TOO MUCH HOMEWORK?

Complaining about homework is a universal human trait that is as old as school. The Detroit Free Press has analyzed the homework controversy over the past century and Education Writer Teresa Mask reports the following:

1900: Ladies Home Journal article calls homework detrimental to students.

1901: California legislature abolishes homework.

1929: Bronx Board of Trade warns homework causes "eye strain and nervousness."

1958: Congress passes the Defense of Education Act after Sputnik launch. Homework increases.

1983: National Commission on Excellence in Education releases "Nation at Risk;" researchers see slight increase in homework.

1994: School districts across the country create homework policies after parents complain of too much/too little.

2002: No Child Left Behind signed into law. Increases in homework not seen yet, but may be seen in next several years as schools face sanctions.

More study on the subject was recently reported by the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution and the RAND Corporation. Their research contradicts dramatic anecdotes of children overwhelmed with homework.

The great majority of students at all grade levels now spend less than one hour studying on a typical day - an amount that has not changed substantially in at least twenty years, according to data . . . .

[ . . . ]

The Brown Center on Education Policy conducted the study after a wave of dramatic news stories over the past few years described a backlash against homework. Since 2001, feature stories about onerous homework loads and parents fighting back have appeared in Time, Newsweek, and People magazines; the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Raleigh News and Observer, and the Tampa Tribune; and the CBS Evening News and other media outlets.

"The stories are misleading," writes author Tom Loveless, director of the Brown Center." They do not reflect the experiences of a majority, or even a significant minority, of American schoolchildren."

Prudent parents should remember these findings when fielding complaints from their children.

Also, since students in the United States consistently rank lower in knowledge and aptitude than their counterparts in some European and Asian countries, it is strongly recommended that homework complaints be responded to with a statement along the lines of:

"Shut the hell up and hit the books!"

Call it today's recommendation.