The importance of having homework everyday for students has been called into question for many decades and homework as we know it could possibly be ending soon.

Schools all over the country are eliminating homework because of students’ responsibilities outside of school, giving them time to rest instead of adding another task on their to-do lists. 

A survey by Stanford proved, “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.”

A major argument in this debate is that students have responsibilities outside of school that may be more important than unnecessary practice worksheets. Many students have a job, participate in clubs and sports, and have responsibilities at home that prevent them from having enough time to balance homework. This creates a problem when students are required to do sometimes hours of homework, interfering with the amount of time they have for other activities. 

In a study published by the Journal of Experimental Education, a survey showed that excessive homework is correlated with high stress levels, physical health problems and lack of balance in children’s lives. 56% of the students in the study cited homework as a primary stressor in their lives.

As students get older, the quantity, difficulty, and importance of homework increases.  Along with that, more pressure to make better grades are projected by parents and educators. This leads to increased levels of anxiety and stress which directly correlates to physical and mental struggles. Some of the stress leading to mental illnesses and life long stress can be combated by reducing the amount of pressure on developing young adults, starting with eliminating major loads of homework. 

In an article published by The Washington Post by Gerald K LeTendre, a professor in education policy studies at Penn State, states that, “Worldwide, homework is not associated with high national levels of academic achievement.” 

Another argument is that homework isn’t beneficial to students academically and is not proven to be linked to better test scores or grades. With the ability of asking teachers direct questions when needed taken away, it puts more pressure on students to just complete the homework instead of checking their understanding. Access to the internet and other resources available for students to cheat, no teacher can fully be sure that students are completing their own homework. 

To make a change in the national homework system, sign this petition.