KATV Channel 7 - The Spirit of Arkansas: Homework Store

Few people hate homework more than Alfie Kohn, author of "The Homework Myth."

"The frustration, exhaustion, the family conflict," says Kohn, "The fact that kids, after spending a whole day in school, now have to work a second shift and don't have enough time to do things they care about."

There is a raging debate across the country: Does homework really improve academic performance? A growing number of educators say no.

"We always assume it's worth it," says Kohn, "We assume that homework will improve their achievement and give them good study skills. The research shows it's just not so. No study has ever found any academic benefit to assigning homework before kids are in high school. And even in high school the case is very weak."

But how could hours of reading, writing and solving math problems not help kids to learn? We asked tenth graders at The Galloway School, in Atlanta.

"I learn everything that I need to in class," says 16-year-old Matt. "And the homework doesn't really enforce it or anything. It's just boring."

"If I listen in class and take good notes I usually do well on tests and quizzes," explains his classmate Paige, "so I don't think it's reinforcement - if anything, it just makes me kind of dread going to that class."

"I'm usually in a bad mood [when I have a lot of homework]," says 16-year-old Carter, "because I stay up later. And then I'm groggy the next day."

Kohn says even if kids learn a little through homework, the cost is too high. Homework may kill a student's interest in learning.

"To assume that kids who dread homework and can't wait to be done with it will nevertheless benefit from it," explains Kohn, "assumes that kids' attitudes and goals and perspectives are irrelevant - as if they were vending machines, where you put in an assignment and get out learning. But if kids see it as something that is pointless and tedious and even anxiety-producing, of course it's not going to benefit them."

He says if kids seem to be sinking under a mountain of work, parents should intervene.

"I think parents need to not only lobby alone," says Kohn, "they need to go in groups of five or ten - to say this is unacceptable, in a gentle and respectful but pointed way."

Kohn says most adults wouldn't want to work eight hours a day, and then come home to hours of extra work. Kids are no different.

What We Need To Know

When it comes to homework, many educators operate on the 10-minute rule: teachers should add 10 minutes of homework as students progress one grade level. For example, fourth graders should do 40 minutes of homework a night, ninth graders should do 90 minutes. According to a study by Duke University researchers, for upper level students, after about two hours of homework, more homework is not associated with higher achievement.

The U.S. Department of Education offers slightly different homework guidelines. It recommends less than 20 minutes of homework per night for students in grades 1-3. For students in grades 4-6, 20-40 minutes per night is appropriate. Students in grades 7-9 generally can handle up to 2 hours per day. Finally, students in grades 10-12 should be assigned up to 2.5 hours of homework a night.

According to research completed at Penn State University, the benefit of homework varies widely by grade level. Homework causes elementary school students to perform worse on standardized tests. Middle school students get a small benefit from homework. Older students who do moderate amounts of homework (30-60 minutes a night) have higher test scores than students who do no homework- or those who do more than four hours a night.

General tips for helping kids manage homework hurdles include:

• Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to do homework. Help your child to manage and avoid distractions including TV, cell phones and even the computer.
• When your child asks for help, provide guidance, not answers. Giving answers means your child will not learn the material. Too much help teaches your child that when the going gets rough, someone will do the work for him or her.
• When the teacher asks that you play a role in homework, do it. Show your child that the school and home are a team. Follow the directions given by the teacher.
• If homework is meant to be done by your child alone, stay away. Too much parent involvement can prevent homework from having some positive effects. Homework is a great way for kids to develop independent, lifelong learning skills.
• Help your child figure out what is hard homework and what is easy homework.
• Have your child do the hard work first. This will mean he will be most alert when facing the biggest challenges. Easy material will seem to go fast when fatigue begins to set in.