There seems to be quite a buzz out there about the homework coming, er, home with your kindergartners. So how much homework does your child get? Is it too much? Do you (and they) groan when it’s time to do homework?
My informal research suggests that most people are surprised that their kindergartner has to sit down and do homework every night. And for some, it’s already a nightly fight.
According to Sara Bennet, author of The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It
The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Our Children and What We Can Do About It,
there is almost no evidence that homework helps elementary school students achieve academic success and little evidence that it helps older students.
The Washington Post’s education reporter Jay Matthews even concedes that,
research shows little need for any homework in elementary school.
However, I would suggest reading the rest of his excellent article, which picks apart the anti-homework book’s research somewhat, adding,
For two decades I have been writing about inner city middle and high schools that have significantly increased student achievement. I have yet to encounter any of those programs that did not insist that school work extend significantly beyond the normal school day.
So how much do you worry about your kindergartner’s homework. Do you see any value in the act of sitting down to do a little home-study every day, or do you just resent the time it takes? Do you think it’s worth a fight if, once in a while, your kindergartner melts down and refuses to do their homework? Do you and your child love homework?
What are your opinions and your strategies for coping?
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