Is Homework a Waste of Time? Teachers Weigh In

homework is a waste of time

  • Share article

The debate over homework rages on.

In response to an Opinion essay by a teacher titled “ What Do You Mean My Kid Doesn’t Have Homework? ”, many Facebook users took to the comments section to voice their perspectives on whether assigning homework is outdated and unnecessary—especially during a pandemic—or whether it’s a critical step to cultivating learning.

The benefits of homework have long been disputed, especially at the elementary school level. In 2018, Marva Hinton wrote about how homework was assigned at early grades and the potential effects on these young students. Some schools embraced homework, like Arlington Traditional School, a countywide elementary school in Arlington, Va., where kindergartners were expected to complete a minimum of 30 minutes of homework a night, Monday through Thursday. But some teachers such as Cathy Vatterott, a professor of education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and the author of Rethinking Homework worried that adjusting to school routines combined with homework could sour young students on school.

But what about the benefits for older students? In a 2019 article , Education Week Assistant Editor Stephen Sawchuk unpacked the results of a Center for American Progress analysis, which found that while much of the homework assigned to the students in the study aligned with the Common Core State Standards, it did not contribute to building more difficult skills called for in the standards, like analyzing or extending their knowledge to new problems.

Beyond considering the efficacy of homework, the debate over how much time students should spend daily on take-home assignments dates back to the early 1900s. The public furor even led some state lawmakers to ban homework entirely at one point. Multiple studies over the years have examined different angles of the homework debate, including just how much homework students were assigned. In 2003, a pair of national studies found that most American students spent less than an hour daily on homework, and the workload was no bigger than it was 50 years prior.

“There is this view in the popular media that there has been this terrible burden of homework on children, and that the homework is increasing,” said Tom Loveless, the director of the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution to Education Week’s Debra Viadero in a 2003 article . “That is not the case.”

Fast-forward to the present, teachers and students alike might find themselves at another crossroads in the homework debate. The pandemic brought with it the advent of strategies like “flipped learning” , which relies heavily on homework as an integral component of the lesson. While this might work for some, many students grew weary of the reliance on homework during remote and hybrid learning. This is on top of the potential equity issues arising from lack of internet access affecting students’ ability to complete the steady stream of homework being assigned, and the uptick in mental health issues in students .

So what do teachers really think about homework? Here’s what they had to say in response to the recently resurfaced essay by Samantha Hulsman.

A Disconnect Between Parents and Educators

“i teach 1st grade. i had parents ask for homework. i explained that i don’t give homework. home time is family time. time to play, cook, explore and spend time together. i do send books home, but there is no requirement or checklist for reading them. read them, enjoy them, and return them when your child is ready for more. i explained that as a parent myself, i know they are busy—and what a waste of energy it is to sit and force their kids to do work at home—when they could use that time to form relationships and build a loving home. something kids need more than a few math problems a week.”.

- Colleen S.

“I tried the ‘no homework’ policy one year and received so much pushback from my parents that I began sending home a weekly packet. I pass it out on Monday and it is due on Friday. Parents [are] happy, I’m happy, and life goes on. I say pick your battles. Now, I refuse to give packets over school breaks (winter/spring). If a parent asks, I simply tell them to have them work on any app that we use in class.”

“i literally only assign homework because some parents always make a huge deal of it if i don’t.”, “parents are the driving force behind homework ... they demand it and will complain about not receiving it even after explaining your philosophy of education and providing them with pedagogy that refutes the ‘benefits’ of it.”, homework can be useful for certain subjects or grades, “as a teacher of nearly 40 years, i believe homework has its place. especially in math math needs to be practiced to learn it. i don’t believe in giving homework just because. i think it should be purposeful.”.

- Sandra S.

“For those leading the charge against homework, please think about the expectation for students beyond your classroom. If you teach elementary school, will they be asked to do homework in middle school, high school, and beyond? If so, organization, time management, and study skills are not so easily learned at a later age, when the expectation has never been present. I can’t imagine being a student, who enters college, having never had the expectation of nightly HW.”

- Bobbie M.

Is Homework Actually Helpful for Learning?

Some agree that at its core, homework is practice, which is a needed element to achieving learning.

“Homework is practice. Practice the skills we learned about in class so we can review and add to them. My instrumental students are required to practice every day. When they don’t it’s evident.”

Others aren’t as convinced it’s actually a good tool for assessing comprehension.

“As a teacher, if the kids were assigned homework, guess when the papers were graded ... After discovering a Mom had been doing the homework and was making failing grades ... I gave it up ... taught 25 years without it and my students did much better ...”

- Martha H.

Heightens Equity Issues

“no homework ever it is unnecessary it is so elitist and ableist and teaches kids that it is expected to take work home after hours of a job. nope never”, “homework just further separates the students. those who have parents home who understand the work, or can afford a tutor will do so. families already struggling financially tend not to have parents home to help and cannot afford tutors.”.

- Rebecca J.

Sign Up for EdWeek Update

Edweek top school jobs.

Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."

Sign Up & Sign In

module image 9

Future Focus Sign Up

Is homework a waste of time.

Young child doing homework on an iPad

Homework has always been one of the biggest challenges to school and home life, causing family tension, stress and time pressures.

Research from Stanford Graduate School of Education  conducted amongst 4,300 students highlighted that over 56 per cent considered homework to be a primary source of stress, whilst others reported increased levels of anxiety, sleep deprivation, exhaustion and weight loss.

After considerable review and debate, ACS Egham has decided to drop ‘traditional’ homework for students aged four to eleven.

The educational debate over the merits of homework has been going on a long time, with different countries taking very different approaches. Wanting to discover the best approach to setting homework to achieve optimal wellbeing for students and parents, our teaching team collaborated on a research project to help find the solution. Our findings highlighted that for homework to be truly effective, it must be highly personalised for each student. So we set about making these changes.

Traditional homework

Traditional homework or ‘busy work’, as we like to call it, is generic across a class, and does little to enhance the individual student learning experience. This kind of homework assumes that every student is the same, that each has the same maturity, concentration and ability level. It is, therefore… a bit lazy. As we all know, in real-life abilities vary enormously from one person to the next, and students can often find this type of homework very stressful, especially if they feel they have been set impossible tasks that they must face alone.

Children are already at school for some seven hours a day and ‘busy work’ simply eats up their free time, which they could be better spending with their families, or taking part in extra-curricular activities to refresh their minds and bodies. Younger students especially should be encouraged to use time after school for unstructured play and developing their own creativity.

Reflecting upon these issues, we decided to replace ‘busy work’ with a personal, guided approach building on class work and learning, which parents and students can share together, making the work more meaningful, manageable and worthwhile.

Personalised approaches

Instead of setting homework, ACS Egham teachers share with parents the learning topics for the upcoming term and suggest that these subjects are explored at home. The Lower School intranet hosts ‘talk topics’ which link in with lessons and can be discussed at home around the dinner table or during car journeys. We also include extra-curricular activities which tie in to each unit, such as visiting a museum, art exhibition, or hands on activities.

Arithmetic and literacy skills can also be enhanced at home without endless sums and compulsory reading times. Parents can help their children practice mathematical skills in everyday scenes; calculating a grocery budget, or measuring furniture on a trip to IKEA. Equally, parents are actively encouraged to read with students as much as they can, and for as long as it’s enjoyable. When reading is not a chore but an enjoyable activity, students’ literacy skills increase.

All these opportunities allow students to apply their class-based learning in a different context. In a multi-cultural class, exploring topics at home can be particularly important for students who have a native language other than English, giving them the forum in which to widen their vocabulary in their mother tongue. If students have struggled with a specific task, parents can notify the teachers, enabling teachers to give more targeted support in these areas.

Alternative education systems

In Finland, students are generally assigned virtually no homework; they don’t start school until age seven, and the school day is short. Despite this, Finland is considered to have one of the leading education systems in the world. Finnish students achieve some of the world’s best international PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) test results; in 2016 achieving fourth place in reading compared to the UK in 22nd place, and 12th place in maths, compared the UK in 27th place.

According to a BBC article, a key concept in the Finnish school system is trust, where there’s little homework and no culture of extra private tuition. This trust is built from parents’ trusting schools to deliver a good education within the school day, and schools putting trust in the quality of their teachers. This certainly resonates with our opinions on homework; if a student has been delivered a quality education in the school day, there should be no need to spend hours in the evening carrying out a rigid schedule of homework.

Developing skills for the future

We prepare our nine to eleven year olds for secondary education through ‘I-Inquiry’ projects. These are individual research topics which students investigate over a period of four to six weeks. Recently students designed, created and built virtual models of their own imaginary planets, following a unit of inquiry that explored the solar system.

Using their iPads, students researched the characteristics of different planets before creating and naming their own. The final projects were then presented back to the class using iPads, artistic drawings and in some cases, hand built models.

Through the I-Inquiry project, students developed a whole range of essential life skills. These included time management and organisational skills, as students were required to work on the project both at home and at school; independent inquiry, exploring different sources to create their planet; as well as helping develop a creative mindset. Students also enhanced their communication skills and public speaking through their final presentations. Most importantly, students were energised by their learning and engaged with their subjects on a much deeper level.

We strongly believe that setting homework for the sake of it doesn’t benefit children or prepare them in a robust way for their next steps. It can also be a cause of family stress and tension, and potentially even hinder the wellbeing of the student. Where we’ve adopted our new approach at ACS Egham, we can see our students develop life skills through extra-curricular activities, spending time with their friends and family, and engaging at home with meaningful, highly personalised tasks, like the I-Inquiry Projects, which equips them for success beyond education and develops a curious mind as well as a lifelong love of learning.

More Future Focus Blog Articles

Students in mechanics

IB or A Levels: which will get you further?

The IB Diploma and A Levels have spent decades trying to convince UK students that they each offer the best preparation for success at university. 

ACS Cobham graduating class of 2018 during hat toss

Looking forward to university: a gateway to the world

With university admissions officers increasingly looking out for students with a particular set of skills, Fergus Rose, Advancement Director at ACS International Schools, delves into the argument that the IB Diploma better prepares students for university and the world beyond. 

ACS Doha 2018 students at their graduation ceremony

Can our global community of post-millennials change the world?

On Friday 25th May, ACS Doha International School hosted its High School graduation ceremony to celebrate the achievements of 32 graduates, who are ready to start their journey into the world.

Lower School student using iPad to take photo of another student

How classrooms are changing for the next generation of students

The BBC recently conducted some research exploring ‘Grand Challenges’ facing humanity. It explored the growth in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the use of robots.

An illustration shows an open math workbook and a pencil writing numbers in it, while the previous page disintegrates and floats away.

Filed under:

  • The Highlight

Nobody knows what the point of homework is

The homework wars are back.

Share this story

  • Share this on Facebook
  • Share this on Twitter
  • Share this on Reddit
  • Share All sharing options

Share All sharing options for: Nobody knows what the point of homework is

As the Covid-19 pandemic began and students logged into their remote classrooms, all work, in effect, became homework. But whether or not students could complete it at home varied. For some, schoolwork became public-library work or McDonald’s-parking-lot work.

Luis Torres, the principal of PS 55, a predominantly low-income community elementary school in the south Bronx, told me that his school secured Chromebooks for students early in the pandemic only to learn that some lived in shelters that blocked wifi for security reasons. Others, who lived in housing projects with poor internet reception, did their schoolwork in laundromats.

According to a 2021 Pew survey , 25 percent of lower-income parents said their children, at some point, were unable to complete their schoolwork because they couldn’t access a computer at home; that number for upper-income parents was 2 percent.

The issues with remote learning in March 2020 were new. But they highlighted a divide that had been there all along in another form: homework. And even long after schools have resumed in-person classes, the pandemic’s effects on homework have lingered.

