Is homework a necessary evil?
After decades of debate, researchers are still sorting out the truth about homework’s pros and cons. One point they can agree on: Quality assignments matter.
By Kirsten Weir
March 2016, Vol 47, No. 3
Print version: page 36
- Schools and Classrooms
Homework battles have raged for decades. For as long as kids have been whining about doing their homework, parents and education reformers have complained that homework's benefits are dubious. Meanwhile many teachers argue that take-home lessons are key to helping students learn. Now, as schools are shifting to the new (and hotly debated) Common Core curriculum standards, educators, administrators and researchers are turning a fresh eye toward the question of homework's value.
But when it comes to deciphering the research literature on the subject, homework is anything but an open book.
The 10-minute rule
In many ways, homework seems like common sense. Spend more time practicing multiplication or studying Spanish vocabulary and you should get better at math or Spanish. But it may not be that simple.
Homework can indeed produce academic benefits, such as increased understanding and retention of the material, says Duke University social psychologist Harris Cooper, PhD, one of the nation's leading homework researchers. But not all students benefit. In a review of studies published from 1987 to 2003, Cooper and his colleagues found that homework was linked to better test scores in high school and, to a lesser degree, in middle school. Yet they found only faint evidence that homework provided academic benefit in elementary school ( Review of Educational Research , 2006).
Then again, test scores aren't everything. Homework proponents also cite the nonacademic advantages it might confer, such as the development of personal responsibility, good study habits and time-management skills. But as to hard evidence of those benefits, "the jury is still out," says Mollie Galloway, PhD, associate professor of educational leadership at Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. "I think there's a focus on assigning homework because [teachers] think it has these positive outcomes for study skills and habits. But we don't know for sure that's the case."
Even when homework is helpful, there can be too much of a good thing. "There is a limit to how much kids can benefit from home study," Cooper says. He agrees with an oft-cited rule of thumb that students should do no more than 10 minutes a night per grade level — from about 10 minutes in first grade up to a maximum of about two hours in high school. Both the National Education Association and National Parent Teacher Association support that limit.
Beyond that point, kids don't absorb much useful information, Cooper says. In fact, too much homework can do more harm than good. Researchers have cited drawbacks, including boredom and burnout toward academic material, less time for family and extracurricular activities, lack of sleep and increased stress.
In a recent study of Spanish students, Rubén Fernández-Alonso, PhD, and colleagues found that students who were regularly assigned math and science homework scored higher on standardized tests. But when kids reported having more than 90 to 100 minutes of homework per day, scores declined ( Journal of Educational Psychology , 2015).
"At all grade levels, doing other things after school can have positive effects," Cooper says. "To the extent that homework denies access to other leisure and community activities, it's not serving the child's best interest."
Children of all ages need down time in order to thrive, says Denise Pope, PhD, a professor of education at Stanford University and a co-founder of Challenge Success, a program that partners with secondary schools to implement policies that improve students' academic engagement and well-being.
"Little kids and big kids need unstructured time for play each day," she says. Certainly, time for physical activity is important for kids' health and well-being. But even time spent on social media can help give busy kids' brains a break, she says.
All over the map
But are teachers sticking to the 10-minute rule? Studies attempting to quantify time spent on homework are all over the map, in part because of wide variations in methodology, Pope says.
A 2014 report by the Brookings Institution examined the question of homework, comparing data from a variety of sources. That report cited findings from a 2012 survey of first-year college students in which 38.4 percent reported spending six hours or more per week on homework during their last year of high school. That was down from 49.5 percent in 1986 ( The Brown Center Report on American Education , 2014).
The Brookings report also explored survey data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which asked 9-, 13- and 17-year-old students how much homework they'd done the previous night. They found that between 1984 and 2012, there was a slight increase in homework for 9-year-olds, but homework amounts for 13- and 17-year-olds stayed roughly the same, or even decreased slightly.
Yet other evidence suggests that some kids might be taking home much more work than they can handle. Robert Pressman, PhD, and colleagues recently investigated the 10-minute rule among more than 1,100 students, and found that elementary-school kids were receiving up to three times as much homework as recommended. As homework load increased, so did family stress, the researchers found ( American Journal of Family Therapy , 2015).
Many high school students also seem to be exceeding the recommended amounts of homework. Pope and Galloway recently surveyed more than 4,300 students from 10 high-achieving high schools. Students reported bringing home an average of just over three hours of homework nightly ( Journal of Experiential Education , 2013).
On the positive side, students who spent more time on homework in that study did report being more behaviorally engaged in school — for instance, giving more effort and paying more attention in class, Galloway says. But they were not more invested in the homework itself. They also reported greater academic stress and less time to balance family, friends and extracurricular activities. They experienced more physical health problems as well, such as headaches, stomach troubles and sleep deprivation. "Three hours per night is too much," Galloway says.
In the high-achieving schools Pope and Galloway studied, more than 90 percent of the students go on to college. There's often intense pressure to succeed academically, from both parents and peers. On top of that, kids in these communities are often overloaded with extracurricular activities, including sports and clubs. "They're very busy," Pope says. "Some kids have up to 40 hours a week — a full-time job's worth — of extracurricular activities." And homework is yet one more commitment on top of all the others.
"Homework has perennially acted as a source of stress for students, so that piece of it is not new," Galloway says. "But especially in upper-middle-class communities, where the focus is on getting ahead, I think the pressure on students has been ratcheted up."
Yet homework can be a problem at the other end of the socioeconomic spectrum as well. Kids from wealthier homes are more likely to have resources such as computers, Internet connections, dedicated areas to do schoolwork and parents who tend to be more educated and more available to help them with tricky assignments. Kids from disadvantaged homes are more likely to work at afterschool jobs, or to be home without supervision in the evenings while their parents work multiple jobs, says Lea Theodore, PhD, a professor of school psychology at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. They are less likely to have computers or a quiet place to do homework in peace.
"Homework can highlight those inequities," she says.
Quantity vs. quality
One point researchers agree on is that for all students, homework quality matters. But too many kids are feeling a lack of engagement with their take-home assignments, many experts say. In Pope and Galloway's research, only 20 percent to 30 percent of students said they felt their homework was useful or meaningful.
"Students are assigned a lot of busywork. They're naming it as a primary stressor, but they don't feel it's supporting their learning," Galloway says.
"Homework that's busywork is not good for anyone," Cooper agrees. Still, he says, different subjects call for different kinds of assignments. "Things like vocabulary and spelling are learned through practice. Other kinds of courses require more integration of material and drawing on different skills."
But critics say those skills can be developed with many fewer hours of homework each week. Why assign 50 math problems, Pope asks, when 10 would be just as constructive? One Advanced Placement biology teacher she worked with through Challenge Success experimented with cutting his homework assignments by a third, and then by half. "Test scores didn't go down," she says. "You can have a rigorous course and not have a crazy homework load."
Still, changing the culture of homework won't be easy. Teachers-to-be get little instruction in homework during their training, Pope says. And despite some vocal parents arguing that kids bring home too much homework, many others get nervous if they think their child doesn't have enough. "Teachers feel pressured to give homework because parents expect it to come home," says Galloway. "When it doesn't, there's this idea that the school might not be doing its job."
Galloway argues teachers and school administrators need to set clear goals when it comes to homework — and parents and students should be in on the discussion, too. "It should be a broader conversation within the community, asking what's the purpose of homework? Why are we giving it? Who is it serving? Who is it not serving?"
Until schools and communities agree to take a hard look at those questions, those backpacks full of take-home assignments will probably keep stirring up more feelings than facts.
Further reading
- Cooper, H., Robinson, J. C., & Patall, E. A. (2006). Does homework improve academic achievement? A synthesis of research, 1987-2003. Review of Educational Research, 76 (1), 1–62. doi: 10.3102/00346543076001001
- Galloway, M., Connor, J., & Pope, D. (2013). Nonacademic effects of homework in privileged, high-performing high schools. The Journal of Experimental Education, 81 (4), 490–510. doi: 10.1080/00220973.2012.745469
- Pope, D., Brown, M., & Miles, S. (2015). Overloaded and underprepared: Strategies for stronger schools and healthy, successful kids . San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Letters to the Editor
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Opinion: your kid is right, homework is pointless. here’s what you should do instead..
Editor’s Note: Elissa Strauss writes about the politics and culture of parenthood. The views expressed in this commentary are her own.
We live, for the most part, fairly similar lives to our next-door neighbors. Both households have two working parents, two kids and an appreciation for the way California weather affords them unscripted, outdoor play year-round.
We are all busier than we want to be, but our neighbors have an extra, unnecessary hurdle that makes life more difficult.
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, our family takes that time to enjoy our kids. No efficiency, no productivity, no agenda; just parents and children hanging out.
There’s been a lot of research and debate on the academic value of homework for school-aged children. The results, although somewhat mixed, generally conclude that homework provides no advantage for kids in elementary grades. As children get older, the potential benefits of homework grow, but less than you probably think.
Too much homework? Not in this class. None at all. None all year
Missing from the homework conversation is how no-homework policies benefit the whole family – parents and caregivers included.
School schedules and cultures were created for a different time, when moms were expected to be available to children during non-school hours. But today, the majority of families have either dual-working or single parents. Reconfiguring the education system to adapt to this current reality is a big project. We need to accommodate for the fact that nobody’s home to watch kids after school and during holiday breaks, or to spend four hours building a “Bridge to Terabithia” diorama on a Thursday afternoon.
The remedy to this would likely involve an overhaul of our paid leave and vacation policies, as well as modifications to our daily and yearly school schedules. This is not a quick fix.
Ending homework for elementary school-aged kids is, on the other hand, relatively easy. We just have to stop doing it.
We need to do less
Feeling overwhelmed is a defining trait of today’s parents and caregivers. We have too much to do, our kids have too much to do, and leisure and happiness are the prices we pay for it.
One recent survey of 2,000 parents commissioned by Crayola Experience found that more than half of parents feel they are too busy to enjoy the fun of parenting. A similar number told Pew Research Center they struggle to balance the responsibilities of home with the responsibilities of a family. We feel guilty, and we feel tired. We lack the energy to make it through the week, let alone figure out how to get ourselves out of this mess.
Why we should stop calling it 'screen time' to our kids
When every minute is accounted for, sometimes two or three times over, a reprieve from something as seemingly minor as homework can make a big difference.
“The time families have together is really short; it is much shorter than what people would like. And when you are together everyone is fried,” said Brigid Schulte, author of “ Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time ” and director of the Better Life Lab . “If you are stressed and cranky, and your kid has been in aftercare too long, and then you get home and have to force them to do their homework, it removes the sense that home is a supportive, loving place where you can connect.”
Schulte encourages parents and caregivers to resist homework. This might include fighting for no-homework policies at their children’s schools, and pushing back against unrealistic homework assignments. Reach out to a teacher and tell them why a particular assignment is burdensome or causing unnecessary stress and, if this is the case, why your child won’t be able to meet the teacher’s expectations, she suggested.
“The most important thing is to look for small wins right now,” she said, referring to the battle against busyness. Gaining roughly 30 minutes a night, or two-plus hours a week, has the potential to make a dramatic difference in family well-being, giving us an opportunity to remember why exactly we had children in the first place.
Teach your children, and yourself, to do less
It can feel scary to slow down. Rising income inequality has turned parenting into a competitive sport. It’s a winner-takes-all world and we want our kids to be the winners — unhappy, stressed-out winners.
There is so much out there telling your children they need to do more and be more, and that whatever they think is enough is most definitely not enough. This means that parents and caregivers provide what is likely kids’ only shot at learning about leisure and togetherness. The overwhelming message from decades of research has found these are the main ingredients to happiness and well-being.
Summer isn't a break for kids or parents
Getting rid of homework is a relatively simple way to combat this high-stakes problem. It gives parents and caregivers the opportunity to teach their children these essential – albeit systematically ignored and undervalued – skills.
“Kids should have a chance to just be kids and do things they enjoy, particularly after spending six hours a day in school,” said Alfie Kohn, author of “ The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing .” “After all, we adults need time just to chill out; it’s absurd to insist that children must be engaged in constructive activities right up until their heads hit the pillow.”
This isn’t to say that the downtime has to be mindless. Kohn suggests that parents and caregivers can, with their kids, cook, play board games, read or watch TV and then discuss what they read or watched. (Ideally, it’s something parents would enjoy as well.) All of these activities require logic or analytical skills, and can help uncover kids’ passions, as well as areas in which they might be struggling and need additional help.
Q: Am I a bad parent if I'm on my phone in front of my kids?
These activities can also help kids build the kind of skills we associate with homework, said Josh Cline, a public school teacher in Oakland, California. Perseverance and stamina, for example, are required to sit through a story and then discuss it, to complete a batch of brownies or play a game of checkers or chess. “It’s better to grow those skills doing things kids find interesting than forcing them to slog through worksheets,” he said. That said, if worksheets are your kid’s thing, Cline said to give them a shot — as long as it is clear they have a choice.
From an academic standpoint, Cline’s main interest is for kids to be reading at home. However, he says, forcing it is likely to backfire. Instead, parents and caregivers should try to encourage reading by giving their kids plenty of choices, and, whenever possible, integrating reading into a cozy routine (that may or may not include hot chocolate).
But ultimately, the best replacement for homework is, simply, a parent or caregiver’s attention.
“Spend time with them and see them as people. At school, they operate as a herd, and as hard as I try as a teacher, I can’t give them all the attention they deserve,” Cline said. “At home they should be seen as the unique, individual, interesting and brilliant people they are.”
Homework – Top 3 Pros and Cons
Pro/Con Arguments | Discussion Questions | Take Action | Sources | More Debates
From dioramas to book reports, from algebraic word problems to research projects, whether students should be given homework, as well as the type and amount of homework, has been debated for over a century. [ 1 ]
While we are unsure who invented homework, we do know that the word “homework” dates back to ancient Rome. Pliny the Younger asked his followers to practice their speeches at home. Memorization exercises as homework continued through the Middle Ages and Enlightenment by monks and other scholars. [ 45 ]
In the 19th century, German students of the Volksschulen or “People’s Schools” were given assignments to complete outside of the school day. This concept of homework quickly spread across Europe and was brought to the United States by Horace Mann , who encountered the idea in Prussia. [ 45 ]
In the early 1900s, progressive education theorists, championed by the magazine Ladies’ Home Journal , decried homework’s negative impact on children’s physical and mental health, leading California to ban homework for students under 15 from 1901 until 1917. In the 1930s, homework was portrayed as child labor, which was newly illegal, but the prevailing argument was that kids needed time to do household chores. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 45 ] [ 46 ]
Public opinion swayed again in favor of homework in the 1950s due to concerns about keeping up with the Soviet Union’s technological advances during the Cold War . And, in 1986, the US government included homework as an educational quality boosting tool. [ 3 ] [ 45 ]
A 2014 study found kindergarteners to fifth graders averaged 2.9 hours of homework per week, sixth to eighth graders 3.2 hours per teacher, and ninth to twelfth graders 3.5 hours per teacher. A 2014-2019 study found that teens spent about an hour a day on homework. [ 4 ] [ 44 ]
Beginning in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic complicated the very idea of homework as students were schooling remotely and many were doing all school work from home. Washington Post journalist Valerie Strauss asked, “Does homework work when kids are learning all day at home?” While students were mostly back in school buildings in fall 2021, the question remains of how effective homework is as an educational tool. [ 47 ]
Is Homework Beneficial?
