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Is homework robbing your family of joy? You're not alone

Children are not the only ones who dread their homework these days. In a 2019 survey of 1,049 parents with children in elementary, middle, or high school, Office Depot found that parents spend an average of 21 minutes a day helping their children with their homework. Those 21 minutes are often apparently very unpleasant.

Parents reported their children struggle to complete homework. One in five believed their children "always or often feel overwhelmed by homework," and half of them reported their children had cried over homework stress.

Parents are struggling to help. Four out of five parents reported that they have had difficulty understanding their children's homework.

This probably comes as no surprise to any parent who has come up against a third grade math homework sheet with the word "array" printed on it. If you have not yet had the pleasure, for the purposes of Common Core math, an array is defined as a set of objects arranged in rows and columns and used to help kids learn about multiplication. For their parents, though, it's defined as a "What? Come again? Huh?"

It's just as hard on the students. "My high school junior says homework is the most stressful part of high school...maybe that’s why he never does any," said Mandy Burkhart, of Lake Mary, Florida, who is a mother of five children ranging in age from college to preschool.

In fact, Florida high school teacher and mother of three Katie Tomlinson no longer assigns homework in her classroom. "Being a parent absolutely changed the way I assign homework to my students," she told TODAY Parents .

"Excessive homework can quickly change a student’s mind about a subject they previously enjoyed," she noted. "While I agree a check and balance is necessary for students to understand their own ability prior to a test, I believe it can be done in 10 questions versus 30."

But homework is a necessary evil for most students, so what is a parent to do to ensure everyone in the house survives? Parents and professionals weigh in on the essentials:

Understand the true purpose of homework

"Unless otherwise specified, homework is designed to be done by the child independently, and it's most often being used as a form of formative assessment by the teacher to gauge how the kids are applying — independently — what they are learning in class," said Oona Hanson , a Los Angeles-area educator and parent coach.

"If an adult at home is doing the heavy lifting, then the teacher never knows that the child isn't ready to do this work alone, and the cycle continues because the teacher charges ahead thinking they did a great job the day before!" Hanson said. "It's essential that teachers know when their students are struggling for whatever reason."

Hanson noted the anxiety both parents and children have about academic achievement, and she understands the parental impulse to jump in and help, but she suggested resisting that urge. "We can help our kids more in the long run if we can let them know it's OK to struggle a little bit and that they can be honest with their teacher about what they don't understand," she said.

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Help kids develop time management skills

Some children like to finish their homework the minute they get home. Others need time to eat a snack and decompress. Either is a valid approach, but no matter when students decide to tackle their homework, they might need some guidance from parents about how to manage their time .

One tip: "Set the oven timer for age appropriate intervals of work, and then let them take a break for a few minutes," Maura Olvey, an elementary school math specialist in Central Florida, told TODAY Parents. "The oven timer is visible to them — they know when a break is coming — and they are visible to you, so you can encourage focus and perseverance." The stopwatch function on a smartphone would work for this method as well.

But one size does not fit all when it comes to managing homework, said Cleveland, Ohio, clinical psychologist Dr. Sarah Cain Spannagel . "If their child has accommodations as a learner, parents know they need them at home as well as at school: quiet space, extended time, audio books, etcetera," she said. "Think through long assignments, and put those in planners in advance so the kid knows it is expected to take some time."

Know when to walk away

"I always want my parents to know when to call it a night," said Amanda Feroglia, a central Florida elementary teacher and mother of two. "The children's day at school is so rigorous; some nights it’s not going to all get done, and that’s OK! It’s not worth the meltdown or the fight if they are tired or you are frustrated...or both!"

Parents also need to accept their own limits. Don't be afraid to find support from YouTube videos, websites like Khan Academy, or even tutors. And in the end, said Spannagel, "If you find yourself yelling or frustrated, just walk away!" It's fine just to let a teacher know your child attempted but did not understand the homework and leave it at that.

Ideally, teachers will understand when parents don't know how to help with Common Core math, and they will assign an appropriate amount of homework that will not leave both children and their parents at wits' ends. If worst comes to worst, a few parents offered an alternative tip for their fellow homework warriors.

"If Brittany leaves Boston for New York at 3:00 pm traveling by train at 80 MPH, and Taylor leaves Boston for New York at 1:00 pm traveling by car at 65 MPH, and Brittany makes two half hour stops, and Taylor makes one that is ten minutes longer, how many glasses of wine does mommy need?" quipped one mom of two.

Also recommended: "Chocolate, in copious amounts."

Allison Slater Tate is a freelance writer and editor in Florida specializing in parenting and college admissions. She is a proud Gen Xer, ENFP, Leo, Diet Coke enthusiast, and champion of the Oxford Comma. She mortifies her four children by knowing all the trending songs on TikTok. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram .

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Should parents help their kids with homework?

Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Oklahoma

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Schools across the country encourage parents to help their children with homework.

Parents are listening. Helping with homework is one of the most common things that parents say they do to support their children’s learning.

Many experts have found that helping with homework cultivates positive learning behaviors , reinforces class material and signals to children that their education is important. The federal Department of Education says that parents play an important role in their children’s learning when they help with homework.

Yet parents often hear through the media that helping with homework may not be worth it. After seeing headlines such as “ Why It’s So Important You Never Help Your Kids With Their Homework ” and “ Don’t Help Your Kids With Their Homework ,” moms, dads and other caregivers can be left wondering whether they should even bother.

I’m a professor of education policy. Together with sociologist Angran Li , I set out to make sense of this conflicting guidance.

Cause or consequence?

The basis for claims that parental help with homework can be bad for students comes from research examining national surveys . These studies find that frequent homework help from parents is associated with lower test scores .

But this finding does not necessarily mean that moms and dads do harm when they help with homework. When children are struggling in school, parents may step in to help more often. That is, frequent homework help from parents might not be the cause of problems, but rather, coincide with them.

My colleague and I wanted to see if this was the case.

To find out, we studied data from an important nationally representative survey administered by the federal government – the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study . We found that low-achieving children were far more likely to receive frequent homework from parents.

And importantly, after we factored in children’s achievement levels, help with homework from parents was no longer associated with lower test scores.

Other considerations

While this finding was insightful, we figured that the effect of homework help from parents on student achievement might also be influenced by many other characteristics.

So we used a statistical technique that would account for many overlapping factors, such as how well parents and their children get along, the number of siblings, and behavior at school.

Our results also indicated that children with low test scores benefited the most when their parents frequently helped with homework.

In other words, calls for all parents to stop helping with homework could end up hurting some children.

In addition, one common concern is that only affluent and highly educated parents have the time and resources to help their children with homework regularly. We find little evidence to support this presumption. On national surveys , low-income and minority families report helping their children with homework frequently. And this was also true in our study.

Quality counts

It is important to point out that our study looked at the frequency of homework help from parents. However, evidence suggests that the quality of homework help also matters. Parents can make a difference through warm encouragement and a positive outlook and by communicating high expectations to children.

The effectiveness of homework help also seems to increase when parents foster independent learning behaviors . When helping with homework, parents should avoid trying to control the process and should also resist the temptation to complete assignments for their kids . Instead, they should let their children figure out answers on their own while offering helpful hints and positive feedback as needed.

Although parents should always consider their child’s individual learning needs, researchers say that parents should gradually reduce homework help as their children grow older, probably phasing out direct assistance with homework by the time their children reach high school. Parents can also seek advice from teachers and other school staff on how to make homework support engaging and attuned to their child’s learning needs.

Blanket statements about whether homework help is simply good or bad can be misleading. Under the right circumstances, parents can help their kids learn more when they help with homework.

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The learning network | how much do your parents help with your homework.

How Much Do Your Parents Help With Your Homework?