Over the past three years, in response to concerns about equity, schools across the country, including in Sacramento, Los Angeles , San Diego , and Clark County, Nevada , made permanent changes to their homework policies that restricted how much homework could be given and how it could be graded after in-person learning resumed.

Three years into the pandemic, as districts and teachers reckon with Covid-era overhauls of teaching and learning, schools are still reconsidering the purpose and place of homework. Whether relaxing homework expectations helps level the playing field between students or harms them by decreasing rigor is a divisive issue without conclusive evidence on either side, echoing other debates in education like the elimination of standardized test scores from some colleges’ admissions processes.

I first began to wonder if the homework abolition movement made sense after speaking with teachers in some Massachusetts public schools, who argued that rather than help disadvantaged kids, stringent homework restrictions communicated an attitude of low expectations. One, an English teacher, said she felt the school had “just given up” on trying to get the students to do work; another argued that restrictions that prohibit teachers from assigning take-home work that doesn’t begin in class made it difficult to get through the foreign-language curriculum. Teachers in other districts have raised formal concerns about homework abolition’s ability to close gaps among students rather than widening them.

Many education experts share this view. Harris Cooper, a professor emeritus of psychology at Duke who has studied homework efficacy, likened homework abolition to “playing to the lowest common denominator.”

But as I learned after talking to a variety of stakeholders — from homework researchers to policymakers to parents of schoolchildren — whether to abolish homework probably isn’t the right question. More important is what kind of work students are sent home with and where they can complete it. Chances are, if schools think more deeply about giving constructive work, time spent on homework will come down regardless.

There’s no consensus on whether homework works

The rise of the no-homework movement during the Covid-19 pandemic tapped into long-running disagreements over homework’s impact on students. The purpose and effectiveness of homework have been disputed for well over a century. In 1901, for instance, California banned homework for students up to age 15, and limited it for older students, over concerns that it endangered children’s mental and physical health. The newest iteration of the anti-homework argument contends that the current practice punishes students who lack support and rewards those with more resources, reinforcing the “myth of meritocracy.”

But there is still no research consensus on homework’s effectiveness; no one can seem to agree on what the right metrics are. Much of the debate relies on anecdotes, intuition, or speculation.

Researchers disagree even on how much research exists on the value of homework. Kathleen Budge, the co-author of Turning High-Poverty Schools Into High-Performing Schools and a professor at Boise State, told me that homework “has been greatly researched.” Denise Pope, a Stanford lecturer and leader of the education nonprofit Challenge Success, said, “It’s not a highly researched area because of some of the methodological problems.”

Experts who are more sympathetic to take-home assignments generally support the “10-minute rule,” a framework that estimates the ideal amount of homework on any given night by multiplying the student’s grade by 10 minutes. (A ninth grader, for example, would have about 90 minutes of work a night.) Homework proponents argue that while it is difficult to design randomized control studies to test homework’s effectiveness, the vast majority of existing studies show a strong positive correlation between homework and high academic achievement for middle and high school students. Prominent critics of homework argue that these correlational studies are unreliable and point to studies that suggest a neutral or negative effect on student performance. Both agree there is little to no evidence for homework’s effectiveness at an elementary school level, though proponents often argue that it builds constructive habits for the future.

For anyone who remembers homework assignments from both good and bad teachers, this fundamental disagreement might not be surprising. Some homework is pointless and frustrating to complete. Every week during my senior year of high school, I had to analyze a poem for English and decorate it with images found on Google; my most distinct memory from that class is receiving a demoralizing 25-point deduction because I failed to present my analysis on a poster board. Other assignments really do help students learn: After making an adapted version of Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book for a ninth grade history project, I was inspired to check out from the library and read a biography of the Chinese ruler.

For homework opponents, the first example is more likely to resonate. “We’re all familiar with the negative effects of homework: stress, exhaustion, family conflict, less time for other activities, diminished interest in learning,” Alfie Kohn, author of The Homework Myth, which challenges common justifications for homework, told me in an email. “And these effects may be most pronounced among low-income students.” Kohn believes that schools should make permanent any moratoria implemented during the pandemic, arguing that there are no positives at all to outweigh homework’s downsides. Recent studies , he argues , show the benefits may not even materialize during high school.

In the Marlborough Public Schools, a suburban district 45 minutes west of Boston, school policy committee chair Katherine Hennessy described getting kids to complete their homework during remote education as “a challenge, to say the least.” Teachers found that students who spent all day on their computers didn’t want to spend more time online when the day was over. So, for a few months, the school relaxed the usual practice and teachers slashed the quantity of nightly homework.

Online learning made the preexisting divides between students more apparent, she said. Many students, even during normal circumstances, lacked resources to keep them on track and focused on completing take-home assignments. Though Marlborough Schools is more affluent than PS 55, Hennessy said many students had parents whose work schedules left them unable to provide homework help in the evenings. The experience tracked with a common divide in the country between children of different socioeconomic backgrounds.

So in October 2021, months after the homework reduction began, the Marlborough committee made a change to the district’s policy. While teachers could still give homework, the assignments had to begin as classwork. And though teachers could acknowledge homework completion in a student’s participation grade, they couldn’t count homework as its own grading category. “Rigorous learning in the classroom does not mean that that classwork must be assigned every night,” the policy stated . “Extensions of class work is not to be used to teach new content or as a form of punishment.”

Canceling homework might not do anything for the achievement gap

The critiques of homework are valid as far as they go, but at a certain point, arguments against homework can defy the commonsense idea that to retain what they’re learning, students need to practice it.

“Doesn’t a kid become a better reader if he reads more? Doesn’t a kid learn his math facts better if he practices them?” said Cathy Vatterott, an education researcher and professor emeritus at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. After decades of research, she said it’s still hard to isolate the value of homework, but that doesn’t mean it should be abandoned.

Blanket vilification of homework can also conflate the unique challenges facing disadvantaged students as compared to affluent ones, which could have different solutions. “The kids in the low-income schools are being hurt because they’re being graded, unfairly, on time they just don’t have to do this stuff,” Pope told me. “And they’re still being held accountable for turning in assignments, whether they’re meaningful or not.” On the other side, “Palo Alto kids” — students in Silicon Valley’s stereotypically pressure-cooker public schools — “are just bombarded and overloaded and trying to stay above water.”

Merely getting rid of homework doesn’t solve either problem. The United States already has the second-highest disparity among OECD (the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) nations between time spent on homework by students of high and low socioeconomic status — a difference of more than three hours, said Janine Bempechat, clinical professor at Boston University and author of No More Mindless Homework .

When she interviewed teachers in Boston-area schools that had cut homework before the pandemic, Bempechat told me, “What they saw immediately was parents who could afford it immediately enrolled their children in the Russian School of Mathematics,” a math-enrichment program whose tuition ranges from $140 to about $400 a month. Getting rid of homework “does nothing for equity; it increases the opportunity gap between wealthier and less wealthy families,” she said. “That solution troubles me because it’s no solution at all.”

A group of teachers at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia, made the same point after the school district proposed an overhaul of its homework policies, including removing penalties for missing homework deadlines, allowing unlimited retakes, and prohibiting grading of homework.

“Given the emphasis on equity in today’s education systems,” they wrote in a letter to the school board, “we believe that some of the proposed changes will actually have a detrimental impact towards achieving this goal. Families that have means could still provide challenging and engaging academic experiences for their children and will continue to do so, especially if their children are not experiencing expected rigor in the classroom.” At a school where more than a third of students are low-income, the teachers argued, the policies would prompt students “to expect the least of themselves in terms of effort, results, and responsibility.”

Not all homework is created equal

Despite their opposing sides in the homework wars, most of the researchers I spoke to made a lot of the same points. Both Bempechat and Pope were quick to bring up how parents and schools confuse rigor with workload, treating the volume of assignments as a proxy for quality of learning. Bempechat, who is known for defending homework, has written extensively about how plenty of it lacks clear purpose, requires the purchasing of unnecessary supplies, and takes longer than it needs to. Likewise, when Pope instructs graduate-level classes on curriculum, she asks her students to think about the larger purpose they’re trying to achieve with homework: If they can get the job done in the classroom, there’s no point in sending home more work.

At its best, pandemic-era teaching facilitated that last approach. Honolulu-based teacher Christina Torres Cawdery told me that, early in the pandemic, she often had a cohort of kids in her classroom for four hours straight, as her school tried to avoid too much commingling. She couldn’t lecture for four hours, so she gave the students plenty of time to complete independent and project-based work. At the end of most school days, she didn’t feel the need to send them home with more to do.

A similar limited-homework philosophy worked at a public middle school in Chelsea, Massachusetts. A couple of teachers there turned as much class as possible into an opportunity for small-group practice, allowing kids to work on problems that traditionally would be assigned for homework, Jessica Flick, a math coach who leads department meetings at the school, told me. It was inspired by a philosophy pioneered by Simon Fraser University professor Peter Liljedahl, whose influential book Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics reframes homework as “check-your-understanding questions” rather than as compulsory work. Last year, Flick found that the two eighth grade classes whose teachers adopted this strategy performed the best on state tests, and this year, she has encouraged other teachers to implement it.

Teachers know that plenty of homework is tedious and unproductive. Jeannemarie Dawson De Quiroz, who has taught for more than 20 years in low-income Boston and Los Angeles pilot and charter schools, says that in her first years on the job she frequently assigned “drill and kill” tasks and questions that she now feels unfairly stumped students. She said designing good homework wasn’t part of her teaching programs, nor was it meaningfully discussed in professional development. With more experience, she turned as much class time as she could into practice time and limited what she sent home.

“The thing about homework that’s sticky is that not all homework is created equal,” says Jill Harrison Berg, a former teacher and the author of Uprooting Instructional Inequity . “Some homework is a genuine waste of time and requires lots of resources for no good reason. And other homework is really useful.”

Cutting homework has to be part of a larger strategy

The takeaways are clear: Schools can make cuts to homework, but those cuts should be part of a strategy to improve the quality of education for all students. If the point of homework was to provide more practice, districts should think about how students can make it up during class — or offer time during or after school for students to seek help from teachers. If it was to move the curriculum along, it’s worth considering whether strategies like Liljedahl’s can get more done in less time.

Some of the best thinking around effective assignments comes from those most critical of the current practice. Denise Pope proposes that, before assigning homework, teachers should consider whether students understand the purpose of the work and whether they can do it without help. If teachers think it’s something that can’t be done in class, they should be mindful of how much time it should take and the feedback they should provide. It’s questions like these that De Quiroz considered before reducing the volume of work she sent home.

More than a year after the new homework policy began in Marlborough, Hennessy still hears from parents who incorrectly “think homework isn’t happening” despite repeated assurances that kids still can receive work. She thinks part of the reason is that education has changed over the years. “I think what we’re trying to do is establish that homework may be an element of educating students,” she told me. “But it may not be what parents think of as what they grew up with. ... It’s going to need to adapt, per the teaching and the curriculum, and how it’s being delivered in each classroom.”

For the policy to work, faculty, parents, and students will all have to buy into a shared vision of what school ought to look like. The district is working on it — in November, it hosted and uploaded to YouTube a round-table discussion on homework between district administrators — but considering the sustained confusion, the path ahead seems difficult.

When I asked Luis Torres about whether he thought homework serves a useful part in PS 55’s curriculum, he said yes, of course it was — despite the effort and money it takes to keep the school open after hours to help them do it. “The children need the opportunity to practice,” he said. “If you don’t give them opportunities to practice what they learn, they’re going to forget.” But Torres doesn’t care if the work is done at home. The school stays open until around 6 pm on weekdays, even during breaks. Tutors through New York City’s Department of Youth and Community Development programs help kids with work after school so they don’t need to take it with them.

