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Poland’s kids rejoice over new rules against homework. Teachers and parents aren’t so sure

Ola Kozak, 11, sits at the table where she used to do her homework at the family home in Warsaw, Poland, Friday April 5, 2024. Ola is happy that Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. Julian enjoyed doing his homework. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Arkadiusz Korporowicz teaches history to 5th grade children at Primary School number 223 in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday April 3, 2024. Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday April 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Pawel Kozak and his wife Magda Kozak, parents of three, stand at their home in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, April 5, 2024. They have different opinions on the decision by Poland’s government that ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Children enter a classroom at the Primary School number 223 in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday April 3, 2024. Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Julian Kozak, 9, sits at the table where he used to do his homework at the family home in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday April 5, 2024. Julian is not very happy that Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Ola Kozak, 11, right, and her younger brother Julian Kozak, 9, sit at the table where they used to do their homework at the family home in Warsaw, Poland, Friday April 5, 2024. Ola is happy that Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. Julian enjoyed doing his homework. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Poland’s Education Minister Barbara Nowacka announces restrictions on the amount of homework for primary school children, at school number 223 in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday April 3, 2024. Opinions are divided on what results can be expected from the strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Pawel Kozak, father of three, speaks at his home in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, April 5, 2024. Pawel and her wife Magda have different opinions on the decision by Poland’s government that ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Magda Kozak, mother of three, stands at her home in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, April 5, 2024. Magda and her husband Pawel have different opinions on the decision by Poland’s government that ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Julian Kozak, 9, sits at the table where he used to do his homework at the family home in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, April 5, 2024. Julian is not very happy that Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Magda Kozak, right, spends time with her son Julian, 9, at their home in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, April 5, 2024. Neither of them is happy that starting in April, Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Children walk in the corridor of Primary School number 223 in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday April 3, 2024. Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Children with flowers wait for the arrival of Education Minister Barbara Nowacka at Primary School number 223 in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday April 3, 2024. Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades, starting in April. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Julian Kozak, 9, plays with his cat at their home in Warsaw, Poland, Friday, April 5, 2024. Starting in April, Poland’s government has ordered strict limits on the amount of homework that teachers can impose on the lower grades. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

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WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Ola Kozak is celebrating. The 11-year-old, who loves music and drawing, expects to have more free time for her hobbies after Poland’s government ordered strict limits on the amount of homework in the lower grades.

“I am happy,” said the fifth grader, who lives in a Warsaw suburb with her parents and younger siblings. The lilac-colored walls in her bedroom are covered in her art, and on her desk she keeps a framed picture she drew of Kurt Cobain.

“Most people in my class in the morning would copy the work off someone who had done the homework or would copy it from the internet. So it didn’t make sense,” she said.

The government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk enacted the ban against required homework this month amid a broad discussion about the need to modernize Poland’s education system, which critics say puts too much emphasis on rote learning and homework, and not enough on critical thinking and creativity.

Under the decree, teachers are no longer to give required homework to kids in the first to third grades. In grades four to eight, homework is now optional and doesn’t count towards a grade.

Not everyone likes the change – and even Ola’s parents are divided.

“If there is something that will make students enjoy school more, then it will probably be good both for the students and for the school,” said her father, Pawel Kozak.

His wife, Magda Kozak, was skeptical. “I am not pleased, because (homework) is a way to consolidate what was learned,” she said. “It helps stay on top of what the child has really learned and what’s going on at school.”

(Ola’s brother Julian, a third grader, says he sees both sides.)

Debates over the proper amount of homework are common around the globe. While some studies have shown little benefit to homework for young learners, other experts say it can help them learn how to develop study habits and academic concepts.

Poland’s educational system has undergone a number of controversial overhauls. Almost every new government has tried to make changes — something many teachers and parents say has left them confused and discouraged. For example, after communism was thrown off, middle schools were introduced. Then under the last government, the previous system was brought back. More controversy came in recent years when ultra-conservative views were pushed in new textbooks.

For years, teachers have been fleeing the system due to low wages and political pressure. The current government is trying to increase teacher salaries and has promised other changes that teachers approve of.

But Sławomir Broniarz, the head of the Polish Teachers’ Union, said that while he recognized the need to ease burdens on students, the new homework rules are another case of change imposed from above without adequate consultation with educators.

“In general, the teachers think that this happened too quickly, too hastily,” he said.

He argued that removing homework could widen the educational gaps between kids who have strong support at home and those from poorer families with less support and lower expectations. Instead, he urged wider changes to the entire curriculum.

The homework rules gained impetus in the runup to parliamentary elections last year, when a 14-year-old boy, Maciek Matuszewski, stood up at a campaign rally and told Tusk before a national audience that children “had no time to rest.” The boy said their rights were being violated with so much homework on weekends and so many tests on Mondays.

Tusk has since featured Matuszewski in social media videos and made him the face of the sudden change.

Education Minister Barbara Nowacka said she was prompted by research on children’s mental health. Of the various stresses children face, she said, “the one that could be removed fastest was the burden of homework.”

Pasi Sahlberg, a prominent Finnish educator and author, said the value of homework depends on what it is and how it is linked to overall learning. The need for homework can be “very individual and contextual.”

“We need to trust our teachers to decide what is good for each child,” Sahlberg said.

In South Korea, homework limits were set for elementary schools in 2017 amid concerns that kids were under too much pressure. However, teenagers in the education-obsessed country often cram long into the night and get tutoring to meet the requirements of demanding school and university admission tests.

In the U.S., teachers and parents decide for themselves how much homework to assign. Some elementary schools have done away with homework entirely to give children more time to play, participate in activities and spend time with families.

A guideline circulated by teachers unions in the U.S. recommends about 10 minutes of homework per grade. So, 10 minutes in first grade, 20 minutes in second grade and so on.

The COVID-19 pandemic and a crisis around youth mental health have complicated debates around homework. In the U.S., extended school closures in some places were accompanied by steep losses in learning , which were often addressed with tutoring and other interventions paid for with federal pandemic relief money. At the same time, increased attention to student wellbeing led some teachers to consider alternate approaches including reduced or optional homework.

It’s important for children to learn that mastering something “usually requires practice, a lot of practice,” said Sahlberg, in Finland. If reducing homework leads kids and parents to think school expectations for excellence will be lowered, “things will go wrong.”

AP writers Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, Michael Melia in Hartford, Connecticut, and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, contributed.

Homework Ban

• X (formerly Twitter)

NAT: Hey, Nat here, let's see what's making news. Poland has just banned homework. Yes, that's right no homework ever. For lower primary students anyway. Here's Wren.

DAKOTA: Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

JACK: Yeah. Let's move to Poland.

DAKOTA: No, let's make a mind control device so we can make the Prime Minister ban homework in Australia.

JACK: Okay.

Yep, over here in Poland, kids are here living the dream. Homework is now banned for students in years 1 to 3 and for students in years 4 to 8, it's optional and won't count towards grades.

OLA: I am happy because this homework, I did not like it too much and it didn't really make much sense because most people in my class, in the morning would copy it from someone who has done the homework.

JUILAN: It's a little bit uncool that there is no more homework. But when there is no homework, that's also rather cool.

The Polish government decided to make the big move. After a moment that went viral at a campaign rally in the lead up to the parliamentary elections were a 14-year-old decided to make a stand for all Polish kids.

MACIEK, PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENT: This is a general problem of Polish schools that children's rights are being violated. For example, the right to take some rest. There is homework to be done during weekends, tests on Mondays, and so much homework is given us that we find no time for rest.

A lot of people agreed with Maciek. Before the ban, Polish kids spent around 1.7 hours per day on homework, which is more than a lot of other countries, and some experts questioned whether or not it was doing any good.

BARBARA NOWACKA, POLISH EDUCATION MINISTER: When I read research regarding the mental health of children, their overload with learning, the reasons of depression, of tensions, stress, or loss of interest in learning, one of the factors, the one that could be removed fastest, was the burden of homework.

Some studies have shown that while homework can be handy for high school students in primary school it doesn't necessarily help you learn and it takes up time that could be better spent doing things like hanging out with friends, playing sport, or doing other creative stuff.

STUDENT: I don't mind it but I still feel like it's a waste of time.

STUDENT: Because you could do everything else? Like you could do exercise? You could, like, play games.

On the flipside, fans of homework say, it can be a good way of making sure all the stuff you've learnt at school sticks in your head, and getting your parents involved in your learning. It can also teach you how to work independently, and to help you get ready for high school and university.

STUDENT: You can research more, and you have more time to catch up.

STUDENT: My grades have gone up a lot because of doing homework.

Some parents and teachers in Poland aren't on board with the ban, which they say happened too quickly and without enough consultation. So, could something like this happen here? Well, right now it's not on the cards and it's up to schools to decide their own homework policies. Unless of course…

DAKOTA: Three, two, one. JACK: Did it work? DAKOTA: Probably not.

Recently the Polish government decided to ban homework in lower primary and make it optional in upper primary. It’s a move that’s been welcomed by many kids although not all adults think it’s a good idea. We find out more about the debate over homework and whether or not it helps kids to learn.

• Justina Ward, Reporter

BTN Classroom Episode 10, 2024

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Astronaut Training

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Homework Debate

Should Homework be banned? Newsround

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Poland’s children rejoice as homework is banned. The rest of the world watches on for results

Some studies have shown little benefit to homework for young learners, article bookmarked.

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Ola Kozak is celebrating. The 11-year-old, who loves music and drawing, expects to have more free time for her hobbies after Poland ’s government ordered strict limits on the amount of homework in the lower grades.

“I am happy,” said the fifth grader, who lives in a Warsaw suburb with her parents and younger siblings. The lilac-colored walls in her bedroom are covered in her art, and on her desk she keeps a framed picture she drew of Kurt Cobain.

“Most people in my class in the morning would copy the work off someone who had done the homework or would copy it from the internet. So it didn’t make sense,” she said.

The government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk enacted the ban against required homework this month amid a broad discussion about the need to modernise Poland's education system, which critics say puts too much emphasis on rote learning and homework, and not enough on critical thinking and creativity.

Under the decree, teachers are no longer to give required homework to kids in the first to third grades. In grades four to eight, homework is now optional and doesn't count towards a grade.

