HOMEWORK HASH OUT: Last August, 2nd grade teacher Brandy Young wrote a letter to parents proudly proclaiming she was banning homework from her classroom. The announcement struck a chord, going viral and receiving more than 70,000 shares on Facebook. More and more teachers have since followed the trend of adopting anti-homework policies. But not everyone is onboard. The most vocal critics? Parents themselves.
The New York Times reported this week that while some families have embraced a non-traditional approach to homework, others have voiced concerns over the burden of after-school enrichment being placed on them. A similar debate rages between academics: while education writer Alfie Kohn describes homework as “educational malpractice” and “an extremely effective way to extinguish children’s curiosity,” psychology professor Harris M. Cooper believes even elementary school students should get small doses of take-home work.
The Times takes a look at what the research has to say, and why the future may just be homework-free.
