Homework isn’t a needless exercise: Reasonable, quality assignments expand on topics and skills taught in the classroom and — in the big picture — help develop lifelong learning habits.
Teachers use homework:
- To help students understand and review the work that has been covered in class
- To see whether students understand the lesson
- To help students learn how to find and use more information on a subject
- To teach responsibility and routine.
Most educators agree:
- For children in grades K-2, homework is more effective when it does not exceed 20 minutes each school day
- Older children, in grades 3-6, can handle 30-60 minutes a day
- For kids in middle and high school, 2 hours of homework may be assigned
- However, homework time and strategies can vary from teacher to teacher and school to school.
HELP YOUR STUDENT GET THE MOST OUT OF HOMEWORK
Parents and families play an important role in the homework process. Together, families can help children develop good study habits and attitudes that lead to becoming lifelong learners. Your job is not to do the work for them, but to provide support, encouragement and ask questions that help them arrive at the answers themselves.
Your child’s teacher can tell you, usually at Back-to-School Night, how much time he or she expects students to spend on homework. Your child’s teacher may have a website or other resource that posts homework assignments.
Your child’s school may have an online grading system, which allows parents to check their child’s grades, attendance and homework status on a daily basis. This can be an invaluable source of information that allows you to keep on top of any issues before they become problems.
Ask your principal, school site council or PTA if your school or district has a homework policy, including how to handle homework if your child needs to be absent. Make sure you and your child know and understand this policy.
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QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
California State PTA believes that, when it comes to homework, assignment quality — not quantity — should be the priority. Find out more with our resolution.