A Misinformed Society Must Look Closer at Homework

3361 Words7 Pages

Homework: it’s assigned and completed, assigned and completed. But what benefits are actually being reaped from this endless loop? The negative effects of homework reach students, parents, and the relationships between them. Academically challenged, and socially disadvantaged students experience harsh consequences of homework. There is not even a proven positive correlation between homework and achievement, in fact there are many pieces of evidence pointing toward a negative correlation between the two. Homework continues to be dealt out because of a misinformed public as well as societal expectations, and it has to stop. Taking into account its negative effects, its lack of proven correlation with academic success, and the proven advantages of a reduced homework load, the homework burden in America must be reduced.
The negative effects of Homework at home extend across many areas of life, touching many ungrateful recipients, one of these groups being students. A study done by Highlights Magazine asked students their biggest problem in life right now. The results read, "But by far the most common complaints were related to schoolwork (23.4%). Respondents said they struggled with completing homework on time, finishing projects and/or studying for tests" (“The State of the Kid” 4). While 23.4% of children is clearly not a majority, it must be looked at in comparison to the second "biggest" problem in kids' lives. The second highest scoring problem was sibling issues, and it got 8.7%, which is almost 15% less than Homework. Parental issues, friend issues, and bullies all sat beneath the whopping 23% that said schoolwork. When students are referring to schoolwork and homework as a "problem," one must believe that this is looking like ...

... middle of paper ...

...ag.

- - -. The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing. N.p.: Da Capo, 2006.

Kralovec, Etta, and John Buell. "End Homework Now." Clashing Views on Educational Issues.

By James Wm. Noll. 14th ed. Dubuque: McGraw- Hill Contemporary Learning Series,

Oz, Allison. E-mail interview. 7 Jan. 2013.

Teitell, Beth. "Homework Hell." Boston Globe. Boston Globe Media Partners, 2 May 2010.

Web. 17 Nov. 2013.

Vatterott, Cathy. “There’s Something Wrong With Homework.” Principal, January-February

2003: 64. Available at: .

Wolchover, Natalie. "Too Much Homework Can Lower Test Scores, Researchers

Say." Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 20 Nov.

2013.

Open Document