Sue Scheff: Too Much Homework!

Source: Connect with Kids


“Some nights we have really big assignments, and I’m up at least one-and-a-half hours past my bedtime. It’s just a lot of stress.”

– Sarah, 12 years old

Homework used to drive 12-year-old Sarah crazy.

“I was just getting really upset at night because I wanted to go to bed, but I knew I had to stay up, and I was frightened that I was going to forget something or not do something and they’d yell at you in class,” she says.

Finally, a group of parents at Sarah’s school said “enough!”

"The parents said, 'The students can’t handle it [the homework],'" explains Deborah Hannah, Sarah’s mother. “And so the school came in and they changed their policy and that lowered the amount of time the kids have for homework.”

The issue is balance. According to research from the University of Missouri, high school students who do their homework outperform those who don’t by 69% on standardized tests.

“[But] there are situations where there’s simply too much homework,” says Dr. Frank Pajares, an educational studies professor at Emory University.

So how much homework is too much? And how can a parent tell if his or her child is overwhelmed by the amount?

“That child is a tired child,” Dr. Pajares says. “That child is working longer than that child should, that child is lessening her activities; she’s giving up activities in order to do homework.”

These children become tired, frustrated and stressed, leaving them no time for friends or fun. They “begin to develop a lot of inner tension and inner pressure and a great deal of anxiety,” Dr. Pajares says.

Experts say that parents can help by talking to teachers while at the same time encouraging their children not to procrastinate. Another bit of advice: Watch your kids carefully for signs of homework overload.

Sarah describes it this way: “When your back starts hurting from bringing home all the books, and you hate going to school and you hate all your teachers, then I think it’s too much.”

Tips for Parents

According to a study conducted by a professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia, homework lengths for today’s kids have steadily increased over the past two decades. In fact, children today are possibly seeing the largest amount of homework in U.S. history. The latest numbers from the U.S. Department of Education reveal that 70% of 13-year-olds spend at least an hour a day on homework, up from 40% in 1982. And now many parents are worried that this homework overload will cause their children to experience high levels of stress with which they are unequipped to cope.

Why do teachers assign homework in the first place? Homework helps students review and practice what they have learned, prepare for the next day’s class, use resources, such as libraries and reference materials, and investigate topics more fully than time allows in the classroom. Consider the following statistics about the link between homework and academic success, according to the National Parent Information Network:

Students in high school who receive homework outperform those who do not receive homework by 69%. Time spent on homework outside of school had greater effects than time spent studying at school. Achievement effects increased according to the amount of time spent on homework.
Students in junior high who receive homework outperform those who do not receive homework by 35%. Homework was more effective than in-school supervised study. Achievement effects increased as time spent on homework increased to two hours, but more than two hours spent on homework did not increase achievement.
Students in elementary school who receive homework perform no differently than those who do not. In-school supervised study had a greater impact on achievement than homework, and achievement did not increase if they spent more time on homework. This finding does not mean that elementary school students should not receive homework; rather, parents should not expect homework to affect achievement. At this level, homework is important because it promotes good study habits and positive attitudes toward school and because homework makes it clear to the student that learning can also take place outside of the school environment.
While homework is intended to improve academic achievement, studies show that too much homework becomes counterproductive after a certain amount of time. In order for homework to aid performance, the National PTA recommends that educators stick to the following guidelines for assigning homework:

For children in grades K-2, homework is more effective when it does not exceed 10 to 20 minutes each school day.
Older children, in grades 3-6, can handle 30 to 60 minutes a day.
In junior and senior high school, the amount of homework will vary by subject. Most older students will also have homework projects, such as research papers and oral reports, that may have deadlines weeks away. They may need help organizing assignments and planning work times to make sure homework is ready to turn in on time. In general, these students should receive no more than two hours of homework per night.
No matter how much homework your child is bringing home nightly, you can take several steps to help him or her use his or her time more efficiently. Through its No Child Left Behind Act, the U.S. Department of Education offers these homework tips for families:

Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to do his or her homework. Avoid having your child do homework with the television on or in places with other distractions, such as people coming and going.
Make sure the materials your child needs, such as paper, pencils and a dictionary, are available. Ask your child if special materials will be needed for some projects, and get them in advance.
Help your child with time management. Establish a set time each day for doing homework. Don’t let your child leave homework until just before bedtime. Think about using a weekend morning or afternoon for working on big projects, especially if the project involves getting together with classmates.
Be positive about homework. Tell your child how important school is. The attitude you express about homework will be the attitude your child acquires.
When your child does homework, you do homework. Show your child that the skills they are learning are related to tasks you perform as an adult. If your child is reading, you should read, too. If your child is doing math, balance your checkbook.
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. Cooperate with the teacher. It shows 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.
Stay informed. Talk with your child’s teacher. Make sure you know the purpose of homework and what your child’s class rules are.
Help your child distinguish between hard homework and easy homework. Have your child do the hard work first. This will mean he or she will be most alert when facing the biggest challenges. Easy material will seem to go fast when fatigue occurs.
Watch your child for signs of failure and frustration. Let your child take a short break if he or she is having trouble keeping his or her mind on an assignment.
Reward progress in homework. If your child has been successful in homework completion and is working hard, celebrate that success with a special event (e.g., pizza, a walk or a trip to the park) to reinforce the positive effort.
Often, your child may become overwhelmed by the abundance of homework he or she is assigned. Therefore, it is important for you to be able to spot the common signs indicating that your child is overstressed about his or her schoolwork, cited by the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC):

Loses perspective and sense of humor, and is no longer excited or happy about school, activities, achievements or friends
Resents parents, teachers or new assignments
Is bored, tired and listless
Suffers from sleeplessness, or has difficulty waking up
Overreacts to everyday events, and often feels “trapped” or out of control
Develops nervous habits like stuttering, blinking or head shaking
Complains of ailments, headaches, stomachaches or is frequently ill
Needs constant support and reassurance
Acts out aggressively and seeks attention
Is just plain exhausted physically, emotionally and mentally
If you notice any of these signs, you can begin to help your child cope with his or her homework stress by teaching him or her the following strategies from ERIC:

Take a break. When stress levels begin to peak, schedule time outs for fun during which your child can put away the books, go for a walk or a run, listen to mindless music or shoot hoops.
Work for personal satisfaction.
Confront the source of stress. Suggest skills that make tasks easier. Help your child organize and prioritize his or her workload. Encourage your child to seek creative solutions to his or her homework problems.
Exercise and eat well. Physical activity burns off muscle tension built up from burying stress. Eating good meals with enjoyable friends and family should be a daily treat.
If you think your child is receiving too much homework and your efforts to help have not produced successful results, it may be time for you to contact your child’s school. The U.S. Department of Education provides the following guidelines for discussing homework concerns with the teacher:

Talk with teachers early in the school year. Get acquainted before problems arise, and let teachers know that you want to be kept informed. Most elementary schools and many secondary schools invite parents to come to parent-teacher conferences or open houses. If your child’s school doesn’t provide such opportunities, call the teacher to set up a meeting.
Contact the teacher as soon as you suspect your child has a homework problem (as well as when you think he or she is having any major problems with his or her schoolwork). Schools have a responsibility to keep parents informed, and you have a right to be upset if you don’t find out until report-card time that your child is having difficulties. On the other hand, sometimes parents figure out that a problem exists before the teacher does. By alerting the teacher, you can work together to solve a problem in its early stages.
Request a meeting with the teacher to discuss homework problems. Tell the teacher briefly why you want to meet. You might say, “Rachel is having trouble with her math homework. I’m worried about why she can’t finish the problems and what we might do to help her.” Parents for whom English is a second language may need to make special arrangements, such as including another person who is bilingual.
Approach the teacher with a cooperative spirit. Believe that the teacher wants to help you and your child, even if you disagree about something. It is difficult to solve problems if teachers and parents view each other as enemies.
While meeting with the teacher, explain what you think the problem is. Also, tell the teacher if you don’t know what is going on. Sometimes a child’s version of what’s going on is not the same as the teacher’s version. For example, your child may tell you that the teacher never explains assignments so he or she can understand them. But the teacher may tell you that your child is not paying attention when assignments are given.
Make sure communication is clear. Listen to the teacher and don’t leave until you are sure you understand what is being said. Make sure, too, that the teacher understands what you have to say. If, after the meeting, you realize you don’t understand something, call the teacher to double-check.
Follow up to make sure that the approach you agreed to is working. If the teacher told you, for example, that your child needs to spend more time practicing long division, check back in a month to talk about your child’s progress.
References
Educational Resources Information Center
National Parent Information Network
National PTA
No Child Left Behind Act
University of Missouri-Columbia
U.S. Department of Education