Pro 1 Homework improves student achievement. Studies have shown that homework improved student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college. Research published in the High School Journal indicated that students who spent between 31 and 90 minutes each day on homework “scored about 40 points higher on the SAT-Mathematics subtest than their peers, who reported spending no time on homework each day, on average.” [ 6 ] Students in classes that were assigned homework outperformed 69% of students who didn’t have homework on both standardized tests and grades. A majority of studies on homework’s impact – 64% in one meta-study and 72% in another – showed that take-home assignments were effective at improving academic achievement. [ 7 ] [ 8 ] Research by the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) concluded that increased homework led to better GPAs and higher probability of college attendance for high school boys. In fact, boys who attended college did more than three hours of additional homework per week in high school. [ 10 ] Read More
Pro 2 Homework helps to reinforce classroom learning, while developing good study habits and life skills. Students typically retain only 50% of the information teachers provide in class, and they need to apply that information in order to truly learn it. Abby Freireich and Brian Platzer, co-founders of Teachers Who Tutor NYC, explained, “at-home assignments help students learn the material taught in class. Students require independent practice to internalize new concepts… [And] these assignments can provide valuable data for teachers about how well students understand the curriculum.” [ 11 ] [ 49 ] Elementary school students who were taught “strategies to organize and complete homework,” such as prioritizing homework activities, collecting study materials, note-taking, and following directions, showed increased grades and more positive comments on report cards. [ 17 ] Research by the City University of New York noted that “students who engage in self-regulatory processes while completing homework,” such as goal-setting, time management, and remaining focused, “are generally more motivated and are higher achievers than those who do not use these processes.” [ 18 ] Homework also helps students develop key skills that they’ll use throughout their lives: accountability, autonomy, discipline, time management, self-direction, critical thinking, and independent problem-solving. Freireich and Platzer noted that “homework helps students acquire the skills needed to plan, organize, and complete their work.” [ 12 ] [ 13 ] [ 14 ] [ 15 ] [ 49 ] Read More
Pro 3 Homework allows parents to be involved with children’s learning. Thanks to take-home assignments, parents are able to track what their children are learning at school as well as their academic strengths and weaknesses. [ 12 ] Data from a nationwide sample of elementary school students show that parental involvement in homework can improve class performance, especially among economically disadvantaged African-American and Hispanic students. [ 20 ] Research from Johns Hopkins University found that an interactive homework process known as TIPS (Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork) improves student achievement: “Students in the TIPS group earned significantly higher report card grades after 18 weeks (1 TIPS assignment per week) than did non-TIPS students.” [ 21 ] Homework can also help clue parents in to the existence of any learning disabilities their children may have, allowing them to get help and adjust learning strategies as needed. Duke University Professor Harris Cooper noted, “Two parents once told me they refused to believe their child had a learning disability until homework revealed it to them.” [ 12 ] Read More
Con 1 Too much homework can be harmful. A poll of California high school students found that 59% thought they had too much homework. 82% of respondents said that they were “often or always stressed by schoolwork.” High-achieving high school students said too much homework leads to sleep deprivation and other health problems such as headaches, exhaustion, weight loss, and stomach problems. [ 24 ] [ 28 ] [ 29 ] Alfie Kohn, an education and parenting expert, said, “Kids should have a chance to just be kids… it’s absurd to insist that children must be engaged in constructive activities right up until their heads hit the pillow.” [ 27 ] Emmy Kang, a mental health counselor, explained, “More than half of students say that homework is their primary source of stress, and we know what stress can do on our bodies.” [ 48 ] Excessive homework can also lead to cheating: 90% of middle school students and 67% of high school students admit to copying someone else’s homework, and 43% of college students engaged in “unauthorized collaboration” on out-of-class assignments. Even parents take shortcuts on homework: 43% of those surveyed admitted to having completed a child’s assignment for them. [ 30 ] [ 31 ] [ 32 ] Read More
Con 2 Homework exacerbates the digital divide or homework gap. Kiara Taylor, financial expert, defined the digital divide as “the gap between demographics and regions that have access to modern information and communications technology and those that don’t. Though the term now encompasses the technical and financial ability to utilize available technology—along with access (or a lack of access) to the Internet—the gap it refers to is constantly shifting with the development of technology.” For students, this is often called the homework gap. [ 50 ] [ 51 ] 30% (about 15 to 16 million) public school students either did not have an adequate internet connection or an appropriate device, or both, for distance learning. Completing homework for these students is more complicated (having to find a safe place with an internet connection, or borrowing a laptop, for example) or impossible. [ 51 ] A Hispanic Heritage Foundation study found that 96.5% of students across the country needed to use the internet for homework, and nearly half reported they were sometimes unable to complete their homework due to lack of access to the internet or a computer, which often resulted in lower grades. [ 37 ] [ 38 ] One study concluded that homework increases social inequality because it “potentially serves as a mechanism to further advantage those students who already experience some privilege in the school system while further disadvantaging those who may already be in a marginalized position.” [ 39 ] Read More
Con 3 Homework does not help younger students, and may not help high school students. We’ve known for a while that homework does not help elementary students. A 2006 study found that “homework had no association with achievement gains” when measured by standardized tests results or grades. [ 7 ] Fourth grade students who did no homework got roughly the same score on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) math exam as those who did 30 minutes of homework a night. Students who did 45 minutes or more of homework a night actually did worse. [ 41 ] Temple University professor Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek said that homework is not the most effective tool for young learners to apply new information: “They’re learning way more important skills when they’re not doing their homework.” [ 42 ] In fact, homework may not be helpful at the high school level either. Alfie Kohn, author of The Homework Myth, stated, “I interviewed high school teachers who completely stopped giving homework and there was no downside, it was all upside.” He explains, “just because the same kids who get more homework do a little better on tests, doesn’t mean the homework made that happen.” [ 52 ] Read More
Discussion Questions
1. Is homework beneficial? Consider the study data, your personal experience, and other types of information. Explain your answer(s).
2. If homework were banned, what other educational strategies would help students learn classroom material? Explain your answer(s).
3. How has homework been helpful to you personally? How has homework been unhelpful to you personally? Make carefully considered lists for both sides.
Take Action
1. Examine an argument in favor of quality homework assignments from Janine Bempechat.
2. Explore Oxford Learning’s infographic on the effects of homework on students.
3. Consider Joseph Lathan’s argument that homework promotes inequality .
4. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? If so, how? List two to three ways. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the “other side of the issue” now helps you better argue your position.
5. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives .
More School Debate Topics
Should K-12 Students Dissect Animals in Science Classrooms? – Proponents say dissecting real animals is a better learning experience. Opponents say the practice is bad for the environment.
Should Students Have to Wear School Uniforms? – Proponents say uniforms may increase student safety. Opponents say uniforms restrict expression.
Should Corporal Punishment Be Used in K-12 Schools? – Proponents say corporal punishment is an appropriate discipline. Opponents say it inflicts long-lasting physical and mental harm on students.
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School Life Balance , Tips for Online Students
The Pros and Cons of Homework
Homework is a word that most students dread hearing. After hours upon hours of sitting in class , the last thing we want is more schoolwork over our precious weekends. While it’s known to be a staple of traditional schooling, homework has also become a rather divise topic. Some feel as though homework is a necessary part of school, while others believe that the time could be better invested. Should students have homework? Have a closer look into the arguments on both sides to decide for yourself.
Photo by energepic.com from Pexels
Why should students have homework, 1. homework encourages practice.
Many people believe that one of the positive effects of homework is that it encourages the discipline of practice. While it may be time consuming and boring compared to other activities, repetition is needed to get better at skills. Homework helps make concepts more clear, and gives students more opportunities when starting their career .
2. Homework Gets Parents Involved
Homework can be something that gets parents involved in their children’s lives if the environment is a healthy one. A parent helping their child with homework makes them take part in their academic success, and allows for the parent to keep up with what the child is doing in school. It can also be a chance to connect together.
3. Homework Teaches Time Management
Homework is much more than just completing the assigned tasks. Homework can develop time management skills , forcing students to plan their time and make sure that all of their homework assignments are done on time. By learning to manage their time, students also practice their problem-solving skills and independent thinking. One of the positive effects of homework is that it forces decision making and compromises to be made.
4. Homework Opens A Bridge Of Communication
Homework creates a connection between the student, the teacher, the school, and the parents. It allows everyone to get to know each other better, and parents can see where their children are struggling. In the same sense, parents can also see where their children are excelling. Homework in turn can allow for a better, more targeted educational plan for the student.
5. Homework Allows For More Learning Time
Homework allows for more time to complete the learning process. School hours are not always enough time for students to really understand core concepts, and homework can counter the effects of time shortages, benefiting students in the long run, even if they can’t see it in the moment.
6. Homework Reduces Screen Time
Many students in North America spend far too many hours watching TV. If they weren’t in school, these numbers would likely increase even more. Although homework is usually undesired, it encourages better study habits and discourages spending time in front of the TV. Homework can be seen as another extracurricular activity, and many families already invest a lot of time and money in different clubs and lessons to fill up their children’s extra time. Just like extracurricular activities, homework can be fit into one’s schedule.
The Other Side: Why Homework Is Bad
1. homework encourages a sedentary lifestyle.
Should students have homework? Well, that depends on where you stand. There are arguments both for the advantages and the disadvantages of homework.
While classroom time is important, playground time is just as important. If children are given too much homework, they won’t have enough playtime, which can impact their social development and learning. Studies have found that those who get more play get better grades in school , as it can help them pay closer attention in the classroom.
Children are already sitting long hours in the classroom, and homework assignments only add to these hours. Sedentary lifestyles can be dangerous and can cause health problems such as obesity. Homework takes away from time that could be spent investing in physical activity.
2. Homework Isn’t Healthy In Every Home
While many people that think homes are a beneficial environment for children to learn, not all homes provide a healthy environment, and there may be very little investment from parents. Some parents do not provide any kind of support or homework help, and even if they would like to, due to personal barriers, they sometimes cannot. Homework can create friction between children and their parents, which is one of the reasons why homework is bad .
3. Homework Adds To An Already Full-Time Job
School is already a full-time job for students, as they generally spend over 6 hours each day in class. Students also often have extracurricular activities such as sports, music, or art that are just as important as their traditional courses. Adding on extra hours to all of these demands is a lot for children to manage, and prevents students from having extra time to themselves for a variety of creative endeavors. Homework prevents self discovery and having the time to learn new skills outside of the school system. This is one of the main disadvantages of homework.
4. Homework Has Not Been Proven To Provide Results
Endless surveys have found that homework creates a negative attitude towards school, and homework has not been found to be linked to a higher level of academic success.
The positive effects of homework have not been backed up enough. While homework may help some students improve in specific subjects, if they have outside help there is no real proof that homework makes for improvements.
It can be a challenge to really enforce the completion of homework, and students can still get decent grades without doing their homework. Extra school time does not necessarily mean better grades — quality must always come before quantity.
Accurate practice when it comes to homework simply isn’t reliable. Homework could even cause opposite effects if misunderstood, especially since the reliance is placed on the student and their parents — one of the major reasons as to why homework is bad. Many students would rather cheat in class to avoid doing their homework at home, and children often just copy off of each other or from what they read on the internet.
5. Homework Assignments Are Overdone
The general agreement is that students should not be given more than 10 minutes a day per grade level. What this means is that a first grader should be given a maximum of 10 minutes of homework, while a second grader receives 20 minutes, etc. Many students are given a lot more homework than the recommended amount, however.
On average, college students spend as much as 3 hours per night on homework . By giving too much homework, it can increase stress levels and lead to burn out. This in turn provides an opposite effect when it comes to academic success.
The pros and cons of homework are both valid, and it seems as though the question of ‘‘should students have homework?’ is not a simple, straightforward one. Parents and teachers often are found to be clashing heads, while the student is left in the middle without much say.
It’s important to understand all the advantages and disadvantages of homework, taking both perspectives into conversation to find a common ground. At the end of the day, everyone’s goal is the success of the student.
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Winter 2012
Are you down with or done with homework.
By Lory Hough
Homework Policy Still Going Strong
The debate over how much schoolwork students should be doing at home has flared again, with one side saying it's too much, the other side saying in our competitive world, it's just not enough..
It was a move that doesn't happen very often in American public schools: The principal got rid of homework.
This past September, Stephanie Brant, principal of Gaithersburg Elementary School in Gaithersburg, Md., decided that instead of teachers sending kids home with math worksheets and spelling flash cards, students would instead go home and read. Every day for 30 minutes, more if they had time or the inclination, with parents or on their own.
"I knew this would be a big shift for my community," she says. But she also strongly believed it was a necessary one. Twenty-first-century learners, especially those in elementary school, need to think critically and understand their own learning — not spend night after night doing rote homework drills.
Brant's move may not be common, but she isn't alone in her questioning. The value of doing schoolwork at home has gone in and out of fashion in the United States among educators, policymakers, the media, and, more recently, parents. As far back as the late 1800s, with the rise of the Progressive Era, doctors such as Joseph Mayer Rice began pushing for a limit on what he called "mechanical homework," saying it caused childhood nervous conditions and eyestrain. Around that time, the then-influential Ladies Home Journal began publishing a series of anti-homework articles, stating that five hours of brain work a day was "the most we should ask of our children," and that homework was an intrusion on family life. In response, states like California passed laws abolishing homework for students under a certain age.
But, as is often the case with education, the tide eventually turned. After the Russians launched the Sputnik satellite in 1957, a space race emerged, and, writes Brian Gill in the journal Theory Into Practice, "The homework problem was reconceived as part of a national crisis; the U.S. was losing the Cold War because Russian children were smarter." Many earlier laws limiting homework were abolished, and the longterm trend toward less homework came to an end.
The debate re-emerged a decade later when parents of the late '60s and '70s argued that children should be free to play and explore — similar anti-homework wellness arguments echoed nearly a century earlier. By the early-1980s, however, the pendulum swung again with the publication of A Nation at Risk , which blamed poor education for a "rising tide of mediocrity." Students needed to work harder, the report said, and one way to do this was more homework.
For the most part, this pro-homework sentiment is still going strong today, in part because of mandatory testing and continued economic concerns about the nation's competitiveness. Many believe that today's students are falling behind their peers in places like Korea and Finland and are paying more attention to Angry Birds than to ancient Babylonia.
But there are also a growing number of Stephanie Brants out there, educators and parents who believe that students are stressed and missing out on valuable family time. Students, they say, particularly younger students who have seen a rise in the amount of take-home work and already put in a six- to nine-hour "work" day, need less, not more homework.
Who is right? Are students not working hard enough or is homework not working for them? Here's where the story gets a little tricky: It depends on whom you ask and what research you're looking at. As Cathy Vatterott, the author of Rethinking Homework , points out, "Homework has generated enough research so that a study can be found to support almost any position, as long as conflicting studies are ignored." Alfie Kohn, author of The Homework Myth and a strong believer in eliminating all homework, writes that, "The fact that there isn't anything close to unanimity among experts belies the widespread assumption that homework helps." At best, he says, homework shows only an association, not a causal relationship, with academic achievement. In other words, it's hard to tease out how homework is really affecting test scores and grades. Did one teacher give better homework than another? Was one teacher more effective in the classroom? Do certain students test better or just try harder?
"It is difficult to separate where the effect of classroom teaching ends," Vatterott writes, "and the effect of homework begins."
Putting research aside, however, much of the current debate over homework is focused less on how homework affects academic achievement and more on time. Parents in particular have been saying that the amount of time children spend in school, especially with afterschool programs, combined with the amount of homework given — as early as kindergarten — is leaving students with little time to run around, eat dinner with their families, or even get enough sleep.
Certainly, for some parents, homework is a way to stay connected to their children's learning. But for others, homework creates a tug-of-war between parents and children, says Liz Goodenough, M.A.T.'71, creator of a documentary called Where Do the Children Play?
"Ideally homework should be about taking something home, spending a few curious and interesting moments in which children might engage with parents, and then getting that project back to school — an organizational triumph," she says. "A nag-free activity could engage family time: Ask a parent about his or her own childhood. Interview siblings."
Instead, as the authors of The Case Against Homework write, "Homework overload is turning many of us into the types of parents we never wanted to be: nags, bribers, and taskmasters."
Leslie Butchko saw it happen a few years ago when her son started sixth grade in the Santa Monica-Malibu (Calif.) United School District. She remembers him getting two to four hours of homework a night, plus weekend and vacation projects. He was overwhelmed and struggled to finish assignments, especially on nights when he also had an extracurricular activity.
"Ultimately, we felt compelled to have Bobby quit karate — he's a black belt — to allow more time for homework," she says. And then, with all of their attention focused on Bobby's homework, she and her husband started sending their youngest to his room so that Bobby could focus. "One day, my younger son gave us 15-minute coupons as a present for us to use to send him to play in the back room. … It was then that we realized there had to be something wrong with the amount of homework we were facing."
Butchko joined forces with another mother who was having similar struggles and ultimately helped get the homework policy in her district changed, limiting homework on weekends and holidays, setting time guidelines for daily homework, and broadening the definition of homework to include projects and studying for tests. As she told the school board at one meeting when the policy was first being discussed, "In closing, I just want to say that I had more free time at Harvard Law School than my son has in middle school, and that is not in the best interests of our children."
One barrier that Butchko had to overcome initially was convincing many teachers and parents that more homework doesn't necessarily equal rigor.
"Most of the parents that were against the homework policy felt that students need a large quantity of homework to prepare them for the rigorous AP classes in high school and to get them into Harvard," she says.
Stephanie Conklin, Ed.M.'06, sees this at Another Course to College, the Boston pilot school where she teaches math. "When a student is not completing [his or her] homework, parents usually are frustrated by this and agree with me that homework is an important part of their child's learning," she says.
As Timothy Jarman, Ed.M.'10, a ninth-grade English teacher at Eugene Ashley High School in Wilmington, N.C., says, "Parents think it is strange when their children are not assigned a substantial amount of homework."
That's because, writes Vatterott, in her chapter, "The Cult(ure) of Homework," the concept of homework "has become so engrained in U.S. culture that the word homework is part of the common vernacular."
These days, nightly homework is a given in American schools, writes Kohn.
"Homework isn't limited to those occasions when it seems appropriate and important. Most teachers and administrators aren't saying, 'It may be useful to do this particular project at home,'" he writes. "Rather, the point of departure seems to be, 'We've decided ahead of time that children will have to do something every night (or several times a week). … This commitment to the idea of homework in the abstract is accepted by the overwhelming majority of schools — public and private, elementary and secondary."
Brant had to confront this when she cut homework at Gaithersburg Elementary.
"A lot of my parents have this idea that homework is part of life. This is what I had to do when I was young," she says, and so, too, will our kids. "So I had to shift their thinking." She did this slowly, first by asking her teachers last year to really think about what they were sending home. And this year, in addition to forming a parent advisory group around the issue, she also holds events to answer questions.
Still, not everyone is convinced that homework as a given is a bad thing. "Any pursuit of excellence, be it in sports, the arts, or academics, requires hard work. That our culture finds it okay for kids to spend hours a day in a sport but not equal time on academics is part of the problem," wrote one pro-homework parent on the blog for the documentary Race to Nowhere , which looks at the stress American students are under. "Homework has always been an issue for parents and children. It is now and it was 20 years ago. I think when people decide to have children that it is their responsibility to educate them," wrote another.
And part of educating them, some believe, is helping them develop skills they will eventually need in adulthood. "Homework can help students develop study skills that will be of value even after they leave school," reads a publication on the U.S. Department of Education website called Homework Tips for Parents. "It can teach them that learning takes place anywhere, not just in the classroom. … It can foster positive character traits such as independence and responsibility. Homework can teach children how to manage time."
