Instructional Planning: Educators Debate the Equity Implications of Homework
Educators are debating the equity implications of homework. While some believe homework is an opportunity to build students’ knowledge, others argue instruction should be limited to the classroom.
- “Middle & Elementary School homework. As a parent & as a teacher I just hate it. Studying for a test? That’s fine. Reading for fun? That’s imperative. Making up a missed concept? Okay. But I don’t assign NEW work that MUST be completed at home. These are kids.” —Middle School Math Teacher in Georgia
- “I rarely ever assign homework anymore. Kids need downtime. Haven’t regretted it yet.” —Teacher in Texas
- “[This] goes for high school, too – physics. Less lecture, more practice (kinda like on the job training). I gave no homework after my first year of teaching, except to finish what they couldn’t complete in class (because they chose to do something else).” —High School STEM Teacher, N/A
- “My ‘favorite’ part of the pro-homework argument for high school is the notion that it’s not a big deal if a class regularly asks students to do 30 minutes of homework. My students have between 6-8 classes. That’s a range of 3 hours to 4 hours. Every night. Let’s start the conversation there.” —High School English Teacher in Oregon
- “Oh, and if a student is absent? They likely have 6-8 hours of work already for the classes they missed—then toss in those 3-4 hours of homework. When are they supposed to get caught up? (Especially considering there was a reason they couldn’t come to school in the first place.)” —High School English Teacher in Oregon
- “Last points for now: 1. There’s a MAJOR difference between requiring homework (esp. punitively) vs. optional suggestions/opportunities for additional practice, reading, etc. 2. There’s nuance in all this (I still end up assigning some things as homework at times) and the HOW matters, too.” —High School English Teacher in Oregon
- “I generally agree. I’m not one to push homework. That said the research does show that for that age group it does increase information retention.” —High School STEM Teacher in California
- “My thoughts: (1) I think it’s fair to assume that ‘doing more school’ will (usually) lead to ‘better scores’—at least in the short term/standardized sort of way; but (2) I think you have to weigh that against the myriad negatives that come with 3-4 hours of homework a night, right?” —High School English Teacher in Oregon
- “My students in Honors Physics have 10 minutes M-Th with no weekend homework. My grade level students have to finish what wasn’t done in class. My AP Students have 15-30 min M-Th and the weekend to catch up. I can’t get through AP content without homework given the requirements from the AP Board.” —High School STEM Teacher in North Carolina
- “The ‘need to prepare for college’ argument makes no sense. High school students are in class about three times as many hours a week as college students. That leaves far less time outside of class for homework.” —Elementary Teacher in Michigan
- “Homework has benefits, and in high school about 1-2 hours max a night. That’s total between all classes. For high school this means teachers across subject areas have to communicate and collaborate on expectations for and [the] assigning of homework. Otherwise that’s [an] unsustainable 3-4 hours.” —Educator in Nevada
- “I give lots of time in class, which should lead to very little homework, but not enough students take advantage of the time given, so they end up with 20-30 minutes a few nights a week. I’m not about to pile on the work, but students also need to realize time is precious.” —High School Educator in Oregon
- “The big thing schools should consider is how they can build homework time into the day. Because schools want to control student actions, they don’t have any choice or down time aside from lunch. Thus, homework can’t be done anywhere but at home.” —English Teacher in Michigan
- “Where the homework conversation is fundamentally flawed is in the presumption that non-school activities do not contribute to the aims of education, that the only way to reinforce academic content is with the imposition of school into the non-school parts of our lives.” —High School Social Studies Teacher in Iowa
- “Practice is great, of course! But we should also look at how non-school activities provide opportunities for transfer & application, building background knowledge, facilitating community connections, & growing as humans in non-academic ways.” —High School Social Studies Teacher in Iowa
- “And for many students, frankly, time away from school is a reprieve from structures, practices, & people that make them feel stressed, anxious, & alienated, where again, the imposition into non-school life carries the same emotional response.” —High School Social Studies Teacher in Iowa
- “Oh, and if a student is absent? They likely have 6-8 hours of work already for the classes they missed—then toss in those 3-4 hours of homework. When are they supposed to get caught up? (Especially considering there was a reason they couldn’t come to school in the first place.)” —High School English Teacher in Oregon
- “Our focus should be centered on what our expectations for learning are during the day. There is not enough evidence that homework moves the needle of achievement. Plenty of research on physical activity positively impacting cognition. Go outside & play & put the homework aside.” —Middle School Principal in Kentucky
- “One easy step to reduce homework is to stop calling it homework, call it independent practice. Independent practice is essential, location is not!” —Math Teacher in Kansas
- “Is the independent practice optional and requires feedback from the teacher? Just curious. Homework is an equity issue to me.” —Instructional Coach in Washington, D.C.
- “I do mine IN CLASS. The first step for homework givers is to change mindset. It’s soooo engrained.” —Math Teacher in Kansas
- “Is the independent practice optional and requires feedback from the teacher? Just curious. Homework is an equity issue to me.” —Instructional Coach in Washington, D.C.
- “I have never understood the point of homework. If they need to practice, it’s not something they can do independently and if they don’t need the practice then they shouldn’t have to do it.” —Elementary Teacher in Texas
- “It’s weird to me how often ‘I rarely assign homework’ actually makes people angry. My honors and AP Lit students are expected to read often, but when I boil my job down to teaching and assessing skills, the vast majority of work can and should be done in class.” —High School ELA Teacher in Texas
- “I agree with you for the most part. Grading homework inflates grades and can be an equity issue as far as levels of support at home. For my AP computer science class, daily quiz based on previous classwork and homework. Algebra needs homework as I see them every other day.” —Middle School Math Teacher in California
- “I tell students that really the only time they will have homework is when they didn’t use class time well. Most work can be completed in class. Reading is one of the few things they might have to do outside of class.” —English Teacher in Massachusetts
- “Saying that children need homework because they ‘need to prepare for real life’ is the worst reason for homework. Real life will catch them soon enough. Why should we train for the terrible parts of it?” —Middle School Math Teacher in Georgia
- “I’m pro homework in high school if it means asking students to explore their lives outside of school, like interviewing family members or exploring their environment. I think homework in high school should be more inquiry-driven than skills maintenance in my opinion.” —Educator in California