Not everyone likes the change – and even Ola’s parents are divided.

“If there is something that will make students enjoy school more, then it will probably be good both for the students and for the school,” said her father, Pawel Kozak.

His wife, Magda Kozak, was skeptical. “I am not pleased, because (homework) is a way to consolidate what was learned,” she said. “It helps stay on top of what the child has really learned and what’s going on at school.”

(Ola's brother Julian, a third grader, says he sees both sides.)

Debates over the proper amount of homework are common around the globe. While some studies have shown little benefit to homework for young learners, other experts say it can help them learn how to develop study habits and academic concepts.

The rest of the world will be watching Poland’s results closely.

Poland's educational system has undergone a number of controversial overhauls. Almost every new government has tried to make changes — something many teachers and parents say has left them confused and discouraged. For example, after communism was thrown off, middle schools were introduced. Then under the last government, the previous system was brought back. More controversy came in recent years when ultra-conservative views were pushed in new textbooks.

For years, teachers have been fleeing the system due to low wages and political pressure. The current government is trying to increase teacher salaries and has promised other changes that teachers approve of.

But Sławomir Broniarz, the head of the Polish Teachers' Union, said that while he recognized the need to ease burdens on students, the new homework rules are another case of change imposed from above without adequate consultation with educators.

“In general, the teachers think that this happened too quickly, too hastily,” he said.

He argued that removing homework could widen the educational gaps between kids who have strong support at home and those from poorer families with less support and lower expectations. Instead, he urged wider changes to the entire curriculum.

The homework rules gained impetus in the runup to parliamentary elections last year, when a 14-year-old boy, Maciek Matuszewski, stood up at a campaign rally and told Tusk before a national audience that children “had no time to rest.” The boy said their rights were being violated with so much homework on weekends and so many tests on Mondays.

Tusk has since featured Matuszewski in social media videos and made him the face of the sudden change.

Education Minister Barbara Nowacka said she was prompted by research on children’s mental health. Of the various stresses children face, she said, "the one that could be removed fastest was the burden of homework.”

Pasi Sahlberg, a prominent Finnish educator and author, said the value of homework depends on what it is and how it is linked to overall learning. The need for homework can be “very individual and contextual.”

“We need to trust our teachers to decide what is good for each child,” Sahlberg said.

In South Korea, homework limits were set for elementary schools in 2017 amid concerns that kids were under too much pressure. However, teenagers in the education-obsessed country often cram long into the night and get tutoring to meet the requirements of demanding school and university admission tests.

In the US, teachers and parents decide for themselves how much homework to assign. Some elementary schools have done away with homework entirely to give children more time to play, participate in activities and spend time with families.

A guideline circulated by teachers unions in the US recommends about 10 minutes of homework per grade. So, 10 minutes in first grade, 20 minutes in second grade and so on.

The COVID-19 pandemic and a crisis around youth mental health have complicated debates around homework. In the US, extended school closures in some places were accompanied by steep losses in learning, which were often addressed with tutoring and other interventions paid for with federal pandemic relief money. At the same time, increased attention to student wellbeing led some teachers to consider alternate approaches including reduced or optional homework.

It's important for children to learn that mastering something "usually requires practice, a lot of practice,” said Sahlberg, in Finland. If reducing homework leads kids and parents to think school expectations for excellence will be lowered, “things will go wrong.”

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Homework could have an impact on kids’ health. Should schools ban it?

Professor of Education, Penn State

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Gerald K. LeTendre has received funding from the National Science Foundation and the Spencer Foundation.

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Reformers in the Progressive Era (from the 1890s to 1920s) depicted homework as a “sin” that deprived children of their playtime . Many critics voice similar concerns today.

Yet there are many parents who feel that from early on, children need to do homework if they are to succeed in an increasingly competitive academic culture. School administrators and policy makers have also weighed in, proposing various policies on homework .

So, does homework help or hinder kids?

For the last 10 years, my colleagues and I have been investigating international patterns in homework using databases like the Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) . If we step back from the heated debates about homework and look at how homework is used around the world, we find the highest homework loads are associated with countries that have lower incomes and higher social inequality.

Does homework result in academic success?

Let’s first look at the global trends on homework.

Undoubtedly, homework is a global phenomenon ; students from all 59 countries that participated in the 2007 Trends in Math and Science Study (TIMSS) reported getting homework. Worldwide, only less than 7% of fourth graders said they did no homework.

TIMSS is one of the few data sets that allow us to compare many nations on how much homework is given (and done). And the data show extreme variation.

For example, in some nations, like Algeria, Kuwait and Morocco, more than one in five fourth graders reported high levels of homework. In Japan, less than 3% of students indicated they did more than four hours of homework on a normal school night.

TIMSS data can also help to dispel some common stereotypes. For instance, in East Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan – countries that had the top rankings on TIMSS average math achievement – reported rates of heavy homework that were below the international mean.

In the Netherlands, nearly one out of five fourth graders reported doing no homework on an average school night, even though Dutch fourth graders put their country in the top 10 in terms of average math scores in 2007.

Going by TIMSS data, the US is neither “ A Nation at Rest” as some have claimed, nor a nation straining under excessive homework load . Fourth and eighth grade US students fall in the middle of the 59 countries in the TIMSS data set, although only 12% of US fourth graders reported high math homework loads compared to an international average of 21%.

So, is homework related to high academic success?

At a national level, the answer is clearly no. Worldwide, homework is not associated with high national levels of academic achievement .

But, the TIMSS can’t be used to determine if homework is actually helping or hurting academic performance overall , it can help us see how much homework students are doing, and what conditions are associated with higher national levels of homework.

We have typically found that the highest homework loads are associated with countries that have lower incomes and higher levels of social inequality – not hallmarks that most countries would want to emulate.

Impact of homework on kids

TIMSS data also show us how even elementary school kids are being burdened with large amounts of homework.

Almost 10% of fourth graders worldwide (one in 10 children) reported spending multiple hours on homework each night. Globally, one in five fourth graders report 30 minutes or more of homework in math three to four times a week.

These reports of large homework loads should worry parents, teachers and policymakers alike.

Empirical studies have linked excessive homework to sleep disruption , indicating a negative relationship between the amount of homework, perceived stress and physical health.

What constitutes excessive amounts of homework varies by age, and may also be affected by cultural or family expectations. Young adolescents in middle school, or teenagers in high school, can study for longer duration than elementary school children.

But for elementary school students, even 30 minutes of homework a night, if combined with other sources of academic stress, can have a negative impact . Researchers in China have linked homework of two or more hours per night with sleep disruption .

Even though some cultures may normalize long periods of studying for elementary age children, there is no evidence to support that this level of homework has clear academic benefits . Also, when parents and children conflict over homework, and strong negative emotions are created, homework can actually have a negative association with academic achievement.

Should there be “no homework” policies?

Administrators and policymakers have not been reluctant to wade into the debates on homework and to formulate policies . France’s president, Francois Hollande, even proposed that homework be banned because it may have inegaliatarian effects.

However, “zero-tolerance” homework policies for schools, or nations, are likely to create as many problems as they solve because of the wide variation of homework effects. Contrary to what Hollande said, research suggests that homework is not a likely source of social class differences in academic achievement .

Homework, in fact, is an important component of education for students in the middle and upper grades of schooling.

Policymakers and researchers should look more closely at the connection between poverty, inequality and higher levels of homework. Rather than seeing homework as a “solution,” policymakers should question what facets of their educational system might impel students, teachers and parents to increase homework loads.

At the classroom level, in setting homework, teachers need to communicate with their peers and with parents to assure that the homework assigned overall for a grade is not burdensome, and that it is indeed having a positive effect.

Perhaps, teachers can opt for a more individualized approach to homework. If teachers are careful in selecting their assignments – weighing the student’s age, family situation and need for skill development – then homework can be tailored in ways that improve the chance of maximum positive impact for any given student.

I strongly suspect that when teachers face conditions such as pressure to meet arbitrary achievement goals, lack of planning time or little autonomy over curriculum, homework becomes an easy option to make up what could not be covered in class.

Whatever the reason, the fact is a significant percentage of elementary school children around the world are struggling with large homework loads. That alone could have long-term negative consequences for their academic success.

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Homeschool Laws in Europe by Countries

Homeschooling is growing all around the world and throughout Europe too. But homeschooling is still not legal in some of the countries and the homeschool laws and regulation range throughout Europe.

There is a lot of variety when it comes to homeschool laws in Europe. Some countries where it is very popular include the United Kingdom, Poland and France. Though homeschooling is on the rise in these countries in many countries in Europe homeschooling is still illegal, although countries are legalizing it slowly but surely.

Are you wondering in what countries in Europe homeschooling is legal and what the regulations are? Here is Everything you need to know about the homeschool laws in Europe.

Homeschool Laws in Europe

Having 44 countries in Europe, laws are very different throughout. Some countries allow homeschooling with no regulations or restrictions, while in other countries homeschooling is completely illegal.

Countries That Allow Homeschooling

Austria: Homeschooling is legal and regulated in Austria, having over 2,000 homeschoolers in the country. In Austria homeschooling is considered a type of private school. Parents do not need any special qualifications to homeschool their children, but before the beginning of the school year parents need to notify the districts school board.

Azerbaijan: Homeschooling has recently become legal in Azerbaijan. Homeschool parents are required to provide an equal education to what their children would get in conventional school. Homeschool students need to take exams so that they can officially move up each level of education.

Belgium: In Belgium education is mandatory for ages 6 to 17, but parents have the option to chose how they want to educate their children. So parents can chose to teach their kids themselves. Belgium has 3 language communities and there are specific regulations within the regional level. Read more about each region’s regulation here . Students must follow guidelines and inspections.

Denmark: Homeschooling is legal for all aged students in Denmark and currently growing. It is up to the parent to choose where their children are schooled. There are mandatory inspection each year for homeschoolers, and inspections are controlled by the local district public school.

Estonia: Estonia allows homeschooling under the control of a school. Parents are required to apply to homeschool their child each year at the school their child is enrolled in. Each homeschool child is required to take regular exams and will be supervised by an authorized school. If students do not pass the exams they are required to return to conventional school.

