The Homework Myth
Is there any educational value in homework? This question is popping up all over the country these days. The national emphasis on No Child Left Behind has generated a dramatic increase in the attention the media has paid to homework. But what have we really learned about the value of the hours of work often put in by students after their “official” day is done? According to Alfie Kohn, author of The Homework Myth, the accepted beliefs about homework are simply not based on entire studies, but on careful selection of parts of studies. Kohn asserts that there is little evidence to suggest that homework offers academic benefits for younger students and questions whether it is necessary for older ones. He even challenges the belief that homework promotes independence and good work habits.
The Homework Myth suggests that educators have confused quality with rigor and excellence with competitiveness. Kohn argues that standardized testing has prompted the need for additional homework and asserts that students who have parents at home who are willing and able to help have a major advantage over students who do not have help available to them.
Kohn is the author of several books on education and parenting, including Punished by Rewards and The Schools Our Children Deserve. Once again, the author sheds light on educations’ commitment to measuring by grades and a system of competition and rewards. In an era of NCLB and global measurement of student scores, The Homework Myth raises some interesting questions about the nature of quality education and the political movements that promote a system that may not be getting students any closer to receiving that quality education.