It doesn't take a genius to understand what is going on here.

First, only an idiot would argue that homework is useless. It so flies in the face of common sense, that only an "edumacation" sutdy would find otherwise.

Second, it is clear that our kids are saddled with homework that can only be described in tonnage.

What is the problem?

Simple, the schools don't want to teach, they want to indoctrinate. They are therefore spending minimal amounts of time on actual content, and leaving it to the student, tutor, and parents to educate the kids (all while the edu-eaucracy sucks down obscene pensions and benefits.

Homework geared toward reinforcing the content learned in class that day, or in brief preparation of content to be covered the next day is of very high value.

BTW, Alfie Kohn's ideology is exactly what is destroying our schools today, and it won't change until parents have 100% fully funded choice.

I'm always interested to hear a lot of parochial school parents point the the enormous amount of homework that their kids are assigned as proof of the school's superior focus on academics. Hmmm..... I'm sure the same is true of some of the high-end suburban public schools as well.

"The problem lies in assuming most men to be educable in the first place."

That's crackpot elitist BS OJ and you know it. If you really believe it then possibly this applies to you.

2Ti 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The problem isn't "most men". The problem is the blind and ignorant guides found in schools and universities. You of all people ought to know that since you rub elbows with them all the time.

"Looking across all the studies is supposed to offer a fairly accurate picture even though the science behind some of them is sketchy."

The average of garbage is gold.

Any kid who could benefit from homework is actually learning more on his own and the assignments just distract him from getting a useful education.

Jeff:

All that really matters is that those kids have the type of parents who care how they do, which is probably the best determinant of performance.

oj nails it on the head with his last comment. If parents are involved students succeed almost 100% of the time.

Too many fall into the 'caring parent' trap.

Sure, no one will argue that a caring parent is the most important ingredient in a child's adjustment (which is more important and encompassing than mere education).

However, why should parent acquiesce to substandard curriculla, high cost, and a wholly unproductive system.

Parental involvement that ameiloriates our awful system begs the obvious question - why should we have to "ameliorate" anything?

Fund Children, not systems.

Because if the parent cares the kid will get a good education. The system doesn't matter.

I figured out in first grade that the point of most homework wasn't to teach you anything other than the importance of following directions, mindlessly if necessary.

The finding that quantity of time spent on homework correlates negatively to achievement and grades means that the smarter kids figure out strategies to most efficiently get through it so they can go read a book or play ball or whatever.

From fourth grade on up, completion of homework counts for part of the grade. Because my parents required me to maintain a B average to stay out of my hair (and later, let me drive the car), my strategy was to skip the homework in the subjects where I could easily ace the test, only doing homework where I needed the points to lift me up to the required grade to maintain the average.

Once again, put all the excellent comments together, and mighty edifice ot truth is erected.

"Edumacation" research is usually puerile nonsense, "proving" whatever the "researcher" wants to advance.

In this "research" the conclusion is that students will benefit from less discipline, order and parental involvement. We would have to read the original paper and/or papers to criticize the methedolgy. We woulds surmise that the data support the conclusion that, in general, homework tends to be beneficial to the orderly, and destructive to the disorderly, all on a continuum, natuarally.

The mechanisms of the good and bad effects differ. The orderly benefit by reason of discipline, repitition, and, most importantly, parental involvement. The others fall behind because they are not doing the homework, are getting dinged on their grades because they are not doing their homework, and are further estranged from the system by reason of their resentment of its constraints.

What then? Are the benefits to the fit to be sacrificed because of the discontents of the unfit? Are the better students to be used, as mere things, to further the interest of the "worst-off class?"

The solution, obviously, is school choice, with different approaches for different learning styles. The suggestion of this report is to make one size fit all, the one size being that which benefits the dysfunctional.

Ideally homework is geared towards helping students learn the lesson rather than to simply keep them busy. Math homework is almost always necessary if you want the student to be able to do it.

I can't imagine junior high or high school classes not needing homework for projects and relevant readings after class. I don't think homework is needed at the earliest grades of elementary school, but a 10 minute daily take home would be good simply to create good study habits.

Lou:

No, you're assuming that homework is a substitute for good parents

Nope. Not it.

Homework plus good parents helps; possibly, homework minus good parents does no good, or even harms. The problem is whether the system may be destructive to one learning style to benefit another. The solution is de-inclusion.

When I give work to my students it is always review of information that they will be required to know for a test. I ALWAYS give them ample time to complete this work in class (sometimes with a partner). This allows me to circulate and make sure they understand the material. If they don't finish it in class it must be completed at home. Seems to work well here.

Clearly there's a problem with the amount of homework assigned. Beyond some math problems and the odd science project there simply shouldn't be much homework assigned for kids below 7th grade. Anything more than 1/2 of work all told is a sign that the teacher is just too incompetent to teach the kids what they need to know during the mammoth 6 hours a day they've got them.

The sign of the problem is the fact that schoolkids now have gigantic little wheelie bags to tote their books and work to and from school.

When I was in grammar school (and truth be told in h.s. as well) the goal was to go home with the fewest books in one's boook bag. Whoever got to 0 won and lorded it over everyone else. A giant bookbag on wheels? That kid would've been ridiculed and/or beaten up.

Textbooks should be replaced with laptops.

RC - If Gates wanted to do real good, he'd make a wireless laptop available to every kid from 3rd grade on up. Then he'd set up a wireless system nationwide so we could drive around our marvelous highways in comfort.