As schools weigh the purpose of homework in an unequal world, it’s tempting to dispose of a practice that presents real, practical problems to students across the country. But getting rid of homework is unlikely to do much good on its own. Before cutting it, it’s worth thinking about what good assignments are meant to do in the first place. It’s crucial that students from all socioeconomic backgrounds tackle complex quantitative problems and hone their reading and writing skills. It’s less important that the work comes home with them.

Jacob Sweet is a freelance writer in Somerville, Massachusetts. He is a frequent contributor to the New Yorker, among other publications.

Will you help keep Vox free for all?

Millions rely on Vox’s journalism to understand the coronavirus crisis. We believe it pays off for all of us, as a society and a democracy, when our neighbors and fellow citizens can access clear, concise information on the pandemic. But our distinctive explanatory journalism is expensive. Support from our readers helps us keep it free for everyone. If you have already made a financial contribution to Vox, thank you. If not, please consider making a contribution today from as little as $3.

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via

homework is a waste of time

How the US is preparing to fight — and win — a war in space

How to make your anger work for you, we have treatments for opioid addiction that work. so why is the problem getting worse, sign up for the newsletter today, explained, thanks for signing up.

Check your inbox for a welcome email.

Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.

  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Faculty/Staff

Stanford Graduate School of Education

News and Media

  • News & Media Home
  • Research Stories
  • School's In
  • In the Media

You are here

More than two hours of homework may be counterproductive, research suggests.

Education scholar Denise Pope has found that too much homework has negative impacts on student well-being and behavioral engagement (Shutterstock)

A Stanford education researcher found that too much homework can negatively affect kids, especially their lives away from school, where family, friends and activities matter.   "Our findings on the effects of homework challenge the traditional assumption that homework is inherently good," wrote Denise Pope , a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and a co-author of a study published in the Journal of Experimental Education .   The researchers used survey data to examine perceptions about homework, student well-being and behavioral engagement in a sample of 4,317 students from 10 high-performing high schools in upper-middle-class California communities. Along with the survey data, Pope and her colleagues used open-ended answers to explore the students' views on homework.   Median household income exceeded $90,000 in these communities, and 93 percent of the students went on to college, either two-year or four-year.   Students in these schools average about 3.1 hours of homework each night.   "The findings address how current homework practices in privileged, high-performing schools sustain students' advantage in competitive climates yet hinder learning, full engagement and well-being," Pope wrote.   Pope and her colleagues found that too much homework can diminish its effectiveness and even be counterproductive. They cite prior research indicating that homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night, and that 90 minutes to two and a half hours is optimal for high school.   Their study found that too much homework is associated with:   • Greater stress : 56 percent of the students considered homework a primary source of stress, according to the survey data. Forty-three percent viewed tests as a primary stressor, while 33 percent put the pressure to get good grades in that category. Less than 1 percent of the students said homework was not a stressor.   • Reductions in health : In their open-ended answers, many students said their homework load led to sleep deprivation and other health problems. The researchers asked students whether they experienced health issues such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss and stomach problems.   • Less time for friends, family and extracurricular pursuits : Both the survey data and student responses indicate that spending too much time on homework meant that students were "not meeting their developmental needs or cultivating other critical life skills," according to the researchers. Students were more likely to drop activities, not see friends or family, and not pursue hobbies they enjoy.   A balancing act   The results offer empirical evidence that many students struggle to find balance between homework, extracurricular activities and social time, the researchers said. Many students felt forced or obligated to choose homework over developing other talents or skills.   Also, there was no relationship between the time spent on homework and how much the student enjoyed it. The research quoted students as saying they often do homework they see as "pointless" or "mindless" in order to keep their grades up.   "This kind of busy work, by its very nature, discourages learning and instead promotes doing homework simply to get points," said Pope, who is also a co-founder of Challenge Success , a nonprofit organization affiliated with the GSE that conducts research and works with schools and parents to improve students' educational experiences..   Pope said the research calls into question the value of assigning large amounts of homework in high-performing schools. Homework should not be simply assigned as a routine practice, she said.   "Rather, any homework assigned should have a purpose and benefit, and it should be designed to cultivate learning and development," wrote Pope.   High-performing paradox   In places where students attend high-performing schools, too much homework can reduce their time to foster skills in the area of personal responsibility, the researchers concluded. "Young people are spending more time alone," they wrote, "which means less time for family and fewer opportunities to engage in their communities."   Student perspectives   The researchers say that while their open-ended or "self-reporting" methodology to gauge student concerns about homework may have limitations – some might regard it as an opportunity for "typical adolescent complaining" – it was important to learn firsthand what the students believe.   The paper was co-authored by Mollie Galloway from Lewis and Clark College and Jerusha Conner from Villanova University.

Clifton B. Parker is a writer at the Stanford News Service .

More Stories

Students in a classroom taking a test

⟵ Go to all Research Stories

Get the Educator

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Stanford Graduate School of Education

482 Galvez Mall Stanford, CA 94305-3096 Tel: (650) 723-2109

Improving lives through learning

  • Contact Admissions
  • GSE Leadership
  • Site Feedback
  • Web Accessibility
  • Career Resources
  • Faculty Open Positions
  • Explore Courses
  • Academic Calendar
  • Office of the Registrar
  • Cubberley Library
  • StanfordWho
  • StanfordYou

Make a gift now

  • Stanford Home
  • Maps & Directions
  • Search Stanford
  • Emergency Info
  • Terms of Use
  • Non-Discrimination
  • Accessibility

© Stanford University , Stanford , California 94305 .

Shop the latest viral trends starting at $8, from Adidas sneakers to Milk Makeup

  • TODAY Plaza
  • Share this —

Health & Wellness

  • Watch Full Episodes
  • Read With Jenna
  • Inspirational
  • Relationships
  • TODAY Table
  • Newsletters
  • Start TODAY
  • Shop TODAY Awards
  • Citi Music Series
  • Listen All Day

Follow today

More Brands

  • On The Show

Homework is a waste of time, new studies say

A new group of studies finds that homework in a variety of subjects has little impact on test grades, although math homework was the exception to the findings.

Would you like to explore a topic?

  • LEARNING OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL

Or read some of our popular articles?

Free downloadable english gcse past papers with mark scheme.

  • 19 May 2022

How Will GCSE Grade Boundaries Affect My Child’s Results?

  • Akshat Biyani
  • 13 December 2021

The Best Free Homeschooling Resources UK Parents Need to Start Using Today

  • Joseph McCrossan
  • 18 February 2022

TEACHING TECHNIQUES

Homework: Useful Teaching Tool or Waste of Time?

 alt=

  • May 18, 2021

is-homework-helpful

  • Helpful or harmful?

How is homework helpful?

  • Does homework promote learning?

Downsides of homework

  • Should students have homework?
  • Stress free homework tips

Homework. How can one little word cause so much trouble? Almost all schools require homework , but should they? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of homework, plus what the research says you should really be doing after school. 

As a pupil in the UK, you will without a doubt encounter homework during your school years. Some kids love it, others… not so much! Many parents struggle to make their child complete their homework and to fit it into their family’s busy schedule, and many kids and teens find homework quite boring. But let’s put our feelings about homework to the side, and focus on a more important question – is homework really necessary?

is-homework-helpful

Is homework helpful or harmful?

Well, it depends. There’s loads of debate about homework and whether or not it helps you learn. Researchers have been trying to find the answer to this question since your parents were in school!

It all comes down to the purpose of the homework and the age of the student, as well as their interest in the topic at hand. 

For secondary students, homework is useful as a "short and focused intervention .” That means something like a research project that you complete at home. 💻

For primary students, homework can help reinforce skills students are learning in school. It makes sense to practice spelling words at home or working on reading skills , for example. 

How does homework promote learning?

One way homework can promote learning is by giving older students a chance to read more content than can be covered in class. For example, a Literature student might read a couple of chapters of a novel at home and then spend the class time discussing its themes with peers. This saves classroom time for the part of learning that’s done with other students.

Research shows that the best homework is closely linked to what you’re learning in the classroom. It should expand your learning and always be something you can complete independently. ✔️

It goes without saying that homework takes time. The more homework you have, the less time you can spend outside or relax. 

Homework leaves less time for creative activities that are also very important for brain growth. 🧠

Studies show very little difference in test scores between students who spend lots of time on homework and students who do less homework. For primary school students especially, not many benefits have been found. 

So, should students have homework?

In an ideal world, primary students would not have homework. And secondary students would only have short-term homework assignments with a very specific goal, like a book report or a science project. 

Since students often do have homework, it shouldn’t take much time - the benefits are the same for a few minutes and a few hours of homework!

Stress-free homework tips 

At the end of the day, there may be very little you can do right away about your homework situation. If your teacher assigns it, it must get done – but here are a few tips to make it less stressful:

  • It’s a great idea for you to be independent with planning and managing your work time rather than being hounded into starting your homework by your parents. As you get older, it’s up to you to manage yourself – maybe you’d prefer to divide the work up into manageable chunks, for example tackling one subject before dinner and another one after.
  • You should have a distraction-free space to work at home. Turn off the television, and keep electronics out of sight to make it easier to stay focused.
  • If you’ve had a long school day, it’s a great idea to take some free time after school before starting your homework. You may need a chance to relax and regroup before jumping right into homework. 
  • If you find yourself struggling with your workload, you should have a chat with your teacher or speak to your parents about it. Homework should closely follow the in-class learning and shouldn’t take more than an hour.

Homework help with GoStudent

If you’re struggling to manage your homework, a GoStudent tutor can help. Our experienced, friendly tutors have a deep understanding of the content they teach, and your tutor can give you the one-on-one support you need to get back on track and be able to finish that homework in no time! 🚀

1-May-12-2023-09-09-32-6011-AM

Popular posts

Student studying for a English GCSE past paper

  • By Guy Doza

gcse exam paper

  • By Akshat Biyani

girl learning at home

  • By Joseph McCrossan
  • In LEARNING TRENDS

student taking gcse exam

What are the Hardest GCSEs? Should You Avoid or Embrace Them?

  • By Clarissa Joshua

The 12 Best GCSE Revision Apps to Supercharge Your Revision

More great reads:.

The Best Maths Games 2022

The Best Maths Games 2022

  • By Natalie Lever
  • August 16, 2022

Five Top Time Management Skills for Tutors

Five Top Time Management Skills for Tutors

  • By Connie Kulis-Page
  • July 1, 2022

How to Become a GoStudent Tutor: Follow These Five Easy Steps

How to Become a GoStudent Tutor: Follow These Five Easy Steps

  • May 19, 2022

Book a free trial session

Sign up for your free tutoring lesson..