Questions about issues in the news for students 13 and older.

See all Student Opinion »

What’s the homework situation in your family? How much do your parents help with your homework? And in what ways?

Room for Debate recently asked whether parents should help their children with their homework or whether they end up doing more harm than good.

Experts weighed in with varying opinions.

Erika A. Patall, an assistant professor of educational psychology, writes:

When it comes to helping with homework, education and psychology research suggests that it all depends on how parents become involved. What is essential is that parents focus on supporting students’ motivation. Parent help can backfire when it involves providing instruction on homework content. In contrast, parents will support their kids’ school success when they communicate clear expectations and help students develop a homework routine. Students who have a clearly defined routine around homework — a set time, a set place and a set way to complete homework — are more likely to believe they can overcome challenges while doing homework, take more responsibility for learning, and ultimately do better in school. Homework is an especially good opportunity for parents to help young kids develop self-regulatory skills, by modeling study strategies and helping students set goals and make plans for completing homework. Parents should also give kids autonomy. When kids struggle with homework, parents sometimes have an instinct to take control by using commands, incentives, threats, surveillance, or just doing the work themselves. These tactics may work in the short term, but won’t benefit kids in the long run.

Martha Brockenbrough, a former high school teacher and the author of books for young readers, writes:

My daughters are 10 and 14. Once upon a time, I did everything for them. Then they learned and took over. This is a core principle of parenthood for me: If my kids can do it themselves, I don’t do it for them. My daughters sometimes wear questionable outfits and pack questionable lunches. Likewise, they’ve handed in homework that’s less than perfect. And this might look like incompetence, but when I see it, I see learning in progress. The principle seems to work equally well for all kinds of kids. One of my girls has learning disabilities and is in a private school that specializes in such things. The other is working two years ahead academically in a public school. Both have learned they prefer better grades and fewer corrections on their homework, so both do it carefully and on time.

Students: Read the entire article, then tell us …

— How much do your parents help with your homework? What kind of help do they provide?

— Do they help you develop a homework routine? Do they help motivate you and provide assistance when you ask?

— Do they ever use commands, incentives, threats or surveillance? Do they ever do the work themselves?

— Has the way your parents have supported you with homework changed as you have gotten older? Did they handle homework differently when you were in elementary school, for example?

— Does homework ever cause conflict in your family? How so?

— Are you happy with the way your parents support you with your homework? Or do you wish they would handle it differently? Why?

Students 13 and older are invited to comment below. Please use only your first name. For privacy policy reasons, we will not publish student comments that include a last name.

Comments are no longer being accepted.

– How much do your parents help with your homework? What kind of help do they provide?

Very little, and usually only when I asked. Unfortunately, despite both my parents being graduated, they had a tendency to do my work for me, especially in mathematics, and be rather impatient when I did not understand how they had done it.

– Do they help you develop a homework routine? Do they help motivate you and provide assistance when you ask?

They didn’t help; Until I entered 5th grade, when I was 11, I stayed the entire day at school, barely seeing my parents. The school caretakers, after the normal classes, helped us do homework. After my 5th grade, I had the morning for classes and then returned home. But, see, my father developed a thyroid condition in that year and had to be medicated heavily, which kept him asleep for most of the day, while my mother worked from 7am to 11pm. Both unable to reinforce any schedule, plus in that same year my school had financial problems which rebounded in teachers not passing homework and the whole administration was failing.

– Do they ever use commands, incentives, threats or surveillance? Do they ever do the work themselves?

They used to, and it left me frustrated because although the work was done, I didn’t understand a thing. Humanities were easier, because I could understand by reading a bit more, but mathematics and related– such as physics– I had to ask multiple times. My father had a doctorate in physics, but I hesitated to ask him for help as he usually explained something that went way over my head, and my mother had the tendency to take the notebook from my hands to do it herself, and not understand how I couldn’t grasp it.

– Has the way your parents have supported you with homework changed as you have gotten older? Did they handle homework differently when you were in elementary school, for example?

I don’t think so, as I stopped asking them. I find studying alone better, but it leaves a lot of gaps, especially in math.

– Does homework ever cause conflict in your family? How so?

It did, as it affected my grades. From that 5th grade (my 11 years) onwards, I couldn’t concentrate or didn’t have enough discipline to sit at home and make my homework. I also had problems remembering I had homework, as I couldn’t pay much attention in class. Usually, reaching the end of a bimester or trimester, where there were parent reunions and distribution of grades, my mother returned completely pissed, and it would be a few nightmarish hours of her screaming at me.

– Are you happy with the way your parents support you with your homework? Or do you wish they would handle it differently? Why?

I developed depression and suicidal tendencies in my teens. Today I’m 24, and still battle depression and a lack of discipline. I certainly wish it had been handled differently.

They help when they know I’m having trouble with a certain subject, and when they do they are patient about it. Yes, they have used commands and incentives, and I have gotten grounded, and I used to resent them for that. Now, though, I know that they have only ever wanted what’s best for me, including my education.

My parents rarely help me with my homework. When they do it’s usually because I am stuck on a problem and ask them to help me. Even then sometimes they can not help me because they don’t know how to do it either. When I was younger, my parents would keep a closer eye on the homework situation, and do a lot more to help me. Now it’s my responsibility to get my homework done and handed in on time. Which is good because it helps me get ready for college when they won’t be there to watch over me.

As a student in high school, my parents don’t help me out with my homework. They did help me a lot in elementary school but as time went on, they did not help me because the material was getting a lot harder. In elementary school, they helped me find what 2+2 was but as time went on they didn’t know how to find x if y=x2+9x-12. They helped me dramatically when the material was a lot easier. Once the material became harder, it was harder for them to teach me. At a certain point I couldn’t really ask them to help me because I didn’t want them to feel bad. I knew they tried their hardest to help me but once the material became harder, I had to learn how to teach myself the material. I knew that time would come. I had to start teaching myself once eighth grade came along. The material was getting tougher for the teacher to teach us let alone my parents to teach me. I know my parents tried to help me comprehend the material but they couldn’t do it any more once I went into middle school. They led me to the right direction in elementary school. They taught me a lot of things in elementary school that I carried out in middle school and high school. In eighth grade, they tried teaching me but they were doing it the wrong way. They would try to help me on my homework but once I got into class, all my answers were wrong. They tried helping me but it didn’t work out for my benefit. At a certain point, I had to say that I already did all my homework so they couldn’t try to help me out. I actually did work but not for long. They started asking questions. I always had my homework “finished” before I even got home. They started looking through my homework and found out I was still doing it wrong. I didn’t want to lie to them any more so I wanted to tell them the truth. I told them that they couldn’t help me and I didn’t understand the material. They told me that I should have told them a while ago. They called a tutor for me so I can actually understand what was going on during class. I did get caught lying but looking back at it, I am happy I did because it led me into getting a tutor that actually knew how to teach. My parents tried helping me with my homework but it didn’t really help me.