Finland: Homeschooling is legal and protected by the law in Finland. Parents have the right to homeschool their children, the only obligation to homeschooling in Finland is that students need to meet basic education standards. Written and oral exams are mandatory to make sure students are making progress.

France: Homeschooling is legal and families need to notify their school district of their intent to homeschool each year. Families will also need to send a letter to their mayors office in their region. Once the letters have been sent parents are able to educate their children any way they would like. Inspections are mandatory and homeschool students may be required to take standardized tests.

Ireland: Now being legal, homeschooling is considered one of the fastest growing types of education in Ireland. Homeschool students don’t need to follow any curriculum, but there is a minimum education standard that needs to be provided. Students need to register as a homeschooler with the National Education Welfare Board, the board will then send an inspector to the families home and go through the regulations of registering the student.

Italy: It is legal to homeschool in Italy and the Italian Constitution believes that parents should have a right to educate, support and instruct their children. Parents need to notify their appropriate school authorities about their intent of homeschooling annually. Occasionally parents will also need to demonstrate their financial and technical ability to educate their child at home. Students need to take annual exams and parents have to create a personal curriculum and a written request for the exam.

Latvia: Homeschooling in Latvia is legal under the control of the student’s local school although it is uncommon. Homeschooling does not have any requirements for children up to grade 6. Past grade 6 homeschooling is possible for students, but the education has to be formal home education or long distance studies.

Luxembourg: For children up to 12 by September first, homeschooling is legal. Parents need to have authorization and send a letter of intent to their regional school board director with their motives. Homeschooling is not regulated by any law, but parents need to have proof of their children participating in course work.

Moldova: Homeschooling is completely legal in Moldova. Parents are able to educate their children however they would like.

Norway: Homeschooling is allowed in Norway but the homeschool curriculum equal to the state school. Families must notify the school authorities before they start homeschooling. Students need to be supervised normally by semi-annual evaluations at a local school. The supervision must be in agreement with the parents.

Poland: In Poland homeschooling is legal with permission from a school director within the region. Parents need to present documents to the director. Homeschool students in Poland must pass exams and can receive school diplomas from their local school.

Portugal: In Portugal parents have the right to educate their children at home. Homeschooling is legal but it does have the common rules and regulations.

Russia: In Russia it is legal and pretty easy to homeschool. They believe that the parents have the right to educate and raise their children however they would like. Homeschooled students need to be enrolled as a homeschooler with a school (private or public). They do not need to pass any exams. Students who choose to do supervised homeschooling are able to get diplomas.

Slovakia: Homeschooling is legal in Slovakia but only for children aged 6-10. Once they are past grade 4 the child will need to enrol in a conventional school. Parents need to apply to the schools for permission to homeschool their children but they will need to be enrolled in a primary school in their region. Students need to be tested 2 times each year, and they need to follow the curriculum.

Slovenia: Homeschooling is legal, as parents are allowed to choose the type of schooling their child receives in elementary school. Homeschool students are required to enrol with a local school and take annual exams. If the student doesn’t pass the exams they will have to go back to conventional school.

Switzerland: In Switzerland homeschooling is legal but the laws vary across the different cantons. Students normally have to pass exams for math, french and german. And inspectors must check in their homes at least once a year.

Ukraine: Homeschooling is legal in the Ukraine though it is currently not very common. Recently the Ukraine introduced new rules for homeschooling allowing parents to choose how they want their children to be educated.

United Kingdom: Homeschooling is legal in England and Whales and very poplar with between 20,000 and 100,000 homeschool students. It is easy to start homeschooling in the U.K. because normally parents will not need to notify the school district, unless the student was enrolled in a public school before the family decided to homeschool.

Countries Where Homeschooling is Legal in Some Cases

Belarus: Homeschooling is allowed in certain cases. Students can be homeschooled for a few different reasons being if they have a serious medical condition, if the student has exceptional talent or if the student can not attend school permanently for a good reason.

Czech Republic: Homeschooling in Czech Republic is only legal for primary aged students (grade 1-5). For a parent to homeschool their child they must have at least a high school diploma and a letter of support from a state-run Pedagogical-Psychological Advice Bureau. Parents need to have a reason for homeschooling their child. The homeschool child will need to take official school exams at least 2 times each year.

Hungary: The laws in Hungary severely restricts homeschooling, but if families want to homeschool they need to apply for an exemption which is a process that the government does not offer help on. This recent change has made it almost impossible to homeschool in Hungary.

Iceland: Homeschooling is legal but unlike how it used to be. In the 18th century it was mandatory for parents to homeschool their children but now, the parent needs to have a teaching certificate. Homeschool students in Iceland are subject to have supervision and assessments.

Liechtenstein: Homeschooling is allowed in Liechtenstein as long as it meets the specific curriculum of learning time, and learning goals. The parent teaching their child needs to have a teaching qualification or be approved by the office of education. Students do not need to take any exams.

Malta: Homeschooling is slowly becoming legal in Malta, but currently has quite a few restrictions. Parents need to find a warranted teacher to educate their child during school hours. They must have a home education license or else families could be fined.

Netherlands: Homeschooling is not recognized by the government in the Dutch law and in the compulsory education act it states that school attendance is mandatory. But some families are able to homeschool through a religious exemption.

Romania: In Romania homeschooling is not exactly recognized but is legal under some conditions. Families can homeschool under an umbrella private school. Children with disabilities, special needs or certain conditions that make them unable to go to a conventional school can be homeschooled. They will need to be supervised by a certified teacher and need to report themselves as a private school.

Serbia: Homeschooling is only legal for students with special education needs in Serbia. Even if any family could homeschool they will still need to be tested on all subjects, and if the student fails 2 tests in a row they will be forced to go back to school.

Countries Homeschooling it is Illegal

Homeschooling is currently illegal in the following countries: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, San Marino, Sweden and Turkey.

Some of these countries allow homeschooling but only for children with severe illnesses or disabilities. Normally in these countries where it is prohibited with these exceptions, the students still need to follow the curriculum and take exams, but they can do it at home instead of at their school. It is easier for foreigners to homeschool in these countries because they are not legal citizens.

Homeschooling is illegal in some countries for many different reasons. People just are not used to the term homeschooling and in some countries it has never been heard of. People believe that homeschooling is not a good enough education and that every student should have an equal education like in public or private school.

Many countries in Europe and even all around the world make it very difficult to homeschool. Normally families will have to notify their school board or get permission from the district to homeschool. In most countries in Europe students must have an inspector come by once in a while to check in and see how they are doing. It is also common for homeschoolers to continue to have to do school exams and essays, but if they don’t pass the exams the students might have to return to conventional school. Some countries only let families homeschool if the parent is a certified teacher, or if the child is under the age of 10.

Despite these things, homeschooling continues to grow and is still on the rise throughout the world.

Photo by  Calvin Hanson  on  Unsplash

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Countries with Less Homework and Why More Countries Should Follow Them

Countries with less homework and why more countries should follow them: It may sound counter intuitive but studies are showing that less homework might be the right way to go in better learning. 

In an ideal world, students are entitled to an evening of some revision, rest and entertainment after a whole day of study. In many school systems, however, kids are assigned tons of assignments to handle in their free time in a bid to improve their grasp of themes and keep them occupied in books.

As much as the intentions are good, more homework only keeps children drowned in books and does little in achieving the latter. A testament to this, countries with fewer homework policies have better statistics of students that join campus and even lesser dropouts.

A testament to the benefits of fewer time commitment to homework, educational systems in powerhouses like Finland and USA have adopted the policies championing for least homework with the US recommending at most 10 minutes of assignment in any unit per night.

For proper insight, here is a list of countries that embrace the motion for least homework and reasons for other countries to emulate this move. For assistance on homework and clarity on concepts, engage experts on myHomework done , thus earning your student spurs and conceptualizing various classes better.

    1. Finland

On top of the list of countries giving less assignment is Finland. Apart from boasting of short school terms and extended holidays, the country limits the homework load to 2.8 hours total of homework per week.

Despite their educational system, Finland manages to rank among the top countries in math and science innovations and also with a smaller drop-out rate. Due to their approach on education, students feel a lesser burden imposed on them thus embracing learning.

Even better, Finland educational system discourages cramming of concepts and trains teachers to impart lessons to students in a matter that they all understand the information equally.

    2. South Korea

Like the former, South Korea limits its homework duration per week to a maximum of 2.9 hours. By reducing the burden on students, the country boasts of more educated persons per level of education and even lesser dropout rates.

Unlike other countries, South Korea majors on continuous assessments which excel at testing the understanding of students as opposed to daily homework.

     3. Japan

Among the leading countries in technology and science is Japan . Although it has the highest amount of hours for homework per week than its counterparts at 3.8 hours, the numbers are way low than the average.

Even better, the Japanese system of study trains students to gather information from social media platforms thus honing their research and creativity skills. By limiting the amounts of homework, students get to spend quality time with parents thus giving them a platform to instill morals and gain perspective for the upcoming classes.

Reasons why more countries should reduce the homework load on students

    1. By assigning more homework to students, the level of anxiety increases thus leading to low motivation in school work. As such, the productivity and attitude of kids towards education is lowered which in turn leads to more dropout rates and lesser grades.

    2. With alarming rates of obesity and immorality in kids, less homework creates more parent-kid time and allows kids to engage in more co-curricular activities. As such, parents get a chance to instill moral character in kids and also involve kids in sports and exercise.

    3. Time off books allows kids to relax their mind thus increasing the ability to grasp more concepts hence getting the most from every session.

Apart from denying students a change for co-curricular activities, students are also deprived of social time which in turn leads to less time for parents to instill morals in children and also spikes anxiety levels in kids.

Whether more homework is helpful or not is a debatable issue. However, the burden on students leads to daunting effects. Given that academic frontiers assign lesser homework; it shows the need for change in lesser ranking countries.

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Stay in School: It’s Illegal to Homeschool in These Countries

Homeschooling has steadily grown in popularity since the ’70s, when John Holt advocated for the practice across the U.S. The usual growth rates of 2%-8% per year surged higher still during the pandemic.