  • Today's news
  • Reviews and deals
  • Climate change
  • 2024 election
  • My portfolio
  • My watchlist
  • Stock market
  • Biden economy
  • Personal finance
  • Stocks: most actives
  • Stocks: gainers
  • Stocks: losers
  • Trending tickers
  • World indices
  • US Treasury bonds
  • Top mutual funds
  • Highest open interest
  • Highest implied volatility
  • Currency converter
  • Basic materials
  • Communication services
  • Consumer cyclical
  • Consumer defensive
  • Financial services
  • Industrials
  • Real estate
  • Mutual funds
  • Credit card rates
  • Balance transfer credit cards
  • Business credit cards
  • Cash back credit cards
  • Rewards credit cards
  • Travel credit cards
  • Checking accounts
  • Online checking accounts
  • High-yield savings accounts
  • Money market accounts
  • Personal loans
  • Student loans
  • Car insurance
  • Home buying
  • Options pit
  • Investment ideas
  • Research reports
  • Fantasy football
  • Pro Pick 'Em
  • College Pick 'Em
  • Fantasy baseball
  • Fantasy hockey
  • Fantasy basketball
  • Download the app
  • Daily Fantasy
  • Scores and schedules
  • GameChannel
  • World Baseball Classic
  • Premier League
  • CONCACAF League
  • Champions League
  • College football
  • Motorsports
  • Horse racing
  • Newsletters

Entertainment

  • How to watch
  • Fall allergies
  • Health news
  • Mental health
  • Sexual health
  • Family health
  • So mini ways
  • Style and beauty
  • Unapologetically
  • Buying guides

New on Yahoo

  • Privacy Dashboard

Is Homework a Waste of Students’ Time? Study Finds It’s the Biggest Cause of Teen Stress

It’s the bane of every teen’s existence. After sitting through hours at school, they leave only to get started on mountains of homework. And educators are mixed on its effectiveness . Some say the practice reinforces what students learned during the day, while others argue that it put unnecessary stress on kids and parents , who are often stuck nagging or helping.

According to a new study, conducted by the Better Sleep Council , that homework stress is the biggest source of frustration for teens, with 74 percent of those surveyed ranking it the highest, above self-esteem (51 percent) parental expectations (45 percent) and bullying (15 percent).

Homework is taking up a large chunk of their time , too — around 15-plus hours a week, with about one-third of teens reporting that it’s closer to 20-plus hours.

The stress and excessive homework adds up to lost sleep , the BSC says. According to the survey, 57 percent of teenagers said that they don’t get enough sleep, with 67 reporting that they get just five to seven hours a night — a far cry from the recommended eight to ten hours. The BSC says that their research shows that when teens feel more stressed, their sleep suffers. They go to sleep later, wake up earlier and have more trouble falling and staying asleep than less-stressed teens.

“We’re finding that teenagers are experiencing this cycle where they sacrifice their sleep to spend extra time on homework, which gives them more stress — but they don’t get better grades,” said Mary Helen Rogers, the vice president of marketing and communications for the BSC.

RELATED VIDEO: To Help Or Not To Help: Moms Talk About Whether Or Not They Help Their Children With Homework

Another interesting finding from this study: students who go to bed earlier and wake up earlier do better academically than those who stay up late, even if those night owls are spending that time doing homework.

To end this cycle of sleep deprivation and stress, the BSC recommends that students try setting a consistent time to go to sleep each night, regardless of leftover homework. And their other sleep tips are good for anyone, regardless of age — keep the temperature between 65 and 67 degrees, turn off the electronic devices before bed, make sure the mattress is comfy and reduce noise with earplugs or sound machines.

Recommended Stories

Carl lewis, long jumpers slam proposed change to olympic event: 'wait until april 1st for april fools jokes'.

One of track and fields' most exciting events could see a major format change.

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser 2024 pricing announced

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser pricing starts at $57,345 including destination, a whopping price drop of nearly $30,000 when compared to the previous model.

GM issues stop-sale order for 2024 Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon pickups

General Motors has issued a stop-sale order on the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon to address crippling software problems.

These are the 10 worst new car deals in America

New car prices are slowly falling, but some models still carry inflated pricing.

Ashley Scoggin, former Nebraska WBB player, sues over inappropriate relationship

Ashley Scoggin alleges that coach Amy Williams and AD Trev Alberts didn't do enough in their response.

7 Trump losses in a row, and counting

Trump's latest loss in court extends a remarkable losing streak.

Motocross star and X Games medalist Jayo Archer dies at 27 while practicing trick

Jayo Archer, a Nitro Circus member, was the first rider to perform a triple backflip on a dirtbike in competition.

Suns F Kevin Durant responds to Charles Barkley's 'he's not a leader' comment

The Hall of Fame forward added during the All-Star Game broadcast that Durant is a follower.

2024 NBA Mock Draft 5.0: Will another French prospect be the No. 1 overall pick?

Here's an updated look at Yahoo Sports' first-round projections for the 2024 NBA Draft.

Forgotten password

Please enter the email address that you use to login to TeenInk.com, and we'll email you instructions to reset your password.

  • Poetry All Poetry Free Verse Song Lyrics Sonnet Haiku Limerick Ballad
  • Fiction All Fiction Action-Adventure Fan Fiction Historical Fiction Realistic Fiction Romance Sci-fi/Fantasy Scripts & Plays Thriller/Mystery All Novels Action-Adventure Fan Fiction Historical Fiction Realistic Fiction Romance Sci-fi/Fantasy Thriller/Mystery Other
  • Nonfiction All Nonfiction Bullying Books Academic Author Interviews Celebrity interviews College Articles College Essays Educator of the Year Heroes Interviews Memoir Personal Experience Sports Travel & Culture All Opinions Bullying Current Events / Politics Discrimination Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking Entertainment / Celebrities Environment Love / Relationships Movies / Music / TV Pop Culture / Trends School / College Social Issues / Civics Spirituality / Religion Sports / Hobbies All Hot Topics Bullying Community Service Environment Health Letters to the Editor Pride & Prejudice What Matters
  • Reviews All Reviews Hot New Books Book Reviews Music Reviews Movie Reviews TV Show Reviews Video Game Reviews Summer Program Reviews College Reviews
  • Art/Photo Art Photo Videos
  • Summer Guide Program Links Program Reviews
  • College Guide College Links College Reviews College Essays College Articles

Summer Guide

College guide.

  • Song Lyrics

All Fiction

  • Action-Adventure
  • Fan Fiction
  • Historical Fiction
  • Realistic Fiction
  • Sci-fi/Fantasy
  • Scripts & Plays
  • Thriller/Mystery

All Nonfiction

  • Author Interviews
  • Celebrity interviews
  • College Articles
  • College Essays
  • Educator of the Year
  • Personal Experience
  • Travel & Culture

All Opinions

  • Current Events / Politics
  • Discrimination
  • Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking
  • Entertainment / Celebrities
  • Environment
  • Love / Relationships
  • Movies / Music / TV
  • Pop Culture / Trends
  • School / College
  • Social Issues / Civics
  • Spirituality / Religion
  • Sports / Hobbies

All Hot Topics

  • Community Service
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Pride & Prejudice
  • What Matters

All Reviews

  • Hot New Books
  • Book Reviews
  • Music Reviews
  • Movie Reviews
  • TV Show Reviews
  • Video Game Reviews

Summer Program Reviews

  • College Reviews
  • Writers Workshop
  • Regular Forums
  • Program Links
  • Program Reviews
  • College Links

Why Homework Is a Waste of Time

Why do we even need homework? To practice? We do that enough already.  Homework is a waste of time. It takes the enjoyment out of school and it takes up teacher time. Students need more free time for other activities such as sports, homework takes it away from spending time with family and friends.

     Is homework a waste of time ? The study of 18,000 schoolchildren finds no relationship between working hard at home and better grades. More  homework assignments  didn’t translate into better grades. Next time you hear a child complaining that their science and math homeworks are wastes of time they might have a point. Young children spend enough of their day at school. When they come home, they should be free to dump the school bag and get busy doing non academic stuff such as getting a job and starting on something to pursue their career.

        Students need more free time for other activities. Education isn’t the only important activity in everyone’s life. We all need some time to ourselves to prevent stress or blow off from some steam. It can damage family relationships and stresses parents out as well  as their children. School takes up a lot of time that children can be using to do something more productive.

         

Homework takes up teacher time. Teachers would have more time if they didn’t assign homework.  The teacher  needs to design the homework, explain it , mark each piece individually and tell everyone if they got it right or wrong. Teachers could as easily use the classwork to find out who knows what they are doing. We aren’t the only ones who take a lot of time on homework, our teachers do as well. Homework loses it’s value because we need to be told individually what our mistakes are.

It takes the enjoyment out of school. We would enjoy school more if we didn’t have any homework. When we only get homework occcassionally we will consider that piece more important. Especially if we get too much homework it can take the enjoyment out of learning. No matter how engaging the teacher is in class , homework will almost certainly  be stressful , boring and tiring. We know that there is no direct link between how much homework is set and grades.             

Some people believe that homework isn't a waste of time. You have to try your best to do the homework that's given to you. Millions of people work for themselves or work from home. The main aim of education is to prepare us for the rest of their lives. Homework is teaching us a key skill that we will need in the future . When we do homework we are learning on our own.                 Homework is a responsibility. We should expect to get a certain amount of homework per day. Homework aids class work by providing a space for those who haven't finished the work. Teachers will need to mark and go through work whether it's classwork or homework . Whether homework puts us off learning will always depend on what the homework we are given is.            

This paragraph presents that homework is a responsibility for high school kids and students. The importance of this argument is that homework takes away time from spending it with family and friends.  The reader should take homework away from this because it's it takes a long time to do and it's a waste of time.

Similar Articles

Join the discussion.

This article has 7 comments.

  • Subscribe to Teen Ink magazine
  • Submit to Teen Ink
  • Find A College
  • Find a Summer Program

Share this on

Send to a friend.

Thank you for sharing this page with a friend!

Tell my friends

Choose what to email.

Which of your works would you like to tell your friends about? (These links will automatically appear in your email.)

Send your email

Delete my account, we hate to see you go please note as per our terms and conditions, you agreed that all materials submitted become the property of teen ink. going forward, your work will remain on teenink.com submitted “by anonymous.”, delete this, change anonymous status, send us site feedback.

If you have a suggestion about this website or are experiencing a problem with it, or if you need to report abuse on the site, please let us know. We try to make TeenInk.com the best site it can be, and we take your feedback very seriously. Please note that while we value your input, we cannot respond to every message. Also, if you have a comment about a particular piece of work on this website, please go to the page where that work is displayed and post a comment on it. Thank you!

Pardon Our Dust

Teen Ink is currently undergoing repairs to our image server. In addition to being unable to display images, we cannot currently accept image submissions. All other parts of the website are functioning normally. Please check back to submit your art and photography and to enjoy work from teen artists around the world!

homework is a waste of time

  • International edition
  • Australia edition
  • Europe edition

Boy doing homework

Is homework a waste of time for primary school children?

Do primary school children really need to do homework? Not according to a motion being debated by teachers today.

Calling for its abolition for this age group, the motion at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers conference in Liverpool states that, "homework in the primary school is a waste of children's and teachers' time, which could be spent much more profitably on effective learning both in and out of the classroom".

This would pit teachers against the government which lays down homework guidelines for schools – primaries as well as secondaries. These demand a clear policy statement, developed in consultation with the pupils, staff, parents and governors. "The foundations of effective homework practices are established early on and develop progressively across the key stages – effective homework practices can also be used to support effective transitionary links to the secondary phase," states the Department for Children Schools and Families.

It adds that parents and carers must play their part, "helping their children at home, monitoring homework, providing encouragement, and even assisting with the marking of homework".

Reading the guidelines you would have to guess that a review of the research evidence commissioned by the schools inspectorate, Ofsted, concluded that the case for homework in primary schools was "inconclusive" . Fewer studies have been carried out at primary level and results have been inconsistent, said the National Foundation for Educational Research.

The study notes drily: "The suggestion that setting homework for primary-age pupils instills positive attitudes towards studying has received very little attention in the research literature." In other words, ministers are conducting an experiment with our children.

So, is homework a waste of time for younger children?

  • Teachers' workload
  • Mortarboard blog
  • Primary schools
  • Education policy
  • Conferences

Comments (…)

Most viewed.

The student news site of Robinson High School

Knight Writers

  • Feb. 16 is a Non-Student Day
  • Spring Break is Mar. 11-15.

Homework is a Waste of Time

Homework isn’t helping kids improve, it’s dragging them down.

