Are you and your child suffering through hours of homework every night? Is it helping him to become a better student? Many experts and parents are starting to question that. An article in last week’s Time Magazine (September 4, 2006) listed some startling facts:

• A study done in 2004 showed that the amount of time spent on homework was up 51% since 1981.
• The study showed that children ages 6-8 had an average of 52 minutes’ worth of homework every week in 1981 and that average had jumped to 128 minutes by 1997.
• Further studies have shown that homework does not measurably improve academic achievement for elementary school students, and may in fact bring diminishing returns at all age levels.
• Teachers in many nations that outperform us in student achievement tests, such as Japan and Denmark, tend to assign less homework. Teachers in low-scoring countries tend to assign more homework. Hmmm…

Navigating homework with a special needs child is a bit like swimming in shark-infested waters. Parenting a child with disabilities and knowing how to teach that child are often two different things, so assisting them with homework can be extremely frustrating for both parent and child. For children who process things slower than the “norm”, that 128 minutes can easily double or triple. Fatigue sets in. Some children, especially those with emotional disorders, can become incredibly oppositional, making homework time a true battleground.

The therapists who work with LuLu have always advised us to avoid homework battles and to establish early on with the school that we, the parents, will not be responsible for unfinished homework. We will provide a quiet place, a set time and be available to answer questions. But we will not engage in battles, do the work for her, or insist she stay up until it’s finished. For the most part, LuLu’s homework from the public school usually got done. But she was assigned a minimal amount.

I could see, though, how a teacher who did assign a great deal of homework would easily frustrate my daughter and it could have ended up being a true battle—either between me and LuLu at home or me and the school, if they insisted upon the homework.

Now that school is at home, we do all our school work during a set time, mostly. And I don’t assign homework, except an occasional science lesson with Dad or leaving her to alphabetize her spelling words with big sis the other night because we didn’t get it done.

So what do you think? Is homework important? Helpful? Harmful? Two books were referenced in the Time article: The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn and The Case Against Homework by Sara Bennett & Nancy Kalish. Both warrant a look to consider that piling on the homework may be more than just a waste of children and parents’ time…it may be harmful.

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