At sixteen years old my parents rarely help with my homework but when I was younger my parents would help more often. During elementary school, they would help me the most and then a little during middle school but not much. During elementary school when I would have trouble with a math problem they would help me solve it by going through the steps on how to solve the problem. If I was doing English homework and I did not understand what a question was asking my parents would explain what it meant using different words then the question used. These days with the common core curriculum it is going to get harder for parents to help kids with their homework because it is a different way of learning then what they are used to. When I was younger my parents would always encourage me to start my homework as soon as I got home. Ever since then, whenever I get home I always try and start my homework right away and get all of it done. This routine gets hard when sports start because I am not able to get my homework done right after school, because of practice, but whenever practice is over I try and get it done as soon as possible. My parents provide me with motivation to do my homework and also provide assistance when I need help. My parents rarely ever use commands, incentives, threats or surveillance and never do the work themselves. As I have gotten older, the support from my parents dealing with homework has been the same or maybe even increased. They have also encouraged my to do all of my homework, giving it one hundred percent and doing it the best that I can. Homework not only helps with reenforcing what you learned during the day but it can also improve your grade. During elementary school my parents would definitely help with my homework more then they do now because I was younger still needing help with many things. Now they still help me when I need help but they won’t do the problem for me, they will just explain what a question is asking or put a question in different words so it makes more sense for me. Homework rarely ever causes conflict in my family, but if it were to cause conflict it would be because of stress. Sometimes when people have a lot of homework or they are stuck on a problem they don’t know how to do they can have stress which may lead to conflict. I am happy with the way my family supports me with my homework, because they started encouraging homework at a young age which has helped me throughout the years. I always get all my homework done and complete it to the best of my ability.

Doing homework is can be super tough and a big hassle when it’s piled on more and more from each class period. I find it easier to do my homework on my own, but if I ask my parents to help me with something (not math) like proof reading an essay or simple asking them about a phrase or word I can’t remember. I don’t ask for help if it’s not to necessary, but whenever I do, they are always willing to help me get the answer.

i wish they would let me try a little more by myself

1.I usually get very little to no help on my homework from my parents and when they do help me wether or not their help is effective depends on the kind of work. 2. My parents will for the most part help me if I ask them they do not help me develop a routine but I have made myself one. 3. My parents don’t often do anything unless I ask them for help. 4. I had handled thing different than I did now in second and third grade when I started to need help from my parents about when to do my homework my parents for the most part support my changes in how I do home work. 5. Homework does not for the most part cause conflict in my family 6. I am happy with how my parents are handling my homework because it allows me to work independently

1). My parents help me a bit. Not too much though they don’t do it for me. If I don’t understand something they explain and I Usually get it after a few times. They provide me examples.

2). I don’t really have a homework routine. When I ask for help they do help but with a limit I do think that if the teachers are giving the work most kids should know it and not need help.

3). They don’t Usually command or watch me. If I am not doing it and they catch than I loose some autonomy.

4). They have changed there style of helping me with homework. I get more freedom but if I am messing around they get stricter which I find helps me.

5). Homework does cause conflict in my home. When my parents get mad about homework I get upset and turns into a fight.

6). I am happy with the way they handle homework. It helps me and It is sometimes annoying but in the long run it helps me a lot and I think it will help me.

1. My parents help me on my homework sometimes, but when they do they don’t do the work for me they help me figure it out for I can do it for myself.

2. My parents don’t motivate me to do it they just expect me to get it done becasie it’s my responsibility, they will usally help me when I ask them for my help.

3. They never command me or anything because it’s my responsibility and if I decide to not do it I get the punishment from my teachers.

4. My parents handle the homework the same as they did in elementary school, they helped me with my work but they didn’t do the work for me and they expected me to get it done or to know when I have to do it.

5. Homework never causes conflicts in my family because it’s my job to get it done and to self advocate if I don’t understand the homework, or if left it at school. My parents never yelled at me and told me to do my homework.

6. I am happy the way my parents support me with my homework I think nothing could get any better they help me when I need it and they are not looking over my shoulder when I’m doing it they leave it to me.

1.My parents don,t help me that much but they help me if I don,t understand a certain thing on my homework.

2.My Mom has had me develop a homework routine when I get home from school and my Mom is a great motivator to me a lot and she will provide assitence when I ask

3.Of course sometimes my Mom will get annoyed when I’m slow and not really concentrating and will tell to focus back in and hurry up and get it done.

4.My Mom has helped me practically the same way with homework since the 1st grade except I’m more Independant with homework now that I’m older.

5.Homework without a doubt will cause conflicts at home because me and my two sisters both have super busy schedules filled with activities during weeknights

6. I am happy with the way my parents help me with my handle homework,there very nice and patient about it.

Jaylin H 11/17/14 Writing

How ofter do your parents help you?

My parents rarely help me with my homework, if i need any help, which is not a lot, my parents would help me. My parents provide like teaching me how to do this then I got it on my own.

No my parents do not help me with a work routine I usually do my homework at my time when I want too. Yes they do help me and motivate me or provide assistance when I need help anytime.

Yes sometimes they use commands when I’m frustrated and they say come on get your homework done so you wont be so frustrated. Or sometimes they would threaten me if I don’t get my homework done i’m going to have to sit in my room for the rest of the night. If my parents are kind of confused or forget the work that I do they would have to do some of the work themselves.

When I was in kindergarden my dad used to help me every single day with my work and he would tell me to do my homework at this time every single day. So as I gotten older my dad has helped me less and less because he thinks I got this on my own. When I was In elementary school my parents helped me differently because they knew i had trouble in school everyday.

No my homework is not a conflict in my family we are usually calm about it.

Yes i’m happy about how my parents support me because they don’t really give me help because they give me more freedom and i could do this on my own and i’m just happy that they can give me more space while doing my homework.

My parents usually do not help with my homework at all. When my parents help they have almost always learned it a different way and can not help me. When they do it ends up being very confusing and does not work. If I need help I can just go into school early the next day and ask the teacher.

My parents like me to start my homework as soon as I get home. Sometimes that doesn’t happen, it depends on if I have a sport and when it is. For instance, if I have a sport in 20 minutes I’m not going to start my homework, but if I have one in 2 hours I will.

My parents have never really used any treats or surveillance that they are serious about, but if they did I don’t think they would work.

When I was in elementary school my parents used to help me a little. We released it just confused me more so sometimes I would ask my sister to help. Now I just ask my teachers for help in the beginning of the day.

Homework never really causes conflict, I can just finish it by myself and nobody has to get involved.

I’m happy my parents are not involved with my homework if I they where I think it would just be frustrating and confuse me. I’m also happy that the teachers are open to help in my school, or else I don’t know what I would do when it came to homework.

1Q)How much do your parents help with your homework? What kind of help do they provide? 1A) If I’m really struggling my parents will help me by explaining it in way I would understand and show me how to solve it and let me watch them do it than after they would make me do it and once I eventually get it they will leave me to try to finish on my own.

2Q)Do they help you develop a homework routine? Do they help motivate you and provide assistance when you ask? 2A) I don’t really have a homework routine because my scuduale changes everyday, but to help me get it done at a reasonable time each day they will give me reminders to get to work and start it

3Q)Do they ever use commands, incentives, threats or surveillance? Do they ever do the work themselves? 3A) If I’m procrastinating and getting off track my mom will always be there around me to get me back on track and even sometimes threat me to get it done or she won’t let me go to sports practice later on if I don’t complete my homework.

4Q)Has the way your parents have supported you with homework changed as you have gotten older? Did they handle homework differently when you were in elementary school, for example? 4A) Yes because when I was in elementary school they would help me a lot more and always be by my side while doing it an doing it with me. Now it’s more my job and on me to be getting it done and doing it alone.

5Q)Does homework ever cause conflict in your family? How so? 5A) Yes because if we all need help at the same time my parents can’t help all of us at the same time and I get home really late from practice and that causes a lot of homework conflicts in everyone.

6Q) Are you happy with the way your parents support you with your homework? Or do you wish they would handle it differently? Why? 6A) Yes I am because If I need help they will help me and make sure I get it.

If I am having a lot of trouble with my homework my mom or dad will give me an example to guide me with the rest of the work but they mostly want me to be independent. I never really had a problem making a H.W. routine or being motivated because I know it is just life you need to do homework. Because of this they have never had to threaten me and certainly never did my H.W for me. Even in my elementry school years my parents have always had the same values about working hard and being independent with my H.W. Unfortunatly, my sister is a huge precrasinater and is always on her phone and there has been huge conflicts when it is nine thirty at night and she has only gotten one page done. I am very happy with the way my parents have handled homework because it has shaped my good homework habits I have today.