A+canva+graphic+showing+an+example+of+a+kids+phone+after+a+week+of+school.

Photo JC Thaxton

A canva graphic showing an example of a kids phone after a week of school.

JC Thaxton , Senior Staff Writer October 10, 2022

Sitting at the dinner table till 10 or 11 pm just doing some of your homework. Taking hours to finish some math when you still have an essay to write. That can be taxing on the brain. A lot of people don’t see how much pressure we put on kids to make them “perfect.” Extra work to compensate for the? That’s kind of a joke.

“Children who don’t do their homework are not lazy, he said, but they may be frustrated, discouraged, or anxious. And for kids with learning disabilities, homework is like ‘running with a sprained ankle. It’s doable, but painful,'” child psychologist Kenneth Barish said.

Every kid learns differently and the fact all teachers “have to” assign homework is absurd. Kids get very overwhelmed with the amount of work they get per week even per day. With the amount of work kids get, they don’t get a chance to debrief at home. Kids need to let out their stress by doing fun activities or things to get their mind off of school. When kids go from school to home, they shouldn’t be doing more school. It is too much! This leads to over working the brain.

With all this extra work to do at home, kids can’t go out and genuinely be a kid. I am still a kid and I wish I could have gone out more and not stressed about a grade in my class. They only have so much time until they’re a considered adult and now the society is giving kids a lot of work and over working them. Kid’s brains are on overload and technically working overtime since it’s not in a classroom. When I see the word “overtime”, I think of money. Since kids can’t run around and be kids, they should be paid some money to work overtime. I’m just kidding. Unless I’m not.

It is said that homework “ can help students practice core concepts and develop study habits and time management skills.” What happens if you don’t do it well? What is the point if you do all this work, yet don’t understand any of it? Also, What is the point if the teacher doesn’t review it? It’s pointless. If teachers don’t walk you through the work the send home, then they shouldn’t be sending it home in the first place. You could be doing it wrong the whole time and you wouldn’t know until it is test time and then, at that point, you’re screwed. No idea where you went wrong and now too afraid to go home and ask for help. Seeing that you’re a failure and that is stressing you out some more. To the teachers, we are numbers. Some will help you and others, who knows.

  • waste of time

Your donation will support the student journalists of Robinson High School - FL. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.

Photo of JC Thaxton

JC Thaxton is a senior at Robinson and a Senior Staff Writer for Knight Writers. This is her second year on staff.  Thaxton is one of the four captains...

Digital photo of a woman sat studying thinking about her SAT.

Back to School: Robinson Is Restored...Basically

Illustration depicting how teenagers are held captive by screens.

The Teen Time Warp

A pink Stanley Cup

Stanley Cups Are Getting Too Much Hate

Singer songwriter Kaylee Marie poses for a photo.

Local Artist Takes Stage at Gasparilla Music Festival

(From left to right) Maile Abel (26), Katelyn Boyd (26) and Laura Smith (26) stand strong during stunt.

Competition Cheer Team is Western Conference Bound

Does Taylor Swift deserve the hype?

View Results

  • Polls Archive

rhsknightwriters

homework is a waste of time

Standardized Testing is the Only Way

A graphic of a robot generating music.

Keep AI Out of The Recording Studio

SAT prep books, passed down from one senior class to the next.

Standardized Testing Is Completely Unnecessary

A video still from the LSU Dance Teams first-place hip hop routine.

NCAA Doesn’t Recognize Dance as a Sport… But They Should

2023 RHS homecoming dance.

Let’s Have a Second Chance at a Second Dance

A keyboard, an instrument often used to outline songs.

“I Just Don’t Like It,” Why Does Genre Bending Music Get So Much Hate?

Illustration depicting how teenagers are held captive by screens.

Best of SNO

Sagittarius tote bag from at Forever 21.

Zodiac Signs Build Better Relationships

The illustration is the visual representation of all thats good with candy canes.

Can Candy Canes Completely Compete?

Staring menacingly at a candy cane.

Candy Canes Are Candy Lame

Comments (0)

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Search Please fill out this field.
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Sweepstakes

Is Homework a Waste of Students' Time? Study Finds It's the Biggest Cause of Teen Stress

As the debate over the need for homework continues, a new study found that it's the biggest cause of teen stress, leading to sleepless nights and poor academic performance

Julie Mazziotta is the Sports Editor at PEOPLE, covering everything from the NFL to tennis to Simone Biles and Tom Brady. She was previously an Associate Editor for the Health vertical for six years, and prior to joining PEOPLE worked at Health Magazine. When not covering professional athletes, Julie spends her time as a (very) amateur athlete, training for marathons, long bike trips and hikes.

homework is a waste of time

It’s the bane of every teen’s existence. After sitting through hours at school, they leave only to get started on mountains of homework. And educators are mixed on its effectiveness . Some say the practice reinforces what students learned during the day, while others argue that it put unnecessary stress on kids and parents , who are often stuck nagging or helping.

According to a new study, conducted by the Better Sleep Council , that homework stress is the biggest source of frustration for teens, with 74 percent of those surveyed ranking it the highest, above self-esteem (51 percent) parental expectations (45 percent) and bullying (15 percent).

Homework is taking up a large chunk of their time , too — around 15-plus hours a week, with about one-third of teens reporting that it’s closer to 20-plus hours.

The stress and excessive homework adds up to lost sleep, the BSC says. According to the survey, 57 percent of teenagers said that they don’t get enough sleep, with 67 reporting that they get just five to seven hours a night — a far cry from the recommended eight to ten hours. The BSC says that their research shows that when teens feel more stressed, their sleep suffers. They go to sleep later, wake up earlier and have more trouble falling and staying asleep than less-stressed teens.

“We’re finding that teenagers are experiencing this cycle where they sacrifice their sleep to spend extra time on homework, which gives them more stress — but they don’t get better grades,” said Mary Helen Rogers, the vice president of marketing and communications for the BSC.

RELATED VIDEO: To Help Or Not To Help: Moms Talk About Whether Or Not They Help Their Children With Homework

Another interesting finding from this study: students who go to bed earlier and wake up earlier do better academically than those who stay up late, even if those night owls are spending that time doing homework.

To end this cycle of sleep deprivation and stress, the BSC recommends that students try setting a consistent time to go to sleep each night, regardless of leftover homework. And their other sleep tips are good for anyone, regardless of age — keep the temperature between 65 and 67 degrees, turn off the electronic devices before bed, make sure the mattress is comfy and reduce noise with earplugs or sound machines.

comscore

The great homework debate - good idea or waste of time?

Is homework essential for developing good study habits and reinforcing classroom learning.

homework is a waste of time

The homework debate: Children who are managing at school find homework repetitive and children who are struggling at school find it reinforces the fact that they are struggling. Photograph: iStockphoto

Sheila Wayman's face

Is homework essential for developing good study habits and reinforcing classroom learning? Or is it a waste of time and an educational turn-off?

One thing that’s certain is that homework causes a lot of grief in many households. And when US “homework guru” Harris Cooper of Duke University said “there is no evidence that any amount of homework improves the academic performance of elementary (aged 4-11) students”, parents might well wonder why they’re battling with their primary school children over it.

“Children who are managing at school find it repetitive and children who are struggling at school find it reinforces the fact that they are struggling,” says Áine Lynch, chief executive of the National Parents’ Council (NPC) – Primary. “You then start to wonder about the purpose.”

There’s no doubt about the importance of the home-learning environment for children’s education but battling over homework makes that a very negative place, she says. However, it’s too simplistic to suggest that all homework is “bad”, it depends on what it is.

“When we talk about homework, we talk about this thing that is not defined,” says Lynch. Homework reteaching something that was done in the class that day is one kind of homework. If you are talking about homework where children go home and put Irish name labels on things around the house, that’s a completely different thing.

“One of the things that homework does do when it’s working well is that it gives that home-school link and makes parents aware of what children are doing,” she says.

What do you think? Parents, teachers and children are being invited to have their say on homework in an online survey being conducted by the National Parents Council - Primary.

It is on the website npc.ie will close at midnight on May 22nd.

IN THIS SECTION

Irish scientists discover why people with long covid can suffer ‘brain fog’, aim of next-generation biomaterials is to train human tissue to heal itself, ‘single and fabulously fertile was how i was. in a loving relationship and painfully infertile is how you find me’, another pandemic an ‘absolute certainty’, who chief warns on visit to dublin, when he named a brand of jacket associated with the criminal fraternity, i lost all sympathy for him, miriam lord: td hits boiling point amid claims of ‘talking down’ to ‘a female deputy’, row breaks out between two oireachtas committees investigating rté, irish man named new ceo of silicon valley giant, latest stories, leona maguire makes solid start to honda lpga thailand.

Leona Maguire makes solid start to Honda LPGA Thailand

UK Commons speaker apologises for Gaza vote chaos as Starmer denies pressuring him

UK Commons speaker apologises for Gaza vote chaos as Starmer denies pressuring him

FAI spent their morning apologising and explaining a joke, making a bad situation worse

FAI spent their morning apologising and explaining a joke, making a bad situation worse

PSNI will ‘relentlessly pursue’ those behind Caldwell shooting, police chief says

PSNI will ‘relentlessly pursue’ those behind Caldwell shooting, police chief says

Wholesale electricity prices fall more than 38% in year to January

Wholesale electricity prices fall more than 38% in year to January

Six Nations: Ciarán Frawley starts at fullback with Oli Jager set to debut off the bench

Six Nations: Ciarán Frawley starts at fullback with Oli Jager set to debut off the bench

Israeli attacks on Rafah intensify as Hamas leader attends Cairo talks

Israeli attacks on Rafah intensify as Hamas leader attends Cairo talks

Irish tech firm founder receives highest ever unfair dismissal award

Irish tech firm founder receives highest ever unfair dismissal award

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Information
  • Cookie Settings
  • Community Standards

Think-Women-IWD-2024-Event-LB

Global Mobility

Global leadership, global education.

  • Global (home)

Brazil & Latin America

Australasia

New Zealand

Europe & the UK

Isle of Man

Netherlands

Scandinavia

Switzerland

Middle East

  • Think Global People

Is homework a waste of time?

Mark London, marketing manager at ACS International Schools, explains why ACS Egham has dropped ‘traditional’ homework across its lower years (ages 4–11), replacing it with a more personalised approach.

homework is a waste of time

The ACS approach to homework

Finland – a leading education system yet virtually no homework, developing essential skills for the future.

homework is a waste of time

Related Articles

Dukes-Education-students

Dukes Education

Students from Epsom College in Malaysia

Ten lessons for British schools expanding internationally

Children holding up planet

Cambridge calls for more global collaboration on climate education

Haut-Lac image 1

Haut-Lac International Bilingual School

Mougins-School-aerial-image

Mougins School

Awards-2024-enter-now-MMU

Editor's Choice

Podcast-banner-670x370

Global News

Children holding up planet

Immigration

International Assignments

Mobility Industry

Employee Benefits

Partner & Family Support

Residential Property

Remote Working

Serviced Apartments

Global Expansion

Leadership & Management

Talent Management

Human Resources

Business Travel

Culture & Language

Learning and Development

Education & Schools

Country Guides to Education & Schools

Featured Schools and Directory

Guide to International Education and Schools Articles

Schools' Fair

Online Schools Webinars

Education Webinars

Research and Higher Education

Education Consultants

School Groups

Online Schools

About Relocate Global

Contact Relocate Global

Meet the Relocate team

Employment Opportunities

Newsletters

Relocate Global Mobility App

Get in touch

+44 (0)1892 891334

Relocate Global Privacy Policy

Privacy and Cookies

homework is a waste of time

  • Close Menu Search

The Student News Site of West Middle School

Homework is a Waste of Time

Ava+Obrock%2C+Olivia+Stults%2C+Viviana+Buzzelli%2C+and+Caitlyn+Blasch+work+on+homework+during+the+school+day.+

Nailah Spencer

Ava Obrock, Olivia Stults, Viviana Buzzelli, and Caitlyn Blasch work on homework during the school day.