Annie Brown, Ed.M.'01, feels this is particularly critical at less affluent schools like the ones she has worked at in Boston, Cambridge, Mass., and Los Angeles as a literacy coach.
"It feels important that my students do homework because they will ultimately be competing for college placement and jobs with students who have done homework and have developed a work ethic," she says. "Also it will get them ready for independently taking responsibility for their learning, which will need to happen for them to go to college."
The problem with this thinking, writes Vatterott, is that homework becomes a way to practice being a worker.
"Which begs the question," she writes. "Is our job as educators to produce learners or workers?"
Slate magazine editor Emily Bazelon, in a piece about homework, says this makes no sense for younger kids.
"Why should we think that practicing homework in first grade will make you better at doing it in middle school?" she writes. "Doesn't the opposite seem equally plausible: that it's counterproductive to ask children to sit down and work at night before they're developmentally ready because you'll just make them tired and cross?"
Kohn writes in the American School Board Journal that this "premature exposure" to practices like homework (and sit-and-listen lessons and tests) "are clearly a bad match for younger children and of questionable value at any age." He calls it BGUTI: Better Get Used to It. "The logic here is that we have to prepare you for the bad things that are going to be done to you later … by doing them to you now."
According to a recent University of Michigan study, daily homework for six- to eight-year-olds increased on average from about 8 minutes in 1981 to 22 minutes in 2003. A review of research by Duke University Professor Harris Cooper found that for elementary school students, "the average correlation between time spent on homework and achievement … hovered around zero."
So should homework be eliminated? Of course not, say many Ed School graduates who are teaching. Not only would students not have time for essays and long projects, but also teachers would not be able to get all students to grade level or to cover critical material, says Brett Pangburn, Ed.M.'06, a sixth-grade English teacher at Excel Academy Charter School in Boston. Still, he says, homework has to be relevant.
"Kids need to practice the skills being taught in class, especially where, like the kids I teach at Excel, they are behind and need to catch up," he says. "Our results at Excel have demonstrated that kids can catch up and view themselves as in control of their academic futures, but this requires hard work, and homework is a part of it."
Ed School Professor Howard Gardner basically agrees.
"America and Americans lurch between too little homework in many of our schools to an excess of homework in our most competitive environments — Li'l Abner vs. Tiger Mother," he says. "Neither approach makes sense. Homework should build on what happens in class, consolidating skills and helping students to answer new questions."
So how can schools come to a happy medium, a way that allows teachers to cover everything they need while not overwhelming students? Conklin says she often gives online math assignments that act as labs and students have two or three days to complete them, including some in-class time. Students at Pangburn's school have a 50-minute silent period during regular school hours where homework can be started, and where teachers pull individual or small groups of students aside for tutoring, often on that night's homework. Afterschool homework clubs can help.
Some schools and districts have adapted time limits rather than nix homework completely, with the 10-minute per grade rule being the standard — 10 minutes a night for first-graders, 30 minutes for third-graders, and so on. (This remedy, however, is often met with mixed results since not all students work at the same pace.) Other schools offer an extended day that allows teachers to cover more material in school, in turn requiring fewer take-home assignments. And for others, like Stephanie Brant's elementary school in Maryland, more reading with a few targeted project assignments has been the answer.
"The routine of reading is so much more important than the routine of homework," she says. "Let's have kids reflect. You can still have the routine and you can still have your workspace, but now it's for reading. I often say to parents, if we can put a man on the moon, we can put a man or woman on Mars and that person is now a second-grader. We don't know what skills that person will need. At the end of the day, we have to feel confident that we're giving them something they can use on Mars."
Read a January 2014 update.
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Thanks for the Add. Now Help Me with My Homework
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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.
More from TIME
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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Special Topic / The Case For and Against Homework
The Case for Homework
The case against homework, the dangers of ignoring the research, grade level, time spent on homework, parent involvement, going beyond the research.
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Special Topic / The Case For and Against Homework - table
Two meta-analyses by Cooper and colleagues (Cooper, 1989a; Cooper, Robinson, & Patall, 2006) are the most comprehensive and rigorous. The 1989 meta-analysis reviewed research dating as far back as the 1930s; the 2006 study reviewed research from 1987 to 2003. Commenting on studies that attempted to examine the causal relationship between homework and student achievement by comparing experimental (homework) and control (no homework) groups, Cooper, Robinson, and Patall (2006) noted, With only rare exceptions, the relationship between the amount of homework students do and their achievement outcomes was found to be positive and statistically significant. Therefore, we think it would not be imprudent, based on the evidence in hand, to conclude that doing homework causes improved academic achievement. (p. 48)
In a third book, The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing (2006a), Kohn took direct aim at the research on homework. In this book and in a recent article in Phi Delta Kappan (2006b), he became quite personal in his condemnation of researchers. For example, referring to Harris Cooper, the lead author of the two leading meta-analyses on homework, Kohn noted, A careful reading of Cooper's own studies . . . reveals further examples of his determination to massage the numbers until they yield something—anything—on which to construct a defense of homework for younger children. (2006a, p. 84)He also attacked a section on homework in our book Classroom Instruction that Works (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001).
- Grades 4–6: ES = .15 (Percentile gain = 6)
- Grades 7–9: ES = .31 (Percentile gain = 12)
- Grades 10–12: ES = .64 (Percentile gain = 24)
The pattern clearly indicates that homework has smaller effects at lower grade levels. Even so, Cooper (1989b) still recommended homework for elementary students because homework for young children should help them develop good study habits, foster positive attitudes toward school, and communicate to students the idea that learning takes work at home as well as at school. (p. 90)
- For students in the earliest grades , it should foster positive attitudes, habits, and character traits; permit appropriate parent involvement; and reinforce learning of simple skills introduced in class.
- For students in upper elementary grades , it should play a more direct role in fostering improved school achievement.
- In 6th grade and beyond , it should play an important role in improving standardized test scores and grades.
One of the more contentious issues in the homework debate is the amount of time students should spend on homework. The Cooper synthesis (1989a) reported that for junior high school students, the benefits increased as time increased, up to 1 to 2 hours of homework a night, and then decreased. The Cooper, Robinson, and Patall (2006) study reported similar findings: 7 to 12 hours of homework per week produced the largest effect size for 12th grade students. The researchers suggested that for 12th graders the optimum amount of homework might lie between 1.5 and 2.5 hours per night, but they cautioned that no hard-and-fast rules are warranted. Still, researchers have offered various recommendations. For example, Good and Brophy (2003) cautioned that teachers must take care not to assign too much homework. They suggested that homework must be realistic in length and difficulty given the students' abilities to work independently. Thus, 5 to 10 minutes per subject might be appropriate for 4th graders, whereas 30 to 60 minutes might be appropriate for college-bound high school students. (p. 394)
Cooper, Robinson, and Patall (2006) also issued a strong warning about too much homework: Even for these oldest students, too much homework may diminish its effectiveness or even become counterproductive. (p 53)
- Parents receive clear guidelines spelling out their role.
- Teachers do not expect parents to act as experts regarding content or to attempt to teach the content.
- Parents ask questions that help students clarify and summarize what they have learned.
Good and Brophy (2003) provided the following recommendations regarding parent involvement: Especially useful for parent-child relations purposes are assignments calling for students to show or explain their written work or other products completed at school to their parents and get their reactions (Epstein, 2001; Epstein, Simon, & Salinas, 1997) or to interview their parents to develop information about parental experiences or opinions relating to topics studied in social studies (Alleman & Brophy, 1998). Such assignments cause students and their parents or other family members to become engaged in conversations that relate to the academic curriculum and thus extend the students' learning. Furthermore, because these are likely to be genuine conversations rather than more formally structured teaching/learning tasks, both parents and children are likely to experience them as enjoyable rather than threatening. (p. 395)
Riehl (2006) pointed out the similarity between education research and medical research. She commented, When reported in the popular media, medical research often appears as a blunt instrument, able to obliterate skeptics or opponents by the force of its evidence and arguments. . . . Yet repeated visits to the medical journals themselves can leave a much different impression. The serious medical journals convey the sense that medical research is an ongoing conversation and quest, punctuated occasionally by important findings that can and should alter practice, but more often characterized by continuing investigations. These investigations, taken cumulatively, can inform the work of practitioners who are building their own local knowledge bases on medical care. (pp. 27–28)
Research-Based Homework Guidelines
Assign purposeful homework. Legitimate purposes for homework include introducing new content, practicing a skill or process that students can do independently but not fluently, elaborating on information that has been addressed in class to deepen students' knowledge, and providing opportunities for students to explore topics of their own interest.
Design homework to maximize the chances that students will complete it. For example, ensure that homework is at the appropriate level of difficulty. Students should be able to complete homework assignments independently with relatively high success rates, but they should still find the assignments challenging enough to be interesting.
Involve parents in appropriate ways (for example, as a sounding board to help students summarize what they learned from the homework) without requiring parents to act as teachers or to police students' homework completion.
Carefully monitor the amount of homework assigned so that it is appropriate to students' age levels and does not take too much time away from other home activities.
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• 1 For a more detailed response to Kohn's views on homework, see Marzano & Pickering (2007) and Marzano & Pickering (in press).
Robert Marzano is the CEO of Marzano Research Laboratory in Centennial, CO, which provides research-based, partner-centered support for educators and education agencies—with the goal of helping teachers improve educational practice.
As strategic advisor, Robert brings over 50 years of experience in action-based education research, professional development, and curriculum design to Marzano Research. He has expertise in standards-based assessment, cognition, school leadership, and competency-based education, among a host of areas.
He is the author of 30 books, 150 articles and chapters in books, and 100 sets of curriculum materials for teachers and students in grades K–12.
The late Debra J. Pickering consulted with schools and districts nationally and internationally as vice president of field services for Marzano Research Laboratory. She passed away in 2020.
In addition to her work with schools, Pickering coauthored (with Robert Marzano) educational books and manuals, including Dimensions of Learning , Classroom Instruction That Works , Classroom Management That Works , and Building Academic Vocabulary .
With a combination of theoretical grounding and more than three decades of practical experience, Pickering worked with educators to translate theory into practice. In later years her work continued to focus on the study of learning and the development of resources for curriculum, instruction, and assessment to help all educators meet the needs of all students.
Pickering had a master's degree in school administration and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction, with an emphasis in cognitive psychology.
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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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The Pros and Cons of Homework
The dreaded word for students across the country—homework.
Homework has long been a source of debate, with parents, educators, and education specialists debating the advantages of at-home study. There are many pros and cons of homework. We’ve examined a few significant points to provide you with a summary of the benefits and disadvantages of homework.
Check Out The Pros and Cons of Homework
Pro 1: Homework Helps to Improve Student Achievement
Homework teaches students various beneficial skills that they will carry with them throughout their academic and professional life, from time management and organization to self-motivation and autonomous learning.
Homework helps students of all ages build critical study abilities that help them throughout their academic careers. Learning at home also encourages the development of good research habits while encouraging students to take ownership of their tasks.
If you’re finding that homework is becoming an issue at home, check out this article to learn how to tackle them before they get out of hand.
Con 1: Too Much Homework Can Negatively Affect Students
You’ll often hear from students that they’re stressed out by schoolwork. Stress becomes even more apparent as students get into higher grade levels.
A study conducted on high school student’s experiences found that high-achieving students found that too much homework leads to sleep deprivation and other health problems such as:
- Weight loss
- Stomach problems
More than half of students say that homework is their primary source of stress, and we know what stress can do on our bodies.
It’s been shown that excessive homework can lead to cheating. With too much homework, students end up copying off one another in an attempt to finish all their assignments.
Pro 2: Homework Helps to Reinforce Classroom Learning
Homework is most effective when it allows students to revise what they learn in class. Did you know that students typically retain only 50% of the information teachers provide in class?
Students need to apply that information to learn it.
Homework also helps students develop key skills that they’ll use throughout their lives:
- Accountability
- Time management
- Self-direction
- Critical thinking
- Independent problem-solving
The skills learned in homework can then be applied to other subjects and practical situations in students’ daily lives.
Con 2: Takes Away From Students Leisure Time
Children need free time. This free time allows children to relax and explore the world that they are living in. This free time also gives them valuable skills they wouldn’t learn in a classroom, such as riding a bike, reading a book, or socializing with friends and family.
Having leisure time teaches kids valuable skills that cannot be acquired when doing their homework at a computer.
Plus, students need to get enough exercise. Getting exercise can improve cognitive function, which might be hindered by sedentary activities such as homework.
Pro 3: Homework Gets Parents Involved with Children’s Learning
Homework helps parents track what their children are learning in school.
Also allows parents to see what their children’s academic strengths and weaknesses are. Homework can alert parents to any learning difficulties that their children might have, enabling them to provide assistance and modify their child’s learning approach as necessary.
Parents who help their children with homework will lead to higher academic performance, better social skills and behaviour, and greater self-confidence in their children.
Con 3: Homework Is Not Always Effective
Numerous researchers have attempted to evaluate the importance of homework and how it enhances academic performance. According to a study , homework in primary schools has a minimal effect since students pursue unrelated assignments instead of solidifying what they have already learned.
Mental health experts agree heavy homework loads have the capacity to do more harm than good for students. But they also say the answer may not be to eliminate homework altogether. So, unfortunately for students, homework is here to stay.
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20 Pros and Cons of Homework
Homework. It’s a word that sends a shudder down the spine of students and parents alike.
It is also a question that has become divisive. Some people feel that homework is an effective way to reinforce the concepts that were learned at school. Others feel like the time that homework demands would be better spent with a meaningful activity that brings the family together.
Is homework important? Is it necessary? Or is the added stress that homework places on students and parents doing more harm than good? Here are some of the key pros and cons to discuss.
List of the Pros of Homework
1. It encourages the discipline of practice. Repeating the same problems over and over can be boring and difficult, but it also reinforces the practice of discipline. To get better at a skill, repetition is often necessary. You get better with each repetition. By having homework completed every night, especially with a difficult subject, the concepts become easier to understand. That gives the student an advantage later on in life when seeking a vocational career.
2. It gets parents involved with a child’s life. Looking at Common Core math can be somewhat bewildering to parents. If you see the math problem 5×3 expressed as an addition problem, 5+5+5 seems like the right answer. The correct answer, however, would be 3+3+3+3+3. By bringing homework to do, students can engage their learning process with their parents so everyone can be involved. Many parents actually want homework sent so they can see what their children are being taught in the classroom.
3. It teaches time management skills. Homework goes beyond completing a task. It forces children (and parents, to some extent) to develop time management skills. Schedules must be organized to ensure that all tasks can be completed during the day. This creates independent thinking and develops problem-solving skills. It encourages research skills. It also puts parents and children into a position where positive decision-making skills must be developed.
4. Homework creates a communication network. Teachers rarely see into the family lives of their students. Parents rarely see the classroom lives of their children. Homework is a bridge that opens lines of communication between the school, the teacher, and the parent. This allows everyone to get to know one another better. It helps teachers understand the needs of their students better.
It allows parents to find out their child’s strengths and weaknesses. Together, an educational plan can be developed that encourages the best possible learning environment.
5. It allows for a comfortable place to study. Classrooms have evolved over the years to be a warmer and welcoming environment, but there is nothing like the comfort that is felt at home or in a safe space. By encouraging studies where a child feels the most comfortable, it is possible to retain additional information that may get lost within the standard classroom environment.
6. It provides more time to complete the learning process. The time allotted for each area of study in school, especially in K-12, is often limited to 1 hour or less per day. That is not always enough time for students to be able to grasp core concepts of that material. By creating specific homework assignments which address these deficiencies, it becomes possible to counter the effects of the time shortages. That can benefit students greatly over time.
7. It reduces screen time. On the average school night, a student in the US might get 3-4 hours of screen time in per day. When that student isn’t in school, that figure doubles to 7-8 hours of screen time. Homework might be unwanted and disliked, but it does encourage better study habits. It discourages time being spent in front of the television or playing games on a mobile device. That, in turn, may discourage distracting habits from forming that can take away from the learning process in the future.
8. It can be treated like any other extracurricular activity. Some families over-extend themselves on extracurricular activities. Students can easily have more than 40 hours per week, from clubs to sports, that fall outside of regular school hours. Homework can be treated as one of these activities, fitting into the schedule where there is extra time. As an added benefit, some homework can even be completed on the way to or from some activities.
List of the Cons of Homework
1. Children benefit from playing. Being in a classroom can be a good thing, but so can being on a playground. With too much homework, a child doesn’t have enough time to play and that can impact their learning and social development. Low levels of play are associated with lower academic achievement levels, lower safety awareness, less character development, and lower overall health.
2. It encourages a sedentary lifestyle. Long homework assignments require long periods of sitting. A sedentary lifestyle has numerous direct associations with premature death as children age into adults. Obesity levels are already at or near record highs in many communities. Homework may reinforce certain skills and encourage knowledge retention, but it may come at a high price.
3. Not every home is a beneficial environment. There are some homes that are highly invested into their children. Parents may be involved in every stage of homework or there may be access to tutors that can explain difficult concepts. In other homes, there may be little or no education investment into the child. Some parents push the responsibility of teaching off on the teacher and provide no homework support at all.
Sometimes parents may wish to be involved and support their child, but there are barriers in place that prevent this from happening. The bottom line is this: no every home life is equal.
4. School is already a full-time job for kids. An elementary school day might start at 9:00am and end at 3:20pm. That’s more than 6 hours of work that kids as young as 5 are putting into their education every day. Add in the extra-curricular activities that schools encourage, such as sports, musicals, and after-school programming and a student can easily reach 8 hours of education in the average day. Then add homework on top of that? It is asking a lot for any child, but especially young children, to complete extra homework.
5. There is no evidence that homework creates improvements. Survey after survey has found that the only thing that homework does is create a negative attitude toward schooling and education in general. Homework is not associated with a higher level of academic achievement on a national scale. It may help some students who struggle with certain subjects, if they have access to a knowledgeable tutor or parent, but on a community level, there is no evidence that shows improvements are gained.
6. It discourages creative endeavors. If a student is spending 1 hour each day on homework, that’s an hour they are not spending pursuing something that is important to them. Students might like to play video games or watch TV, but homework takes time away from learning an instrument, painting, or developing photography skills as well. Although some homework can involve creative skills, that usually isn’t the case.
7. Homework is difficult to enforce. Some students just don’t care about homework. They can achieve adequate grades without doing it, so they choose not to do it. There is no level of motivation that a parent or teacher can create that inspires some students to get involved with homework. There is no denying the fact that homework requires a certain amount of effort. Sometimes a child just doesn’t want to put in that effort.
8. Extra time in school does not equate to better grades. Students in the US spend more than 100 hours of extra time in school already compared to high-performing countries around the world, but that has not closed the educational gap between those countries and the United States. In some educational areas, the US is even falling in global rankings despite the extra time that students are spending in school. When it comes to homework or any other form of learning, quality is much more important than quantity.
9. Accurate practice may not be possible. If homework is assigned, there is a reliance on the student, their parents, or their guardians to locate resources that can help them understand the content. Homework is often about practice, but if the core concepts of that information are not understood or inaccurately understood, then the results are the opposite of what is intended. If inaccurate practice is performed, it becomes necessary for the teacher to first correct the issue and then reteach it, which prolongs the learning process.
10. It may encourage cheating on multiple levels. Some students may decide that cheating in the classroom to avoid taking homework home is a compromise they’re willing to make. With internet resources, finding the answers to homework instead of figuring out the answers on one’s own is a constant temptation as well. For families with multiple children, they may decide to copy off one another to minimize the time investment.
11. Too much homework is often assigned to students. There is a general agreement that students should be assigned no more than 10 minutes of homework per day, per grade level. That means a first grader should not be assigned more than 10 minutes of homework per night. Yet for the average first grader in US public schools, they come home with 20 minutes of homework and then are asked to complete 20 minutes of reading on top of that. That means some students are completing 4x more homework than recommended every night.
At the same time, the amount of time children spent playing outdoors has decreased by 40% over the past 30 years.
For high school students, it is even worse at high performing schools in the US where 90% of graduates go onto college, the average amount of homework assigned per night was 3 hours per student.
12. Homework is often geared toward benchmarks. Homework is often assigned to improve test scores. Although this can provide positive outcomes, including better study skills or habits, the fact is that when children are tired, they do not absorb much information. When children have more homework than recommended, test scores actually go down. Stress levels go up. Burnout on the curriculum occurs.
The results for many students, according to research from Ruben Fernandez-Alonso in the Journal of Educational Psychology, is a decrease in grades instead of an increase.
The pros and cons of homework are admittedly all over the map. Many parents and teachers follow their personal perspectives and create learning environments around them. When parents and teachers clash on homework, the student is often left in the middle of that tug of war. By discussing these key points, each side can work to find some common ground so our children can benefit for a clear, precise message.
Quantity may be important, but quality must be the priority for homework if a student is going to be successful.
27 Top Homework Pros and Cons
There are both pros and cons of homework. This makes whether schools should assign homework a great debating topic for students.
On the side of the pros, homework is beneficial because it can be great for helping students get through their required coursework and reinforce required knowledge. But it also interferes with life outside of school.
Key arguments for homework include the fact it gives students structure, improves their learning, and improves parent-teacher relationships. Arguments for the cons of homework include the fact it interferes with playtime and causes stress to children.
Pros and Cons of Homework (Table Summary)
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Pros of Homework
1. homework teaches discipline and habit.
Discipline and habit are two soft skills that children need to develop so they can succeed in life.
Regular daily homework is a simple way that discipline and habit are reinforced. Teachers can talk to students about what they do when they get home from school.
They might develop a habit like getting changed into a new set of clothes, having an afternoon snack, then getting out their homework.
Teachers can also help students visualize these habits and disciplines by talking about where they will do their homework (kitchen table?) and when .
2. Homework helps parents know what’s being learned in class
Parents often appreciate being kept in the loop about what is going on in their child’s classroom. Homework is great for this!
Teachers can set homework based on the current unit of work in the classroom. If the students are learning about dinosaurs, the homework can be a task on dinosaurs.
This helps the teachers to show the parents the valuable learning that’s taking place, and allows parents to feel comfortable that the teacher is doing a great job.
3. Homework teaches time management
Children often have a wide range of after school activities to undertake. They need to develop the skill of managing all these activities to fit homework in.
At school, children’s time is closely managed and controlled. Every lesson ends and begins with a bell or a teacher command.
At some point, children need to learn to manage their own time. Homework is an easy way to start refining this important soft skill.
4. Homework gives students self-paced learning time
At school, a lesson has a clear beginning and end. Students who are struggling may be interrupted and need more time. Homework allows them to work on these tasks at their own pace.
When I was studying math in high school, I never got my work done in time. I understood concepts slower than my peers, and I needed more time to reinforce concepts.
Homework was my chance to keep up, by studying at my own pace.
5. Homework can reduce screen time
Paper-based homework can take students away from their afternoon cartoons and video games and get them working on something of more value.
Screen time is one of the biggest concerns for educators and parents in the 21 st Century. Children spend approximately 5 to 7 hours in front of screens per day.
While screens aren’t all bad, children generally spend more time at screens than is necessary. Homework tasks such as collecting things from the yard or interviewing grandparents gets kids away from screens and into more active activities.
6. Homework gives students productive afternoon activities
Too often, children get home from school and switch off their brains by watching cartoons or playing video games. Homework can be more productive.
Good homework should get students actively thinking. A teacher can set homework that involves creating a product, conducting interviews with family, or writing a story based on things being learned in class.
But even homework that involves repetition of math and spelling tasks can be far more productive than simply watching television.
7. Homework reinforces information taught in class
For difficult tasks, students often need to be exposed to content over and over again until they reach mastery of the topic .
To do this, sometimes you need to do old-fashioned repetition of tasks. Take, for example, algebra. Students will need to repeat the process over and over again so that they will instinctively know how to complete the task when they sit their standardized test.
Of course, the teacher needs to teach and reinforce these foundational skills at school before independent homework practice takes place.
8. Homework helps motivated students to get ahead
Many students who have set themselves the goal of coming first in their class want to do homework to get an advantage over their peers.
Students who want to excel should not be stopped from doing this. If they enjoy homework and it makes them smarter or better at a task, then they should be allowed to do this.
9. Homework gives parents and children time together
When a parent helps their child with homework (by educating and quizzing them, not cheating!), they get a chance to bond.
Working together to complete a task can be good for the relationship between the parent and the child. The parents can also feel good that they’re supporting the child to become more educated.
10. Homework improves parent-teacher relationships
Parents get an inside look at what’s happening at school to improve their trust with the teacher, while also helping the teacher do their job.
Trust between parents and teachers is very important. Parents want to know the teacher is working hard to support students and help them learn. By looking at their children’s homework, they get a good idea of what’s going on in the classroom.
The parent can also feel good about helping the teacher’s mission by sitting with the child during homework and helping to reinforce what’s been learned at school.
11. Homework helps teachers get through the crowded curriculum
Teachers are increasingly asked to teach more and more content each year. Homework can be helpful in making sure it all gets done.
Decades ago, teachers had time to dedicate lessons to repeating and practicing content learned. Today, they’re under pressure to teach one thing then quickly move onto the next. We call this phenomenon the “crowded curriculum”.
Today, teachers may need to teach the core skills in class then ask students to go home and practice what’s been taught to fast-track learning.
12. Homework provides spaced repetition for long-term memorization
Spaced repetition is a strategy that involves quizzing students intermittently on things learned in previous weeks and months.
For example, if students learned division in January, they may forget about it by June. But if the teacher provides division questions for homework in January, March, and May, then the students always keep that knowledge of how to do division in their mind.
Spaced repetition theory states that regularly requiring students to recall information that’s been pushed to the back of their mind can help, over time, commit that information to their long-term memory and prevent long-term forgetting.
13. Homework supports a flipped learning model to make the most of time with the teacher
Flipped learning is a model of education where students do preparation before class so they get to class prepared to learn.
Examples of flipped learning include pre-teaching vocabulary (e.g. giving children new words to learn for homework that they will use in a future in-class lesson), and asking students to watch preparatory videos before class.
This model of homework isn’t about reinforcing things learned in class, but learning things before class to be more prepared for lessons.
14. Homework improves student achievement
An influential review of the literature on homework by Mazano and Pickering (2007) found that homework does improve student achievement.
Another review of the literature by Cooper, Robinson and Patall (2006) similarly found that homework improves achievement. In this review, the authors highlighted that homework appeared more beneficial for high school students’ grades than elementary school students’ grades.
Several progressive education critics , especially Alfie Kohn , have claimed that homework does not help student grades. We have not found the critics’ evidence to be as compelling.
15. Homework helps the education system keep up with other countries’ systems
All nations are competing with one another to have the best education system (measured by standardized tests ). If other countries are assigning homework and your country isn’t, your country will be at a disadvantage.
The main way education systems are compared is the OECD ranking of education systems. This ranking compared standardized test scores on major subjects.
Western nations have been slipping behind Asian nations for several decades. Many Asian education systems have a culture of assigning a lot of homework. To keep up, America may also need to assign homework and encourage their kids to do more homework.
See Also: Homework Statistics List
Cons of Homework
1. homework interferes with play time.
Play-based learning is some of the best learning that can possibly occurs. When children go home from school, the play they do before sunset is hugely beneficial for their development.
Homework can prevent children from playing. Instead, they’re stuck inside repeating tasks on standardized homework sheets.
Of course, if there is no homework, parents would have to make sure children are engaging in beneficial play as well, rather than simply watching TV.
2. Homework interferes with extracurricular activities
After school, many children want to participate in extracurricular activities like sporting and community events.
However, if too much homework is assigned to learners, their parents may not be able to sign them up to co-curricular activities in the school or extracurricular activities outside of the school. This can prevent students from having well-rounded holistic development.
3. Homework discourages students from going outside and getting exercise
Homework is usually an indoors activity. Usually, teachers will assign spelling, math, or science tasks to be repeated through the week on paper or a computer.
But children need time to go outside and get exercise. The CDC recommends children ages 6 to 17 need 60 minutes of moderate to intense exercise per day.
Unfortunately, being stuck indoors may prevent children from getting that much needed exercise for well-rounded development.
4. Homework leads to unsupervised and unsupportive learning
When students get stuck on a task at school, the teacher is there to help. But when students are stuck on a homework task, no support is available.
This leads to a situation where students’ learning and development is harmed. Furthermore, those students who do understand the task can go ahead and get more homework practice done while struggling students can’t progress because the teacher isn’t there to help them through their hurdles.
Often, it’s down to parents to pick up the challenge of teaching their children during homework time. Unfortunately, not all students have parents nearby to help them during homework time.
5. Homework can encourage cheating
When children study without supervision, they have the opportunity to cheat without suffering consequences.
They could, for example, copy their sibling’s homework or use the internet to find answers.
Worse, some parents may help their child to cheat or do the homework for the child. In these cases, homework has no benefit of the child but may teach them bad and unethical habits.
6. Homework contributes to a culture of poor work-life balance
Homework instils a corporate attitude that prioritizes work above everything else. It prepares students for a social norm where you do work for your job even when you’re off the clock.
Students will grow up thinking it’s normal to clock off from their job, go home, and continue to check emails and complete work they didn’t get done during the day.
This sort of culture is bad for society. It interferes with family and recreation time and encourages bosses to behave like they’re in charge of your whole life.
7. Homework discourages children from taking up hobbies
There is an argument to be made that children need spare time so they can learn about what they like and don’t like.
If students have spare time after school, they could fill it up with hobbies. The student can think about what they enjoy (playing with dolls, riding bikes, singing, writing stories).
Downtime encourages people to develop hobbies. Students need this downtime, and homework can interfere with this.
8. Homework creates unfairness between children with parents helping and those who don’t
At school, students generally have a level playing field. They are all in the same classroom with the same resources and the same teacher. At home, it’s a different story.
Some children have parents, siblings, and internet to rely upon. Meanwhile, others have nothing but themselves and a pen.
Those children who are lucky enough to have parents helping out can get a significant advantage over their peers, causing unfairness and inequalities that are not of their own making.
9. Homework causes stress and anxiety
In a study by Galloway, Connor and Pope (2013), they found that 56% of students identified homework as the greatest cause of stress in their lives.
Stress among young people can impact their happiness and mental health. Furthermore, there is an argument to “let kids be kids”. We have a whole life of work and pressure ahead of us. Childhood is a time to be enjoyed without the pressures of life.
10. Homework is often poor-quality work
Teachers will often assign homework that is the less important work and doesn’t have a clear goal.
Good teachers know that a lesson needs to be planned-out with a beginning, middle and end. There usually should be formative assessment as well, which is assessment of students as they learn (rather than just at the end).
But homework doesn’t have the structure of a good lesson. It’s repetition of information already learned, which is a behaviorist learning model that is now outdated for many tasks.
11. Homework is solitary learning
Most education theorists today believe that the best learning occurs in social situations.
Sociocultural learning requires students to express their thoughts and opinions and listen to other people’s ideas. This helps them improve and refine their own thinking through dialogue.
But homework usually takes place alone at the kitchen table. Students don’t have anyone to talk with about what they’re doing, meaning their learning is limited.
12. Homework widens social inequality
Homework can advantage wealthier students and disadvantage poorer students.
In Kralovec and Buell’s (2000) book The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning , the authors argue that poorer students are less likely to have the resources to complete their homework properly.
For example, they might not have the pens, paper, and drawing implements to complete a paper task. Similarly, they might not have the computer, internet connection, or even books to do appropriate research at home.
Parents in poorer households also often work shift work and multiple jobs meaning they have less time to help their children with their homework.
Homework can be both good and bad – there are both advantages and disadvantages of homework. In general, it’s often the case that it depends on the type of homewor k that is assigned. Well-planned homework used in moderation and agreed upon by teachers, parents and students can be helpful. But other homework can cause serious stress, inequality, and lifestyle imbalance for students.
Chris Drew (PhD)
Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education.
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Homework Should Be Banned Pros And Cons
No one LIKES homework, so why do we have it? Essential information about whether or not we should ban homework.
For many adults, homework was just a way of life when they were kids. It meant a couple hours of looking at the schoolbooks before being able to watch a movie or favorite television show. The benefits of having homework sent with students has been debated for several years and there are some definite advantages and disadvantages to the idea of banning homework. Here is a closer look at this potentially controversial subject.
The Pros of Banning Homework
1. Homework reduces family time. Most parents have to work full time in order to support their family today. In the American middle class, tangible wage increases haven’t been seen in 30 years. Single parents are working two or three jobs to make ends meet. Two-parent homes have both parents working during school hours. Sending homework home takes time away from needed family time.
2. Modern assignments might not match up with a parent’s knowledge. Curriculum has changed over the years and the way information is being taught may be a lot different than a way a parent learned that information decades ago. Banning homework would eliminate the potential inconsistencies that may occur between two different teaching styles.
3. Homework doesn’t always create learning circumstances. Although group study can further learning opportunities, it can also further cheating opportunities. If one or two students in a group of friends are good and the subject, it would be very easy for the rest of those friends to simply copy the data and present it as their own.
The Cons of Banning Homework
1. Homework gives the chance for a student to learn lessons in a more comfortable environment. Sitting in a classroom all day is not always the best way for a student to learn. Some kids learn better visually than verbally and vice-versa. Homework allows the student to go back over a day’s lesson in a way that best suits their learning needs.
2. It lets parents see the quality of a curriculum. Without homework, the only real way for a parent to see what is going on at school would be to stop and observe the classroom while information is being taught. Even parent-teacher conferences would only give parents a small glimpse into the quality of education their child is receiving.
3. There is the potential to bring families closer together. Children who need help with their homework will likely ask their parents for assistance. This creates a natural bonding moment where parent and child can work together to solve difficult problems. Without homework available, bonding moments may involve technology and social media interactions more than verbal or personal interactions.
Most people don’t like to receive homework. The idea of banning it makes a lot of eyes light up at the prospect of never needing to do it any more. By weighing the pros and cons of the subject, families and schools can find the best course of action to pursue.
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Pro and Con: Homework
To access extended pro and con arguments, sources, and discussion questions about whether homework is beneficial, go to ProCon.org .
From dioramas to book reports, from algebraic word problems to research projects, whether students should be given homework, as well as the type and amount of homework, has been debated for over a century.
While we are unsure who invented homework , we do know that the word “homework” dates back to ancient Rome. Pliny the Younger asked his followers to practice their speeches at home. Memorization exercises as homework continued through the Middle Ages and Enlightenment by monks and other scholars.
In the 19th century, German students of the Volksschulen or “People’s Schools” were given assignments to complete outside of the school day. This concept of homework quickly spread across Europe and was brought to the United States by Horace Mann, who encountered the idea in Prussia.
In the early 1900s, progressive education theorists, championed by the magazine Ladies’ Home Journal, decried homework’s negative impact on children’s physical and mental health, leading California to ban homework for students under 15 from 1901 until 1917. In the 1930s, homework was portrayed as child labor, which was newly illegal, but the prevailing argument was that kids needed time to do household chores.
Public opinion swayed again in favor of homework in the 1950s due to concerns about keeping up with the Soviet Union’s technological advances during the Cold War. And, in 1986, the US government included homework as an educational quality boosting tool.
A 2014 study found kindergarteners to fifth graders averaged 2.9 hours of homework per week, sixth to eighth graders 3.2 hours per teacher, and ninth to twelfth graders 3.5 hours per teacher. A 2014-2019 study found that teens spent about an hour a day on homework.
Beginning in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic complicated the very idea of homework as students were schooling remotely and many were doing all school work from home . Washington Post journalist Valerie Strauss asked, “Does homework work when kids are learning all day at home?” While students were mostly back in school buildings in fall 2021, the question remains of how effective homework is as an educational tool.
- Homework improves student achievement.
- Homework helps to reinforce learning and develop good study habits and life skills.
- Homework allows parents to be involved with their child's learning.
- Too much homework can be harmful.
- Homework disadvantages low-income students.
- There is a lack of evidence that homework helps younger children.
This article was published on February 25, 2022, at Britannica’s ProCon.org , a nonpartisan issue-information source.
College life is an amazing period when most people find their soulmates, meet friends, obtain knowledge, study favorite subjects, and decide on the career path. Don’t you agree?
However, homework has always been the main stumbling block for most students who choose to keep a balance between studies, work, and personal life. While some teachers and parents agree that homework assignments help to improve knowledge and train theoretical skills. However, when kids have no experience in doing assignments out-of-class or school students who get many assignments , they spent hours of homework which led to stress, headache, and burnout. Obviously, parents see these negative effects and start thinking about whether the government should ban homework.
Since students want to enjoy their youth, it’s no wonder that more and more people ask themselves: should students have homework ?
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The debate over banning homework isn’t new, but it has gained in popularity over the last few years. Today, more and more schools and colleges in the USA and Canada implement the ‘no-homework’ policy.
In this article, we’re going to find out whether homework should be banned.
First things first: let’s find out why homework is bad . Here comes the list of the pros of banning homework.
1. Stay Interested in Subjects
It’s no secret that students spend at least five days a week at colleges, but when they come back home, they still have to work on their homework which also takes a lot of time. Since most teachers assign too much homework, students waste many days working on assignments, so they lack sleep and feel stressed. Why? They are afraid of completing their tasks on a bad level, and therefore getting bad marks. While kids study hard to be skilled and well-rounded, they waste a lot of time online and these factors lead to stress and mental health problems, so students are losing interest in subjects.
2. Keep a College-Life Balance
The college life is not just about attending lectures, hitting the books, and doing your homework. It’s an amazing period of life that most young people love as it helps them meet new friends and decide on their career paths if they keep a college-life balance. With the growing amount of homework assignments, it’s getting harder for responsible students to manage their time wisely. Not only do students spend much time working on their tasks and projects, but also teachers assign too much homework.
More and more famous people support the idea of a homework ban as they believe that working too much on homework assignments doesn’t allow kids to keep a college-life balance. Here’s a popular Tweet from Gary Lineker , for example:
Having a balance in life is crucial for every person, but when it comes to the youth, it’s even more important as it affects their productivity, performance, and overall well-being. To get great grades, students do their best to complete tasks on a good level, but they have to spend many days to complete their workload, so they can’t keep a balance.
3. Improve Mental Health
When students have to work on difficult assignments, they may get stress, headaches, and exhaustion. When kids have too much homework, it can result in lack of sleep and healthy relationships with peers and family. No matter how much they love various subjects, homework can negatively affect mental health which can lead to serious problems. The ‘no-homework’ movement helps to protect children from getting too much homework which also helps to improve mental health over the long haul.
Having too much homework is bad, but having no homework at all – is it good? Although more and more people want to implement the no-homework policy and discuss whether should homework be banned, working on assignments after classes is still a great way to obtain knowledge and improve skills. Let’s find out the cons of banning homework.
1. Have Poor Time Management Skills
Students get too much homework. At first blush, it seems to be a problem. However, it has a positive effect on their time management skills. With a desire to get great grades for their assignments without sacrificing personal life, most students find a homework routine that works best for them. In other words, this means they learn how to prioritize tasks, stay focused on their duties, and therefore improve time management skills which can help them in every aspect of life.
2. Increase Screen Time
The popularity of technologies has both advantages and disadvantages. While adults can make the most out of gadgets, younger people may have some problems using their smartphones/tablets. As specified in Common Sense Report , 59% of parents believe that their children are addicted to their devices. Since kids love gadgets so much, they always choose to get through the days playing video games or browsing social media networks unless they start working on homework assignments.
Gadgets have become a common problem most children face, so parents seek out alternative ways to occupy their kids . Believe it or not, homework reduces the amount of time the youth spends scrolling Facebook feeds or texting with peers. There’s a correlation between the amount of time people spend on education and screen time. The sum up? More education means less screen time:
Simply put, if you choose to ban homework, it may lead to serious problems caused by phone addiction. Thus, it’s a negative aspect of a homework ban that can become a global problem in the short term.
3. Damage Children-Parents Relationships
When it comes to homework, every student has asked their parents for help at least once in a lifetime. Since students seek out assignment help, it’s no wonder they turn to their parents. In most cases, parents do their best to help children get their questions answered. It’s psychologically proven that working together with parents on difficult tasks leads to better relationships, but when there’s no homework, students (especially teenagers) are less likely to contact their parents. In other words, this means a lack of communication between children and parents, which negatively affects their overall relationships.
Homework has both pros and cons, so it’s hard to say whether it should be banned or not. However, it’s obvious that teachers should take into account the amount of homework students get weekly and how many days they work on these tasks. Once teachers assign fewer tasks and students stop procrastinating on their homework, working on assignments at home will be more beneficial for everyone in the educational process.
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Should Children have Homework – Know the Pros and Cons
Pros of having Homework
Cons of having homework.
Getting kids to do their homework is one of the most dreaded tasks for a parent. As many tantrums as your kid might throw, you know there is a reason why kids should have homework to be completed. However, recent studies have shown that there might be another side to this arrangement that few people are aware of. Just doing homework is a good thing, it may not always be so.
- One of the key reasons, why homework has been borne into existence, is that repetition helps a kid remember things better. By completing the assignments scheduled for the day, homework ensures that whatever has been taught in school has been understood well by the child and revised properly.
- Homework sets in the habit of looking at learning in a positive manner. During examinations, your child needs to have the habit to go through the textbooks in a diligent manner, which homework tends to build it up over time.
- Once your child is home, he would want to run off to play with his friends. Homework might seem like a fun-killer but it actually teaches your kid the skill of time management. He could either choose to finish homework and then enjoy the rest of the evening, or take a break and play outside then schedule a few hours later in the evening to finish it all.
- A teacher is always present in the classroom. With homework, your child learns to finish his studies without an external influence and do the work independently.
- Since there is no teacher to correct the mistakes, a child is free to make mistakes here and learn from them later on, so as to avoid them in examinations.
- By understanding and reviewing what has been practised in the class, your child will be well-versed in it and will be able to grasp the next material easily.
- Certain assignments require kids to research a bit, refer to the Internet for information, and so on. These are skills that are required later in life to be able to solve real-life problems.
- Sometimes, a single classroom session is not enough to fully cover a subject. Homework allows your kid to peruse the details around it and fully understand it.
- Once the understanding is complete, homework functions as a test to know if those skills can be applied in different contexts.
- Homework helps in applying the same principles to any class reports, or even come up with ideas for a project or so.
- For parents, too, homework is a clear way of understanding what’s being taught in school and how well is your child faring at it.
- It helps in establishing communication with your kid and helping him out in tough problems.
- At times, completing the homework activity can reveal a fun part associated with it. This could make him enthusiastic about the subject and ignite a flame to pursue it in depth.
- One of the major reasons that homework is frowned upon is the way it is packaged into the school curriculum. Rather than being presented as an opportunity to learn better and deeper, homework begins to feel like an unnecessary task to be completed no matter what. This builds up stress in your child’s mind, after having spent a substantial part of the day at school, listening to different lectures one after another. It robs them of any relaxation time and their sleep can be disturbed if they fail to complete their homework.
- This can also cause flares to happen between you and your child. You might want him to finish homework first but he probably wants to take a break and then come back to it. At times, he might be exhausted after doing homework and then refuse to help in household chores.
- The failure to complete homework can manifest in the child to resort to immoral activities just to avoid punishment. This results in cheating where your child might copy the homework from somebody else’s notebook. Doing once could make him realise how easy it is and resort to it more often. This removes any kind of learning activity that homework is supposed to provide in the first place.
- In many cases, the homework might be completed by the child but the teachers may not have time to grade it properly. Most teachers are overloaded with preparing exam papers, checking journals, wrapping up the syllabus and so on. Checking the homework of each and every child and guiding him through it may not be feasible. This puts the entire necessity of daily homework assignment in question.
The very reason for schooling is to make sure your child learns new things, gains knowledge, and develops the skills that will help him later in life. This could make you question why kids should not have homework at all. But things aren’t as black and white as they seem. Since most schools are set on assigning homework, the best thing you can do as a parent is trying your best to attain a balance between school life and home life, and try and ease things up for your child.
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- Should Homework Be Banned
Should Homework Be Banned: Advantages & Disadvantages of After-Class Tasks
- Should Homework Be Banned: Advantages & Disadvantages of After-Class Tasks
Experts Explain Why Homework Should Be Banned
10 facts why homework should be banned, should homework be banned pros and cons, minimizing screen time, improving time management, improved critical thinking, developed sense of independence, sparking enthusiasm, enhanced research skills, learning to multitask, getting ready, should homework be banned: verdict.
Should homework be banned? This question bothers many students. According to statistics, teachers assign more assignments than an average student can handle in one night (more than 2 hours of work)! In this article, we are going to discuss more than 10 reasons why homework should be banned and reasons to leave minimum 30-minutes of homework per day.
Do you agree or disagree with the fact homework should be banned? We have a unique offer for students in trouble. No matter which type of task a student faces, he/she should keep in mind a responsive, reliable team of certified writers is ready to write essays based on the customer’s instructions and provide solid homework help .
HuffingtonPost in its article supports students from the United States and the United Kingdom who believe too much homework is not fair. No more than 30 minutes of after-class tasks are recommended.
The primary reason most of the student's name when they try to explain why teachers should refuse homework is the boredom accompanied by laziness. However, scientists have proved there are more reasons to abandon after-class tasks. We offer 10 basic points to consider.
These 10 facts why homework should be banned do not force schools and colleges to abandon after-class assignments.
Down Time at Home
2 hours of homework is a punishment after sitting 8 hours in class. Going outside, dedicating time to friends, attending hobby clubs, helping parents, and, yes, watching TV and playing games make kids feel kids. Teachers should provide them with more free time.
Negative Impact on Tests
Should schools ban homework to allow obtaining better grades on the exams? The answer is yes. While students focus on homework assignments, they risk failing to pass their examinations well. It appears that complicated, lengthy assignments are distractions like mobile devices, video games, television, friends, home duties, etc.
Threat to Kid’s Nerves
Why should schools ban homework for the sake of mental health? Teachers ignore the adverse impact of after-class tasks on the child’s brain and overall level of mental health.
Extra Challenges
Students who juggle business schedules with after-class activities, internship, or part-time job find it difficult to catch up with additional tasks. They are burned out by the end of the day and have no energy or avail to homework cheat .
Lack of Support
One of the valuable reasons why homework should be banned is the fact most teachers fail to explain everything needed to solve the task during the class. Parents cannot help with every task. Student’s friends lack the experience to help, and they have work to do. Professional online services are the only companies that can assist students with their academic tasks of any level.
The Way Students Perceive Things
Should homework be banned in schools? One more reason to say “yes” is the fact different students perceive things better in various ways. While some students remember things be rereading the same text several times, others memorize and understand the topic in-depth if they watch a related video.
Writing Has Different Effects
Some students do understand the subject. Because of the lack of writing or research skills, they risk failing the entire course, and most teachers do nothing to help.
No Real Impact on Performance
Research by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) proved that in 4 hours of home-taken assignments weekly, the extra time invested in college education has a negligible effect on productivity.
Irrelevant Content
Homework should be banned if it does not have anything to with the topic or studied subject. It is not ethical to assign tasks that students did not cover in class and expect to get excellent research paper writing .
More Love, More Care
The strictest parents share they do not see their children. Work and education separate these generations. After reducing the amount of after-class tasks, family members will obtain more time to spend together and more support. Learn how to do Algebra or other assignments faster. It will save plenty of time and make it possible to dedicate time more to whom you love.
To prove this article tries to evaluate things objectively, we will list the reasons why homework should not be banned below. To specify, we do not insist on excluding homework at all. Let's cover some benefits of homework . We try to figure out whether kids would be better off alone with the minimum of tasks or overwhelming schedules like now.
Without homework to do, a student spends up to 8 hours in front of the screen per day. The recommended average time is no more than 3 hours on the average: it makes the young people lazy and harms the eyesight. Better study and life habits are the reasons to do homework.
Time management is something every professional need. Without it, it’s impossible to allocate 24 hours per day.
Doing extra assignments after class is the best way to improve both critical thinking skills & memory.
Most children strive to obtain more freedom. The child obtains a chance to work independently, exploring personal weaknesses & threats.
How about extra motivation? Homework tasks make it possible to encourage parents to communicate more with their kids. read our guide to find out more about how to get motivated to do homework .
Students have to observe things in-depth to complete their assignments. They learn how to select sources and collect necessary evidence.
With many tasks to solve in one night, a student trains multitasking skills. A single assignment may require research, writing, and analysis skills plus some computer skills.
It is not recommended to assign homework on a day before the examination. After-class activities can help to prepare and enhance the knowledge when assigned separately - teachers should leave some free days before the tests to focus on them.
Should homework be banned pros and cons? The article covered advantages & disadvantages of assigning tasks after school. Most of the college students accept the usefulness of such tasks, and students should try to cope with their duties. In case of any inconvenience, contact writing gurus to buy custom solutions to any of your academic problems.
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Modern children are under pressure. High standards, fast-changing life, complicated relationships with schoolmates and parents make them feel anxious and depressed. If a child wants to succeed at school, he must show excellent results, complete challenging projects, lead active social life and learn...
The topic of homework cheats is very popular on students’ forums and other online websites. Why does it happen? It happens because massive home tasks are a serious problem in the modern world. Young people who get their education at school, college or university must apply extra efforts to deal with...
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Homework Should Be Banned: The Pros and Cons
Today we will be discussing a very controversial topic: homework should be banned in schools. Of course, most students will quickly say that it should, without doubt, be banned. Most teachers, on the other hand, will surely jump to defend homework. Of course, there are also many students who see the pros of homework. There are also teachers who see the cons of homework. Any way you take it, homework is here to stay. However, there is nothing wrong in discussing its benefits and its adverse effects on students. So, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of homework ban. Should homework really be outlawed? Would students really gain any real benefits from the absence of homework?
Homework Banned in Schools: Pros
While students will quickly start to support the idea that homework banned in schools is a very good thing. But homework is still there and for those of you who struggle with doing it, we’ve got an amazing homework solution service . And the reality is that the students have a lot of arguments. Here are just some of the most important arguments that support a nation-wide homework ban:
- Students receive too much homework every semester and they are left with very little time for themselves. They are experiencing social problems because they are always struggling to get their school chores done and don’t spend much time with their friends and their family. Of course, many students are forced to neglect the love of their life because they are constantly being pressed to do their homework on time.
- Homework tends to stress students out. Many of these people don’t really like some of the classes. After all, you can’t love every class. Yet, they are forced to do their homework every week, even though they absolutely hate it.
- A homework ban would see students work on their favorite topics. They would be able to choose their own assignments. Of course, teachers would still grade them, but students would get the chance to pick what they want to talk about and what they want to write on.
- Many students don’t have an easy life outside the classroom. It’s very difficult for them to do their homework at home in many cases. Some students even have to work, at least part time, to support themselves throughout the school year.
- Students spend an average of 6 hours at school daily. If you add homework, they are spending between 10 and 12 hours learning. This is more than what an employee would spend at work in most cases.
- Perhaps one of the most important arguments that support a homework ban is the fact that various studies have shown that homework does not increase engagement or academic performance in most cases.
Now that we have seen the reasons why homework should be banned, let’s take a look at reasons why homework shouldn’t be banned.
Should Homework Be Banned: Cons
Many people who argue that homework should be banned also agree that homework has its benefits. Here are some of the main pros of keeping homework in schools:
- Without homework, many students would simply get home and play video games all day long. The absence of homework would not impact these students’ social lives.
- Homework forces students to read what was written during class. They learn through repetition and homework is the only incentive that would be able to stimulate them to reread those materials.
- People who argue that homework should be banned agree that most students would not do anything for school if there weren’t for homework. Few students would spend some of their time learning at home if not forced by school chores.
- Through homework, students learn how to manage their time effectively and how to be disciplined and organized. Also, they learn how to compete for good grades.
- Homework has existed for centuries and has proven itself to be a key element of education.