Jason H 11/17/14 Literature/Writing A/P How Much Do Your Parents Help With Your Homework?

My parents only help me with my homework when I’m really stuck on a a problem or when I’m trouble understanding a question. Other then that my parents don’t help me with my homework. My parents do not help me develop a homework routine. It is automatic for me to come home and start my homework. Yes, my parents help motivate me and provide assistant when I ask. I ask for assistant when I don’t understand a question. No, my parents don’t ever use commands, incentives, threats or surveillance. No, they don’t ever do the work themselves. They would give me examples but not do the work. The way my parents have supported me with my homework has changed as I gotten older. It has changed as I gotten older because when I was much younger I would need a lot of help figuring the questions on my homework and now since I have gotten older I don’t need as much help with my homework. Yes, my parents handled homework differently when I was in elementary for example, my mom would sometimes sit next to me incase I would need help. After fourth and fifth grade my parents haven’t been sitting next to me just incase I would need help. I have been doing my homework on my own. No, homework doesn’t cause a conflict in my family. yes, I am happy the way my parents support me with my homework. I am happy with the way they support me because they don’t ask me if I got all my homework done. They know that I am responsible enough to get my homework done.

My parents help me a lot to finish my homework. They don’t really finish the entire homework for me .The only thing what they do for me whenever I find any problem to finish my homework and they only do that specific part for me and I don’t think that they should help me to finish the entire homework. They help me to develop a homework routine. Yes, they motivate me and provide assistance when I ask. They do use commands and incentives but not the other options. They don’t ever do the work themselves for me. No the way didn’t changed when I got older .yes they changed the way they liked to handle homework differently when i was in elementary school. No homework don’t really cause any conflict in my family because my parents are really cooperative to each other and in my case they are really responsible .Yes, I am happy with my parents support and in my opinion I think sometime they help me to finish the homework in Sunday night for the Monday school and it makes me thinking throughout the weekend but I wish if they would helped me Friday night in place of Sunday night for Monday school.at the end I would like say that I am really happy to have such an helpful parents.

For me my parents help me to do nothing with my homework, because they always tell me that is your homework. When I was some confused for homework they often give me prompt. No they don’t help me develop a homework routine. Yes when I ask them, they motivate me and provide assistance me. They never use threats and surveillance for me. I think do they ever do the work themselves, so they don’t do for me. Yes they supported me with homework changed as me have gotten older. When I was in elementary school, my parents handle math and Languages homework. Yes, does the homework ever cause conflict in my family, because for one question we have different opinion so does homework ever cause in my family. Yes I am happy with the way my parents support me with my homework, because if they don’t support me do homework, I think I will lose many happy things.

I strongly believe that parents should help their child with their homework, they can give them clue or tray to explain in an easier way to go through it, so they can do it themselves. I agree that Parents should not do the homework for their children because they’re not helping them to learn, I believe that kids in young age like six or seven, parents should teach them how to do it, so that can benefit kids in the long run. at the end When they grow, or become adult they will be capable to do any homework in school or college without their parents do it for them.

I think that when parents help their children, everything is going to be ok. Parent’s help all the time is necessary because when parents support their children the children get more motivation. Sometimes is not easy to get parent’s help because usually parents are working. If we want that our children do better in school we have to help them do their homework. Sometime when parents say something good to student we get motivation because we think that we aren’t alone in our run to college. I’m a student and sometimes is very difficult to tell my father that I need some help because sometimes he is very tired. Usually he says that I can do what I want, when he says that I feel so comfortable because I think that he is next to me. When parents give advice to their children and support them student do better in schools, colleges, and in different ways of our life.

As a mother, I love to be involved in with my son’s homework, he is kindergarten, so he needs it. I encourage him to it and he does it before he watches his favorite show on TV. Initially he didn’t like to do it, today he has fun doing it, I noticed that he had gained confidence because I usually post some of his work on the door of the refrigerator. I think he likes it. I noticed that he has gained confidence because he talks with the family about it, I hope, he will do it with less supervision. I think it is very important to help children with homework and teach them to love it

When I was in elementary school my father helped me to do my homework. My father helped me to learn English and mathematics. But my mother was always busy with household works because our family was joint family. We lived in a big house with many other cousins and uncles family. That’s why my father always helped me in my study. He gave me a homework routine. He also gave vocabulary list. He always gave warning to finish homework. What I progress in my life because of my father. He always wants that I and my siblings become a successful person. Without his inspiration I did not come here. My father is an angry person that’s why I finished my homework every day. When I was in high school he didn’t support the way he liked to do in my elementary school. I handled my homework alone. In my family home work does not create conflict. Yes, I am happy with my parents support.

I am mother, I have 3 kids, they are 17, 4, and 7 years old. I think that the parents have a lot of responsibility with the children. we need to help to kids when they don’t understand or when they need our collaboration because they feel better when we help to them. Is different to do than to help. They need more responsibilities in their homework, but when are kids, sometimes they don’t concentrate in homework. When they have any homework but they need my help of course, I help and give them necessary resource for develop their homework . I am very happy with my children because we are a set, we are united. For this reason we can help betwen ourselves. We have good supporting in our home because my oldest daughter help his brother with homework. In my home we try to buy different books or we have a web page with instruments necessaries for to do exercise in topics when they need help.

How much do your parents help with your homework? What kind of help do they provide? My parents helped me a lot, when I was child. Sometime when I couldn’t do some assignments like math, or other things, they were there to help me. Even now they help me although they do not know English they help me in Spanish. In my opinion when the parents help the children to do their homework everything is going to be better. Sometime the parents do not pay attention about their children, sometime when children need some help and their parents do not help them, the children will have some problems

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School Life Balance , Tips for Online Students

The Pros and Cons of Homework

Updated: December 7, 2023

Published: January 23, 2020

The-Pros-and-Cons-Should-Students-Have-Homework

Homework is a word that most students dread hearing. After hours upon hours of sitting in class , the last thing we want is more schoolwork over our precious weekends. While it’s known to be a staple of traditional schooling, homework has also become a rather divise topic. Some feel as though homework is a necessary part of school, while others believe that the time could be better invested. Should students have homework? Have a closer look into the arguments on both sides to decide for yourself.

A college student completely swamped with homework.

Photo by energepic.com from Pexels

Why should students have homework, 1. homework encourages practice.

Many people believe that one of the positive effects of homework is that it encourages the discipline of practice. While it may be time consuming and boring compared to other activities, repetition is needed to get better at skills. Homework helps make concepts more clear, and gives students more opportunities when starting their career .

2. Homework Gets Parents Involved

Homework can be something that gets parents involved in their children’s lives if the environment is a healthy one. A parent helping their child with homework makes them take part in their academic success, and allows for the parent to keep up with what the child is doing in school. It can also be a chance to connect together.

3. Homework Teaches Time Management

Homework is much more than just completing the assigned tasks. Homework can develop time management skills , forcing students to plan their time and make sure that all of their homework assignments are done on time. By learning to manage their time, students also practice their problem-solving skills and independent thinking. One of the positive effects of homework is that it forces decision making and compromises to be made.

4. Homework Opens A Bridge Of Communication

Homework creates a connection between the student, the teacher, the school, and the parents. It allows everyone to get to know each other better, and parents can see where their children are struggling. In the same sense, parents can also see where their children are excelling. Homework in turn can allow for a better, more targeted educational plan for the student.

