdens on students, the new homework rules are another case of change imposed from above without adequate consultation with educators.

“In general, the teachers think that this happened too quickly, too hastily,” he said.

He argued that removing homework could widen the educational gaps between kids who have strong support at home and those from poorer families with less support and lower expectations. Instead, he urged wider changes to the entire curriculum.

The homework rules gained impetus in the runup to parliamentary elections last year, when a 14-year-old boy, Maciek Matuszewski, stood up at a campaign rally and told Tusk before a national audience that children “had no time to rest.” The boy said their rights were being violated with so much homework on weekends and so many tests on Mondays.

Tusk has since featured Matuszewski in social media videos and made him the face of the sudden change.

Education Minister Barbara Nowacka said she was prompted by research on children’s mental health. Of the various stresses children face, she said, “the one that could be removed fastest was the burden of homework.”

Pasi Sahlberg, a prominent Finnish educator and author, said the value of homework depends on what it is and how it is linked to overall learning. The need for homework can be “very individual and contextual.”

“We need to trust our teachers to decide what is good for each child,” Sahlberg said.

In South Korea, homework limits were set for elementary schools in 2017 amid concerns that kids were under too much pressure. However, teenagers in the education-obsessed country often cram long into the night and get tutoring to meet the requirements of demanding school and university admission tests.

In the U.S., teachers and parents decide for themselves how much homework to assign. Some elementary schools have done away with homework entirely to give children more time to play, participate in activities and spend time with families.

A guideline circulated by teachers unions in the U.S. recommends about 10 minutes of homework per grade. So, 10 minutes in first grade, 20 minutes in second grade and so on.

The COVID-19 pandemic and a crisis around youth mental health have complicated debates around homework. In the U.S., extended school closures in some places were accompanied by steep losses in learning , which were often addressed with tutoring and other interventions paid for with federal pandemic relief money. At the same time, increased attention to student wellbeing led some teachers to consider alternate approaches including reduced or optional homework.

It’s important for children to learn that mastering something “usually requires practice, a lot of practice,” said Sahlberg, in Finland. If reducing homework leads kids and parents to think school expectations for excellence will be lowered, “things will go wrong.”

AP writers Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, Michael Melia in Hartford, Connecticut, and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed.

15 Should Homework Be Banned Pros and Cons

Homework was a staple of the public and private schooling experience for many of us growing up. There were long nights spent on book reports, science projects, and all of those repetitive math sheets. In many ways, it felt like an inevitable part of the educational experience. Unless you could power through all of your assignments during your free time in class, then there was going to be time spent at home working on specific subjects.

More schools are looking at the idea of banning homework from the modern educational experience. Instead of sending work home with students each night, they are finding alternative ways to ensure that each student can understand the curriculum without involving the uncertainty of parental involvement.

Although banning homework might seem like an unorthodox process, there are legitimate advantages to consider with this effort. There are some disadvantages which some families may encounter as well.

These are the updated lists of the pros and cons of banning homework to review.

List of the Pros of Banning Homework

1. Giving homework to students does not always improve their academic outcomes. The reality of homework for the modern student is that we do not know if it is helpful to have extra work assigned to them outside of the classroom. Every study that has looked at the subject has had design flaws which causes the data collected to be questionable at best. Although there is some information to suggest that students in seventh grade and higher can benefit from limited homework, banning it for students younger than that seems to be beneficial for their learning experience.

2. Banning homework can reduce burnout issues with students. Teachers are seeing homework stress occur in the classroom more frequently today than ever before. Almost half of all high school teachers in North America have seen this issue with their students at some point during the year. About 25% of grade school teachers say that they have seen the same thing.

When students are dealing with the impact of homework on their lives, it can have a tremendously adverse impact. One of the most cited reasons for students dropping out of school is that they cannot complete their homework on time.

3. Banning homework would increase the amount of family time available to students. Homework creates a significant disruption to family relationships. Over half of all parents in North America say that they have had a significant argument with their children over homework in the past month. 1/3 of families say that homework is their primary source of struggle in the home. Not only does it reduce the amount of time that everyone has to spend together, it reduces the chances that parents have to teach their own skills and belief systems to their kids.

4. It reduces the negative impact of homework on the health of a student. Many students suffer academically when they cannot finish a homework assignment on time. Although assumptions are often made about the time management skills of the individual when this outcome occurs, the reasons why it happens is usually more complex. It may be too difficult, too boring, or there may not be enough time in the day to complete the work.

When students experience failure in this area, it can lead to severe mental health issues. Some perceive themselves as a scholarly failure, which translates to an inability to live life successfully. It can disrupt a desire to learn. There is even an increased risk of suicide for some youth because of this issue. Banning it would reduce these risks immediately.

5. Eliminating homework would allow for an established sleep cycle. The average high school student requires between 8-10 hours of sleep to function at their best the next day. Grade-school students may require an extra hour or two beyond that figure. When teachers assign homework, then it increases the risk for each individual that they will not receive the amount that they require each night.

When children do not get enough sleep, a significant rest deficit occurs which can impact their ability to pay attention in school. It can cause unintended weight gain. There may even be issues with emotional control. Banning homework would help to reduce these risks as well.

6. It increases the amount of socialization time that students receive. People who are only spending time in school and then going home to do more work are at a higher risk of experiencing loneliness and isolation. When these emotions are present, then a student is more likely to feel “down and out” mentally and physically. They lack meaningful connections with other people. These feelings are the health equivalent of smoking 15 cigarettes per day. If students are spending time on homework, then they are not spending time connecting with their family and friends.

7. It reduces the repetition that students face in the modern learning process. Most of the tasks that homework requires of students is repetitive and uninteresting. Kids love to resolve challenges on tasks that they are passionate about at that moment in their lives. Forcing them to complete the same problems repetitively as a way to “learn” core concepts can create issues with knowledge retention later in life. When you add in the fact that most lessons sent for homework must be done by themselves, banning homework will reduce the repetition that students face, allowing for a better overall outcome.

8. Home environments can be chaotic. Although some students can do homework in a quiet room without distractions, that is not the case for most kids. There are numerous events that happen at home which can pull a child’s attention away from the work that their teacher wants them to do. It isn’t just the Internet, video games, and television which are problematic either. Household chores, family issues, employment, and athletic requirements can make it a challenge to get the assigned work finished on time.

List of the Cons of Banning Homework

1. Homework allows parents to be involved with the educational process. Parents need to know what their children are learning in school. Even if they ask their children about what they are learning, the answers tend to be in generalities instead of specifics. By sending home work from the classroom, it allows parents to see and experience the work that their kids are doing when they are in school during the day. Then moms and dads can get involved with the learning process to reinforce the core concepts that were discovered by their children each day.

2. It can help parents and teachers identify learning disabilities. Many children develop a self-defense mechanism which allows them to appear like any other kid that is in their classroom. This process allows them to hide learning disabilities which may be hindering their educational progress. The presence of homework makes it possible for parents and teachers to identify this issue because kids can’t hide their struggles when they must work 1-on-1 with their parents on specific subjects. Banning homework would eliminate 50% of the opportunities to identify potential issues immediately.

3. Homework allows teachers to observe how their students understand the material. Teachers often use homework as a way to gauge how well a student is understanding the materials they are learning. Although some might point out that assignments and exams in the classroom can do the same thing, testing often requires preparation at home. It creates more anxiety and stress sometimes then even homework does. That is why banning it can be problematic for some students. Some students experience more pressure than they would during this assessment process when quizzes and tests are the only measurement of their success.

4. It teaches students how to manage their time wisely. As people grow older, they realize that time is a finite commodity. We must manage it wisely to maximize our productivity. Homework assignments are a way to encourage the development of this skill at an early age. The trick is to keep the amount of time required for the work down to a manageable level. As a general rule, students should spend about 10 minutes each school day doing homework, organizing their schedule around this need. If there are scheduling conflicts, then this process offers families a chance to create priorities.

5. Homework encourages students to be accountable for their role. Teachers are present in the classroom to offer access to information and skill-building opportunities that can improve the quality of life for each student. Administrators work to find a curriculum that will benefit the most people in an efficient way. Parents work hard to ensure their kids make it to school on time, follow healthy routines, and communicate with their school district to ensure the most effective learning opportunities possible. None of that matters if the student is not invested in the work in the first place. Homework assignments not only teach children how to work independently, but they also show them how to take responsibility for their part of the overall educational process.

6. It helps to teach important life lessons. Homework is an essential tool in the development of life lessons, such as communicating with others or comprehending something they have just read. It teaches kids how to think, solve problems, and even build an understanding for the issues that occur in our society right now. Many of the issues that lead to the idea to ban homework occur because someone in the life of a student communicated to them that this work was a waste of time. There are times in life when people need to do things that they don’t like or want to do. Homework helps a student begin to find the coping skills needed to be successful in that situation.

7. Homework allows for further research into class materials. Most classrooms offer less than 1 hour of instruction per subject during the day. For many students, that is not enough time to obtain a firm grasp on the materials being taught. Having homework assignments allows a student to perform more research, using their at-home tools to take a deeper look into the materials that would otherwise be impossible if homework was banned. That process can lead to a more significant understanding of the concepts involved, reducing anxiety levels because they have a complete grasp on the materials.

The pros and cons of banning homework is a decision that ultimately lies with each school district. Parents always have the option to pursue homeschooling or online learning if they disagree with the decisions that are made in this area. Whether you’re for more homework or want to see less of it, we can all agree on the fact that the absence of any reliable data about its usefulness makes it a challenge to know for certain which option is the best one to choose in this debate.

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Should We Ban Homework?

The cons of homework are starting to outweigh the pros.

Recent research shows that teenagers have doubled the amount of time they spend on homework since the 1990s. This is in spite of other, well-documented research that calls the efficacy of homework into question, albeit in the younger grades. Why are students spending so much time on homework if the impact is zero (for younger kids) or moderate (for older ones)? Should we ban homework? These are the questions teachers, parents, and lawmakers are asking.

Bans proposed and implemented in the U.S. and abroad

The struggle of whether or not to assign homework is not a new one. In 2017, a Florida superintendent banned homework for elementary schools in the entire district, with one very important exception: reading at home. The United States isn’t the only country to question the benefits of homework. Last August, the Philippines proposed a bill  to ban homework completely, citing the need for rest, relaxation, and time with family. Another bill there proposed no weekend homework, with teachers running the risk of fines or two years in prison. (Yikes!) While a prison sentence may seem extreme, there are real reasons to reconsider homework.

Refocus on mental health and educate the “whole child”

Prioritizing mental health is at the forefront of the homework ban movement. Leaders say they want to give students time to develop other hobbies, relationships, and balance in their lives.

This month two Utah elementary schools gained national recognition for officially banning homework. The results are significant, with psychologist referrals for anxiety decreasing by 50 percent. Many schools are looking for ways to refocus on wellness, and homework can be a real cause of stress.

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Research supports a ban for elementary schools

Supporters of a homework ban often cite research from John Hattie, who concluded that elementary school homework has no effect on academic progress. In a podcast he said, “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?'”

In the upper grades, Hattie’s research shows that homework has to be purposeful, not busy work. And the reality is, most teachers don’t receive training on how to assign homework that is meaningful and relevant to students.

Parents push back, too

In October this Washington Post article made waves in parenting and education communities when it introduced the idea that, even if homework is assigned, it doesn’t have to be completed for the student to pass the class. The writer explains how her family doesn’t believe in homework, and doesn’t participate. In response, other parents started “opting out” of homework, citing research that homework in elementary school doesn’t further intelligence or academic success. 

Of course, homework has its defenders, especially in the upper grades

“I think some homework is a good idea,” says Darla E. in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. “Ideally, it forces the parents to take some responsibility for their child’s education. It also reinforces what students learn and instills good study habits for later in life.”

Jennifer M. agrees. “If we are trying to make students college-ready, they need the skill of doing homework.”

And the research does support some homework in middle and high school, as long as it is clearly tied to learning and not overwhelming.

We’d love to hear your thoughts—do you think schools should ban homework? Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

Plus, why you should stop assigning reading homework.

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Opinion Ban cellphones in schools? Teachers and a student weigh in.

Two teachers feel relief, but a student says they’re not the real problem. Plus, progress on sports betting should be celebrated.

Regarding the May 8 front-page article “ How the call to ban cellphones went through at one school ”:

As a retired Montgomery County Public Schools teacher, student phones were a major factor in my decision to close out my teaching career.

Unless there is an expansive effort, no one parent is going to put their child in the position of being the only one of their friends without a phone. Socially, it would be devastating. The irony is that phone use is preventing healthy social interaction.

Parents are very influential in MCPS policy. No student wants their mom to be the leader in the school system railing against cellphones. That fact alone is a big deterrent for any one parent to speak out. Parenting is hard enough. To have this fight brought into the home would escalate tension with most teens. Parents are in a no-win situation.

What is the answer? I don’t know, but the conversation needs to pick up. Maybe administrations can intercede, such as what happened in Connecticut. Perhaps parent-teacher associations can poll parents, so they can express their concern privately without having to be a public outlier. Something has to change!

Connie Jacobson , Rockville

The Post’s recent article regarding cellphones in the classroom is both inspiring and illuminating. As a high school teacher of 35 years, I have had a front-row seat to this challenge, the dilemma it poses to administrators and classroom instructors, and the damage cellphones do to our kids. Average Americans, especially those without teenage children, do not fully understand the overwhelming magnitude of the negative effects that these devices have in our classrooms and on our children’s health, even though it has been documented in countless studies. We should applaud the bravery of the school in Connecticut for tackling this issue head-on.

If we knew of a substance that is extremely toxic, would it be allowed in our schools? Of course not. Yet we allow cellphones in classrooms. Protecting our kids should not be a difficult decision.

Salvatore Misuraca , Washington

As a student who has attended a school that confiscates phones before the day starts and a school that does not, I think adults should think about whether phones are the real issue for students.

Going without my phone for a few hours every day isn’t a huge inconvenience because I am with friends who keep me company. However, I don’t think confiscating phones from students will help change their negative mind-set at school. Students already feel as though school takes away their freedom and time to be friends and family. If phones were confiscated, students might react negatively because phones are their only outlet to the outside world during school hours.

Because the middle school I went to was small and everyone went to the same classes, phones weren’t necessary. I knew where my friends were at any time. However, at bigger schools, it is much harder to keep track of your friends without a phone. I use my phone to contact my friends to see where they want to meet up and where we are hanging out during our free periods. Phones can be a distraction, but for some students they are also a great source of communication. If schools confiscated phones, I don’t think it should be the whole day. However, I think it is reasonable for teachers to ask students to put their phones away when there is a lecture or an in-class activity.

Daniela Tormis , Pearland, Tex.

Regarding the May 10 editorial, “ How to scroll through childhood without hanging up on smartphones ”:

The very first sentence of The Post’s recent editorial on smartphones and young people, describing Americans with “shoulders hunched, head down, eyes glued to a smartphone screen” instantly reminded me of a dreary scene that caught my eye recently when my car was stopped at a red light on a downhill street in suburban Virginia.

It was a beautiful day. I rolled down the window for a clearer view of the perky daffodils lining the curbstone and a large hedge of pink azaleas that overhung the sidewalk. I smiled, breathed deeply and whispered a soft word of “thanks.”

At that moment, a teenage boy and girl, both in fashionably torn jeans, trudged up the hill in the exact posture The Post described in that opening line. These teens seemed as if they must be among the nearly 1 in 5 who say they use social media “almost constantly.” I don’t know whether their cellphone use caused them mental distress. The Post’s suggestion that further studies should focus not just on “screen time” but also on what impact different kinds of screen time have on users makes sense to me.

In the meantime, one thing was clear about the phone-addicted teens that I saw. Because of their “experience blockers,” those two were missing the sheer delight of spring flowers in full bloom all around them.

Barbara Morris, Falls Church

Death at sea

The Post’s May 11 analysis “ Bishop vanished. His species can still be saved .,” chronicled the plight of a family of critically endangered North Atlantic right whales and the daily man-made threats they face that have their species on a speedy path to extinction.

But whales and vessels traveling along the Atlantic coast can coexist if we take a common-sense approach to minimize the threat to whales by updating on-the-water protections. President Biden has both the authority and the responsibility to save North Atlantic right whales from extinction.

Almost two years ago, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the federal agency responsible for whales, proposed a long-overdue update to U.S. Atlantic vessel speed rules. Those changes would lower the speed limit for the vessels longer than 35 feet, which are most dangerous to right whales, and expand a dynamic zone in which those rules applied, depending on when and where the whales are calving.

But in the time since that comment period has closed, at least five whales and newborn calves have been killed by speeding boats in U.S. waters. Each of these whale deaths is gruesome, painful and heart-wrenching to see. And the possible loss they contribute to is even more painful to contemplate. North Atlantic right whale populations will continue to trend downward if we don’t act soon.

If he fails to implement the new vessel speed rule immediately, Mr. Biden’s lasting legacy could be the first modern extinction of a large whale species in the Atlantic Ocean. Extinction is forever. Slow zones are a reasonable and minor inconvenience for the future survival of a species. Recovery of the North Atlantic right whale is possible if we just stop killing them.

Gib Brogan , Washington

The writer is campaign director of Oceana.

The Post’s May 15 editorial, “ The bad odds of legalized sports betting ,” should have done more to describe the sports betting landscape in the United States before 2018, when the Supreme Court cleared the way for 38 states and D.C. to create legal, regulated markets.

Before 2018, Americans bet an estimated $150 billion annually through black market bookies and rogue offshore websites. These shady operators contributed nothing in tax revenue, invested nothing in responsible gaming programs and offered zero protections for consumer or competition integrity.

Though the promise of capturing tax revenue being lost to the black market surely appealed to many states, a primary motivation in legalizing sports betting was to shut down an illegal market that drained law enforcement resources, took advantage of consumers and funneled money to criminal enterprises. That bet is paying off.

Today, research conducted by the American Gaming Association suggests that an estimated 77 percent of online sports bets are made legally, up from 44 percent in 2019. Seventy-eight percent of bettors rely on regulated gambling operators. And the illegal market has shrunk dramatically from $150 billion to $64 billion . Legal sports betting has enabled customers to transition from predatory operators to regulated markets where taxes are paid, responsible betting tools are ubiquitous, payouts on winning wagers are guaranteed and help is available for those who need it.

The industry is committed to helping people play responsibly, and we welcome the increased attention sports betting’s expansion has brought to the conversation around problem gambling. In fact, because of the tax revenue generated by legal gaming, problem gambling programs are better funded than ever. In 2022, $96 million was earmarked for state problem gambling programs, with nearly every dollar coming from legal gaming taxes.

When we ignore the illegal market, we ignore reality. And we also ignore opportunities to build safer markets for consumers by eroding the illegal market further through competitive, legal alternatives.

Legal sports betting is still in its early days, and we will continue to evolve to enhance entertainment for fans, generate tax revenue for states and promote responsible gambling. That’s progress to be celebrated, not condemned.

Bill Miller , Washington

The writer is president and chief executive of the American Gaming Association.

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