Today, 11.1% of American children are homeschooled. In other countries, however, homeschooling is restricted, managed by public or private schools, or flat out illegal.

Here’s are the countries where homeschooling is restricted, along with any exceptions:

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.

No exceptions in this beautiful Balkan nation.

No exceptions in this tiny country in the Pyrenees between Spain and France.

No exceptions in this Eurasian nation on the Caspian Sea.

No exceptions in the former Soviet republic.

Bosnia & Herzegovina

No exceptions in the Balkan state where World War I started.

Students with special needs may be homeschooled under strict government control.

Homeschooling is illegal for citizens, but foreign residents are permitted.

No exceptions in this Central American nation.

No exceptions in this popular country on the Adriatic Sea.

It’s unlikely for an American family to move to Cuba, but there are no exceptions here.

No exceptions on this Mediterranean island.

No exceptions in this country on the Black Sea.

No exceptions in the E.U. nation. One homeschooling family who’s been in Tennessee for 15 years may finally be deported after seeking asylum in the U.S. from German public schools.

No exceptions in Greece, a top choice for American expats.

No exceptions in Guatemala, the most populous country in Central America.

Although not strictly illegal, a 2019 law says that children must be supervised by a school and pass annual exams.

Legal only if the homeschooler is a certified teacher.

No exceptions in the Middle East nation.

Liechtenstein

Allowed if approved by the education authority, which is rare.

No exceptions on the Mediterranean island that popular with retirees and digital nomads.

No exceptions in the small Balkan country.

Netherlands

Illegal, but there are some exceptions if your municipality approves.

North Macedonia

No exceptions in the nation just north of Greece.

No exceptions in the teeny microstate inside northern Italy.

Sierra Leone

No exceptions in the West African nation.

South Korea

Illegal, but generally unenforced.

There are few exceptions, and homeschooling is almost never approved.

No exceptions in the large Eurasian country.

The Best School Choices for Expat Kids

Finding the best school choices for expat kids can be a daunting task, with a myriad of factors to consider and options to choose from. As a parent, you want your child to thrive academically and socially in their new environment. This comprehensive guide will help you navigate the complexities of selecting the ideal education option for your child, offering insights into local, international, and online schools, and providing tips for a smooth transition to a new country.

➤ The Best School Choices for Expat Kids

Jen Barnett

Jen Barnett is the co-founder of Expatsi, a company that's helped thousands of Americans on their moving abroad journeys. She created the Expatsi Test, an assessment that recommends countries for aspiring emigrants based on lifestyle data. Jen has an MBA from Emory University with concentrations in marketing and innovation. She's written for BusinessWeek, Health, Cooking Light, and Southern Living. Prior to Expatsi, she created Freshfully and Bottle & Bone—two businesses in the local food space—and spoke at TEDx on being brave. She's moving to Mexico in 2024, along with her husband and co-founder Brett, pitbull mix Squiggy, and three rotten cats. How can she help you move abroad?

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What Countries is Homeschooling Illegal and Legal?

• January 31, 2023
• Homeschooling FAQS

Affiliate links are used on this website.

In What Countries is Homeschooling Legal?

Homeschooling is legal in many countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Austria, Italy, Norway, and many others .

I hope you enjoy reading this blog post. If you want to do my course on how to homeschool, click here .

However, the laws and regulations surrounding homeschooling vary from country to country, so it’s important to familiarize yourself with the specific laws in your jurisdiction.

Note: It’s not possible to provide a complete list of countries where homeschooling is legal as it changes frequently , but here are some countries where homeschooling is legal:

• United States
• United Kingdom
• New Zealand
• South Africa
• The Netherlands
• Switzerland
• South Korea
• The Philippines

Note: Laws and regulations surrounding homeschooling vary from country to country, so it’s always best to consult the local authorities and check the most up-to-date information.

In What Countries is Homeschooling Illegal?

Homeschooling is illegal or restricted in some countries, including:

Here is a list of 20 countries where homeschooling is either illegal or restricted:

• Norway (for children under the age of 12)
• Austria (for children over the age of 15)
• Czech Republic
• Spain (unlegislated)

Please note that the legality of homeschooling can vary within each country and can change over time, so it’s always best to consult with local authorities for the most accurate and up-to-date information.

Homeschooling in Germany Illegal

Homeschooling is illegal in Germany except for in exceptional circumstances.

The German government strictly regulates the education system, and homeschooling is seen as a threat to the socialization and integration of children into society .

Homeschooling is only allowed in cases where the child has a physical or mental disability that cannot be accommodated in a public or private school.

Parents who violate the law face fines, and in extreme cases, their children may be taken away .

Despite these restrictions, a small but growing homeschooling community in Germany is advocating for greater freedom to choose their children’s education .

Homeschooling is also Illegal in Sweden

In Sweden, homeschooling is generally not permitted, and children are required by law to attend school.

Homeschooling may be allowed in exceptional circumstances, such as if a child has special educational needs that cannot be met by the public school system, or if the family is traveling abroad for a short period of time.

In such cases, parents must apply for an exemption from the school attendance requirement.

The decision to grant an exemption is made by the local municipality and is subject to review. Penalties for failing to comply with the school attendance requirement can include fines and court-ordered compulsory school attendance.

Spain – an Unlegislated Grey Area

Illegal homeschooling in greece.

Homeschooling is illegal in Greece and the government requires that all children attend a formal school.

There are strict laws and penalties in place for families who attempt to homeschool, including fines and potential removal of the children from the family.

Despite these laws, there are some families who still homeschool in Greece and are part of a growing homeschooling community.

These families often face challenges and obstacles, but remain committed to providing their children with an alternative education.

It’s Legal to Homeschool in America

The United States is one of the best countries to homeschool in . Homeschooling has been legal here since the 1980s.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it was a parent’s constitutional right to homeschool their children in the landmark case Pierce v. Society of Sisters (1925) .

Homeschooling is widely practiced in the U.S., with approximately 2-3 million students being homeschooled.

However, regulations regarding homeschooling vary from state to state .

Some states, such as Illinois and Texas, have few restrictions on homeschooling and do not require parents to register or have their children take standardized tests.

Other states, like New York, require parents to submit a letter of intent and syllabus plan each year and have their children take annual standardized tests during high school.

Despite these differences, homeschooling remains a popular and widely accepted option for families in the United States who want to take control of their children’s education.

Legal Homeschooling in Australia

In Australia, homeschooling is legal, but regulations vary by state.

Parents who choose to homeschool their children must follow the requirements set by their state or territory education department, including registering their homeschooling program and following a curriculum recognized by the state.

Some states also require homeschooled children to participate in standardized testing.

Despite these regulations, homeschooling is a growing option in Australia, providing families with more control over their children’s education and more flexibility in how and what they learn.

Why Do Governments Make it Illegal to Homeschool?

Governments make homeschooling illegal for various reasons, including concerns about:

• social cohesion,
• standardization of education, and
• accountability.

However, research has shown that homeschoolers tend to perform significantly above average on standardized tests and have strong socialization skills , countering the concern that homeschooling results in poor education or socialization.

Despite this evidence, some governments remain wary of homeschooling and continue to regulate or restrict the practice.

Additionally, some governments ban homeschooling because they’re concerned that it could be used to limit or restrict children’s exposure to diverse ideas, beliefs, and values or conceal child abuse or neglect .

Another way to look at this is that governments in some places want to control the population and a deliberate infusion of ideas during primary and secondary school is one of the best ways to do this .

In governments, there may also be thoughts about the role of homeschooling in shaping children’s socialization and civic values .

However, why homeschooling is illegal or restricted varies by country and can also reflect cultural and political differences.

Why Do Governments Make it Legal to Homeschool

Governments make it legal to homeschool for several reasons:

• to give parents more control over their children’s education,
• to allow for alternative education options,
• to accommodate religious or philosophical beliefs,
• distance from school,
• health concerns, or
• dissatisfaction with the traditional school system.

By legalizing homeschooling, governments also ensure that homeschooled children have access to the same rights and opportunities as their peers in the traditional school system .

Additionally, legalizing homeschooling may promote diversity and individualism in education and can help alleviate overcrowding and underfunding in the traditional school system .

More Relaxed Homeschool Laws are Becoming a Trend

Homeschooling has been on the rise globally in recent years , with more and more parents opting for this educational alternative for their children.

The growth of homeschooling has been driven by several factors, including:

• concerns over the quality of public schools,
• dissatisfaction with traditional classroom settings, and
• the desire for more personalized and tailored education.

In response to this growing trend, many countries have relaxed their laws regarding homeschooling and made it easier for parents to educate their children at home.

This has been accomplished through several measures, such as:

• reducing the bureaucratic hurdles involved in getting permission to homeschool,
• allowing greater freedom in choosing curriculum and teaching methods, and
• reducing or eliminating standardized testing requirements.

Overall, the trend towards more relaxed homeschool laws reflects a growing recognition of the benefits of homeschooling and a desire to give parents more choice and control over their children’s education.

COVID-19 Has Shown Homeschooling Isn’t So Bad

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a significant increase in homeschooling globally, as governments mandated school closures and parents were forced to find alternative methods of educating their children.

This sudden surge in homeschooling has led to a growing acceptance of the practice, as parents and students have discovered its benefits.

Many families have found that homeschooling provides a more personalized learning experience, allows for a flexible schedule, and can be more cost-effective compared to traditional brick-and-mortar schools .

Furthermore, the pandemic has debunked long-standing myths about homeschooling , such as concerns over poor socialization and subpar academic performance.

With the pandemic’s impact, the trend towards more relaxed homeschooling laws is expected to continue as governments and communities become increasingly aware of the viability and advantages of homeschooling.

So, What are the Benefits of Homeschooling?

Here is a small list of the benefits of homeschooling:

• Customized learning : Homeschooling allows for a customized curriculum tailored to the student’s individual needs and abilities.
• Flexibility : Homeschooling provides a flexible schedule that can be adjusted to accommodate family life and extracurricular activities.
• Stronger family bond : Homeschooling can bring families closer as children spend more time with parents and siblings.
• Increased creativity : Homeschooling can foster creativity and independent thinking.
• Improved academic performance : Studies have shown that homeschooled students tend to perform better on standardized tests compared to their public school counterparts.
• Safety : Homeschooling can provide a safe and nurturing environment, free from bullying and other negative social influences.
• Strong moral and spiritual values : Homeschooling can help reinforce moral and spiritual values held by the family.
• More hands-on experience : Homeschooling can provide opportunities for hands-on and experiential learning.
• Exposure to diverse cultures : Homeschooling can offer exposure to different cultures and ways of life through travel, books, and other resources.