5. Homework Allows For More Learning Time

Homework allows for more time to complete the learning process. School hours are not always enough time for students to really understand core concepts, and homework can counter the effects of time shortages, benefiting students in the long run, even if they can’t see it in the moment.

6. Homework Reduces Screen Time

Many students in North America spend far too many hours watching TV. If they weren’t in school, these numbers would likely increase even more. Although homework is usually undesired, it encourages better study habits and discourages spending time in front of the TV. Homework can be seen as another extracurricular activity, and many families already invest a lot of time and money in different clubs and lessons to fill up their children’s extra time. Just like extracurricular activities, homework can be fit into one’s schedule.

A female student who doesn’t want to do homework.

The Other Side: Why Homework Is Bad

1. homework encourages a sedentary lifestyle.

Should students have homework? Well, that depends on where you stand. There are arguments both for the advantages and the disadvantages of homework.

While classroom time is important, playground time is just as important. If children are given too much homework, they won’t have enough playtime, which can impact their social development and learning. Studies have found that those who get more play get better grades in school , as it can help them pay closer attention in the classroom.

Children are already sitting long hours in the classroom, and homework assignments only add to these hours. Sedentary lifestyles can be dangerous and can cause health problems such as obesity. Homework takes away from time that could be spent investing in physical activity.

2. Homework Isn’t Healthy In Every Home

While many people that think homes are a beneficial environment for children to learn, not all homes provide a healthy environment, and there may be very little investment from parents. Some parents do not provide any kind of support or homework help, and even if they would like to, due to personal barriers, they sometimes cannot. Homework can create friction between children and their parents, which is one of the reasons why homework is bad .

3. Homework Adds To An Already Full-Time Job

School is already a full-time job for students, as they generally spend over 6 hours each day in class. Students also often have extracurricular activities such as sports, music, or art that are just as important as their traditional courses. Adding on extra hours to all of these demands is a lot for children to manage, and prevents students from having extra time to themselves for a variety of creative endeavors. Homework prevents self discovery and having the time to learn new skills outside of the school system. This is one of the main disadvantages of homework.

4. Homework Has Not Been Proven To Provide Results

Endless surveys have found that homework creates a negative attitude towards school, and homework has not been found to be linked to a higher level of academic success.

The positive effects of homework have not been backed up enough. While homework may help some students improve in specific subjects, if they have outside help there is no real proof that homework makes for improvements.

It can be a challenge to really enforce the completion of homework, and students can still get decent grades without doing their homework. Extra school time does not necessarily mean better grades — quality must always come before quantity.

Accurate practice when it comes to homework simply isn’t reliable. Homework could even cause opposite effects if misunderstood, especially since the reliance is placed on the student and their parents — one of the major reasons as to why homework is bad. Many students would rather cheat in class to avoid doing their homework at home, and children often just copy off of each other or from what they read on the internet.

5. Homework Assignments Are Overdone

The general agreement is that students should not be given more than 10 minutes a day per grade level. What this means is that a first grader should be given a maximum of 10 minutes of homework, while a second grader receives 20 minutes, etc. Many students are given a lot more homework than the recommended amount, however.

On average, college students spend as much as 3 hours per night on homework . By giving too much homework, it can increase stress levels and lead to burn out. This in turn provides an opposite effect when it comes to academic success.

The pros and cons of homework are both valid, and it seems as though the question of ‘‘should students have homework?’ is not a simple, straightforward one. Parents and teachers often are found to be clashing heads, while the student is left in the middle without much say.

It’s important to understand all the advantages and disadvantages of homework, taking both perspectives into conversation to find a common ground. At the end of the day, everyone’s goal is the success of the student.

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Parents hold differing views about homework

For good or ill, homework is probably here to stay

O n a recent wet morning, my wife passed a mother taking her young son to school. The little boy – seated on the crossbar of his mother's bicycle – was reciting a long list of spellings. His mother, wet book in hand, was testing him while navigating their way through pedestrians and traffic. Given that UK pupils attend school for about 30 hours each week for the equivalent of nine months each year, and that most now stay on until they are 18, is homework really so essential? And should hard-pressed parents have to worry so much about their children getting it done on time?

I find these questions surprisingly difficult to answer. Of course, there is a rationale for homework: it may be easier to work creatively at home than in a busy school; there is time for the repetition of newly acquired skills; the habit of working independently encourages self-discipline. But homework also has drawbacks – especially for English children, who are less happy and more stressed than in many similar countries – young pupils are tired after a day of learning, and parents and children need unpressured time together.

Parents tend to hold differing views about homework. For some, it provides justification to keep children safely indoors while, for others, getting their children to complete it is the bane of their lives, leading all too frequently to threats and conflicts.

In my experience, most teachers are keen on homework. Some, however, complain that the efforts needed to set it, collect it on time, mark it carefully and provide detailed feedback outweigh the potential benefits.

Frustratingly, most British and US reviews of research are ambiguous about homework's value and the international surveys find it a mixed blessing. Research cannot be more helpful because it is impossible to separate the effect of homework from family, school and other background characteristics. Ideally, this is where a randomised controlled trial would provide a clear judgment of the efficacy of homework over and above the effects of everything else. But the ethical, political and practical difficulties of randomly assigning pupils to "strict-homework" or to "homework-free" conditions for the whole of their school careers have – so far – proved too daunting.

Despite the ambiguous evidence, homework is a feature of most British schools. Parents, working considerably longer hours than many of their continental equivalents, dedicate precious family time to overseeing (and, in some cases, completing) it. Where parents lack the time, motivation, or energy, or have more pressing concerns, they risk teachers' expectations of their offspring diminishing.

Would it be better to abolish homework completely? (If my adult children read this they will be shocked that, in view of their experience, I could even consider such an idea. But I am pretty certain which way my young grandchildren would vote!)

Abolition would allow more time for social activities and might reduce tensions between some parents and their children and between teachers and pupils. But unless private schools did likewise, the gap with state schools would broaden. And might young people simply use the extra time to play more computer games or watch more television? Furthermore, schools would need to reorganise to provide the longer periods of time pupils need for extended reading or writing.

Perhaps a good compromise would be to halt the downward age drift and discourage primary schools from setting formal homework. This would allow working parents, in particular, to enjoy their brief time with their offspring in good conscience, and children to continue learning in a less formal way.

For those of secondary age, however, I fear dropping all homework might reduce too drastically the time for formal learning. Better, perhaps, to ensure that pupils' efforts are always rewarded with feedback (not only on shortcomings but on how the work could be improved) and – since few things are less conducive to the habit of lifelong study than inconsistent demands – that homework is set on a predictable basis. Sorry kids, but, as your parents probably tell you, it is for your own good.

Parents of students 16 and under

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An Age-By-Age Guide to Helping Kids Manage Homework

D o you ever wonder whether homework is gauging the child’s ability to complete assignments or the parent’s? On one end of the spectrum, a parent might never mention homework and assume it gets done independently; on the other end are the parents who micromanage to be sure every worksheet is absolutely perfect.

Being too laissez faire about homework might deny a child the support they need to develop executive functioning skills, but being too involved could stifle their independence. So how much parent participation in homework is actually appropriate throughout a child’s education?

Basic homework tips

According to Scholastic , you should follow these rules of thumb to support your child during homework (without going overboard):

Stay nearby and available for questions without getting right in the middle of homework.
Avoid the urge to correct mistakes unless your child asks for help.
Instead of nagging, set up a homework routine with a dedicated time and place.
Teach time management for a larger project by helping them break it into chunks.

Child psychologist Dr. Emily W. King recently wrote about rethinking homework in her newsletter. King explains at what ages kids are typically able to do homework independently, but she writes that each child’s ability to concentrate at the end of the day and use executive functioning skills for completing tasks is very individual. I talked to her for more information on how much parental involvement in homework completion is needed, according to a child’s age and grade level.

