Homework: Equity Implications

Educators are debating the necessity of assigning homework and highlighting its equity implications.

  • “You preach about not working outside of contract hours but assign lengthy homework to your students every night that’s suspicious good day.” —Elementary Teacher in Rhode Island
    • “The only time my students have homework from my class is when they choose not to use the class time. Nothing is ever assigned as outside work. I don’t like working at home so they shouldn’t have to.” —Elementary Teacher in Minnesota 
  • “Unpopular opinion: Cancel homework entirely for all students. It’s just rewarding situations/ circumstances of students, not equitably assessing knowledge. Homework is outdated and unnecessary. As with all practices, ask yourself: is this essential or is this just traditional?” —ELA Teacher, N/A
  • “Educators, what is your take on homework? The current research seems to point towards the ineffectiveness of homework re: academic performance up to 5th gr & more importantly the link btw HW & widening inequity. Any other interesting research out there?” —Math Educator in New York
  • “Checking my 13 year-old’s math homework & I have just one question. I can catch mistakes & help her correct. But what do kids do when their parent isn’t an Algebra teacher? Answer: They get frustrated. Quit. Get a bad grade. Think they aren’t good at math. How is homework fair?” —Middle School Math Teacher in Atlanta
  • “I teach middle school & grade homework based on effort! I always tell my students that homework is the time to find out what they can do on their own & what they still need some help on. Making a mistake on homework is encouraged and accepted so we can figure it out together the next day!” —Middle School Math Teacher in New Jersey
  • “What I wish math homework did was allow for students to try a few on their own, and a few they struggle with: take it back the next day and then get the support. No points off for ‘wrong’ answers, etc. (no points at all).” —Educator, N/A
  • “Homework becomes important if you are trying to flip a classroom and provide expectations of accountability for students doing their work independently (which is important for college/career). It becomes an issue when it’s not equitable or accessible to all.” —High School Principal in New Jersey

Per our sample of 5,000 educators, negative sentiments about homework have more than doubled over the past year.

March-April 2022

March-April 2021

Methodology: These charts represent a sample of sentiment among 5,000 teachers on Twitter from March through April 2022 compared to March and April 2021.