Edutopia no homework

(Correlation doesn't imply causation.) Finally, there isn't a shred of evidence to support the folk wisdom that homework provides nonacademic benefits at any age -- for example, that it builds character, promotes self-discipline, or teaches good work habits.

A realistic homework strategy should be a key topic of back-to-school night and the first parent-teacher conferences of the school year. But it should also reflect a considered school policy and not simply be up to each individual teacher to carry out according to his or own theory of student learning.

It's probably not a coincidence that most schools of education require prospective teachers to take a course called Methods, but there is no course called Goals. And so we return to the question of homework.

For one teacher's response to this excerpt, read In Defense of Homework: Is there Such a Thing as Too Much?. It may surprise you, as it did me, to learn that no study has ever demonstrated any academic benefit to assigning homework before children are in high school.