Is homework actually beneficial for students?
Whether we like it or not, homework is something that we’ll never get rid of. It may be tedious, boring and repetitive at times, but without homework, we wouldn’t have many places to apply our learning outside the classroom. It’s also hard to deny its positive impact on school and education as a whole.
Some benefits of homework include improving student achievements and reinforcing classroom learning, as well as giving students study habits and skills that are useful to students, like meeting deadlines, forming a schedule and challenging themselves academically.
According to a 2006 Duke University study led by professor Harris Cooper, homework improves standardized test scores for students in all grades. According to Cooper, “With only rare exceptions, the relationship between the amount of homework students do and their achievement outcomes was found to be positive and statistically significant.” Those good test scores could lead to better chances at achieving higher education and landing a better paying job.
However, every rose has its thorns, and homework is no stranger to those thorns. One of the biggest things I have an issue with homework is the amount assigned to students. I’ve had multiple nights where I had to cram studying for finals and homework and in turn went through massive amounts of sleep deprivation. Not only was I deprived of sleep, but stressed out, worrying if any of the work I did was good enough, causing multiple panic attacks on many different occasions.
In an article written by education expert Alfie Kohn, she states, “Kids should have a chance to just be kids… it’s absurd to insist that children must be engaged in constructive activities right up until their heads hit the pillow.”
“[Homework is] tiring. I get home from work and I dread doing homework,” said Liam McFadyen ‘24.
Homework might be tiring, but the ability to improve how students apply and retain the information gained from classwork are one of the most important things a student can learn. According to Abby Freireich and Brian Platzer, the co-founders of Teachers Who Tutor NYC, “At-home assignments help students learn the material taught in class. Students require independent practice to internalize new concepts… [And] these assignments can provide valuable data for teachers about how well students understand the curriculum.” Homework will always be a good benchmark for how well students are retaining the information taught in class, but also gives them a chance to internalize and further understand the concepts taught.
A lot of the foundation of education is built on the idea of homework and if we tore that base down, education as a whole would collapse. At the end of the day, homework is here to stay, and it’s probably for the best.