To discover why parents homeschool, read Why on Earth Homeschool , or check out this list of 100 reasons to homeschool .

Want to Learn About Homeschooling?

So, you’ve learned a lot in this Simply Charlotte Mason curriculum review.

But you may want to learn more about homeschooling in general. There are two great ways to learn more about homeschooling: one is free, and one is a $67 fundamentals course .

1. The Ultimate Homeschool Parenting Program

Transform your homeschooling experience and take it to the next level with our comprehensive online course .

Led by expert educator Rebecca Devitt, you’ll learn the strategies and techniques you need to succeed in homeschooling. This program is packed with valuable resources, a personalized curriculum, and an effective way to manage your time that will help your children thrive.

You’ll have lifetime access to the course for just $67.

Sign up now and start your journey to a successful homeschooling experience !

2. The Free How to Homeschool YouTube Channel

Want something better than a homeschool blog? Look no further than the How to Homeschool YouTube channel !

This channel is designed to help homeschooling parents with expert tips, educational content, and a wide range of resources.

Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or new to the homeschooling world, you’ll find something valuable on our channel. And the best part? It’s completely free!

• Starting homeschool
• Homeschool Methods
• Homeschool Curriculum and
• FAQs on Homeschooling

I know you’re going to love the channel!

Why Homeschool?

Looking for a comprehensive guide to understanding the benefits of homeschooling and why it’s the best choice for your family?

Look no further than “ Why on Earth Homeschool “! This book takes an in-depth look at why homeschooling is a fantastic option for families and uncovers the many often overlooked benefits.

Discover the benefits of individualized learning, flexible scheduling, strong family bonds, and an opportunity for your children to thrive in a way traditional schools cannot offer. This book will give you a chance to understand the many benefits of homeschooling and give you insights and practical tips to help you make the best decision for your family.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to unlock the full potential of homeschooling with this comprehensive guide.

Order your copy of “Why on Earth Homeschool” today and start your journey towards an exceptional educational experience for your children.

As we’ve seen, homeschooling legality is a complex and nuanced issue that varies greatly between countries. From the freedom to choose your curriculum in South Africa to the strict regulations in New York, it’s clear that homeschooling laws are diverse and far-reaching. Regardless of where you live, it’s crucial to educate yourself on the specific laws and regulations in your country to ensure you’re within the bounds of the law while providing your children with a high-quality education. Whether you’re a seasoned homeschooler or just considering it, the world of homeschooling offers endless possibilities and opportunities for personal growth and academic success.

Rebecca Devitt

Most adults don't particularly want to relive their schooling experience on a daily basis. They would gladly move on to a new life devoid of homework and teachers. Very, very few adults will passionately blog about their schooling some 15 years after graduating. This makes Rebecca Devitt somewhat unique. As it happens, she was homeschooled. And she loved it. Still does. And she wishes every kid could get a taste of homeschooling at its very best. Her website How Do I Homeschool , is a springboard for parents to see what a life of homeschooling could be for both them & their children. When she's not blogging Rebecca is still homeschooling her-adult-self by learning Latin, growing weird vegetables and most importantly looking after her two children Luke & Penny. She has a husband Tristan and is a participant at Wollongong Baptist Church. She's also written a book about why parents should homeschool called 'Why on Earth Homeschool' .

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Homework – Top 3 Pros and Cons

Pro/Con Arguments | Discussion Questions | Take Action | Sources | More Debates

From dioramas to book reports, from algebraic word problems to research projects, whether students should be given homework, as well as the type and amount of homework, has been debated for over a century. [ 1 ]

While we are unsure who invented homework, we do know that the word “homework” dates back to ancient Rome. Pliny the Younger asked his followers to practice their speeches at home. Memorization exercises as homework continued through the Middle Ages and Enlightenment by monks and other scholars. [ 45 ]

In the 19th century, German students of the Volksschulen or “People’s Schools” were given assignments to complete outside of the school day. This concept of homework quickly spread across Europe and was brought to the United States by Horace Mann , who encountered the idea in Prussia. [ 45 ]

In the early 1900s, progressive education theorists, championed by the magazine Ladies’ Home Journal , decried homework’s negative impact on children’s physical and mental health, leading California to ban homework for students under 15 from 1901 until 1917. In the 1930s, homework was portrayed as child labor, which was newly illegal, but the prevailing argument was that kids needed time to do household chores. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 45 ] [ 46 ]

Public opinion swayed again in favor of homework in the 1950s due to concerns about keeping up with the Soviet Union’s technological advances during the Cold War . And, in 1986, the US government included homework as an educational quality boosting tool. [ 3 ] [ 45 ]

A 2014 study found kindergarteners to fifth graders averaged 2.9 hours of homework per week, sixth to eighth graders 3.2 hours per teacher, and ninth to twelfth graders 3.5 hours per teacher. A 2014-2019 study found that teens spent about an hour a day on homework. [ 4 ] [ 44 ]

Beginning in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic complicated the very idea of homework as students were schooling remotely and many were doing all school work from home. Washington Post journalist Valerie Strauss asked, “Does homework work when kids are learning all day at home?” While students were mostly back in school buildings in fall 2021, the question remains of how effective homework is as an educational tool. [ 47 ]

Is Homework Beneficial?

Pro 1 Homework improves student achievement. Studies have shown that homework improved student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college. Research published in the High School Journal indicated that students who spent between 31 and 90 minutes each day on homework “scored about 40 points higher on the SAT-Mathematics subtest than their peers, who reported spending no time on homework each day, on average.” [ 6 ] Students in classes that were assigned homework outperformed 69% of students who didn’t have homework on both standardized tests and grades. A majority of studies on homework’s impact – 64% in one meta-study and 72% in another – showed that take-home assignments were effective at improving academic achievement. [ 7 ] [ 8 ] Research by the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) concluded that increased homework led to better GPAs and higher probability of college attendance for high school boys. In fact, boys who attended college did more than three hours of additional homework per week in high school. [ 10 ] Read More

Pro 2 Homework helps to reinforce classroom learning, while developing good study habits and life skills. Students typically retain only 50% of the information teachers provide in class, and they need to apply that information in order to truly learn it. Abby Freireich and Brian Platzer, co-founders of Teachers Who Tutor NYC, explained, “at-home assignments help students learn the material taught in class. Students require independent practice to internalize new concepts… [And] these assignments can provide valuable data for teachers about how well students understand the curriculum.” [ 11 ] [ 49 ] Elementary school students who were taught “strategies to organize and complete homework,” such as prioritizing homework activities, collecting study materials, note-taking, and following directions, showed increased grades and more positive comments on report cards. [ 17 ] Research by the City University of New York noted that “students who engage in self-regulatory processes while completing homework,” such as goal-setting, time management, and remaining focused, “are generally more motivated and are higher achievers than those who do not use these processes.” [ 18 ] Homework also helps students develop key skills that they’ll use throughout their lives: accountability, autonomy, discipline, time management, self-direction, critical thinking, and independent problem-solving. Freireich and Platzer noted that “homework helps students acquire the skills needed to plan, organize, and complete their work.” [ 12 ] [ 13 ] [ 14 ] [ 15 ] [ 49 ] Read More

Pro 3 Homework allows parents to be involved with children’s learning. Thanks to take-home assignments, parents are able to track what their children are learning at school as well as their academic strengths and weaknesses. [ 12 ] Data from a nationwide sample of elementary school students show that parental involvement in homework can improve class performance, especially among economically disadvantaged African-American and Hispanic students. [ 20 ] Research from Johns Hopkins University found that an interactive homework process known as TIPS (Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork) improves student achievement: “Students in the TIPS group earned significantly higher report card grades after 18 weeks (1 TIPS assignment per week) than did non-TIPS students.” [ 21 ] Homework can also help clue parents in to the existence of any learning disabilities their children may have, allowing them to get help and adjust learning strategies as needed. Duke University Professor Harris Cooper noted, “Two parents once told me they refused to believe their child had a learning disability until homework revealed it to them.” [ 12 ] Read More

Con 1 Too much homework can be harmful. A poll of California high school students found that 59% thought they had too much homework. 82% of respondents said that they were “often or always stressed by schoolwork.” High-achieving high school students said too much homework leads to sleep deprivation and other health problems such as headaches, exhaustion, weight loss, and stomach problems. [ 24 ] [ 28 ] [ 29 ] Alfie Kohn, an education and parenting expert, said, “Kids should have a chance to just be kids… it’s absurd to insist that children must be engaged in constructive activities right up until their heads hit the pillow.” [ 27 ] Emmy Kang, a mental health counselor, explained, “More than half of students say that homework is their primary source of stress, and we know what stress can do on our bodies.” [ 48 ] Excessive homework can also lead to cheating: 90% of middle school students and 67% of high school students admit to copying someone else’s homework, and 43% of college students engaged in “unauthorized collaboration” on out-of-class assignments. Even parents take shortcuts on homework: 43% of those surveyed admitted to having completed a child’s assignment for them. [ 30 ] [ 31 ] [ 32 ] Read More

Con 2 Homework exacerbates the digital divide or homework gap. Kiara Taylor, financial expert, defined the digital divide as “the gap between demographics and regions that have access to modern information and communications technology and those that don’t. Though the term now encompasses the technical and financial ability to utilize available technology—along with access (or a lack of access) to the Internet—the gap it refers to is constantly shifting with the development of technology.” For students, this is often called the homework gap. [ 50 ] [ 51 ] 30% (about 15 to 16 million) public school students either did not have an adequate internet connection or an appropriate device, or both, for distance learning. Completing homework for these students is more complicated (having to find a safe place with an internet connection, or borrowing a laptop, for example) or impossible. [ 51 ] A Hispanic Heritage Foundation study found that 96.5% of students across the country needed to use the internet for homework, and nearly half reported they were sometimes unable to complete their homework due to lack of access to the internet or a computer, which often resulted in lower grades. [ 37 ] [ 38 ] One study concluded that homework increases social inequality because it “potentially serves as a mechanism to further advantage those students who already experience some privilege in the school system while further disadvantaging those who may already be in a marginalized position.” [ 39 ] Read More

Con 3 Homework does not help younger students, and may not help high school students. We’ve known for a while that homework does not help elementary students. A 2006 study found that “homework had no association with achievement gains” when measured by standardized tests results or grades. [ 7 ] Fourth grade students who did no homework got roughly the same score on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) math exam as those who did 30 minutes of homework a night. Students who did 45 minutes or more of homework a night actually did worse. [ 41 ] Temple University professor Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek said that homework is not the most effective tool for young learners to apply new information: “They’re learning way more important skills when they’re not doing their homework.” [ 42 ] In fact, homework may not be helpful at the high school level either. Alfie Kohn, author of The Homework Myth, stated, “I interviewed high school teachers who completely stopped giving homework and there was no downside, it was all upside.” He explains, “just because the same kids who get more homework do a little better on tests, doesn’t mean the homework made that happen.” [ 52 ] Read More

Discussion Questions

1. Is homework beneficial? Consider the study data, your personal experience, and other types of information. Explain your answer(s).