Nailah Spencer , Reporter October 26, 2018

Kids at West Middle School say Homework is a waste of time! Did you know that West Middle School does not require teachers to give out homework to students? “Teachers give out homework according to how they feel about a student or a class’s learning process,” Mr. Smiley told me. I did some research, interviews, and additional thinking to see how some of the students and staff feel about homework.

”I strongly dislike homework because it stresses me out. We go to school to for many hours a day to learn, I don’t get why we have to go home and spend 1-2 more hours on homework,” Hannah Comar, a 7th grader at West, explained to me.

According to the Drop Out Prevention Center (D.O.P.C.),  “32.1% of students from 8th grade through high school drop out each year because they can’t keep up with all their homework assignments.” This research was done in the United States. 

Mrs. O’dell, a sixth-grade teacher at West, explained to me,  “I have over the years seen behavior changes with students.”

Academic Partnerships states,  “When kids know they will have to go home from school and work to do more work at home they become disengaged and don’t come to school the next day ready to pay attention and are usually talkative and disruptive for no time to themselves after school”. Mrs. O’Dell states, “Yes,  have seen students overwhelmed with work, but behavior changes, not so much. Mostly just [students’] grades dropping.”

Mrs. Odell reflects, “I give it out so I can see the students’ progress, it also builds on good habits, like time management and organizational skills.”

Mrs. Horvath’s Journalism states that they can have anywhere from 20 minutes to two hours of homework a night between all their classes.

Free time to yourself is essential, whether it is for sports or just time with your family. Free time gives you a chance to refresh and get ready for the new day to come.

A Perfect Snow Day

A Perfect Snow Day

WMS Favorite Colors

WMS Favorite Colors

What do you think is special about Michigan?

What do you think is special about Michigan?

What is the Best Christmas Tree to Get?

What is the Best Christmas Tree to Get?

Does West Like Cats or Dogs More?

Does West Like Cats or Dogs More?

Is Tayvis Endgame?

Is Tayvis Endgame?

Best Christmas Songs

Best Christmas Songs

Taylor Swift Eras Tour Movie Review

Taylor Swift Eras Tour Movie Review

Weird Things Dogs Do and Why.

Weird Things Dogs Do and Why.

Escape Rooms

Escape Rooms

Comments (23)

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Richard Cao • Jul 3, 2021 at 12:29 pm

I think Homework should be abolished in schools. Students already have a difficult time in school so giving more work at home would just stress out even more. Students should have time to spend with their family and friends, while also learning essential skills such as cooking, cleaning, and getting plenty of cardio exercise. Also it would benefit teachers because they would have less things to grade.

bababoi • Dec 8, 2020 at 11:05 am

Desi • Mar 30, 2020 at 7:41 pm

Homework is a waste when we go to school for several hours a day all for what so we could go home and do even more work instead of relaxing many kids drop out because of how much time they wasted on doing stressful meaningless work

joey • Dec 19, 2018 at 12:40 pm

I do agree that homework is a waste of time because we work all day and then we get homework so we have to work at home too.

Joey • Dec 19, 2018 at 12:39 pm

homework doesn’t do anything I just forget everything that teachers give homework on quicker then usual.

Jacob • Nov 20, 2018 at 12:49 pm

Homework is useless because kids spend almost half their at school then having to worry about homework once they get home its to much pressure for kids our age, high schools should be the grade when homework starts and we know homework is supposed to prove what we learn but we don’t learn anything from test nor homework we just memorise it, do it, then we forget everything we learned because you have to then memorize other things and forget others. And that is why I think homework is a waste of time.

The truth talker • Nov 20, 2018 at 12:44 pm

Homework is too stressful, and is too time-consuming.

Jacob Mdelski • Nov 20, 2018 at 12:44 pm

Homework can be good for us but it can just be too much for some students to handle.

finn st john • Nov 15, 2018 at 8:16 am

homework is not good. we are at school for 7 hours and some of us stay at club (after school thing) till 4 5 or even 6! homework is just what we were doing that day all over again but at home.

the derp • Nov 2, 2018 at 12:53 pm

homework helps us but can sometimes be a waste of time

Ryan M • Nov 2, 2018 at 12:47 pm

Homework is like telling a dog never to play or lick your face again

Madisyn Hackett • Nov 2, 2018 at 12:42 pm

Homework is very stressful!

Dillon Starnes • Oct 31, 2018 at 12:12 pm

This is an excellent article, Nailah!

Kyle Dani • Oct 31, 2018 at 12:10 pm

This is a great article. I agree that teachers hand out way to much homework.

Hannah Comar • Oct 31, 2018 at 12:03 pm

I agree with this considering I was one of the interviewees. Great article Nailah!

Maddie Andrews • Oct 31, 2018 at 11:59 am

I like your picture and I agree, homework is very stressful!

Maddie Andrews • Oct 31, 2018 at 11:57 am

I like your picture! I agree homework can be very stressful!

Caitlin Noe • Oct 31, 2018 at 11:50 am

I like your picture a lot it is very creative and I agree homework is just a recap of what we learned.

unknown • Oct 29, 2018 at 1:51 pm

homework is ok I always finish it in class so I don’t have homework relly

AAron • Oct 26, 2018 at 12:49 pm

i hate having to do work at home it is a wast of my time

AAron • Oct 26, 2018 at 12:48 pm

i think homework is a wast of time

Bob Ross • Oct 26, 2018 at 12:45 pm

I get it homework is stress full but homework is good for us examples: Homework is like a mini quiz that lets the teachers know if you actually learned something in their class.

Lizzy Gutkowski • Oct 26, 2018 at 12:21 pm

I think homework is too stessful. It makes me have to stay up late and work on my homework.

SiOWfa15: Science in Our World: Certainty and Controversy

The course website and blog for the fall 2015 instance of penn state's sc200 course.

SiOWfa15: Science in Our World: Certainty and Controversy

Is Homework A Waste of Time?

You just had what seemed like the longest day of your life. You walk into your room after a rough day of classes. You took two tests that you didn’t do so hot on and you are exhausted. All you want to do is relax for a little bit, but you can’t. Why? Because tomorrow you have 40 math problems due, a paper to write for your English class, and a speech outline due for your public speaking class.

aaaa

So the question is, is all the homework really worth it? Is there any evidence that homework leads to a stronger academic student? Let’s take a look.

According to  District Administration , there is a positive correlation between homework and better scores on tests. When interviewed, researcher Robert Tai said, “Homework should act as a place where students practice the skills they’ve learned in class. It shouldn’t be a situation where students spend many hours every night poring over something new.” A study was done by Harris Cooper in 2006 (director of  Duke University’s Program in Education ). He analyzed and combined the results many homework studies. He found that students who had homework performed better on class tests compared to those who did not.

On the other hand, there are many studies that suggest otherwise. Some studies conclude that homework does not impact achievement significantly. In fact, some believe it has the opposite effect.  One study from Penn State  looked data from the late 1990s. They found that in countries that give more homework, student’s performance on the international test,  Trends in Mathematics and Science Study , was lower than those with less homework. These professors and researchers do not call for no homework necessarily, but they do suggest making homework more about the quality than quantity

homework

Homework is helpful. Practice problems do in fact improve test grades and guide students in succeeding in the classroom. However, after about 90 minutes of homework, results will start to diminish. It’s important to find the happy-medium when it comes to homework and make sure students aren’t overloaded with busy work.

So next time you walk through your door after a stressful day of class, club meetings, and work, just remember that a few minutes hitting the book will benefit you in the long run. But after 90-120 minutes it may be time to put the pencil down, close your laptop, and call it a night.

Aha!NOW

Best Gift Ideas for Cooks and Kitchen Enthusiasts 2024

Kids sitting in a cargo bike

Beyond Three Wheels: Elevating Your Family Lifestyle with Trendy Cargo Bicycles

Business heads shaking hands in a successful meeting in the office.

Launching Your Way to Success: Key Ingredients for a Thriving Business

Two pics of an employee working in office and home in hybrid work job

Hybrid Work, Smarter Spending: How to Maximize Savings for Businesses

  • your relationship
  • young adults
  • Yaro Starak
  • writing style

3 Reasons Why Doing Homework is a Waste of Time

' src=

Table of Contents

Not a sign of intelligence, doesn’t make much sense, makes you miss the motivation wave, wrapping up.

Students are often burdened with doing homework assignments that get the better of them and their valuable time. However, it is also possible for these students to use this time instead for doing other productive tasks or even for intended procrastination, which may in-turn help increase productivity. Here’s a viewpoint on why doing homework is a waste of time and how to use this time to better your productivity. ~ Ed. 

Do you know people who always have tons of motivation to do homework ?

I haven’t come across such people. Though there might be a few, I guess majority want to avoid doing homework.

Me too! But it turns out that it`s okay to be a bit lazy. It’s okay not to have motivation for doing homework.

Let me bring it down real quick. It is okay to have zero desire to do homework and to procrastinate for hours instead of being all energetic and productive.

No, it doesn’t mean that you’re lazy or foolish; this phenomenon has many explanations. But the thing you’ve got to remember for sure is that it is fine if you can’t catch up with the A-students.

First and foremost, you’ve got to face reality here. How important are the grades for you?

If you want to receive a grand to get a master’s degree in another country, then, of course, grades are important. When all you need is a diploma which you will proudly hand over to your mom and never use it again, then you have the right to dedicate some time to procrastination .

Don’t you dare to think that I’m trying to lure you into the world of drop-outs and couch potatoes? I only want you to learn how to set your priorities right.

Success in life cannot be determined by the number of essays that you wrote at the university. You may not even write them at all. The simplest way to avoid all that stress is by addressing a good homework doer service.

I’m going to calm down your stressed out nervous system and conscience, and tell you why you shouldn’t be all anxious about having zero motivation to do homework.

But before we do that, please note that such an emotional state when you have little desire to do anything, not just your homework, may be a sign of such serious mental condition as clinical depression. So, please be careful with that and never hesitate to ask for professional help.

Okay, so as per my thoughts, here are the three main reasons why doing homework is a waste of time:

As I’ve mentioned above, a state of procrastination doesn’t necessarily point out to your inability to study.

A scientific study reports that people who have a higher intellectual level tend to procrastinate more . Just don’t perceive this information as an excuse for your social media addiction, it doesn’t work this way. How is that even related?

It’s believed that very smart people are thinking all the time, even without realizing it. They have very active brain activity, and they may even try to solve the world issues on the subconscious level.

The moments of procrastination are highly important for people of this type. It gives their brains a chance to cool off and relax a little bit. Because, yes, our brain does get tired from time to time, and it can switch off your concentration and attention when it feels like having a little rest so that you can go on with all the thinking processes.

No matter how much you love studying, and no matter how great your university is, still there is no way of avoiding some absurd and senseless assignments. You have no idea why you would do this or why such a huge piece of work is assessed with so few points.

Your logic isn’t as dead as you may think. It’s still somewhere in there, and it can give you a hint that you really shouldn’t do this task because it’s nothing but a complete waste of time. Of course, you lose any kind of motivation with such assignment.

Don’t worry. Just think whether this homework will have a big impact on your final score and then make a decision.

One of the biggest mistakes that you can do while feeling all down and unmotivated is looking at other people, who seem extremely productive and compare your pitiful self to those walking energizers.

