NEA News

The High School Teacher

Who Cancelled Homework.
While the national debate over homework continues, a teacher in
Wisconsin finds that his students learn better without it.

Regardless of where you stand on the issue, there's no doubt that the anti-
homework movement has been growing in the US. Homework is still an
important element in most classrooms, but many teachers are beginning to
question it’s value.
Some of them, convinced that homework is a waste of time and even
counterproductive, are choosing to remove it completely from the classrooms.
This decision is becoming less and less controversial with parents and academic
researchers.

There are many reasons why teachers now are more critical of homework. It’s
not only because homework has a questionable academic value, but also because
of its role as a stressor in students' lives. In particular, the practice of assigning
homework to elementary students has been widely criticized.

While most researchers agree that homework in elementary grades has no

benefit, many believe it can be useful, in moderation, in high school, particularly
in preparing students for college workloads.

But some high school educators are taking a different route. Christopher

Bronke, an English teacher at North High School just outside of Chicago,
recently cancelled homework completely in his 9th grade class. To Bronke, it
“just made sense.” “I got sick of many factors: overly stressed students, poor-
quality homework,” he explains. “They didn't have time for it, and very little
actual learning was happening. I made a very simple decision: I would rather get
through less material at a higher quality with less stress than keep giving
homework.
“The results have been great.  My kids are happy, healthy, and learning!”