Opinion: What happens if a school abolishes homework?
By Karin Klein, Los Angeles Times
Citing the lack of evidence that homework does much if anything to improve academic performance in elementary grades, a principal in Manhattan notified parents that there would be no more after-school assignments for the public school’s students.
And then came the rebellion — not from teachers, but from parents, according to the website DNAinfo. They threatened to transfer their children to another school. Some said they were finding online sources of homework for their children.
They were not convinced by the explanation from Principal Jane Hsu at P.S. 116 about the negative effects of homework on young children, including “children’s frustration and exhaustion, lack of time for other activities and family time and, sadly, for many, loss of interest in learning.” Instead of doing homework, she suggested, children should spend their time on activities that had been found to do more for their academic and social and emotional development. Not television (to which I’d add—not computer face time). But free play (if there are many around who remember what that is). Reading stories or books of their choice.