We all may feel that way from time to time – mainly because our powers aren’t infinite. We get tired and worn out. So, just stop sobbing and go out for a walk. You’ll be surprised how inspirational one single stroll around the town can be. Your demotivation just a phase, and you’ve got to get over it.

And while you’re still in the moment when you can get nothing done, make a list of activities and tasks that you need to finish.

Then you have to learn how to be a surfboarder. No need to buy a ticket to Australia, you just need to learn how to catch the waves. One “wave of motivation,” to be precise.

Have you noticed that sometimes the feeling of productivity and endless energy rushes through your veins, and you just get everything done in no time?

Congrats, you`re just an average human being. You need to learn how to spot those moments of motivation and get as much work done as it’s humanly possible.

And when you have a day or two of no motivation at all, you won’t feel so frustrated because you know for sure that the productivity will eventually come back.

Doing homework is not a sign of intelligence. It’s okay to procrastinate at times if it helps you relax and solve bigger issues.

If you think your homework doesn’t make much sense or it’s not worth spending your valuable time that you can use elsewhere for more worthy tasks, then you may think of using any homework services.

Missing out on the homework may give you the opportunity not to miss the motivation wave that can help you become more productive .

Over to you –

Have you ever felt that doing homework is a waste of time? Share in the comments.

Disclaimer: The views expressed are entirely of the author.

Disclaimer: Though the views expressed are of the author’s own, this article has been checked for its authenticity of information and resource links provided for a better and deeper understanding of the subject matter. However, you're suggested to make your diligent research and consult subject experts to decide what is best for you. If you spot any factual errors, spelling, or grammatical mistakes in the article, please report at [email protected] . Thanks.

  • procrastination

' src=

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Poster displaying 7 ways to feel strong postpartum

7 Ways to Feel Strong Postpartum

  • Self Improvement

Image showing how to optimize your life for more happiness and success

How to Optimize Your Life for More Happiness and Success

Related posts.

How to Find Quality Homework and Assignment Services Online

How to Find Quality Homework and Assignment Services Online

How to write, market, and publish your first book

How to Write, Market, and Publish Your First Book

A writer writing happily to win contest

3 Secrets to Winning a Writing Contest

College student using essay writing services to save time

How Essay Writing Services Help Save Time and Why You Should Use Them

My Homework Done

Expert Writing Services

  • How It Works
  • Buy homework
  • Ace my homework
  • Homework writers
  • Homework help
  • Assignment writing
  • Homework Solutions
  • Homework Answers
  • No Need To Study
  • High school
  • McGraw-Hill Connect
  • Myaccountinglab
  • Precalculus
  • Word Problem
  • Computer Science
  • Language arts
  • Engineering
  • Biochemistry
  • Microbiology

Homework is easy with expert tips and advice. And even easier when you have an expert to do it for you.

My Homework Done

Is Homework A Waste of Time? Let’s Find Out!

Is Homework a Waste of Time

Table of Contents

The is homework a waste of time debate, why homework is a waste of time, why is it good to do homework, does homework prevent family time.

So, is homework a waste of time? As a student, you are probably wondering why you need to complete so many school chores every day. The truth is that high school and college students get a lot of homework weekly. In many cases, you need to study during the weekends when you should spend time with your family and friends. And let’s not forget that there are times when you need to spend several nights working on a difficult research paper.

It’s no wonder you consider that homework is a waste of time. Did you know that the is homework a waste of time debate has been going on for years? You are not the only one doubting the efficacy of an education system based on homework. Let’s discuss this in more detail.

The debate about whether homework should be required in schools has been going on for years. There are a lot of homework debate pros and cons. Even teachers and parents have reacted and contributed with their points of view to this debate. And yes, there is even a should homework be banned debate.

In many cases, both teachers and parents have agreed that students get too much homework to do at certain times. The truth of the matter is that some professors don’t care about their students’ workload. They don’t realize that students have to complete various school chores for most of their other classes. It’s no wonder many students end up spending night after night working on their essays and research papers. The homework debate is getting hotter every year.

But how is homework a waste of time? We can’t defend homework entirely, even if we do agree that it is beneficial in some cases. We have to think about why the ban homework debate is so intense. And there are certain things that make homework a waste of time. Here are some of them:

  • According to scientific studies, it looks like people with a high intellectual level tend to procrastinate more. If you don’t do your homework or if you rush it, you usually get a low grade. And a low grade usually suggests an inability to study, therefore a lower intellectual level. As you can see, homework does not accurately reflect a student’s intelligence . This is the main reason why homework is a waste of time.
  • Why do teachers give homework? It’s easier to hand out homework than it is to make sure your students understand the subject matter during class hours. However, a students who didn’t understand much won’t usually be able to complete the homework without some form of help.
  • Some of the assignments are pointless, plain and simple . They simply don’t make sense. They won’t help you in your academic career or in life in any way. This is one of the things that come up frequently in the banning homework debate. It points to the fact that some homework is really a waste of the student’s time.

Now that you know about some of the things that make homework somewhat useless, it’s time to take a look at some of the benefits of homework. Why is it good to do homework? There are plenty of pros to getting some homework (perhaps not as much as you currently receive though). Here are some of them:

  • Organizing your homework time helps you improve your organizational skills . You will learn how to organize your time so that you can finish each assignment on time. You will also have to learn how to split a large assignment into smaller parts and then work on each part in an organized manner. These skills will help you immensely when you get your first job.
  • Why do i have to do my homework? One of the main benefits of doing homework is that you can learn the subject matter a lot faster . It helps you remember important things that you will need to know to take top grades on your future tests.
  • Is homework a waste of time? Sometime it is not. Homework sometimes teaches you how to solve difficult problems in the most efficient manner . Problem solving skills will prove to be very useful in life, as you will surely find out at some point in the future.

But does homework prevent family time? In some cases, yes, homework can interfere with family time. Some students can even go into a depression. Spending night after night working on your homework and not spending enough time with your friends and family can have negative effects on your mental health. This is the reasons why many students ask us the “why can’t i do my homework” question.

At times, homework is useless. We really agree that part of the dreaded homework debate is accurate: students sometimes receive too many school assignments. They are swamped. They are overwhelmed. Even though there are many benefits to doing homework, school chores should not prove to be such an unbearable burden.

The Best Time to Do Homework

How much time should be spent on homework each night? We hear this question a lot lately. The problem is that you shouldn’t even be asking this question. The night is not meant for study. It is meant for rest. The best time to do homework is during the morning (during the weekends, of course). If you have school in the morning, you can work on your homework in the afternoon or even the evening.

What’s the average time spent on homework by grade? There is no set figure, but on average high school students get 10 to 14 hours’ worth of homework every week. College students are often looking at 20+ hours per week. This is quite a lot, so you should consider getting some help from our homework helpers , if you need some assistance with more complex essays and research papers.

How To Analyse Artwork

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Engineer Your Finances

Engineer Your Finances

15 Reasons Why College Is Not a Waste of Time and Money

Posted: February 5, 2024 | Last updated: February 5, 2024

<p>College is a significant investment of time and money, and in recent years, the value of higher education has been a topic of debate. However, there are numerous compelling reasons why college is not a waste. In this listicle, we’ll explore 15 reasons why pursuing a college education can be a wise and fulfilling choice.</p>

College is a significant investment of time and money, and in recent years, the value of higher education has been a topic of debate. However, there are numerous compelling reasons why college is not a waste. In this listicle, we’ll explore 15 reasons why pursuing a college education can be a wise and fulfilling choice.

<ul> <li><strong><a href="https://www.engineeryourfinances.com/frugal-tips-from-the-grandparents-generation-that-still-apply-today/">20 Frugal Tips From the “Grandparents Generation” That Still Apply Today </a></strong></li> <li><strong><a href="https://www.engineeryourfinances.com/wise-money-saving-purchases-to-consider/">15 Wise Money-Saving Purchases to Consider To Save Money This Year</a></strong></li> </ul>

1. It Can Be Done Affordably

Starting a higher education journey at a community college is a cost-effective approach. Community colleges typically have lower tuition fees, allowing students to complete their first two years of coursework at a lower cost and then transfer to a four-year university, saving money while still earning a valuable degree.

<p>There’s no good reason behind the cost of college textbooks being so high. Paying $150 to $200 for a book is ridiculous no matter what’s in it. And often, this is the cost just for the digital version.</p>

2. It’s a Great Way to Learn and Develop

College provides a unique environment where you can immerse yourself in subjects you are passionate about. This fosters intellectual growth and allows you to explore in-depth issues, expanding your knowledge and horizons.

<p>It’s not as easy as it is in the movies. After you finish your schooling, you may have trouble getting interviews. It can take months even to get an interview for the type of job you need. It takes a lot of work and patience to get a job.</p>

3. Many Jobs Require a College Degree

Many professions require at least a college degree as a minimum qualification. A degree opens up a wider range of career prospects and can be essential for specific job opportunities.

<p>College education involves challenging coursework and thought-provoking discussions. This environment helps develop critical thinking abilities, preparing you to analyze and solve complex problems in the real world.</p>

4. College Teaches Critical Thinking Skills

College education involves challenging coursework and thought-provoking discussions. This environment helps develop critical thinking abilities, preparing you to analyze and solve complex problems in the real world.

<p>The perceived need to have an opinion on every major issue has been noted. While some feel pressured to weigh in, others advocate for the right to reserve judgment until fully informed.</p>

5. It Teaches You How to Collaborate

Collaborative projects and group work in college teach valuable teamwork and interpersonal skills. These skills are highly transferable and are essential in every profession.

<p>Effective communication is a crucial life skill. College courses and interactions with professors and classmates provide opportunities to improve your communication skills, which are valuable personally and professionally.</p>

6. You’ll Learn Communication Skills

Effective communication is a crucial life skill. College courses and interactions with professors and classmates provide opportunities to improve your communication skills, which are valuable personally and professionally.

<p>Make sure your job knows your value; learn about how to ask for a raise and just go for it.</p>

7. College Degrees Usually Equate to Higher Salaries

Statistically, individuals with college degrees tend to earn higher yearly salaries and opportunities for bonuses. This financial benefit justifies the investment in higher education.

<p>College campuses are known for their diversity and inclusivity. Attending college provides opportunities to interact with people from various backgrounds, broadening cultural awareness and fostering tolerance and understanding.</p>

8. Exposure to Different Cultures

College campuses are known for their diversity and inclusivity. Attending college provides opportunities to interact with people from various backgrounds, broadening cultural awareness and fostering tolerance and understanding.

<p>Statistically, college grads earn more over their lifetimes. That’s an average, though. Many people learn a trade or start a business and end up earning more than the average college grad does.</p>

9. College Graduates Earn More in Their Lifetime

Beyond immediate earning potential, college graduates tend to accumulate significantly more wealth over their lifetime. This long-term financial advantage is a compelling reason to pursue higher education.

<p>Higher education goes beyond job qualifications. It encourages the exploration of big ideas, philosophies, and intellectual discussions. This enhances your cognitive abilities and deepens your understanding of the world.</p>

10. Intellectual Growth and Understanding

Higher education goes beyond job qualifications. It encourages the exploration of big ideas, philosophies, and intellectual discussions. This enhances your cognitive abilities and deepens your understanding of the world.

<p>Being the first in your family to attend and complete a degree program can be a generational breakthrough. It sets an example for younger family members, inspiring them to pursue higher education and potentially breaking cycles of limited opportunities.</p>

11. For Some, It’s a Generational Breakthrough

Being the first in your family to attend and complete a degree program can be a generational breakthrough. It sets an example for younger family members, inspiring them to pursue higher education and potentially breaking cycles of limited opportunities.

