Study Reveals Kids Are Being Assigned Too Much Homework

Though school can be a completely different experience depending on the type of student you are, one thing rings true for almost anyone navigating the perils of institutionalized learning: homework sucks. In addition to extending the school day past the time actually spent in the classroom, it cuts into the time available to students who may want to do other things with their supposed "free" time.

Both the National PTA and the National Education Association agree that homework should follow the ten-minute rule: each child should be given around ten minutes of homework per grade level. To put this into perspective, a first grader should be assigned ten minutes of homework per day, a sixth grader an hour, and a senior in high school two hours.

However, a recent study, published by The American Journal of Family Therapy revealed that students are being assigned way more homework than the rule suggests. The study was conducted through questionnaires given to more than 1,100 parents of K-12 students.

One of the more shocking findings showed that kindergarteners, who experts say should not be assigned any homework, were sometimes being assigned the same amount recommended for third graders. Equally disturbing was the revelation that most first graders were being assigned triple the recommended amount.

Although the idea of a first grader spending thirty minutes on their homework may not seem all that horrible at first, it is particularly scary when additional information is taken into account. According to Stephanie Donaldson-Pressman, one of the contributing editors of the study (who is also a clinical director of the New England Center for Pediatric Psychology), homework that exceeds the recommended amount can be "detrimental to [students'] attitude about school, their grades, their self-confidence, their social skills, and their quality of life."

So there you have it, kids. Scientific proof that your teachers are wrong and you shouldn't listen to them.

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