Of course, there are many other reasons why homework should not be banned in school. People always argue on this topic, so we will not force our opinion on anyone. We agree that every person has good arguments and that there is a gray line when it comes to homework.
Bottom Line: Homework Shouldn’t Be Banned
So, should homework be banned? We believe that it should not. Banning it would not bring any real benefit to students. Yes, we do agree that teachers should try to assign less homework every week. They rarely think about their students and about their time. Also, teachers fail to take into consideration the amount of homework their pupils are getting from other classes. However, if we ban homework, would it solve other issues today’s education has? There has to be a better solution to this problem and while we need to solve it, homework remains present. But don’t get too upset just yet. The good news for students is that they can get some assistance online. An academic writing company , for example, could help a student with any kind of academic content, whether it’s a calculus assignment or an informative essay writing . A professional writer is an ace at writing academic papers on any subject and topic you can imagine. So, instead of debating the “should homework be banned” topic, you should take action and either do homework yourself or get some quick help. Either way, for now homework isn’t banned so you can either complain a lot, or dedicate some of your free time and get it done. We assume, the second option is the best one.
Stuck with your homework? Good news! Enter promo “ homework20 ” and grab your unique writing assignment with 20% discount!
57 comments on “ Homework Should Be Banned: The Pros and Cons ”
yes it should be banned its a peice of sh***
YES ITS SHIZ
maybe you need it because you can’t spell
i would roast u but my mom said not to burn trash
good comeback man lol
what are u five years old that’s so old
so u just called urself burnt trash? doesnt that mean u uno reverse careded urself?
Maybe you should do your homework since you can’t spell.
that is the real tea sis
geez my dude chill out
If homework sucks then why does it help others get a good job and career because they chose to do their homework unlike you mostlikly
It mite suck but it can actually help you
Shut up nerd
that right bro
Right back atcha I need homework. Or else I get in trouble
Hello Bailey, be sure to place an order at myhomeworkdone.com and our experts will gladly help!
If there are more pros and the reasons are more explained and longer than the cons listed, why is the “Bottom line” homework shouldn’t be banned?
Homework indeed has many flaws that need to be addressed, however banning it would not solve all issues that modern education system has. Homework might be banned in future but it will also require significant changes in the education system itself. This is the point of the author of the article but feel free to express your ideas about this thought provoking topic.
Homework is the greatest thing ever invented without it I would be nothing! I HATE when teachers give us no homework!!!!! I will cry myself to sleep! -Margaret Johansen, aka future Valedictorian and president.
No homework sucks and many millions and maybe even billions of students can agree with me.
That’s true.
No like homework I could stay up intill 6:00. Or play APEX
My name is jesse and i am in Mr. Gardners class. lol
Why did you post this at 2 in the morning XD
Hi, Im writing an essay on why homework should be banned. I don’t know who to source, should I just put the website name? Or do you want me to cite a name. Thank you.
Hi Aplle, you can add a link to our blog as a source in your article. Thanks!
Hey, so am I! Except I’m saying that homework shouldn’t be banned.
I think home work should be banned because kids are stay up to late to get it done then they r sleepy the next day next thing u now that they are following sleep in class.
many for years I had homework and so many times I didn’t have time because of all my sports but I like sports but I need to do my homework but I can’t do both but I don’t want to quit my team send helpssssssss
Dont worry my school is gunna ban homework
were do you go to school!!!
school homework is trash i never learn anything and it a huge complete waste of time!!!!!!!! PLEASE BANNNNNN IT SO KIDS HAVE MORE TIME TO PLAY ROBLOX AND MINECRAFT
ban homework because i play roblox as well
i agree yeezy head me and my **** play minecraft
ban homework because when my mom says. emma time to do work, im like moooomm!
This is exactly why they should not ban homework because kids just to go home and play video games instead of leaning.
schools should ban home work because students would have a lot more time to spend with family and have more time to do physical activities
we could have more time to smash
homework sucks
he was playing video games
homework is trash people that like it name it homowork LMAO
it is trash
games are cool bro
STOP PLAYING FORTNITE UNTIL 5 IN THE MORNING, SON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Who even are you????????
Shut up kid
i am a robloxer too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 what are ur usernames!!!
F*** homework
Ps I’m doing this on a school ipad
people, how is roasting each other related to not have homework or not? If you guys want something or someone to roast-NEWS FLASH! This is not a kitchen
Homework should be banned
we should all have a Roblox playdate some time!!! 🙂
You guys should stop using bad words.
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Top 5 Pros And Cons Of Homework
By: Author Jennifer Johnson
Posted on February 28, 2023
Categories Articles , Frequently Asked Questions , School
Homework has been a part of the education system for a long time. It is an academic task assigned to students outside of regular class time to reinforce learning and help them develop skills such as time management, self-discipline, and independent thinking.
However, there has been an ongoing debate about whether homework is necessary or detrimental to a student’s academic and personal development.
Should students have homework? In this article, we will examine the pros and cons of homework to help you decide for yourself.
The Pros And Cons Of Homework
1. improved knowledge retention, 2. improved academic achievement, 2. establish good study habits, 3. helps prepare for exams, 4. time management, 5. provides an opportunity for parent support, 1. increased stress and anxiety, 2. not enough free time, 3. physical consequences, 4. widens inequality gap, 5. not always effective, the debate over homework, the role of parents and teachers in homework, conclusion .
To provide you with a summary of the benefits and drawbacks of homework, we have examined some key arguments.
Let’s start by taking a closer look at the potential benefits that assignments can provide for students.
The Benefits of Homework
As students, we have all groaned at the thought of homework, but did you know that homework can actually be beneficial? There are many reasons why homework assignments can be good for you. Let’s take a closer look at homework’s pros and why it benefits students.
One of the main benefits of homework is increased knowledge retention. When students review and practice what they have learned in class, it helps to solidify the information in their minds.
Homework allows a student to delve into a topic by going back and referring to what was taught in class and doing additional research by themselves, leading to a deeper understanding of a topic. This can be especially important for subjects that build upon previous knowledge, such as math or science.
There’s not always enough time for students in the school day to fully comprehend core concepts, but homework can counteract those effects, helping students in the long run, even if they can’t see it immediately.
By completing homework assignments, students can reinforce their understanding of the material and improve their overall comprehension.
Homework has been shown to improve student achievement in terms of grades, test scores, and college acceptance rates. According to a professor at Duke University, there is a correlation between homework and academic success for older students.
A study published in the High School Journal found that students who spend between 31 and 90 minutes each day on homework “scored about 40 points higher on the SAT-Mathematics subtest than their peers, who reported spending no time on homework each day, on average.”
In a study conducted by the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), boys who had more homework had higher GPAs and a higher likelihood of attending college. The average high school boy who attended college did more than three hours of extra homework a week.
Homework can also help to improve study habits. Students can develop a routine and establish good study habits by setting aside time each day to complete tasks. This can be especially helpful for students who struggle with time management or procrastination. By getting into the habit of completing homework assignments regularly, students can develop a sense of discipline and responsibility.
The discipline of practice and commitment that goes into doing unsupervised homework and independent learning leads to improved study skills and habits. In the long run, the ability to study and do research by yourself makes it possible for you to learn how to be more creative and find ways to apply your understanding of class work.
A student’s homework can also be a valuable way to prepare for exams. As a result of completing practice problems and reviewing material on their own, students can gain a better understanding of the material and be prepared for exams.
The study habits developed when doing homework come in handy when revising for exams. The skills and methods you acquire can be applied when preparing for exams. In addition to improving test scores, this can also reduce test anxiety.
Furthermore, homework can teach students essential life skills such as time management, organization, and responsibility. By completing assignments independently, students can learn how to manage their time effectively and prioritize their tasks.
These skills can be applied not only in school but also in their future careers and personal lives. Proper time management skills are needed to do an assignment on time and to complete it while juggling other things like chores and extra-curricular activities.
Being able to manage time well is a key skill that students carry with them and use even after school. The ability to study by yourself requires one to be a hard worker, focused, and able to select and decipher information relevant to specific topics.
Homework can also be beneficial for students because it provides an opportunity for parents to be involved in their child’s education. As a result of take-home assignments, parents can keep track of what their children are learning at school and their academic strengths and weaknesses.
When parents help their children with homework, it can create a sense of collaboration and support. This can be especially important for students who struggle with certain subjects or who need extra help. By working together, parents and students can achieve academic success.
The Drawbacks Of Homework
Many students dread doing homework every night, and it’s not hard to see why. Homework has numerous disadvantages, from increased stress levels to lost free time.
One of the most significant cons of homework is the impact it can have on students’ mental health. The pressure to complete assignments and perform well on tests can be overwhelming, leading to increased stress levels and anxiety. This can be especially true for students who have extra-curricular activities, family obligations, or other responsibilities outside of school.
Students who have too much homework may lose motivation and interest in their studies. When they feel overwhelmed and overworked, they may disengage from their coursework and become unable to focus during class.
The overwhelmed student starts to get frustrated and will most likely develop a negative attitude towards school or even dislike certain subjects. This kind of attitude overrides the key purpose of going to school: learning and gaining knowledge.
🎓 Suggested reading: Coping Skills For Teens With Anxiety, Depression & Anger
Another negative effect of homework is the loss of free time. When students spend hours each night completing assignments, they have less time to pursue other interests and hobbies, spend time with friends and family, or simply relax and recharge. This can lead to feelings of frustration and resentment towards schoolwork, which can ultimately impact students’ academic performance.
It should not take longer than an hour a day on homework or an hour and a half to finish, especially for young children in primary or elementary school students. Their attention span is usually 80-90 minutes, ideal for homework per day; after this, they zone off, and the strain to focus becomes too hard. Sectioning off one hour or thirty minutes of homework leaves them time to engage in physical activity and hobbies, which are equally important.
🎓 Suggested reading: How Many Days Of School Can You Miss?
Moreover, homework can also have physical consequences. Sitting for extended periods, staring at a screen, and holding awkward positions can lead to eye strain, headaches, and other health issues. Students who are not getting enough sleep due to excessive homework may also experience a range of physical health problems, including fatigue and weakened immune systems.
🎓 Suggested reading: 6 Reasons Why Teens Stay Up Late
Finally, homework can widen the achievement gap between students. For those who have supportive families and access to resources, completing homework assignments may be easy and stress-free. However, for students who lack access to these resources or face challenges outside of school, homework can become an added burden that hinders their academic progress.
Tasks and assignments that need to be completed at home, are not effective if they are completely seperate and unrelated to school work. Only learning tasks that ask students to revise taught information that they have already covered in class, then to have a positive impact.
It is therefore extrememly important that teachers only assign tasks when revision is needed, to avoid unncessary stress or take time away from other, equally important activities.
🎓 Suggested reading: What Happens If You Fail A Class In High School?
For years, there has been a debate raging over the effectiveness of homework. Some people believe that it’s essential to student success, while others argue that it’s unnecessary and even counterproductive.
Watch these teachers and students discuss the homework debate:
Proponents of homework argue that it helps students reinforce concepts learned in class. They believe that homework is a necessary part of the learning process and that students who complete their homework assignments are more likely to succeed academically.
Homework opponents, however, argue that it puts unnecessary stress on students and can harm their mental health. Also, they argue that homework only sometimes leads to better academic performance and that it can be a waste of time for both students and teachers.
One of the main arguments for homework is that it helps students develop time management and organizational skills. By giving students homework assignments, they learn to prioritize their workload and manage their time effectively. This can be an important skill for students to develop, especially as they move on to higher education and the workforce.
Another argument for homework is that these assignments can provide valuable feedback to both students and teachers about what concepts need further clarification or practice.
However, opponents of homework argue that it can have negative effects on students’ mental health. A study conducted by the Stanford Graduate School of Education found that excessive homework can lead to sleep deprivation, physical exhaustion, and increased stress levels. This can have serious implications for students, both in terms of their academic performance and overall well-being.
Moreover, some argue that homework can be a waste of time for both students and teachers. Teachers spend a significant amount of time grading homework assignments, which takes away from the time they could be spending developing lesson plans or working with students one-on-one. For students, homework can be a tedious and time-consuming task that might do more harm than good.
So, what’s the verdict? Is homework essential to student success, or is it an outdated and counterproductive practice?
For some students, homework may be a necessary part of their learning process. They may thrive on the structure and routine of completing homework assignments, and it may help them develop important skills like time management and organization.
Even though there are some disadvantages of homework and it is seen as a burden, sometimes it helps develop a personal work ethic in addition to knowledge development. Involvement in homework can and is meant to teach a student the aspect of determination and working on stuff even when you don’t want to.
After-school work assignments also teach responsibility and develop problem-solving skills and critical thinking because a student is expected to work on something unsupervised, which is an important life skill. Doing homework helps students get more organized with their coursework, participate, and apply themselves more in class.
However, it seems that there is a limit to homework effectiveness. A study by Denise Pope and her colleagues found that too much homework can be counterproductive and diminish its effectiveness. Based on prior research, they suggest that high school students should not spend more than 90 minutes to two and a half hours on homework each night.
The generally agreed rule of homework is that students should spend no more than 10 minutes a night per grade level – from 10 minutes in first grade to two hours of homework in high school.
Homework is an essential part of a student’s academic life, and it has been proven to be a valuable tool in enhancing learning and academic success. It allows students to reinforce what they have learned in the classroom and to develop critical thinking skills. However, the role of parents and teachers in homework is crucial for its success.
So how can parents and teachers play a significant role in helping students achieve their academic goals?
Parents play a critical role in their child’s education, and positive involvement in their child’s homework is vital. Research has shown that parental involvement in homework positively affects academic achievement. When parents take an active interest in their child’s homework, it shows the child that education is essential, and it sets a positive tone for learning.
However, parents should resist the urge to do assignments on behalf of their children. One way parents can help students is by creating a schedule that accommodates after-school activities and allows time to work on projects.
Parents can also help their children with homework by creating a designated study area, setting a regular homework schedule, and providing necessary materials such as pencils, paper, and calculators. They can also review their child’s completed homework and offer constructive feedback and praise.
🎓 Suggested reading: Things You Should Stop Doing For Your Teenager
Teachers also play a crucial role in their student’s academic success. Homework is an excellent way for teachers to assess students’ understanding of the material and identify areas where students may need additional help. A teacher should gauge students’ understanding of a topic before giving homework.
They are responsible for assigning homework that is relevant to the material covered in class and challenging enough to help students develop critical thinking skills. Teachers can support students by providing quality homework assignments, giving clear and concise instructions for homework assignments, giving feedback and grading promptly, and answering questions or offering additional support as needed.
However, teachers must also be mindful of the amount of homework they assign. Studies have shown that excessive homework can have negative effects on students, such as an increased source of stress, decreased motivation, and decreased academic achievement. Therefore, teachers must strike a balance between homework that is challenging but not overwhelming.
Teachers should also keep in mind that students are given homework for each class and be mindful that they don’t overburden them with assignment deadlines that overlap with other subjects.
It is also important for teachers and parents to collaborate to support students with their homework. Communication between parents and teachers can help identify any difficulties a student is experiencing with homework and develop strategies to overcome them.
It is also important for parents to inform teachers if their child has any challenges at home, such as illness or family problems, that might interfere with their ability to complete their homework.
There are both benefits and drawbacks to homework, and its usefulness in the educational system is still debated. Despite the positive effects of homework on a student’s mental health, too much homework can potentially harm a student’s mental health. Therefore, educators must strike a balance between assigning homework and allowing students time after school for other important activities.
Teachers can support students by providing clear instructions, grading promptly, and striking a balance between challenging but not overwhelming homework assignments.
Parents can help their children with homework by providing support, creating a designated study area, and reviewing completed homework.
Collaboration between parents and teachers is also essential in supporting students’ homework and addressing any challenges they may face. By working together, parents and teachers can help students achieve their academic goals and develop the skills necessary for future success.
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Pros and cons of school assignments: Should kids have homework?
Do you think homework is good for kids? Should it be abolished? Find out the pros and cons of homework for students and join our education poll and debate.
Should kids have homework?
Pros and cons of homework.
Some researchers have identified a strong correlation between homework and academic success. Harris Cooper, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, led a meta-analysis in 2006, " Does homework improve academic achievement?, " which showed that homework can improve students' scores on class tests. The study demonstrated that accross different topics, including Math, English, American History, and Social studies, student who had done homework performed better than their classmates who had not.
In addition to improving grades and results in standardized tests, there are many other pros to homework such as:
- Homework provides parents with the opportunity to participate in their children's education.
- Possibility for kids to further explore a subject at their own pace. Not all children have the same capacity to assimilate all the information covered in class.
- School assignments can help develop a sense of responsibility and time management.
- It facilitates rote learning.
- It reduces the time kids spend watching TV as well as playing video games and with their cell phones .
- Homework is an opportunity to practice some research and study skills and deepen understanding of some concepts which cannot be fully developed in class.
However, some voices have started to point out some disadvantages of doing homework and questioned the traditional education model in place. Some of them claim that homework should be abolished. The publication “The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning” by Kralovec and Buell (2000) has brought into the discussion a very interesting new angle. Kralovec and Buell argue that homework contributes to a competitive culture that overvalues work to the detriment of personal and family well-being . Moreover, there are several other problems associated to homework, such as:
- Homework is very unfair because economically disadvantaged students can’t study at home with the same conditions and support as the wealthier children.
- Too many school assignments can excessively reduce the time for playing, doing sports or simply interacting socially with friends and family. Homework can also interfere with kids' household chores .
