pros and cons of assigning homework in elementary school

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]

Bempechat: I think teachers assign homework in elementary school as a way to help kids develop skills they'll need when they're older—to begin to instill a sense of responsibility and to learn planning and organizational skills. That's what I think is the greatest value of homework—in cultivating beliefs about learning and skills ...

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).

And homework has a greater positive effect on students in secondary school (grades 7-12) than those in elementary. "Every child should be doing homework, but the amount and type that they're doing ...

Three reasons why homework should be assigned in elementary school. It gives kids a chance to process what they've learned. Material is absorbed and remembered far better when it's studied at , as per the Spaced Repetition learning theory. Students can process what they're studying better when they return to it as homework after a few ...

Homework also helps students develop key skills that they'll use throughout their lives: Accountability. Autonomy. Discipline. 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.

Too much homework may diminish its effectiveness. While research on the optimum amount of time students should spend on homework is limited, there are indications that for high school students, 1½ to 2½ hours per night is optimum. Middle school students appear to benefit from smaller amounts (less than 1 hour per night).

A TIME cover in 1999 read: "Too much homework! How it's hurting our kids, and what parents should do about it.". The accompanying story noted that the launch of Sputnik in 1957 led to a push ...

The necessity of homework has been a subject of debate since at least as far back as the 1890s, according to Joyce L. Epstein, co-director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University. "It's always been the case that parents, kids—and sometimes teachers, too—wonder if this is just busy work ...

For older students, Kang says, homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night. "Most students, especially at these high achieving schools, they're doing a minimum of three hours, and it's ...

Pros. 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.

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 ...

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.

Hands-on practice: Students get to solve problems and make a hands-on attempt at what was discussed in class. Life lessons: Aside from the topics students are studying, homework teaches valuable lessons like discipline, time management, and the importance of practicing. Progress gauge for students: Students can track their own progress.

As young children begin school, the focus should be on cultivating a love of learning, and assigning too much homework can undermine that goal. And young students often don't have the study skills to benefit fully from homework, so it may be a poor use of time (Cooper, 1989; Cooper et al., 2006; Marzano & Pickering, 2007). A more effective ...

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.

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 ...

Homework is more harmful than helpful to families. Long sees another upside of elementary homework, saying, "It helps families be aware of what their children are learning in the classroom ...

Number 4: It reduces the amount of outdoor time. As homework responsibilities have risen, the amount of time children spent outside playing has decreased. In the past generation, the amount of outdoor playtime has been almost cut in half. At the same time, homework assignments have risen by an almost equal level.

Homework has its pros and cons, especially for college students. It can enhance critical thinking, time management, and learning, but it also brings stress, impacts mental health, and can become overwhelming. Finding the right balance is key. Focus on quality assignments, maintain flexibility, and make sure your homework complements rather than ...

1. Pro: improves academic achievement. By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK. published 26 January 2023. Homework should be scrapped to give children more time for "other creative things", the ...

Banning homework equalizes the playing field because teachers can control the classroom environment. They do not have control over when, where, or how their students complete assignments away from school. 10. It would eliminate the assignment of irrelevant work. Homework can be a useful tool when teachers use it in targeted ways.

The questions many teachers face, however, are how much homework do they assign and what are the best methods to make sure students still are able to focus on family time over the break. Lois Conely is in her 28th year as an educator and her eighth year as a middle school teacher at Anchorage Elementary School (Anchorage Independent), a K-8 school.

Countries like Finland, South Korea, and Japan assign little to no homework to their students. Even in the US, certain school districts are banning homework on certain days or eliminating it altogether. Some schools make it optional. Before you pick a side, consider the pros and cons of a no-homework policy. Benefits of a No Homework Policy