Intrigued by a report on CBS suggesting that today's kids are burdened with too much homework, ace Washington Post reporter Jay Mathews did some digging. He found that, while it's true that American children under the age of 12 do almost 60 percent more homework than they did in 1981, the actual increase in total weekly homework was from one hour and 24 minutes to two hours and 14 minutes, meaning that today's children still average less than a half hour of homework each school night. He also investigated what research says about the benefits of homework: while it has little effect on achievement in the elementary grades, it does raise achievement in middle and high school. And light homework in the early grades may serve another important purpose: helping children develop the work habits that they'll need as they move to middle and high school and then on to life. Mathews concludes with some creative ideas for making sure that homework serves its purpose.
"Is Homework Really So Terrible?" by Jay Mathews, Class Struggle column on Washingtonpost.com, February 18, 2003