- Cheating is easy. Often students simply plagiarize their assignments from others or from the Internet and therefore the learning objectives of homework are not fulfilled. In occasions parents or older relatives do children's coursework.
- Sometimes homework is not well designed and do not really contribute to learning. In other cases homework is not marked shortly after being submitted and, therefore, feedback does not reach students as soon as it should. Students may get frustrated and lose interest.
- It may keep students up late at night, reduce their sleeping time and therefore their performance in class the following day.
- As Galloway et al (2013) show, homework can be a source of stress and physical health problems for children.
To summarize, there are several pros and cons to the use of homework as educational tool for children. What side of the debate are you on? Do you think homework is overall good or bad for the development and education of children? Vote and tell us why (see below).
Watch these videos on the homework debate:
Vote to see result and collect 1 XP. Your vote is anonymous. If you change your mind, you can change your vote simply by clicking on another option.
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Pros and Cons of Homework
“Not until you finish your homework.”
“I want you to finish your dinner and get right to work on your homework.”
“Is your homework done? Then, no, you get up those stairs and finish first.”
We’ve all heard something similar from our mom, dad, or caretaker. Homework is a big staple of the American school scene, just like lockers, the school bell, and big yellow buses. Portrayed in media from the Brady Bunch to Cocomelon, homework has been an academic given for decades.
Despite its popularity, this after-school activity has been under scrutiny for over a century. Britannica explains , “In the early 1900s, progressive education theorists, championed by the magazine Ladies’ Home Journal , decried homework’s negative impact on children’s physical and mental health, leading California to ban homework for students under 15 from 1901 until 1917. In the 1930s, homework was portrayed as child labor, which was newly illegal, but the prevailing argument was that kids needed time to do household chores.”
Regardless of opposition, homework persevered, and millions of American students still spend long hours completing bookwork in their bedrooms after school.
What are the modern objections to homework? What if the opposition is right? Is there merit to the concerns, or is homework a helpful tool for a well-rounded and comprehensive education? If you’d like to find out, now’s the time to keep reading!
How Much Time?
When analysts crunch the numbers, children spend far more time doing homework than many believe necessary. According to One Class, elementary school students spend an average of 42 minutes a day on homework. Some parents and educators argue that five additional hours of schoolwork per week is too much for elementary students.
High schoolers spend even more time on after-school assignments. Pew Research published a 2019 article in which they explained , “Overall, teens (ages 15 to 17) spend an hour a day, on average, doing homework during the school year, up from 44 minutes a day about a decade ago and 30 minutes in the mid-1990s.”
Globally, the U.S. ranks 15th for the average amount of time spent on homework by high school students. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development conducted a worldwide study on 15-year-old students to evaluate the homework load for high schoolers worldwide.
Among the countries included in the study, China ranked first, with students spending an average of 13.8 hours a week on homework. The Netherlands ranked the lowest, with their students studying after school for an average of 5.8 hours a week. American students spent an average of 6.1 hours per week completing their homework.
What Students Think
Homework has become a point of significant stress for American students.
One Stanford study found that 56% of students who participated in the survey stated that homework was a primary source of stress. Another study found that the decline in adequate teenage sleep may be partly due to homework. In yet another study, 82% of students interviewed admitted that they were “often or always stressed by schoolwork.”
It’s not just the students who object to frequent homework. Parents have begun to voice their displeasure as well. One mother in Canada went viral on social media when she announced that she and her husband were done watching their ten-year-old daughter stress over her homework every night. They decided that homework wasn’t a useful educational tool for their child.
Another mother in Kansas expressed how frustrating it is when her daughter has homework that she as a mother is unsure how to help with. “I feel bad for emailing a teacher in the evenings. I’m slightly annoyed at homework in general because I don’t know what the teacher taught.”
What Teachers Think
Educators debate whether or not homework is a positive educational tool. One Duke University professor recommends homework, believing there is a correlation between homework and academic success for older students. He recommends implementing the “10 Minute Rule.” Essentially, students receive 10 minutes of homework per day for each grade. (For instance, 1st graders would receive 10 minutes of homework, 5th graders 50 minutes, 12th graders 120 minutes.)
A Texas teacher informed the parents of her 2nd-grade students that she would not be assigning homework anymore. Instead, she asked that the children participate in real-life activities that encourage growth and success. These activities included outdoor play, family meals, and reading with parents. As her plan evolved, she acknowledged that some students actually enjoyed homework and missed the challenge. Other students received extra work here and there on an as-needed basis.
Defining the Need
One question that desperately needs to be asked is, “What’s the purpose of homework?”
The answer to this question can provide parameters, determine whether or not homework achieves the goal(s), and establish if it should continue to be a staple in the American education system.
Psychology Today wonders the same thing , without any clear-cut resolution. “I started the blog with a question ‘What’s the purpose of homework?’ I’ll end with the same question. If a teacher who is assigning the homework can’t provide a clear rationale behind this question, then maybe the homework shouldn’t be assigned.”
However, Honest Pros and Cons makes a case for homework in more detail. Their reasoning for homework includes :
- Practicing what they learn in the classroom
- Improving study habits
- Developing self-discipline
- Enhancing independent problem-solving skills
McRel International notes that many factors play into whether or not homework is an effective strategy for students. They acknowledge that after-school assignments have pros and cons and state that the research is by no means definitive.
Proponents of homework present several positives:
- It improves student achievement – “Students in classes that were assigned homework outperformed 69% of students who didn’t have homework on both standardized tests and grades.” – Britannica ProCon
While the data is not conclusive, numerous studies have shown a correlation between academic success and the use of homework.
- It involves parents – “Homework is also the place where schools and families most frequently intersect.” – US News
Homework encourages parents and children to spend time together problem-solving and working toward a goal. It also gives parents a window into what their child is learning and the progress they are making.
- It encourages time management – “Homework is an effective tool when teaching your child about time management. This means that time management should extend beyond the classroom and into your home. ” – Edugage
American students spend roughly six hours a day at school. This schedule doesn’t leave much flexibility for sports, a social life, and a healthy amount of free time on top of homework. Kids have to learn time management if they want a life outside of their education.
- It tracks progress – “Homework allows teachers to track students’ progress, meaning that homework helps to find out the academic strengths and weaknesses of children.” – Honest Pros and Cons
Homework gives teachers a chance to see what the student can achieve independently. Students must put into practice what they learned in the schoolroom in a different environment and without their teacher present.
- It develops working memory – “Revising the key skills learned in the classroom during homework increases the likelihood of a student remembering and being able to use those skills in a variety of situations in the future, contributing to their overall education.” – The Guardian
Environment can play an active part in memory. Biologically, our brains more easily recall memories and facts when we’re immersed in the same surroundings in which we created that memory or learned those facts. Homework removes the environmental factor, forcing students to strengthen their working memory.
Concerned about the effects of homework on students, opponents note these objections:
- The science isn’t settled – “There is no conclusive evidence that homework increases student achievement across the board.” – Reading Rockets
As we’ve noted before, the data isn’t conclusive despite the numerous studies conducted. To many, the negatives suggested by various studies outweigh the proposed positives.
- It adds stress – “Researchers have found that students who spend too much time on homework experience more levels of stress and physical health problems.” – Psychology Today
Studies have concluded that too much homework creates undue stress on developing minds and bodies. This translates into mental, emotional, and physical issues for many students. This stress also affects their sleep , both the amount of sleep and the quality of that sleep.
- It impacts other interests/pursuits – “Homework prevents self-discovery and having the time to learn new skills outside of the school system.” – University of the People
Critics of homework fear that, in addition to time spent on school grounds, after-school assignments stunt students’ abilities to experience life outside academia. Students who struggle with completing work at home are even more susceptible to a lifestyle void of other interests.
- It expands the gap – “One study concluded that homework increases social inequality because it ‘potentially serves as a mechanism to further advantage those students who already experience some privilege in the school system while further disadvantaging those who may already be in a marginalized position.’” – Britannica ProCon
Homework often involves a computer and/or an internet connection. During the Covid-19 pandemic, 30% of students didn’t have the necessary technology at home to effectively participate in distance learning, raising questions about inequality affecting homework that relies on at-home technology.
- It creates family tension – “Assigning homework forces a person to take on added disciplinary responsibilities.” – Front Range Christian School
While homework can bring children and parents together, it can also drive a wedge between them. Students who feel overwhelmed or who need a break from focusing on academics often buck their homework requirements, leaving parents to enforce education standards that the teachers created. Parents and students alike can end up frustrated, with little progress made.
A World of Unknowns
While the homework debate rages on, researchers continue to work toward a conclusive answer. In the meantime, teachers, parents, schools, and communities can work together to find a solution that meets the needs of their students.
Without a doubt, homework has positive aspects that encourage students to advance through personal and academic growth. The trick is to nurture this positivity without stunting progress with adverse side effects.
It’s a double-edged sword that’s well worth considering to ensure the best for our kids.
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The Pros and Cons of Homework
This information was compiled from three different web articles (links provided). This information has informed the homework policy for FRCS Elementary, which can be found in the Family Handbook .
Homework should be balanced
Read the original article
Here’s what the research says:
- In general, homework has substantial benefits at the high school level, with decreased benefits for middle school students and few benefits for elementary students (Cooper, 1989; Cooper et al., 2006).
- While assigning homework may have academic benefits, it can also cut into important personal and family time (Cooper et al., 2006).
- Assigning too much homework can result in poor performance (Fernández-Alonso et al., 2015).
- A student’s ability to complete homework may depend on factors that are outside their control (Cooper et al., 2006; OECD, 2014; Eren & Henderson, 2011).
- The goal shouldn’t be to eliminate homework, but to make it authentic, meaningful, and engaging (Darling-Hammond & Ifill-Lynch, 2006).
Why Homework Should Be Balanced
Homework can boost learning, but doing too much can be detrimental. The National PTA and National Education Association support the “10-minute homework rule,” which recommends 10 minutes of homework per grade level, per night (10 minutes for first grade, 20 minutes for second grade, and so on, up to two hours for 12th grade) (Cooper, 2010). A recent study found that when middle school students were assigned more than 90–100 minutes of homework per day, their math and science scores began to decline (Fernández-Alonso, Suárez-Álvarez, & Muñiz, 2015). Giving students too much homework can lead to fatigue, stress, and a loss of interest in academics—something that we all want to avoid.
The pros and cons of homework
read the original article (note: link was broken last we checked, but it’s provided just in case the site owner has it working again)
Important Pros of Homework
1. teachers and students working together.
If a student is having trouble completing their homework assignments, they are able to consult with their teacher about the specific aspects that are confusing to them, which leads to a more cooperative learning experience. Without homework, children would be left to their own devices for figuring out their schoolwork, which would cause children who learn unconventionally to be left behind.
Expecting a child to take home a textbook and learn its contents on their own, without the use of homework assignments, is considered a problematic strategy. By assigning homework, a teacher allows the student to work at their own pace and ask questions before and after classes as needed.
2. Brings Families Closer Together
In a world where more and more parents are working and spending less time bonding with their children, homework is a great way to bring the family together. Older siblings can also get involved by helping their younger brothers and sisters with their homework assignments. This can lead to far greater peace and harmony in families where there is a significant age gap between siblings.
This gives students the chance to develop a much more firm understanding of their learning materials, while also giving parents and older siblings that may not typically have much involvement in their loved one’s day to day educational living the opportunity to become a larger part of their child and/or sibling’s life.
3. Teaches The Child How To Be Responsible
When a child is forced to complete regular homework assignments, it gives them a far greater sense of responsibility and accomplishment. There are precious few other areas in a young child’s life where these lessons are able to imparted. Being assigned work to take home and complete also provides a preview of what adult life will be like, as the child is unable to make excuses to get out doing things that they do not wish to do.
Their sense of punctuality is also sharpened by having to adhere to deadlines. Knowing that their grades and potential future depend on their ability to turn work in on time does wonder for their personal accountability. They are able to learn at a young age that there are no shortcuts in life and the only way to get ahead is to put their nose to the grindstone and get work done.
Important Cons of Homework
1. the child needs relaxation time.
It is believed by many that a young mind requires a certain amount of rest and relaxation after a long day at school. Those who advocate against homework assignments cite the amount of pressure that it puts on children to complete a different assignment each night. They believe that a child needs to be able to come home and relax their body and mind.
Expecting a child to come home after a seven hour day of school and continue to work for an additional hour or two can be hazardous to their long term development, as they are burned out on learning and fail to develop a passion for acquiring new knowledge. A young mind needs to be nurtured, not pushed.
2. Decrease In Socialization
When a child is developing, it is just as important for them to have the time they need to socialize and work on those necessary skills. If the child is forced to go straight home after school to finish yet another mountain of homework, these skills do not receive the development that they need.
A lack of time spent around friends or hanging out with family can lead to larger issues down the road. Family time and time spent with friends are both crucial aspects of a child’s development. Unless the child is able to stretch their wings and fly, there is a risk that they will not become as well rounded as they could be.
3. Increase In Conflicts Between Parent And Child
Assigning homework forces a person to take on added disciplinary responsibilities. Should the child come home and decide that they would rather watch television or play with friends than do their homework, it is up to the parent to lay down the law and make sure that the homework is completed before the child can have fun. In many instances, the parent does not even agree with the rules they are making.
In turn, a child who is being forced to do their homework may simply decide to cheat and copy another student’s work to avoid having to argue with their parents, which shortchanges their educational development as well as their personal development. When the cheating is inevitably discovered, this leads to even more conflict between all parties involved. Or they get away with the cheating, which only serves to enforce bad study habits at a young age.
More pros and cons of homework
read the original article
The Cons of Homework
Interestingly enough, different studies have shown that homework does not necessarily increase a student’s knowledge base, and is not an effective learning and teaching tool. Let’s look at why that might be.
- Homework gets in the way of family time. If a student cannot attend a family event or spend time with family because he or she must complete a homework project, he or she is being prevented from forming meaningful connections, engaging in stress-relieving activities, and possibly even exploring new experiences.
- A lot of the time homework is simply busy work. How much will you really learn from a standardized worksheet? If homework does not provide opportunities for meaningful learning experiences, it’s unlikely that most students will get a lot out of it.
- All students have different learning needs, but homework is usually the same for every student, meaning that it doesn’t address the needs of every student. This might mean that some students who do not learn a lot from sitting down and doing a worksheet might find themselves in academic trouble simply because their homework is not appropriately designed for them.
The Pros of Homework
Numerous studies have shown that homework that is assigned, marked, and handed back (such as a worksheet on long division) is effective in increasing knowledge of a subject matter. Homework has other positives too!
- Some students like doing their work at home better than completing work in class because at home it may be easier to create ideal working conditions based on a student’s particular learning needs (for example, some students might want to listen to music while doing work, while others might need total silence in order to focus).
- There isn’t always time to complete all work during the school day. Homework can be an opportunity for a student to delve deeper into a subject than they would be able to during classroom hours.
- Homework can help a student learn responsibility; it is up to you to schedule a time to do your homework and complete it within the parameters given by your teacher. Learning how to do this could help you with time management later in life.
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12 Pros and Cons of Homework
Last Updated on March 11, 2021 by Filip Poutintsev
Homework is defined as tasks assigned to students by school teachers that are intended to be carried out during non-school hours. Homework is designed to reinforce what students have already learned. Homework is a word that most students dread hearing.
Table of Contents
Pros and Cons of Homework
Purpose of homework, should students have homework, 1. homework encourages practice, 2. keep track of the progress, 3. improved academic outcome, 4. teaches time management, 5. parents are involved in the learning process, 6. creates communication bridge, 7. provides more learning time, 1. encourages a sedentary lifestyle, 2. causes unnecessary stress, 3. eats up free time, 4. not always effective, 5. discourages creative endeavours.
The teachers assign homework to the students as they believe that homework will help the students to recollect the topics that were covered in the class. There are some lessons that are perfect for the classroom environment, but there are also some things that children can learn better at home. So homework helps to maintain the balance between them.
Generally, homework includes reading, writing, or completion of a certain problem which will improve the overall performance of the student. This means that kids who do homework are more committed to doing well in school.
The most common purpose of homework is to have students practice material already presented in class so as to reinforce learning and facilitate mastery of specific skills. It is found that appropriate homework in the right amounts can enhance younger students’ learning and prepare them for a routine of studying as they get older.
Homework impacts students’ academic achievement—test scores. Homework is also thought to improve study habits, attitudes toward school, self-discipline, inquisitiveness, and independent problem-solving skills.
Preparation assignments introduce the material that will be presented in future lessons which helps students obtain the maximum benefit when the new material is covered in class.
The type and amount of homework given to students have been debated for over a century. For years, teachers and parents thought that homework was a necessary tool when educating children. But studies about the effectiveness of homework have been conflicting and inconclusive.
Proponents of homework say that it improves student achievement and allows for independent learning of classroom and life skills. Also, homework allows parents to monitor their child’s learning. Opponents of homework say that too much may be harmful to students as it can increase stress, reduce leisure and sleep time, lead to cheating, and is not proven to be beneficial for younger.
According to Harris Cooper, a professor at Duke University, there is a positive correlation between homework and student achievement, meaning students who did homework performed better in school.
As a general rule, the maximum amount of time that a student should spend each day on lessons outside of school is 10 minutes per each grade level. This means a first grader should spend 10 minutes daily on his homework while a senior high school kid should spend about 2 hours.
Should students have homework or not? Let’s discuss some of the key pros and cons of the homework.