Kindergarten to second grade

Whether children even need homework this early is a hot debate. Little ones are still developing fine motor skills and their ability to sit still and pay attention at this age.

“If a child is given homework before their brain and body are able to sit and focus independently, then we are relying on the parent or other caregivers to sit with the child to help them focus,” King said. “Think about when the child is able to sit and focus on non-academic tasks like dinner, art, or music lessons. This will help you tease out executive functioning skills from academic understanding.”

Elementary-age children need time for unstructured play and structured play like music, arts, and sports. They need outside time, free time, and quiet time, King said. For children who are not ready for independent work, nightly reading with another family member is enough “homework,” she said.

Third to fifth grades

Many children will be able to do homework independently in grades 3-5. Even then, their ability to focus and follow through may vary from day to day.

“Most children are ready for practicing independent work between third and fifth grade, but maybe not yet in the after-school hours when they are tired and want to rest or play. We need to begin exposing children to organization and structure independently in late elementary school to prepare them for more independence in middle school,” King said.

Neurodivergent kids may need more parental support for several years before they work independently.

“Neurodivergent children, many of whom have executive functioning weaknesses, are not ready to work independently in elementary school. Children without executive functioning weaknesses (e.g., the ability to remain seated and attend to a task independently) are able to do this somewhere between third and fifth grade, but it’s very possible they can work independently at school but be too tired to do it later in the afternoon,” King said. “We need to follow the child’s skills and give them practice to work independently when they seem ready. Of course, if a child wants to do extra work after school due to an interest, go for it.”

For students who are not ready to work independently in middle school, it is better to reduce the amount of homework they are expected to complete so they can practice independence and feel successful.

Middle school

In sixth grade and later, kids are really developing executive functioning skills like planning, organizing, paying attention, initiating, shifting focus, and execution. They will still need your encouragement to keep track of assignments, plan their time, and stick to a homework routine.

“Middle school students need lots of organization support and putting systems in place to help them keep track of assignments, due dates, and materials,” King said.

High school

By this point, congratulations: You can probably be pretty hands-off with homework. Remain open and available if your teen needs help negotiating a problem, but executing plans should be up to them now.

“In high school, parents are working to put themselves out of a job and begin stepping back as children take the lead on homework. Parents of high schoolers are ‘homework consultants,’” King said. “We are there to help solve problems, talk through what to say in an email to a teacher, but we are not writing the emails or talking to the teachers for our kids.”

What if homework is not working for them (or you)

There are a number of reasons a child might not be managing homework at the same level as their peers, including academic anxiety and learning disabilities.

If your child is showing emotional distress at homework time, it might be a sign that they have run out of gas from the structure, socialization, and stimulation they have already been through at school that day. One way to support kids is to teach them how to have a healthy balance of work and play time.

“When we ask students to keep working after school when their tank is on empty, we likely damage their love of learning and fill them with dread for tomorrow,” King wrote in her newsletter.

King said in her experience as a child psychologist, the amount of homework support a child needs is determined by their individual abilities and skills more than their age or grade level.

“All of these steps vary for a neurodivergent child and we are not following these guidelines by age or grade but rather by their level of skills development to become more independent,” she said. “In order to independently complete homework, a child must be able to have attended to the directions in class, brought the materials home, remember to get the materials out at home, remember to begin the task, understand the task, remain seated and attention long enough to complete the task, be able to complete the task, return the work to their backpack, and return the work to the teacher. If any of these skills are weak or the child is not able to do these independently, there will be a breakdown in the system of homework. You can see why young students and neurodivergent students would struggle with this process.”

If you and your child have trouble meeting homework expectations, talk to their teacher about what could be contributing to the problem and how to modify expectations for them.

“Get curious about your child’s skill level at that time of day,” King said. “Are they able to work independently at school but not at home? Are they not able to work independently any time of day? Are they struggling with this concept at school, too? When are they successful?”

Click here to read the full article.

mother helping young child complete their homework

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The Asian Traveller

Eugenia Koh-Chua

MELBOURNE: The June school holidays have started for primary and secondary schools as well as junior colleges. With school out, the fun should begin - but does it really?

While many look forward to a respite from the daily grind of school , the burden of holiday homework hangs over them.

For many parents and tutors, the mid-year break is also the perfect time for an extra academic boost. Let’s not forget June holiday boot camps and intensive revision programmes arranged by teachers and enterprising tuition centres for Primary 6 students taking their Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) this year.

The term “holiday homework” itself is contradictory, prompting the question: Should school breaks be a protected sanctuary from homework, or is the expectation of holiday assignments an unavoidable reality?

A BAN ON HOMEWORK?

The debate surrounding holiday homework extends beyond the borders of Singapore.

In the Philippines, legislative attempts to enforce a weekend homework ban have been ongoing since 2016. In 2021, the Chinese government enacted the Double Reduction Policy , which includes a limit on homework and a ban on private tutoring classes.

Meanwhile, in Poland, a ban on graded homework for students in lower primary took effect in April. Homework for children in upper primary levels is optional and does not count towards a grade.

These efforts share a common goal: To alleviate the burden of excessive homework and promote greater student well-being. However, the effectiveness of these measures remains questionable.

In China, the mandate has driven the industry underground and led to exorbitant rates , exacerbating educational inequity. The Chinese experience suggests the potential pitfalls of using a simplistic solution like a hard legislative ban to address a complex social issue.

Drawing lessons from these global examples, I wonder: Should the focus shift from eliminating homework to understanding why parents and schools perceive it as necessary?

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China launches campaign to halt school bullying, excessive homework

Is homework beneficial.

While the debate on homework rages on, educational research has acknowledged the many potential benefits it serves.

Homework helps to reinforce academic concepts at home, develops time management skills, and encourages independent learning in children.

Learning at home can offer a more adaptable environment that caters to individual student’s learning pace and needs, particularly benefiting those who thrive with additional support. Moreover, homework functions as a crucial link between school and home, allowing parents to stay informed of their children’s academic progress.

At the same time, however, an Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) survey published in 2017 showed that 66.7 per cent of parents with primary school children agreed or strongly agreed that they were stressed over assisting with homework and ferrying them to and from school, and tuition or enrichment classes.

Additionally, nearly 94 per cent of parents in the study expressed a need for the primary school curriculum to be more manageable, reflecting the struggle many parents face in grasping the modern curriculum while balancing work demands in typical dual-income Singaporean households.

In my doctoral study on Singaporean parents’ tensions within education reform, one parent candidly remarked on this struggle: “I don’t think I can impart the (knowledge) skills to them. And I don’t want my children to lose out."

Consequently, many parents delegate homework guidance to educational experts - tuition teachers.

Families spent an estimated S$1.4 billion (US$1 billion) on tuition in 2018, based on data from the last Household Expenditure Survey in 2017 and 2018, up from S$1.1 billion in 2012 and 2013.

These insights highlight parents’ challenges in supporting their children’s learning at home due to a lack of knowledge, skills, time, and energy. Consequently, schools must consider these factors when designing and assigning homework.

Daily Cuts:

Commentary: Parents, getting your preschoolers to cram for P1 can backfire

Commentary: Parents play an outsized role in academic stress children face

Perceived benefits of after-school learning.

Research consistently emphasises the importance of play in nurturing the holistic development of children. What then motivates parents to enrol their children in tuition classes during school holidays?

Many parents I’ve spoken say they feel like they have “no choice” as they mitigate the pressures of a high-stakes education system.

They question how much play alone can contribute to children’s social-emotional well-being if they fail to perform academically. One parent stated, “I don’t need (my child) to be at the top, but I don’t want him to be at the bottom either”.

