An Argument in Favor of Banning Homeworks from School

Education has been crucial in the formation of our society, and so has homework. Homework has been around since public schooling was invented, and thus, it’s a rarely questioned practice. However, homework has fallen under extreme controversy in the recent years, with some talking about the extreme stress homework causes, and the countless negative downsides, with others firing back retorts primarily related to homeworks supposed benefit. Do the pros of homework outweigh the cons? Simply put, no. Homework should be banned because of the extreme stress it causes, the little benefit it provides, and the excessive amount given.

A common use for homework is to attempt to boost students grades. But does the amount of homework a student does per night really affect academic performance? A study was done by Adam Maltese (assistant professor of science education at Indiana University), Robert H. Tai (associate professor of science education at the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education) and Xitao Fan (dean of education at the University of Macau), and they “found no substantive difference in grades between students who complete homework and those who do not” (“Homework Doesn’t”). This shows homework is a waste of time, as it provides no academic benefit. Nothing should be done without purpose, yet students still are doing an average of 3.5 hours of homework per night. This needs to stop, as homework is causing extreme

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Stress with no benefit. The opposition may try to claim that even though it doesn’t affect grades, it still helps students build strong study habits and discipline. However, they fail to realize that it’s never been proven homework does either of those. If homework isn’t helping students academically, not helping them build study habits, and not helping them build discipline, why is homework still being done?

A common complaint you’ll hear from students is the extreme amount homework they get, and for good reason. According to Karin Klein of Los Angeles Times, “Students get approximately 3.5 hours of homework a night” (“Klein”). The average school day is approximately 6.5 hours (“Average Number”) , so with homework, students work longer than the average working American (7.8 hours a day for adults compared to 10 hours a day for teens) This shows the overabundance of homework given, and how it has little effectiveness in terms of teaching our youth. Putting such a high amount of unnecessary stress on students at such a young age is unnecessary and cruel. Giving students less, or no homework at all, can eliminate all of these issues we have. Why should students be given such a large amount of homework if it won’t even help them?

With so much homework given, homework can cause major harm, both mentally and physically. The harm can include sleep deprivation, isolation from friends, and abstaining from participating in hobbies. Not participating in hobbies can be detrimental to the social development of a teen. Homework needs to be given in much smaller quantities in comparison to the average of 3.5 hours, or it needs to not be given at all. Critics may claim that the stress is worth it because it’ll improve the student’s grades, however they fail to realize that no study has

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Ever proven that claim. The stress isn’t worth the non existent reward.

Homework should be removed because of the unnecessary stress it causes, the small benefit it gives, and the extreme amount given. The cons significantly outweigh the pros for homework, and therefore, homework should be banned. It’s time we stop focusing on the supposed benefit homework gives, and instead focus on the benefit of not giving homework.

Works Cited

1. Cooper, H. (2007). The Battle Over Homework: Common Ground for Administrators, Teachers, and Parents. Corwin Press.
2. Kohn, A. (2006). The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing. Da Capo Lifelong Books.
3. Corno, L. (2000). Looking at Homework Differently. Elementary School Journal, 100(5), 529-548.
4. Gill, B. P., & Schlossman, S. L. (2004). Villains, Victims, and the Virtuous in the Homework Debates. Theory into Practice, 43(3), 200-206.
5. Epstein, J. L., & Van Voorhis, F. L. (2001). More Than Minutes: Teachers' Roles in Designing Homework. Educational Psychologist, 36(3), 181-193.
6. Horsley, M., & Walker, R. (2013). Homework and the Student Experience: Perspectives from Secondary School Students. Australian Journal of Education, 57(3), 225-240.
7. Kralovec, E., & Buell, J. (2001). The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning. Beacon Press.
8. Pope, D., & Moller, N. (2015). Rethinking Homework: Best Practices That Support Diverse Needs. Harvard Education Press.
9. Trautwein, U. (2007). The Homework-Achievement Relation Reconsidered: Differentiating Homework Time, Homework Frequency, and Homework Effort. Learning and Instruction, 17(3), 372-388.
10. Xu, J. (2011). Homework Completion and Academic Achievement: A Longitudinal Analysis of Secondary School Students. Journal of Educational Research, 104(5), 297-311.