Is Homework Working?
By Molly Hedrick, PhD
The Homework Battle Is Real
As a family therapist, I often find myself navigating homework battles between children and families. Parents have been asked to become more and more involved in their children’s homework and school life, as evidenced by various grade monitoring systems. Families are given the message that, in order to be good parents, they must be involved in every aspect of school. This is contrary to the stated goal of homework—mainly to increase responsibility. This is also contrary to research that suggests that students are less motivated to learn when they don’t have enough autonomy to do their homework.
Homework is NOT the Parent’s Responsibility
The goal of middle and high school students is to work towards independence and self-regulation. The only way they can do this is if parents allow them space to take responsibility for activities and let the consequences come from the school instead of home. This means your child might not do as well in a class. But this also means they have the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. If your child has special needs (mental health issues or learning disabilities for example) parents can certainly help advocate for support and accommodations. The message needs to be clear however—school is your teen’s responsibility—not yours.
Not all teens will excel or even be average at school. Academic achievement is often not related to future success. Your teen might do better with hands-on learning, a job, or opportunities for extracurricular activities. Providing your teen with as many opportunities to do well and feel good about themselves is much more important than a grade on an assignment.
Most importantly, the family system, especially in the early years, is the primary environment in which children learn to have healthy relationships. If evenings are spent arguing about school and homework, it is difficult to spend time enjoying your child and working on healthy communication that will be the foundation for your relationship with them.
These guidelines might be helpful for thinking about homework.
Elementary School Homework Guidelines:
The National PTA and the National Education Association recommend no more than 10 minutes of homework per grade. The main goal at this age is to foster a love of learning both inside and outside school.
If your child has homework and needs help, decide how much time you are invested in helping (I recommend no more than 30 minutes regardless of age).
Guide your child, but do not give them answers.
If your child is getting frustrated, encourage several breaks.
If it takes your child more than the allotted time, let them know that they have completed your expectations for the evening and it is up to them to decide if they want to continue, but you recommend they stop.
Middle School Homework Guidelines:
Research suggests that some homework is moderately beneficial during the middle school years (e.g., math homework can boost test scores). However, more than 90-100 minutes of homework per evening actually causes a decline in academic performance due to motivation and fatigue. Homework at this age is more about study skills and organization.
Help your teen set up an independent system for completing homework.
Help them set up a quiet space if necessary and brainstorm a routine that works with family and outside activities.
Let them know you are here to help if they ask, but that it is up to them to ask and ultimately up to them to track their grades.
Encourage them to do their best and talk to them and school if there are significant concerns.
High School Homework Guidelines:
Homework can be more beneficial to learning for high school students, as long as it is not too much and as long as quality is emphasized over quantity. More than two hours of homework per night can lead to physical and mental health problems such as anxiety and sleep deprivation.
This is really the time for parents to back off homework and grades entirely unless your teen comes and asks for support. If they hope to function in college or in a job independently, they are going to need to learn how to organize their time and learn from consequences outside the home.
Remember what you really value as a family and what you want your children to learn. How to get a good grade on a test---or how to be successful doing things they love, develop self-regulation skills, work on healthy relationships with you and others outside the home, and figure out what work/school-life balance means for them now and in the future?
DISCLAIMER:
The information, including but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material contained on this website are for informational purposes only. No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
If you or your child are in crisis or experiencing mental health problems please seek the advice of a licensed clinician or call 988 or Kids Link in Rhode Island.
Molly Hedrick, PhD
FOLLOW US FOR MORE:
RELATED ON THE BLOG:
