The History of Homework

From Wikipedia:

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History of homework

In the United States

Historically, homework was frowned upon in American culture. With few students interested in higher education, and due to the necessity to complete daily chores, homework was discouraged not only by parents, but also by school districts. In 1901, the California legislature passed an act that effectively abolished homework for those who attended kindergarten through the eighth grade. But, in the 1950s, with increasing pressure on the United States to stay ahead in the Cold War, homework made a resurgence, and children were encouraged to keep up with their Russian counterparts. By the end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, the consensus in American education was overwhelmingly in favor of issuing homework to students of all grade levels.^[17]

In a study done at the University of Michigan in 2007, research concluded that the amount of homework given is increasing over time. In a sample taken of students between the ages of 6 and 9, it was shown that students spend more than two hours a week on homework, as opposed to 44 minutes in 1981.^[18] Harris Cooper, nations top homework scholar, concluded after a comprehensive review that homework does not improve academic achievements for grade school students. Cooper analyzed dozens of students and found that kids who are assigned homework in middle and high school actually score "somewhat" better on standardized tests, but that kids who do 60 to 90 minutes of homework in middle school and more than 2 hours in high school actually score worse.^[19]"

Homework: Bringing families together.

I'm no fan of homework and have posted about my disdain for homework before. I don't give it out as a teacher, and don't expect it to come home with my kids. My feeling is, if I'm not getting it done with students in the classroom, then I need to look at my use of time when I'm teaching. When I was teaching sixth grade a few years ago, I had many conversations with my colleagues about my reasons for not giving homework. They felt I was not preparing my students for the rigors of middle school. My response was that I'm preparing students for the curriculum of middle school, not building up their endurance for homework. As a result of those conversations, I ended up spending a day observing at a local middle school to see just what the expectations for homework were. Talking to some of my students who had moved on to seventh grade, many informed me that their homework was in fact less than it was in sixth grade. In speaking to the principal, he said the San Dieguito Union High School District was beginning (this would have been three years ago) to have teachers look at the necessity of the homework they were assigning. To quote this principal "We just aren't sure than students need to color in a map for social studies every night." For those of you who haven't, read The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn. This post was sparked by this article in the LA Times today on homework. Advocate for your kids. Despite what many of my colleagues might say, there is a difference between study skills and homework.