2. If homework were banned, what other educational strategies would help students learn classroom material? Explain your answer(s).

3. How has homework been helpful to you personally? How has homework been unhelpful to you personally? Make carefully considered lists for both sides.

Take Action

1. Examine an argument in favor of quality homework assignments from Janine Bempechat.

2. Explore Oxford Learning’s infographic on the effects of homework on students.

3. Consider Joseph Lathan’s argument that homework promotes inequality .

4. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? If so, how? List two to three ways. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the “other side of the issue” now helps you better argue your position.

5. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives .

More School Debate Topics

Should K-12 Students Dissect Animals in Science Classrooms? – Proponents say dissecting real animals is a better learning experience. Opponents say the practice is bad for the environment.

Should Students Have to Wear School Uniforms? – Proponents say uniforms may increase student safety. Opponents say uniforms restrict expression.

Should Corporal Punishment Be Used in K-12 Schools? – Proponents say corporal punishment is an appropriate discipline. Opponents say it inflicts long-lasting physical and mental harm on students.

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Homework matters depending upon which country you live in.

Chart created by Jill Barshay, data from OECD

For years, researchers have been trying to figure out just how important homework is to student achievement. Back in 2009, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) looked at homework hours around the world and found that there   wasn ’t much of a connection between how much homework students of a particular country do and how well their students score on tests.  Some top achieving countries, like Singapore, assign their students lots of homework. But Finland, for example, succeeds without much homework. On average, Finnish students do only about three hours of homework a week, yet in 2012 they scored sixth highest in the world in reading and 12th highest in math on the OECD’s international test, known as PISA or Programme for International Student Assessment.

This article also appeared here .

But now, five years after the earlier homework study, OECD researchers have drilled down deeper into homework patterns, and they’re finding that homework does play an important role in student achievement within each country . Specifically, they found that homework hours vary by socioeconomic status. Higher income 15-year-olds tend to do more homework than lower income 15-year-olds in almost all of the 38 countries studied by the OECD*. Furthermore, the kids who are doing more homework also tend to get higher test scores.  So the authors conclude that homework is reinforcing the achievement gap between the rich and the poor.

It’s not just that poor kids are more likely to skip their homework, or don’t have a quiet place at home to complete it. It’s also the case that schools serving poor kids often don’t assign as much homework as schools for the rich, especially private schools, explained Francesca Borgonovi, one of the authors of the study, titled “ Does Homework Perpetuate Inequities in Education? ”

“When you look within countries at students who are learning in the same educational system and they do more homework, then those students do much better,” said Borgonovi. “There is an advantage for putting extra hours in homework.”

“Does Homework Perpetuate Inequities in Education?” OECD

A stark example of this rich-poor homework gap is in Singapore. Students in the top quarter of the socio-economic spectrum spend about 11 hours on homework a week, 3 hours more than low-income students in the bottom quarter of the socio-economic spectrum. Each extra hour of homework was associated with 18 more points on the PISA math exam. So three hours adds up to more than 50 points. That’s huge. To put that in perspective, if you added 50 points to the average U.S. math score, we’d be a top 10 nation instead of number 36.

A key factor is what Borgonovi said about “learning in the same educational system.”  Some school systems are designed to rely on homework, perhaps using independent study as a substitute for what could otherwise be learned in school. “If you are prepared to change the system, that’s great,” said Borgonovi. “But until you do so, if the system is based on homework, then you should do more of it.”

Students in Shanghai, a region in China that now leads the world in PISA test scores, do a whopping 14 hours of homework a week, on average. Wealthier students there do 16 hours. Poorer students do just under 11 hours. Interestingly, however, there was no association between the extra homework hours that the wealthier Shanghai kids put in and their PISA test scores. Perhaps that’s because there are diminishing marginal returns to homework after 11 hours of it!

Indeed, most countries around the world have been reducing the amount of homework assigned. Back in 2003, the average time spent on homework worldwide was about six hours a week. In 2012 that shrank to about five hours.

But the United States has been bucking this trend. The typical 15-year-old here does six hours a week, virtually unchanged from a decade ago and possibly rising. Wealthier students typically do eight hours of homework a week, about three hours more than low income students. But unlike in most countries, where more homework is associated with higher PISA test scores, that’s not the case here.

“For the United States, we don’t have homework reinforcing inequality,” Borgonovi said.

Another team of researchers, Ozkan Eren and Daniel J. Henderson, found mixed results for how effective homework is in the United States, in a 2011 study, “ Are we wasting our children’s time by giving them more homework? ” published in the Economics of Education Review. For math, there were huge benefits for the 25,000 eighth graders they studied. But not for English, science or history. And the math boost was much stronger for white students than for blacks. In other words, when a typical black student did more homework, his math test scores didn’t go up as much.

That’s perhaps a clue that even if you could magically get low-income children in other countries to do as much homework as their high-income peers, as the OECD researchers are suggesting, you might not raise their PISA test scores very much.

Indeed, Borgonovi isn’t really advocating for more homework. She says that high quality teachers and instruction are much more important to student outcomes than homework is. To be sure, some amount of homework is good, Borgonovi said, to teach kids how to plan ahead, set goals and work independently. But more than four hours of homework a week, she said, isn’t very beneficial.

“It would be better to redesign the system to have less homework,” said Borgonovi. “But that is hard to do.”

* The OECD looked at socio-economic status and not income exclusively. So the child of a university professor, for example, might still be in the high income category even if his parents don’t make very much money.

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Is Homework Illegal? Examining the Legality And Impact Of Homework In Education

Table of Contents

In education, the contentious issue of homework legality and its impact on student’s lives has been a topic of considerable debate for years. Students and parents often wonder, “Is homework illegal?” In this article, we will delve into the history of homework, its legality, types, and effects on education.

A Brief History of Homework

Homework has a long-standing tradition that traces back to the 19th century. However, there is no definitive answer to the question of who invented homework. It is widely believed that homework emerged as a tool to help students review and apply what they learned in the classroom..

Despite its early origins, homework has faced criticism throughout history. In the late 1960s, anti-homework groups emerged due to concerns about excessive homework burdens on students. Nevertheless, homework has remained a common practice in educational institutions worldwide, from kindergarten to high school.

Is Homework Illegal?

Is homework illegal? The straightforward answer is no, homework is not illegal. Teachers have the freedom to assign tasks to their students. Assigning homework as a means for students to comprehend and reinforce classroom material is a widely accepted practice in education. However, assigning excessive homework or failing to provide reasonable alternatives could be considered academic misconduct. Importantly, students are not legally obligated to complete their task, and there are no legal consequences for not doing so.

Why Is Homework Legal?

Several justifications support the legality of homework:.

• Global Acceptance: Homework is a standard and widely accepted practice in classrooms around the world
• Learning Enhancement: Homework is considered vital for students as it provides an opportunity to review and apply classroom concepts
• No Specific Laws: There are no specific laws or regulations governing homework, allowing schools and teachers flexibility in assigning it
• Skill Development: Homework is believed to foster essential skills such as time management and problem-solving, despite ongoing debates about its effectiveness

Different Types of Homework

The U.S. Department of Education provides teachers with resources for various types of homework assignments. These include:

• Practice: Homework that requires students to practice specific skills to enhance mastery, such as math problems
• Preparation: Assignments that introduce upcoming material to prepare students for future lessons
• Extension: Homework designed to challenge students to apply what they have learned in creative ways, improving problem-solving skills
• Integration: Tasks that require the application of multiple skills to reinforce the learning experience, such as book reports

Does Homework Improve the Quality of Education?

The debate surrounding the impact of homework on education persists. Let’s explore both the advantages and disadvantages to determine whether homework enhances the quality of instruction .

Advantages of Homework:

• Skill Development: Homework cultivates various skills like time management, self-discipline, autonomy, and critical analysis
• Consolidation of Learning: It allows students to reinforce classroom learning and retain knowledge effectively
• Parental Involvement: Homework engages parents in their children’s education, helping identify strengths and weaknesses and fostering academic support

Disadvantages of Homework:

• Stress: Excessive homework can lead to stress-related issues, affecting students’ physical and mental health
• Loss of Free Time: Homework can deprive children of valuable downtime, essential for relaxation and skill development outside the classroom
• Effectiveness: Some studies suggest that excessive homework may not significantly improve academic performance and can be detrimental to student’s well-being

Final Words: is Homework Illegal

In conclusion, the question of whether homework is illegal is straightforward: it is not. Homework is a longstanding educational practice that is considered legitimate and necessary for reinforcing learning. However, the debate continues regarding its effectiveness and potential drawbacks. It is crucial for educators to strike a balance when assigning homework, considering students’ ages, skill levels, and individual needs. Ultimately, the goal should be to enhance learning without overwhelming students with an excessive workload.