Parental guilt also motivates many to enrol their children in out-of-school classes. As one parent explained: “If my kids are idle or roaming around at home, I will feel bad as a parent … because it feels like my child is wasting his life away”.

Teachers participating in my doctoral study also reluctantly acknowledge the value of tuition classes for “weaker students”. Unfortunately, in a class size of 40, teachers lack the time and staffing to cater to each child’s learning needs while covering the school curriculum.

They also cited pressure from school leaders and managing familial expectations to assign homework as an indicator of a “good teacher”.

FIND HARMONY, NOT BALANCE

Amid the ongoing discussion on finding the right balance between work and play for students, the term “balance” implies a rigid 50-50 split between “work versus play”, overlooking the unique needs and strengths of each child, family, and school.

Rather than fixating on achieving a static “balance”, might it be better to consider striving for a harmonious blend between work and play? This approach encourages families and schools to identify the optimal mix that suits their specific contexts, fostering an environment where children can thrive in both learning and well-being.

The ideal combination of work and play will naturally vary in each family, classroom, and school, based on their diverse values, cultures, and aspirations. Nonetheless, this optimal mix should be viewed as fluid and dynamic, constantly adapting to suit the evolving needs of children.

Student agency is an essential ingredient in this optimal blend. Schools should actively seek student input on their homework experiences and understand their preferences for how it is assigned and evaluated.

This not only empowers students but also ensures that homework policies are responsive to their needs and interests.

Schools could consider moving away from compulsory holiday homework towards recommended assignments. Allow parents to determine and decide the homework load that best suits their child based on their family values and aspirations.

Many teachers are already offering non-mandatory assignments in the Student Learning Space online portal during mid-year and end-of-year school holidays. However, it is crucial to complement these assignments with online explanatory videos that provide solutions.

This approach is essential to support struggling students and enhance their self-efficacy by ensuring they understand how to approach and solve the questions independently at home.

Ideally, homework tasks should prioritise inquiry-based learning, embracing a play-based approach that fosters engagement and creativity.

Given the absence of time constraints in the classroom, these tasks can encourage students to explore core learning concepts with scaffolding prompts, developing learner autonomy, and stimulating greater engagement and creativity.

Commentary: Voices of tensions behind the 'kiasu parent' label

Commentary: PSLE stress – a question of not too much, not too little

Through collaborative efforts, schools and families can create a supportive environment that fosters student success and well-being.

In an ideal scenario, if schools and families can embrace a unified approach to revamping homework practices and reimagining the objectives of holiday assignments , we may just be able to find that sweet spot between work and play the June holidays.

Dr Eugenia Koh-Chua is a sessional lecturer and educational researcher at Swinburne University of Technology (Melbourne). She is a mother of two and a former lecturer in Singapore.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Assignments According to Parents’ Opinions of Primary School Students

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Journal of Education, Society and Behavioural Science

Tshering Chophel

Our service as the principal in a very remote school under Mongar District evoked our conscience in realizing the impact of parental involvement in homework on children’s learning. Being in the farm with many daily chores and activities, the parents’ concern for children’s learning was left as a secondary option. The parents have vital roles to play in the life of a child. The involvement of parents determines the future of the child, and the parental involvement was seen as a means to bridge the gap between the school and home. Family is the primary cell of society where the child's upbringing must begin since his birth. The researcher used the qualitative approach and phenomenology as a research design. The study involved twelve interview participants, comprising of 3 principals, 3 teachers, 3 students and 3 parents from the participating schools in Yadi Cluster under Mongar District. The data were collected through the use of semi-structured interviews. The interviews were au...

Volume V Issue I

Dr. Anila Fatima Shakil

Homework is the means by which the relationship between home and school is demonstrated and developed, leading to more consistent progress in all aspects of school life. The current research was carried out in Gilgit Baltistan to find out the impact of homework on the academic performance of students at secondary level. The research was observed by teachers of Gilgit Baltistan public schools while 100 teachers were chosen by a random sampling technique as a sample. Questionnaires were as a research instrument. The study found that homework impacts learning for learners, its impact differs with the age of students, and it plays an important role in student achievement. The study proposed that homework should be purposeful, i.e. it should include the introduction of new content, the practise of skills, the creation of any data and the ability for students to explore topics of their own interest.

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Opinions of Parents in Rural Areas on Homework: A Case Study

Celalettin ÇELEBİ Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Turkey

One of families' roles and responsibilities for their children is participation in their education. Family participation in the educational processes of their children can sometimes be helping the children with their homework. The purpose of this study is to determine the opinions of parents living in rural areas about their children's homework.This research is a case study, one of the qualitative research designs. The data have been collected from 27 parents living in rural areas of Konya in May 2021. The data, collected through the semi-structured interview form, have been analysed using the descriptive analysis method. According to the findings, parents believe that homework reinforces learning, encourages study, and ensures that knowledge is retained.They also think that homework is useful because it increases student success in courses, and reinforces learning. While the majority of parents state that their children do not spend more time on homework than necessary, a significant number of parents are of the opposite opinion. Most of the parents stated that they check their children's homework. While some parents stated that they did not have problems with their children as far as their homework was concerned, some parents stated that they had problems with their children about the homework. According to parents, children are bored and reluctant because they do not like homework, they think it is unnecessary and excessive.

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The problem with homeschooling

The practice is barely tracked or regulated in the US and can easily conceal abuse

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Two kids sitting on the couch at home studying school papers

Jokes about homeschooled kids are a well-worn cliché: They are weird; they are geniuses; they are improperly socialized. But in the U.S., homeschooling also happens to be an unchecked practice. It is impossible to know how many kids are participating because "homeschooling is barely tracked or regulated in the U.S.," said Scientific American. Other countries have stricter requirements, including mandated curriculums or required home visits for children learning at home. But "many of America's new homeschooled children have entered a world where no government official will ever check on what, or how well, they are being taught," said The Washington Post .

Homeschooling was legal in all 50 states by 1993, though rules vary by state. While the practice was once associated with left-leaning parents aligned with '60s and '70s counterculture, it became part of a conservative movement in the '80s and '90s, with many families pulling kids out of school in order to give them a religious education at home. This trend has continued: Nearly 60% of parents in a National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) 2019 survey responded that "religious instruction was a motivation in their decision to educate at home," said Scientific American.

Homeschooling's popularity has increased. The NCES said that by their last count, in 2019, 1.5 million children, or almost 3%, were homeschooled, and that number is probably an undercount, since eleven states do not require parents to report that they are homeschooling their child. Homeschooling has particularly been on the rise since the Covid-19 pandemic, and parents' mounting concerns include school shootings and bullying. In a Washington Post-Schar School poll from earlier this year, many parents also claimed they "feared the intrusion of politics into public education," said the Post. Each family has its own value system, and most guardians would prefer to have a say in their kids' education. But when is homeschooling actually harmful to children?

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A lack of regulation

While many parents who choose homeschooling believe they are acting in their kid's best interest, the lack of oversight is an issue — and not an accidental one. "For years, right-wing homeschool lobbying organizations in the U.S. have successfully fought attempts to introduce regulations over the process," said The Guardian . Many parents do not approve of schools teaching racial history or sexuality, a resistance that "matches the right-wing war on education."

Some states technically require parents to adhere to a public school curriculum but do nothing to enforce it. And while some states require homeschooled kids to be tested, many of them "allow the testing to take place at home, where the parents can do the testing, and just turn in the results," said The Guardian. This means guardians have free rein to teach their children whatever they want. It also means that children are in danger of "not learning basic academic skills or learning about the most basic democratic values of our society or getting the kind of exposure to alternative views that enables them to exercise meaningful choice about their future lives," said child welfare expert Elizabeth Bartholet .