<p>When billionaires seek out opportunities and plan for the future, they’re not trying to achieve mediocrity. They want the best outcomes and aren’t afraid to work and struggle to get there.</p>

12. A Degree Helps You Advance Faster in Your Career

Having a degree often accelerates career progression. It can open doors to promotions and leadership roles, as many employers value the skills and knowledge acquired through higher education.

<p>Asking for the job directly at the end of an interview might seem too eager and out of step with modern hiring norms. Companies typically have set processes for recruitment, and rushing to the end can be off-putting for them.</p>

13. More Job Opportunities

A college degree broadens your career options. It makes you eligible for a broader range of job opportunities in various industries, increasing your chances of finding a fulfilling career.

<p>Networking isn’t optional, and it isn’t something that you can be finished with. Billionaires are always networking and building relationships. Relationships are essential to a successful business.</p>

14. Network Building

College provides an excellent platform to build a professional network. Your connections with professors, classmates, and alumni can be invaluable for future career opportunities, collaborations, and mentorship.

<p>Turn your expertise in a subject or field into extra income as a teacher at a community college. Sometimes you need a master’s degree for this, but there are a lot of cases where a bachelor’s and relevant experience are sufficient.</p>

15. Personal Growth and Accomplishment

Completing a degree is a significant personal achievement. College offers a journey of personal growth, self-discovery, and accomplishment that extends beyond the classroom. It instills a sense of pride and self-confidence in graduates.

<p>Many people who grew up poor don’t exactly want to display this information for the world to see. However, it can come out in a wide range of behaviors that make it obvious that the person grew up lower class or in poverty.</p> <p>Many people have habits that they picked up during those years that they haven’t let go of yet.</p>

  • 15 Behaviors That Are a Dead Giveaways Someone Grew up Poor 
  • 15 Things People Waste Way Too Much Money On 

More for You

donald trump town hall

Aileen Cannon Blocks Donald Trump Lawyers' Legal Plan

Trumps New York fraud trial ruling will likely have impacts on the Empire States property values, Cardone Capitals Grant Cardone said on

Real estate investor will ‘immediately discontinue’ working in NYC over Trump verdict, eying Florida, Texas

Greene's Controversial Statements

Marjorie Taylor Greene Faces Backlash Over Calling Admiral Rachel Levine “A Mentally Ill Man”

Opinion: America is facing a threat of biblical proportion: The rise of Christian nationalism

Opinion: America is facing a threat of biblical proportion: The rise of Christian nationalism

undefined

Wisconsin school district releases tape of Black superintendent's comments that led to resignation

The huge map mistake that changed the look of the US and went uncorrected for years

The huge map mistake that changed the look of the US and went uncorrected for years

Opinion: Fox News was never a real news network

Opinion: This overshadowed Trump ruling may be the one that matters most

Relatives and friends wave goodbye to a train carrying 1,500 people being expelled from Los Angeles back to Mexico on Aug. 20, 1931. (Photo by NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images)

The president who deported 1 million Mexican Americans nearly a century ago

Mike Lindell

Mike Lindell's Financial Troubles Just Got Worse

Dems turn to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to weaken Larry Hogan’s surprise Senate bid

Dems turn to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to weaken Larry Hogan’s surprise Senate bid

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 16: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on the introduction of the “Respect for the Second Amendment Act” at the U.S. Capitol March 16, 2022 in Washington, DC. The act as introduced is intended to

Russia classifies Sen Lindsey Graham as a 'terrorist' after reaction to Navalny death

Hydeia Broadbent

Hydeia Broadbent, Prominent HIV/AIDS Activist, Dies at 39

3 things to never do at work, according to an HR professional with 10 years' worth of experience

3 things to never do at work, according to an HR professional with 10 years' worth of experience

How to Spot a Credit Card Skimmer at Gas Pumps and Avoid Getting Scammed

How to Spot a Credit Card Skimmer at Gas Pumps and Avoid Getting Scammed

Aftermath of Israeli Airstrikes on Rafah

Brazil’s Holocaust Remarks Turn G-20 Into High-Stakes Affair

Tenn Gov. Bill Lee will strengthen background checks, calls for ‘order of protection’ law

Tennessee governor signs bill allowing public officials to refuse to perform same-sex marriages

Donald Trump

Donald Trump Wants to Negotiate With Judge Engoron

Republicans dismiss questions on ex-informant’s indictment

Republicans dismiss questions on ex-informant’s indictment

I have $1.5 million in stocks and bonds. I asked my broker to convert my bonds to cash. He didn’t and my portfolio fell by $100,000. Can I sue?

I have $1.5 million in stocks and bonds. I asked my broker to convert my bonds to cash. He didn’t and my portfolio fell by $100,000. Can I sue?

Ukraine hit a company of Russian troops with HIMARS while they waited around for a visiting general

Ukraine hit a company of Russian troops with HIMARS while they waited around for a visiting general

IMAGES

  1. The truth about homework and why it might be a complete waste of time

    homework is a waste of time

  2. 3 Reasons Why Doing Homework is a Waste of Time

    homework is a waste of time

  3. Homework is a waste of time, new studies say

    homework is a waste of time

  4. Homework is a waste of time website

    homework is a waste of time

  5. Is Homework a Waste of Students’ Time? Study Finds It’s the Biggest

    homework is a waste of time

  6. Why Doing All of Your Homework is a Waste of Time

    homework is a waste of time

VIDEO

  1. Homework Is Totally Waste🤮

  2. waste my time! 🤬 #lol #money #mad #viral #hustle

COMMENTS

  1. Is Homework a Waste of Time? Teachers Weigh In

    Is Homework a Waste of Time? Teachers Weigh In By Marina Whiteleather — April 08, 2022 5 min read Ridofranz/iStock The debate over homework rages on.

  2. Is homework a waste of time?

    The author argues that homework is not effective, stressful and outdated, and proposes a personalised and guided approach for students at ACS Egham. He compares homework with Finland's education system, which has no homework for students aged seven or younger. He also highlights the benefits of I-Inquiry projects for students' skills development.

  3. Why does homework exist?

    "Some homework is a genuine waste of time and requires lots of resources for no good reason. And other homework is really useful." Cutting homework has to be part of a larger strategy

  4. More than two hours of homework may be counterproductive, research

    In places where students attend high-performing schools, too much homework can reduce their time to foster skills in the area of personal responsibility, the researchers concluded. "Young people are spending more time alone," they wrote, "which means less time for family and fewer opportunities to engage in their communities." Student perspectives

  5. Homework is a waste of time, new studies say

    Sept. 6, 2013, 7:38 AM PDT By TODAY A new group of studies finds that homework in a variety of subjects has little impact on test grades, although math homework was the exception to the...

  6. Homework: Useful Teaching Tool or Waste of Time?

    Homework: Useful Teaching Tool or Waste of Time? By Jen Goggins May 18, 2021 Contents Helpful or harmful? How is homework helpful? Does homework promote learning? Downsides of homework Should students have homework? Stress free homework tips Homework. How can one little word cause so much trouble?

  7. Is Homework a Waste of Students' Time? Study Finds It's the ...

    According to a new study, conducted by the Better Sleep Council, that homework stress is the biggest source of frustration for teens, with 74 percent of those surveyed ranking it the highest,...

  8. Is homework beneficial or just a waste of time?

    Is homework beneficial or just a waste of time? Ashlyn Kuhn March 16, 2021 After online school, most students have not had as of good grades as they would have over a regular school year. Is more homework really helping those students?

  9. Is Homework a Waste of Time?

    Is Homework a Waste of Time? Kate Shuster. Heinemann-Raintree Library, 2008 - Education - 56 pages. These titles encourage critical thinking and debate by providing case studies, historical contexts, and individual opinions on each issue. Readers are encouraged to think and express themselves independently, evaluatively, and critically.

  10. Why Homework Is a Waste of Time

    Homework is a waste of time. It takes the enjoyment out of school and it takes up teacher time. Students need more free time for other activities such as sports, homework takes it away from...

  11. Is homework a waste of time for primary school children?

    Calling for its abolition for this age group, the motion at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers conference in Liverpool states that, "homework in the primary school is a waste of children's ...

  12. Homework is a Waste of Time

    Homework is a Waste of Time. Homework isn't helping kids improve, it's dragging them down. A canva graphic showing an example of a kids phone after a week of school. Sitting at the dinner table till 10 or 11 pm just doing some of your homework. Taking hours to finish some math when you still have an essay to write.

  13. Study Finds Homework Is the Biggest Cause of Teen Stress

    Is Homework a Waste of Students' Time? Study Finds It's the Biggest Cause of Teen Stress As the debate over the need for homework continues, a new study found that it's the biggest cause...

  14. The great homework debate

    There's no doubt about the importance of the home-learning environment for children's education but battling over homework makes that a very negative place, she says. However, it's too ...

  15. Homework is a waste of time

    Is homework a waste of time? Mark London, marketing manager at ACS International Schools, explains why ACS Egham has dropped 'traditional' homework across its lower years (ages 4-11), replacing it with a more personalised approach. Mark London. 13 April 2017. In the UK, regular homework is set across most subjects by almost all schools.

  16. The truth about homework and why it might be a complete waste of time

    http://www.kidsinthehouse.com/elementary/education/studying-and-homeworkDenise Pop, PhD talks about how homework in our schools might be a waste of time for ...

  17. Homework is a Waste of Time

    Homework is a Waste of Time Nailah Spencer Ava Obrock, Olivia Stults, Viviana Buzzelli, and Caitlyn Blasch work on homework during the school day. Nailah Spencer, ReporterOctober 26, 2018 Kids at West Middle School say Homework is a waste of time! Did you know that West Middle School does not require teachers to give out homework to students?

  18. Is Homework A Waste of Time?

    Is Homework A Waste of Time? You just had what seemed like the longest day of your life. You walk into your room after a rough day of classes. You took two tests that you didn't do so hot on and you are exhausted. All you want to do is relax for a little bit, but you can't. Why?

  19. 3 Reasons Why Doing Homework is a Waste of Time

    3 Reasons Why Doing Homework is a Waste of Time Students are often burdened with doing homework assignments. But, it is possible to use this time instead for doing other productive tasks or even for intended procrastination, which may in-turn help increase productivity.

  20. Is Homework A Waste Of Time? Why Is Homework Important

    Table of Contents The Is Homework a Waste of Time Debate Why Homework Is a Waste of Time? Why Is It Good to Do Homework Does Homework Prevent Family Time? So, is homework a waste of time? As a student, you are probably wondering why you need to complete so many school chores every day.

  21. Homework is a complete waste of time : r/unpopularopinion

    r/popularopinion. roseberypub. • 3 yr. ago. Actually, homework, if set correctly, isn't a waste of time. Homework should give you the ability to practice skills that are required in your exams, as well as allow you to get feedback prior regularly prior to the exams to make sure you're on the right track.

  22. Homework Is A Waste Of Time

    Homework Is A Waste Of Time 854 Words4 Pages In every student's life, work has to be done. Whether it's in school, university or even at home. Many students nowadays spend hours on end working on homework, and we know what they think about it; boring. In fact many students today claim it's useless and a waste of time, but is it? I think otherwise.

  23. 15 Reasons Why College Is Not a Waste of Time and Money

    7 Popular Majors That Leave Grads Struggling to Earn $50,000. The HEA Group analyzed data for popular college majors and found seven of the top 10 averaged under $50,000 in earnings four years ...

  24. Natasha Ferrier on Instagram: "Why do I insist on breathwork techniques

    34 likes, 4 comments - nferrierpt on May 8, 2023: "Why do I insist on breathwork techniques? Why do I programme postural techniques for a daily pra..."