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Countries Where Homework is Banned: A Global Perspective

Homework is a common practice in many schools around the world, but not everyone agrees on its benefits and drawbacks. Some countries have decided to ban or limit homework for their students, citing reasons such as health, well-being, and academic performance. In this article, we will explore some of the countries where homework is banned or restricted, and what we can learn from their experiences.

Finland is often praised for its high-quality education system, which ranks among the best in the world. One of the features of Finnish education is the minimal amount of homework assigned to students. According to the OECD, Finnish students spend only about 2.8 hours per week on homework, which is less than half of the global average. Finland also has shorter school days, longer holidays, and more autonomy for teachers and students. The Finnish approach is based on the idea that less homework allows more time for leisure, family, and hobbies, which are essential for developing creativity, social skills, and happiness. Finland also believes that homework can create unnecessary stress and pressure for students and parents, and that learning should be fun and engaging.

South Korea

South Korea is another country that has achieved remarkable results in education, ranking second in the world for reading literacy. However, unlike Finland, South Korea has a very competitive and demanding education system, which involves long school hours, private tutoring, and high-stakes exams. To balance this intensity, South Korea has banned or limited homework for elementary school students since 2013. The policy aims to reduce the burden on students and parents, who often spend hours helping their children with homework or hiring tutors. The policy also encourages more creative and diverse learning activities in school, such as arts, sports, and music.

countries where homework is banned

Download File: https://imgfil.com/2tGcsZ

France is another country that has taken steps to reduce homework for its students. In 2012, the French government announced a plan to reform its education system, which included banning homework for primary school students. The rationale behind this decision was that homework can create inequalities among students from different socio-economic backgrounds. For example, some students may have access to more resources and support at home than others, which can affect their academic performance and self-esteem. The French government also argued that homework can interfere with family time and extracurricular activities, which are important for children's development and well-being.

Other Countries

Besides Finland, South Korea, and France, there are other countries that have banned or limited homework for their students. For instance:

In 2017, Spain proposed a bill to limit homework to 10% of school time for primary school students.

In 2016, Italy banned homework during holidays for primary school students.

In 2014, Germany banned homework for first and second graders.

In 2013, Brazil banned homework for kindergarten students.

In 2012, Canada banned homework for kindergarten to grade four students in some districts.

In 2009, China banned homework for first graders.

Homework is a controversial topic in education, with different opinions and practices around the world. Some countries have decided to ban or limit homework for their students, based on various reasons such as health, well-being, academic performance, and equity. While there is no definitive answer to whether homework is good or bad for students, it is important to consider the context and purpose of each assignment, and how it can support or hinder student learning and development. 29c81ba772

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Is Homework Illegal? (Arguments In Support and Against)

Homework is not illegal in the United States.

But from a legal standpoint, it is a really fun argument to make!

In this article, we’ll cover some points that you could use for or against the question of the legality of homework, whether you are the student, parent, or teacher in this debate.

Is Homework Illegal? (FOR and AGAINST)

The contents of this web page are for informational purposes only, and nothing you read is intended to be legal advice. Please review our  disclaimer about law/legal-related information on this website  before taking action based upon anything you read or see.

Legal vs Illegal vs Unconstitutional

People have argued that homework is illegal because it counts as a form of “slavery.”

It is illegal to restrict/control with force the movement/life of other individuals if you do not have authority to do so (as parents do with their minor children).

It is illegal to commit the other acts slavery is well known for (assault, harassment, and more).

Not everything that would be unconstitutional (or goes against the stated words in the constitution) would be considered illegal, and vice versa.

For example:

Perhaps then you could argue that forcing kids to do homework is an illegal act, assuming that the threats of consequences are coming from an individual or entity that does not have legal authority to provide the threatened punishments, or those punishments are themselves illegal.

If you want to argue that homework is illegal, look for a statute like coercion to support your argument.

And if you want to use the 13th amendment in support of your case against homework, argue that homework is “unconstitutional” rather than “illegal.”

Consent As The School’s Defense

One of the arguments that homework is illegal or constitutes slavery is that the children do not want to do the homework.

People under the age of 18 in the United States cannot make most decisions for themselves.

The parents have agreed on the children’s behalf to the homework.

The child might not consent to the homework, but in the end, the parents have given their agreement.

And since a crime like coercion requires that the act (the homework) be an act against the will or interest of the victim, a case cannot succeed because the will of the parents is substituted for the will of the child.

Arguing That Parents Did Not Consent

What if the parent was coerced to send their child to school, or to the homework?

In most states, there are laws covering the attendance of children at school.

Absent an exclusion or a valid reason to opt out (like homeschool), a parent could face criminal prosecution if he/she does not send a child to school.

Parents are under the threat of fines and jail time.

After all, a parent who goes to jail might lose his job, his driver’s license, or maybe even custody of his children.

A person cannot consent at the business end of a weapon.

State Laws Do Not Compel Homework, Just Attendance

Another fun wrinkle in this argument, especially as we get down into whether parents have consented or can consent to homework, is whether the applicable laws have any impact on homework.

But are there any laws that require children to complete the homework.

I mean, doing homework is important to getting a good grade.

But they can’t physically punish a child (like hitting him, in most cases), or prevent him from eating or drinking while at school.

And once the child is at home with his homework, he is subject to the will of his parents or legal guardians.

The truth about homework in America

by: Carol Lloyd | Updated: May 6, 2024

Print article

Not excited about homework? We can hardly blame you. But how families handle homework in America can have a huge impact on their child’s short-term and long-term academic success. Here’s a glimpse at how American families approach homework, and some tips that may help you decide how to handle homework in your home.

Model how much you value your child’s education

Think of your child’s nightly homework as a time to model how much you value your child’s learning and education. Get in the habit of asking your child what homework they have each evening, looking over their homework when they’re done each night, praising their hard work, and marveling at all that they are learning. Your admiration and love is the best magic learning potion available.

Set up a homework routine American parents who want their children to graduate from high school and go to college take learning at home seriously. They turn off the TV and radio at homework time. They take away access to video games and smartphones. They make sure the child gets some exercise and has a healthy snack before starting homework because both are shown to help kids focus. When it’s time for homework, they (try to) ensure their child has a quiet place where they can focus and have access to the grade-appropriate homework basics, like paper, pencils, erasers, crayons, and tape for kids in younger grades and calculators and writing materials for kids in older grades.

Helping with homework when you don’t read/speak English

So how can you help with homework if you can’t read your child’s homework because it’s in English — or because the math is being presented in a way you’ve never seen? If you can’t understand your child’s homework, you can still do a lot to help them. Your physical presence (and your authority to turn off the TV) can help them take homework time seriously. Your encouragement that they take their time and not rush through the work also will help. Finally, your ability to ask questions can do two important things: you can show your interest in their work (and thus reinforce the importance you place on learning and education) and you can help your child slow down and figure things out when they’re lost or frustrated. A lot of learning happens when children have a chance to talk through problems and ideas. Sometimes, just describing the assignment or problem to you can help the solution click for your child.

What’s the right amount of homework?

It’s often in first grade that kids start receiving regular homework and feel stressed and lost if they don’t complete it. If your child is having trouble adjusting to their new routines, know that it’s not just your child. Families all across America are having the same issues in terms of figuring out how to create quiet, focussed time for a young child to read, write, and do math inside a bustling home. In first grade, your child will likely be asked to do somewhere between 10 and 30 minutes of homework a night, sometimes in addition to 20 minutes of bedtime reading. ( The National PTA’s research-based recommendation is 10 to 20 minutes of homework a night in first grade and an additional 10 minutes per grade level thereafter.) If your child is getting a lot more than that, talk to your child’s teacher about how long your child should be spending on homework and what you can do to help.

Comparing U.S. homework time to other countries

If you’ve come from another country and recall your childhood homework taking less time, you may think it’s because you’re foreign. The truth is, most parents who grew up in the U.S. are feeling the same way. In the past few decades homework for younger grades has intensified in many schools. “The amount of homework that younger kids — ages 6 to 9 — have to do has gone up astronomically since the late ’80s,” says Alfie Kohn, author of the 2006 book The Homework Myth: Why Our Kids Get Too Much of a Bad Thing. So if you feel surprised about the quantity of homework your child is bringing home, you’re not alone.

According to an international study of homework, 15-year-olds in Shanghai do 13.8 hours of homework per week compared to 6.1 hours in the U.S. and 5.3 hours in Mexico and 3.4 hours in Costa Rica. But here’s the thing: academic expectations in the U.S. vary widely from school to school. Some American elementary schools have banned homework. Others pile on hours a night — even in the younger grades. By high school, though, most American students who are seriously preparing for four-year college are doing multiple hours of homework most nights.

Not into homework? Try this.

Homework detractors point to research that shows homework has no demonstrated benefits for students in the early elementary grades. “The research clearly shows that there is no correlation between academic achievement and homework, especially in the lower grades,” says Denise Pope, senior lecturer at the Stanford University Graduate School of Education and the author of the 2015 book, Overloaded and Underprepared: Strategies for Stronger Schools and Healthy Successful Kids .

On the other hand, nightly reading is hugely important.

“One thing we know does have a correlation with academic achievement is free reading time,” says Pope. “We know that that is something we want schools to encourage.” Since the scientific evidence shows the most impact comes from reading for pleasure, don’t skip bedtime reading. If your child is not being given any homework, make sure to spend some of that extra time reading books in either English or Spanish.

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• The Highlight

Nobody knows what the point of homework is

The homework wars are back.

by Jacob Sweet

As the Covid-19 pandemic began and students logged into their remote classrooms, all work, in effect, became homework. But whether or not students could complete it at home varied. For some, schoolwork became public-library work or McDonald’s-parking-lot work.

Luis Torres, the principal of PS 55, a predominantly low-income community elementary school in the south Bronx, told me that his school secured Chromebooks for students early in the pandemic only to learn that some lived in shelters that blocked wifi for security reasons. Others, who lived in housing projects with poor internet reception, did their schoolwork in laundromats.

According to a 2021 Pew survey , 25 percent of lower-income parents said their children, at some point, were unable to complete their schoolwork because they couldn’t access a computer at home; that number for upper-income parents was 2 percent.

