Yes, Elementary School Homework Is As Dumb As It Seems “The problem? There is very little evidence to suggest that homework is anything more than a hassle when it’s assigned to young children.”
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“There are teachers out there who see things are going really well,” Vatterott says. “And they think, ‘We better keep doing what we’re doing or all hell is going to break loose.’”In truth, data indicates that homework for the youngest students in the elementary grades has, at best, has no bearing on achievement. And the studies that do suggest homework has positive effects can only prove correlation, not causation.
places an even finer point on the damage homework can do. “All this homework is also changing the dynamic of parent-child relationships,” she tellsHirsh-Pasek acknowledges that practice is necessary for learning, but she rejects the idea that said practice must be completed through worksheets and homework packets. The play that kids naturally engage in, she points out, helps them practice the skills they develop in the classroom.
Vatterott explains that a similar sentiment about reading seems to be gaining ground nationally. “Trend-wise, what’s happening across the country, is that we’ve started to see an increase in elementary schools eliminating homework, or saying that homework is just to read or be read to,” she says, though she notes that achievement-obsessed schools are obstinate holdouts. And it could be that some parents are holdouts too.