Studies of homeschooled populations show that children's academic achievement depends heavily on their parents' education background. But in 40 states "parents do not need to have even a high school-level education to educate their children at home," said Scientific American.

A cover for abuse

An equally insidious problem is that homeschooling can all too easily conceal abuse. There is no state check required to determine whether parents have a history of abuse before they are allowed to pull their child out of school. State-run Child Protective Services departments "rely on 'mandated reporters' — typically school professionals or medical practitioners — to report suspected child abuse or neglect," said The Guardian. But "if a child is homeschooled, they are far less likely to come into contact with a mandated reporter."

While it is difficult to say how frequently homeschooling may obscure abuse, there is some troubling data. For example, "following the abuse and 2017 death of an autistic teenager whose mother had removed him from school, Connecticut's Office of the Child Advocate found that 36% of children withdrawn from six nearby districts to be homeschooled lived in homes that had been subject to at least one report of suspected abuse or neglect," said Scientific American.

Many child abuse experts "believe that the rates of abuse are much higher now as a result of children being kept at home," said child welfare expert Bartholet. They feel that more federal mandates in service of child protection are urgently needed.

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Anya Jaremko-Greenwold has worked as a story editor at The Week since 2024. She previously worked at FLOOD Magazine, Woman's World, First for Women, DGO Magazine and BOMB Magazine. Anya's culture writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Jezebel, Vice and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among others.

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COMMENTS

A parent's view of homework: I waver between tolerance and outright
L ike many parents, I have a complicated relationship with homework. One day I'm reminding my children to get to work - vocabulary doesn't happen by osmosis - and the next I'm struggling ...
Homework is pointless. Here's what you should do instead
But ultimately, the best replacement for homework is, simply, a parent or caregiver's attention. "Spend time with them and see them as people. At school, they operate as a herd, and as hard as ...
Is homework robbing your family of joy? You're not alone
Children are not the only ones who dread their homework these days. In a 2019 survey of 1,049 parents with children in elementary, middle, or high school, Office Depot found that parents spend an ...
Homework Pros and Cons
Public opinion swayed again in favor of homework in the 1950s due to concerns about keeping up with the Soviet Union's technological advances during the Cold War. And, in 1986, the US government included homework as an educational quality boosting tool. ... Homework allows parents to be involved with children's learning. Thanks to take-home ...
The Impact of Homework on Families of Elementary Students and Parents
Public Agenda Survey found that nearly half of parent's report that homework causes unnecessary arguments within the family and a third said that homework causes stress (Farkas, 1999). Cooper's 1989 meta-analysis found that homework had no significant effect on elementary school achievement. Most commonly, homework is intended to
Homework debate: Too much, too little or busy work?
For many parents, the beef about homework is not whether it's too much or too little but the type of work the kids are bringing home. "I am not an advocate for homework for the sake of ...
Key Lessons: What Research Says About the Value of Homework
Homework has been in the headlines again recently and continues to be a topic of controversy, with claims that students and families are suffering under the burden of huge amounts of homework. School board members, educators, and parents may wish to turn to the research for answers to their questions about the benefits and drawbacks of homework.
Should parents help their kids with homework?
Parents can also seek advice from teachers and other school staff on how to make homework support engaging and attuned to their child's learning needs. Blanket statements about whether homework ...
PDF Homework: A Guide for Parents
and parent-teacher conferences, not only to understand the teacher's homework policies and practices but also as ways to communicate to their children that they consider homework an important part of their education. Work with school personnel to establish necessary supports within the school. Parents alone cannot solve all homework problems.
When Homework Stresses Parents as Well as Students
Less-educated or Spanish-speaking parents may find it harder to evaluate or challenge the homework itself, or to say they think it is simply too much. "When the load is too much, it has a tremendous impact on family stress and the general tenor of the evening. It ruins your family time and kids view homework as a punishment," she said.
Should Homework Really Be Banned? It's Complicated
Involvement of parents: Parents have the opportunity to have a glimpse into their learning and academic performance. Homework can give them the chance to participate in their child's education and can assist them if they need it. There are many differing opinions about homework. While some think having too much homework can be detrimental ...
How Much Do Your Parents Help With Your Homework?
Parents should also give kids autonomy. When kids struggle with homework, parents sometimes have an instinct to take control by using commands, incentives, threats, surveillance, or just doing the work themselves. These tactics may work in the short term, but won't benefit kids in the long run.
The Pros and Cons: Should Students Have Homework?
It allows everyone to get to know each other better, and parents can see where their children are struggling. In the same sense, parents can also see where their children are excelling. Homework in turn can allow for a better, more targeted educational plan for the student. 5. Homework Allows For More Learning Time.
For good or ill, homework is probably here to stay
Parents tend to hold differing views about homework. For some, it provides justification to keep children safely indoors while, for others, getting their children to complete it is the bane of ...
An Age-By-Age Guide to Helping Kids Manage Homework
Parents of high schoolers are 'homework consultants,'" King said. "We are there to help solve problems, talk through what to say in an email to a teacher, but we are not writing the emails ...
Ban homework in schools? (Opinion)
Etta Kralovec. The College de Saint-Ambroise, an elementary school in Quebec, has banned homework for kids in grade one through six for a year. The Canadian media exploded with blogs, tweets and ...
PDF Opinions of Parents in Rural Areas on Homework: A Case Study
This study, aiming to determine parents' opinions about homework in rural areas, is a case study designed in a qualitative research design. The case study is a research approach used to understand a complex subject in a deep, multifaceted way in the context of real life (Crowe, Creswell, Robertson, Huby, Avery & Sheikh, 2011).
PDF The Perceptions of Students, Teachers and Parents Toward Students' Homework
parents' perceptions toward homework were in the high level. The highest average was "homework supports students' critical thinking and creative thinking" which was grade 1-3 students' opinions while grade 4-6 students, teachers, and parents agreed that "homework provides students an opportunity to practice and review their lessons."
PDF Experiences and Opinions of Parents Regarding Homework in Irish Primary
The broad objective of this study was to investigate the experiences and opinions of parents regarding homework at primary school level. The researcher aimed to identify the disposition of parents towards homework in general and to examine parental involvement from the level of policy creation down to supervision of their own children.
Opinions of Parents in Rural Areas on Homework: A Case Study
In reviewing studies on homework, Albayrak, Yıldız, Berber, and Büyükkasap (2004) focus on determining extracurricular activities in elementary school and parents' opinions about them, Turanlı (2007) on teachers' perceptions, Öcal (2009) focuses on the role of parents and teachers, Deveci (2011) on determining the opinions of students ...
Commentary: Should holiday homework be banned?
Consequently, many parents delegate homework guidance to educational experts - tuition teachers. Families spent an estimated S$1.4 billion (US$1 billion) on tuition in 2018, based on data from the ...
The pros and cons of homework
My homework back in the day used to be adjusted to some parts of the learner's everyday routine where mastery of the subject became more essential as compared to memory. That way and in the end ...
Advantages and Disadvantages of Assignments According to Parents
Thanks to the homework, the student learns to work planned, to solve the problem of time, in other words, to learn to use time well. Effective time use also offers the student the desired success. (22, 2S, FP, FS): In my opinion, homework is very necessary for students to turn their free time into a better quality time.
Opinions of Parents in Rural Areas on Homework: A Case Study
The purpose of this study is to determine the opinions of parents living in rural areas about their children's homework.This research is a case study, one of the qualitative research designs. The data have been collected from 27 parents living in rural areas of Konya in May 2021.
The problem with homeschooling
Homeschooling was legal in all 50 states by 1993, though rules vary by state. While the practice was once associated with left-leaning parents aligned with '60s and '70s counterculture, it became ...