Pros of Homework
One of the positive effects of homework is that it helps to encourage the discipline of practice. Repetition is necessary to get better at skills. Practising the same problem over and over helps to reinforce the discipline of practice. Homework helps make concepts more clear and helps to build a career in the future.
Homework allows teachers to track students’ progress, meaning that homework helps to find out the academic strengths and weaknesses of children. Homework can also help clue teachers into the existence of any learning disabilities their children may have, allowing them to get help and adjust learning strategies as needed.
Studies show that homework improves student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college. Research by the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) concluded that increased homework led to better GPAs.
It has also found that students who regularly do homework have scored better in standardized tests than other students who didn’t do homework at all.
When homework is assigned to the students, students are able to manage their time and make effective study plans. Homework is much more than just completing the assigned tasks but also teaches time management skills.
It helps to manage study time by completing all assignments on time. Time management is a necessary skill that a student must have which is very useful not only in school life but also in the future.
Parents need to know what their children are learning in school. Homework helps parents to track down what their children are learning at school and their class performance. By sending homework from the school, it allows the entire family to encounter the assignments that their kids are doing when they are in school during the day. A study shows that parental involvement in homework can improve class performance.
Homework helps to create a communication network between student, teacher, school, and parents. Teachers are unaware of the lives of the students at home and the parents are unaware of their lives at school. Communication helps to understand each other in a better way, as teachers get to know the needs of students and parents about their children’s strengths and weaknesses.
School hours aren’t always enough for students to grasp the core knowledge. Homework allows for more time to complete the learning process. Setting homework allows students to revise content learned during the day and also helps to get things thoroughly because there is sufficient time for research and also there is less disturbance in the home.
Cons of Homework
As the students get long assignments/homework, hence require much time to complete it. If students are given more homework, then they get less amount of time for extracurricular activities and also affect social development. A sedentary lifestyle can be dangerous and can cause health problems such as obesity.
With a large workload and difficult tasks, homework causes students to feel anxious and stressed. Unnecessary stress causes demotivation. In some cases, homework may even be assigned over term breaks or the summer holidays.
This causes severe stress for some children, leading to issues such as sleep deprivation. This causes behavioural changes in students and also ingraining homework as a negative aspect of school life.
Free time allows children to not only relax but also discover the world. Childs spend hours completing the assignment which eats up the valuable time kids have to spend with their family, attend extracurricular activities, and catch up with friends. During that time kids can learn many things like riding a bike, reading novels, attending social activities, attending family functions, etc.
A study found that homework creates a negative attitude towards schooling and the education system. Research by John Hattie, Professor of Education at the University of Melbourne, has found that homework in primary school has a negligible effect on students’ academic growth, as students are completing separate and unrelated projects rather than reinforcing learned knowledge. Homework doesn’t necessarily help to improve students’ academic performance rather it puts a burden on students.
As we know homework eats up the leisure time because students spend hours completing their assignments. During that time students might like to do creative works that they are interested in such as, painting, singing, playing games, learning an instrument, etc . There might be a case where a student is much interested in doing creative work rather than spending hours on homework.
Concluding the article, both the pros and cons of homework are valid. Teachers and parents find homework as a necessary task for the children’s academic success while students find it as a burden or headache. The main purpose of homework is to bridge the gap between children’s learning at school and at home.
On the one hand, homework is an effective way to reinforce the concepts that were learned at school which helps to improve the academic outcome of the students. On the other hand, homework puts a burden on the student and the time that homework demands would be better spent with meaningful activity.
Thus, a good way to think about homework is the way you think about medications or dietary supplements. If you take too little, they’ll have no effect. If you take too much, they can kill you. If you take the right amount, you’ll get better.
- https://www.goodschools.com.au/insights/parental-advice/pros-and-cons-of-homework
- https://www.goodschools.com.au/insights/parental-advice/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-homework
- https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-homework/
- https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/should-students-have-homework1808.html
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AI Essay Generators: The Pros and Cons of Using Them for Academic Writing
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been a game-changer in many industries, and now it’s made its way into academic writing. Enter AI essay generators, or as they’re also known, AI essay writers.
These nifty tools are becoming increasingly popular among students and writers alike, providing a quick and easy way to churn out essays without the hassle of hours of research and writing.
But like any new tech, AI essay generators have their pros and cons. In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the benefits and drawbacks of using these tools, and explore some of the most popular ones available today.
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Ai systems, like jasper ai, can write essays on any topic, just with one click- you don’t need to be an expert in….
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What is AI Essay Generators?
AI essay generators are computer programs that leverage the power of artificial intelligence algorithms to generate high-quality essays on any topic.
Essentially, these tools are designed to mimic the style and language of human writing and can produce content that ranges from a few paragraphs to multiple pages in length.
Some of these essay generators use natural language processing (NLP) to analyze and understand the topic, while others rely on pre-existing templates and fill-in-the-blank structures to create the essay.
Regardless of the approach, the end result is an essay that can be used for a variety of purposes, from school assignments to professional writing tasks.
How to Use AI to Write Creative Stories in Seconds (Case Study)
The use of ai to write creative stories is increasing in popularity., popular ai essay generators.
There are plenty to choose from! Here are some of the best ones:
- Jasper AI : This AI essay generator is widely regarded as one of the best in the business . Its algorithms are designed to produce high-quality, coherent essays that are tailored to your specific needs. Plus, it’s super easy to use, making it a favorite among students and writers alike.
- EssayBot : This AI-powered writing assistant offers a wide range of features, including a topic suggestion tool, a citation generator, and a built-in plagiarism checker. While it’s not perfect, EssayBot can be a helpful tool for writers who need a little extra help.
- Article Forge : This AI essay generator uses cutting-edge technology to produce articles that are both informative and engaging. Its advanced algorithms can generate articles on a wide range of topics, making it a great option for writers who need to produce a lot of content quickly.
- AI Writer : This AI essay generator uses natural language processing to produce essays that are both grammatically correct and relevant to the topic at hand. It also offers a range of customization options, allowing you to tailor the essay to your specific needs.
And of course, let’s not forget about ChatGPT ! As a language model trained by OpenAI, ChatGPT is a powerful tool for generating high-quality text on a wide range of topics.
While it may not be designed specifically for essay writing, it can still be a valuable resource for writers who need a little extra help.
How to Make an Essay Longer
Ps: this article was written in less than 5 minutes by an advanced ai writing tool to demonstrate just what’s possible…, the pros of using ai essay generators.
In this section, we’ll dive into some of the benefits of using these tools.
Let’s start with the most obvious one: time-saving . Imagine being able to generate a high-quality essay within minutes, with just a few clicks of a button.
That’s the magic of AI essay generators! By using these tools, you can save a lot of time that you can spend on other assignments or activities.
But wait, there’s more! AI essay generators can also provide a fresh perspective on a topic , bringing in ideas that you may not have thought of on your own.
This can be a game-changer if you’re struggling with a creative block or if you’re looking for a new angle to approach a topic.
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Another great benefit of using AI essay generators is overcoming writer’s block . Sometimes, starting a new writing piece can be daunting, but AI essay generators can provide a starting point and structure for the essay, giving you a place to begin.
Consistency is key when it comes to writing, and AI essay generators can help with that. These tools can maintain consistency in writing style, tone, and language use .
This can be especially useful for large projects or assignments that require a consistent voice throughout.
They use algorithms that are designed to produce accurate and relevant content, reducing the risk of errors or misinformation in the essay.
One of the best parts about AI essay generators is that they can be affordable, with some being available for free . This makes them a great option for students or writers on a tight budget.
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Ps: this entire article was written by an ai story generator: jasper ai., the cons of using ai essay generators.
Using AI essay generators can have some drawbacks that are important to consider before using them.
Here are some of the main cons:
- Lack of quality: Although AI essay generators can produce essays quickly, the quality of the content may not always meet expectations. The generated essays may lack coherence, relevance to the topic, or depth of analysis, which can be a problem for academic writing.
- Limited creativity: AI essay generators are designed to follow specific rules and templates, which can limit their creativity and ability to produce original content. This can be a disadvantage if you need to produce unique and creative essays.
- Inability to customize: AI essay generators may not be able to accommodate specific requirements or preferences for the essay, such as formatting, tone, or citation style. This can be a problem if your assignment has strict guidelines or if you want to convey a specific message or tone.
- Dependence on technology: Using AI essay generators can make you dependent on technology to produce your writing, which can be a disadvantage if you want to develop your own writing skills or if the technology fails to produce satisfactory results.
- Inaccuracy: Although AI essay generators are designed to produce accurate content, they may not always be able to capture the nuances or complexities of a topic, which can lead to errors or inaccuracies in the essay.
So, while AI essay generators can be a useful tool for saving time and providing a starting point for your writing, they may not always produce the highest quality content and may not be suitable for every situation.
Weigh the pros and cons before using them and make sure they meet the specific requirements of your assignment.
How to Write an Essay Fast with AI
It’s no secret that writing an essay can be a daunting task. but what if you could write it fast — and still get great…, the future of ai essay generators.
Let’s talk about the future of AI essay generators.
As we all know, technology is advancing at a rapid pace and it’s safe to say that AI essay generators will become even more advanced in the future.
With the use of machine learning algorithms, AI essay generators will be able to analyze and understand text in a more nuanced way, allowing for more sophisticated and complex writing .
Remember though, AI essay generators should never be seen as a replacement for human writing skills and critical thinking . While these programs can be helpful for generating ideas and starting a piece of writing, use them in conjunction with your own creativity and expertise.
Additionally, they should never be relied on solely for academic writing, as they may lack the nuance and depth of understanding that comes with human research and analysis.
In the future, we can expect to see more advanced and user-friendly AI essays generators, such as Jasper AI and ChatGPT.
These programs will likely offer more features and customization options, allowing for a more personalized writing experience .
Nonetheless, remember that the writer’s own voice and creativity should never be lost in the process.
Rewrite Your Essays and Make Them Better Using AI (Different Language Samples!)
It’s no secret that essay rewriters are becoming more and more popular in the essay writing world., what are ai essay generators.
AI essay generators are computer programs that use artificial intelligence algorithms to generate essays on any topic.
How do AI essay generators work?
AI essay generators use algorithms to analyze and understand the topic at hand before generating an essay. Some programs use natural language processing, while others rely on pre-existing templates.
What are the advantages of using AI essay generators?
AI essay generators save time, provide a fresh perspective, help overcome writer’s block, maintain consistency, ensure accuracy, and are affordable.
What are the disadvantages of using AI essay generators?
The quality of the essays may not always be high, and the language used may not be sophisticated enough for academic writing.
What are some popular AI essay generators?
Some popular AI essay generators include EssayBot, Article Forge, AI Writer, Jasper AI, and ChatGPT.
Are AI essay generators a substitute for human writing and critical thinking skills?
No, AI essay generators should never be relied on solely for academic writing. They should be seen as useful tools for generating ideas and getting started on a piece of writing.
What is the future of AI essay generators?
As AI technology continues to advance, AI essay generators will likely become even more sophisticated and nuanced.
Are AI essay generators free to use?
Some AI essay generators are available for free, while others require a subscription or payment.
Can AI essay generators write academic papers?
AI essay generators can be helpful in generating ideas and providing a starting point for academic papers, but they should never be relied on solely for academic writing.
Are essays generated by AI essay generators of high quality?
The quality of essays generated by AI essay generators varies, with some being of high quality and others lacking coherence and relevance to the topic.
Can AI essay generators save time?
Yes, AI essay generators can save time by generating high-quality essays within minutes, freeing up time to focus on other assignments or activities.
Do AI essay generators maintain consistency in writing style?
Yes, AI essay generators can help maintain consistency in writing style, tone, and language use, which can be particularly useful for large projects or assignments that require a consistent voice throughout.
Can AI essay generators provide a fresh perspective on a topic?
Yes, AI essay generators can provide a new perspective on a topic, bringing in fresh ideas that you may not have thought of on your own.
PS: If you enjoyed this article and found it helpful, consider buying me a coffee to support my work. Your support means a lot!
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Pros and Cons of Living in a State With No Income Tax
By caitlyn moorhead.
Every U.S. citizen is responsible for paying federal income tax , and some taxpayers also must pay a separate state income tax. As of 2023, just nine states don’t impose any additional income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
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At first glance, it might seem as if there’s no reason to live in a state with income tax, as it simply adds an additional financial burden to your budget. But there are both pros and cons to living in a state with certain tax advantages .
Pro: You’ll Have To Pay Only Federal Income Tax
The top federal income tax bracket is 37%. If you find yourself in that bracket, you’ll already be forking over a significant amount of your income to the federal government. Adding state income tax on top of that, especially in a high-tax state like California, can push your total income tax bill to over 50%. Rates like that are enough to push some high earners away from high-tax states like California to no-tax states like Texas.
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Con: Other Taxes Might Be Higher
States that have no income tax aren’t excessively wealthy and benevolent. They simply have a different structure for raising revenue. With no income tax dollars coming in, these states must get that revenue from other sources.
Typically, this translates to higher sales taxes, property taxes and/or gasoline taxes. For example, homeowners in New Hampshire and Texas pay some of the highest property taxes in the country, at 1.89% and 1.6%. Washington charges the third-highest gasoline taxes in the country, at 49.4 cents per gallon.
While you might not have to pay state income tax, your overall tax bill actually might end up being higher, depending on your lifestyle. If you don’t own property and you use public transportation, for example, your tax bill likely will be significantly lower. But if you own some expensive real estate and drive a gas-guzzling car for your daily commute, your tax bill could be significant.
Con: Lower Infrastructure and Education Spending
In some cases, having no state income tax does translate to lower revenue for individual states. In turn, this may result in lower state spending on basic services. According to a 2021 analysis by the U.S. Census Bureau, South Dakota and Wyoming — two states with no income tax — spent the least amount on education of all 50 states.
Other states with no income tax revenue may lower spending in other areas, such as infrastructure. As a resident, you’ll have to decide whether that tradeoff is worth it.
Is It Better To Live in a State With No Income Tax?
At the end of the day, whether or not it’s better to live in a state with no income tax depends in part on your personal financial situation — but there are other considerations as well. For example, quality of life and the lifestyle you choose to live are also important.
From a strictly financial standpoint, it’s important to remember that the amount you earn plays a large role in your tax situation. If you’re a single taxpayer living in California and earning $1 million per year, for example, tax rates reach a whopping 13.3%. However, if you earn a low-to-moderate wage, tax rates are not that onerous, even in California. As with any financial question, there’s no black-and-white answer to whether it’s preferential to live in a state with no income tax, as a number of personal factors come into play.
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6 Pros and Cons of Installment Loans
by Ashley Maready | Published on March 4, 2023
Image source: Getty Images
Installment loans offer financial flexibility.
- Installment loans offer the chance to borrow money for a big purchase you might not otherwise be able to pay for outright (like a home or a car).
- You can improve your credit score by making on-time payments on your installment loan.
- You might also set yourself up to pay fees if you pay the loan off early, though.
Check out our picks for the best personal loans
There are many ways to borrow money. If you have a credit card that you use to pay for expenses, you're borrowing money from the credit card issuer. When you make your monthly payments, you're repaying that loan. Credit cards are an example of revolving credit, which is when you have a line of credit you can use many times over.
But another common type of credit is installment credit. If you're borrowing money this way, sometimes you're using the money for a specific purpose (such as to buy a home, in the case of a mortgage loan ). This is a secured loan. There are also unsecured installment loans, which include personal loans . You can use the funds from a personal loan for whatever you want. With this type of credit, you're paying the money back over time, in installments. Here's how these loans can impact your finances, for good and for ill.
Pro No. 1: You can finance a large purchase
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Pro No. 2: They're an opportunity to improve your credit
Installment loans give you the chance to build your credit . How so? Your payment history makes up 35% of your credit score , and if you resolve to make every single payment on your installment loan on time and in full, your credit will improve over time. This is one of the easiest ways to increase that three-digit number that impacts so much of your financial life.
Pro No. 3: The payment amount stays the same (generally)
Revolving credit, like your credit card, doesn't offer fixed payments or fixed interest rates. Your payment on an installment loan, however, does generally stay the same month after month. This makes it much easier to budget for those payments. The exception here is if you've signed on for an adjustable-rate mortgage , in which case your interest rate will change, meaning your payments will change too.
Con No. 1: You're locked in for the length of the loan
It's not all sunshine and roses with installment loans. One thing to keep in mind is that when you get one, you're locking yourself in for the length (and amount) of the loan term. If you've agreed to borrow, say, $10,000, and to pay it back over a term of five years, you've committed to make those payments. And none of us have any idea what life has in store for us, be it good or bad. Anything that happens over that five-year period could impact your ability to pay back the loan.
Con No. 2: If you miss payments, it could hurt your credit score
If you have difficulty making the payments (say, because you are laid off from your job and don't have enough cash savings to keep up with your bills until you get a new one), your credit score could be at risk. Remember our discussion above about how making on-time payments can improve your score? The converse of this is also true, and if you pay late or skip payments altogether, your lender could send the debt to collections and your credit score will take a big hit.
Con No. 3: You may be subject to prepayment penalties
If your finances improve during the loan term, you may be thinking that you can just rush to pay off the loan sooner (which would also save you on interest). But watch out! Some lenders charge prepayment penalties to make up for the loss of revenue from you avoiding paying additional interest. It's important to read the fine print on your installment loan (or ask the lender) to make sure you won't incur these fees if you get out from under your debt early.
Our Research Expert
Ashley Maready is a former history museum professional who entered digital content writing and editing in 2021. She has a BA from Hood College and an MA from Shippensburg University.
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.
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