Essay On Homework Is Necessary For Homework

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Homework: A Necessity for Classroom Achievement? Over the past few decades to date, views on homework assignments are still evolving as to the effect on classroom achievement. Parents of the late 60s and 70s desired for their children to be free to play and explore. Bennett and Kalish (2006) provided evidence that too much homework harms students’ health and family time. With the publication of A Nation at Risk in the 80s, parents wanted children to work harder even after school hours. “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.” Is it rational to think that five year olds, who have been involved in school activities for seven hours, without a rest time, be required to sit for twenty to thirty minutes once home to complete unnecessary assignments in order for the teacher to meet the principal’s expectations? Should a fourth grader, who struggles to complete classroom materials without negative consequences, suffer through two to three hours of needless worksheets under the stressful attention of a tired, overworked parent? Purpose Homework usually falls into these categories: practice, preparation, and extension. At the elementary school level, homework can help students develop study skills and habits and can keep families informed about their child’s learning. At the secondary school level, student homework is associated with greater academic achievement (... ... middle of paper ... ...ho did not complete homework (DeNisco, n.d.). Unclear Link According to an analysis of more than 100 studies, in the lower grades the effect of homework on achievement is minimal (McEntire, 2006). Too much homework can be detrimental to family life and student achievement. Homework has a positive effect on achievement, but the effect varies dramatically with grade level. For elementary students, no amount of homework – large or small – affects achievement (Synthesis, n.d.). For elementary school students the effect of homework on achievement is trivial, if it exists at all. Homework generally does not improve elementary students’ performance, it really does not matter how much is assigned (Synthesis, n.d.). The link between homework and achievement is unclear (Edvantia, 2007). Homework seems be have more of a positive effect on certain groups of students.

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