A couple of months ago, we had quite a debate going on this blog about the importance of homework--how much should be given, whether it’s effective, and how much strain it puts on families. So when I saw this story (“Survey on Homework Reveals Acceptance, Despite Some Gripes”) on edweek.org this morning, I immediately thought of the readers of this blog.
Debra Viadero’s article says that 85 percent of American parents believe their kids are doing “the right amount” or “too little” homework. Seventy-five percent of students say they have adequate time to complete their homework. Overall, students, parents, and teachers overwhelmingly support giving homework.
There are a lot of tidbits of information in Debbie’s article that are worth reading about. Like the fact that a quarter of students feel that their homework assignments are mostly busywork, down from three-quarters of students who felt that way six years ago. And the students who thought giving homework is a bad idea were generally students who were struggling academically.
There are still a lot of unanswered questions, and it’s important to note that the survey doesn’t focus on whether or not homework is effective, but rather on whether people think it’s effective. Still, it’s an interesting follow-up to the debate going on here awhile ago, and it certainly sheds some light on how homework is perceived as a whole.