The issues with remote learning in March 2020 were new. But they highlighted a divide that had been there all along in another form: homework. And even long after schools have resumed in-person classes, the pandemic’s effects on homework have lingered.

Over the past three years, in response to concerns about equity, schools across the country, including in Sacramento, Los Angeles , San Diego , and Clark County, Nevada , made permanent changes to their homework policies that restricted how much homework could be given and how it could be graded after in-person learning resumed.

Three years into the pandemic, as districts and teachers reckon with Covid-era overhauls of teaching and learning, schools are still reconsidering the purpose and place of homework. Whether relaxing homework expectations helps level the playing field between students or harms them by decreasing rigor is a divisive issue without conclusive evidence on either side, echoing other debates in education like the elimination of standardized test scores from some colleges’ admissions processes.

I first began to wonder if the homework abolition movement made sense after speaking with teachers in some Massachusetts public schools, who argued that rather than help disadvantaged kids, stringent homework restrictions communicated an attitude of low expectations. One, an English teacher, said she felt the school had “just given up” on trying to get the students to do work; another argued that restrictions that prohibit teachers from assigning take-home work that doesn’t begin in class made it difficult to get through the foreign-language curriculum. Teachers in other districts have raised formal concerns about homework abolition’s ability to close gaps among students rather than widening them.

Many education experts share this view. Harris Cooper, a professor emeritus of psychology at Duke who has studied homework efficacy, likened homework abolition to “playing to the lowest common denominator.”

But as I learned after talking to a variety of stakeholders — from homework researchers to policymakers to parents of schoolchildren — whether to abolish homework probably isn’t the right question. More important is what kind of work students are sent home with and where they can complete it. Chances are, if schools think more deeply about giving constructive work, time spent on homework will come down regardless.

There’s no consensus on whether homework works

The rise of the no-homework movement during the Covid-19 pandemic tapped into long-running disagreements over homework’s impact on students. The purpose and effectiveness of homework have been disputed for well over a century. In 1901, for instance, California banned homework for students up to age 15, and limited it for older students, over concerns that it endangered children’s mental and physical health. The newest iteration of the anti-homework argument contends that the current practice punishes students who lack support and rewards those with more resources, reinforcing the “myth of meritocracy.”

But there is still no research consensus on homework’s effectiveness; no one can seem to agree on what the right metrics are. Much of the debate relies on anecdotes, intuition, or speculation.

Researchers disagree even on how much research exists on the value of homework. Kathleen Budge, the co-author of Turning High-Poverty Schools Into High-Performing Schools and a professor at Boise State, told me that homework “has been greatly researched.” Denise Pope, a Stanford lecturer and leader of the education nonprofit Challenge Success, said, “It’s not a highly researched area because of some of the methodological problems.”

Experts who are more sympathetic to take-home assignments generally support the “10-minute rule,” a framework that estimates the ideal amount of homework on any given night by multiplying the student’s grade by 10 minutes. (A ninth grader, for example, would have about 90 minutes of work a night.) Homework proponents argue that while it is difficult to design randomized control studies to test homework’s effectiveness, the vast majority of existing studies show a strong positive correlation between homework and high academic achievement for middle and high school students. Prominent critics of homework argue that these correlational studies are unreliable and point to studies that suggest a neutral or negative effect on student performance. Both agree there is little to no evidence for homework’s effectiveness at an elementary school level, though proponents often argue that it builds constructive habits for the future.

For anyone who remembers homework assignments from both good and bad teachers, this fundamental disagreement might not be surprising. Some homework is pointless and frustrating to complete. Every week during my senior year of high school, I had to analyze a poem for English and decorate it with images found on Google; my most distinct memory from that class is receiving a demoralizing 25-point deduction because I failed to present my analysis on a poster board. Other assignments really do help students learn: After making an adapted version of Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book for a ninth grade history project, I was inspired to check out from the library and read a biography of the Chinese ruler.

For homework opponents, the first example is more likely to resonate. “We’re all familiar with the negative effects of homework: stress, exhaustion, family conflict, less time for other activities, diminished interest in learning,” Alfie Kohn, author of The Homework Myth, which challenges common justifications for homework, told me in an email. “And these effects may be most pronounced among low-income students.” Kohn believes that schools should make permanent any moratoria implemented during the pandemic, arguing that there are no positives at all to outweigh homework’s downsides. Recent studies , he argues , show the benefits may not even materialize during high school.

In the Marlborough Public Schools, a suburban district 45 minutes west of Boston, school policy committee chair Katherine Hennessy described getting kids to complete their homework during remote education as “a challenge, to say the least.” Teachers found that students who spent all day on their computers didn’t want to spend more time online when the day was over. So, for a few months, the school relaxed the usual practice and teachers slashed the quantity of nightly homework.

Online learning made the preexisting divides between students more apparent, she said. Many students, even during normal circumstances, lacked resources to keep them on track and focused on completing take-home assignments. Though Marlborough Schools is more affluent than PS 55, Hennessy said many students had parents whose work schedules left them unable to provide homework help in the evenings. The experience tracked with a common divide in the country between children of different socioeconomic backgrounds.

So in October 2021, months after the homework reduction began, the Marlborough committee made a change to the district’s policy. While teachers could still give homework, the assignments had to begin as classwork. And though teachers could acknowledge homework completion in a student’s participation grade, they couldn’t count homework as its own grading category. “Rigorous learning in the classroom does not mean that that classwork must be assigned every night,” the policy stated . “Extensions of class work is not to be used to teach new content or as a form of punishment.”

Canceling homework might not do anything for the achievement gap

The critiques of homework are valid as far as they go, but at a certain point, arguments against homework can defy the commonsense idea that to retain what they’re learning, students need to practice it.

“Doesn’t a kid become a better reader if he reads more? Doesn’t a kid learn his math facts better if he practices them?” said Cathy Vatterott, an education researcher and professor emeritus at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. After decades of research, she said it’s still hard to isolate the value of homework, but that doesn’t mean it should be abandoned.

Blanket vilification of homework can also conflate the unique challenges facing disadvantaged students as compared to affluent ones, which could have different solutions. “The kids in the low-income schools are being hurt because they’re being graded, unfairly, on time they just don’t have to do this stuff,” Pope told me. “And they’re still being held accountable for turning in assignments, whether they’re meaningful or not.” On the other side, “Palo Alto kids” — students in Silicon Valley’s stereotypically pressure-cooker public schools — “are just bombarded and overloaded and trying to stay above water.”

Merely getting rid of homework doesn’t solve either problem. The United States already has the second-highest disparity among OECD (the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) nations between time spent on homework by students of high and low socioeconomic status — a difference of more than three hours, said Janine Bempechat, clinical professor at Boston University and author of No More Mindless Homework .

When she interviewed teachers in Boston-area schools that had cut homework before the pandemic, Bempechat told me, “What they saw immediately was parents who could afford it immediately enrolled their children in the Russian School of Mathematics,” a math-enrichment program whose tuition ranges from $140 to about $400 a month. Getting rid of homework “does nothing for equity; it increases the opportunity gap between wealthier and less wealthy families,” she said. “That solution troubles me because it’s no solution at all.”

A group of teachers at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia, made the same point after the school district proposed an overhaul of its homework policies, including removing penalties for missing homework deadlines, allowing unlimited retakes, and prohibiting grading of homework.

“Given the emphasis on equity in today’s education systems,” they wrote in a letter to the school board, “we believe that some of the proposed changes will actually have a detrimental impact towards achieving this goal. Families that have means could still provide challenging and engaging academic experiences for their children and will continue to do so, especially if their children are not experiencing expected rigor in the classroom.” At a school where more than a third of students are low-income, the teachers argued, the policies would prompt students “to expect the least of themselves in terms of effort, results, and responsibility.”

Not all homework is created equal

Despite their opposing sides in the homework wars, most of the researchers I spoke to made a lot of the same points. Both Bempechat and Pope were quick to bring up how parents and schools confuse rigor with workload, treating the volume of assignments as a proxy for quality of learning. Bempechat, who is known for defending homework, has written extensively about how plenty of it lacks clear purpose, requires the purchasing of unnecessary supplies, and takes longer than it needs to. Likewise, when Pope instructs graduate-level classes on curriculum, she asks her students to think about the larger purpose they’re trying to achieve with homework: If they can get the job done in the classroom, there’s no point in sending home more work.

At its best, pandemic-era teaching facilitated that last approach. Honolulu-based teacher Christina Torres Cawdery told me that, early in the pandemic, she often had a cohort of kids in her classroom for four hours straight, as her school tried to avoid too much commingling. She couldn’t lecture for four hours, so she gave the students plenty of time to complete independent and project-based work. At the end of most school days, she didn’t feel the need to send them home with more to do.

A similar limited-homework philosophy worked at a public middle school in Chelsea, Massachusetts. A couple of teachers there turned as much class as possible into an opportunity for small-group practice, allowing kids to work on problems that traditionally would be assigned for homework, Jessica Flick, a math coach who leads department meetings at the school, told me. It was inspired by a philosophy pioneered by Simon Fraser University professor Peter Liljedahl, whose influential book Building Thinking Classrooms in Mathematics reframes homework as “check-your-understanding questions” rather than as compulsory work. Last year, Flick found that the two eighth grade classes whose teachers adopted this strategy performed the best on state tests, and this year, she has encouraged other teachers to implement it.

Teachers know that plenty of homework is tedious and unproductive. Jeannemarie Dawson De Quiroz, who has taught for more than 20 years in low-income Boston and Los Angeles pilot and charter schools, says that in her first years on the job she frequently assigned “drill and kill” tasks and questions that she now feels unfairly stumped students. She said designing good homework wasn’t part of her teaching programs, nor was it meaningfully discussed in professional development. With more experience, she turned as much class time as she could into practice time and limited what she sent home.

“The thing about homework that’s sticky is that not all homework is created equal,” says Jill Harrison Berg, a former teacher and the author of Uprooting Instructional Inequity . “Some homework is a genuine waste of time and requires lots of resources for no good reason. And other homework is really useful.”

Cutting homework has to be part of a larger strategy

The takeaways are clear: Schools can make cuts to homework, but those cuts should be part of a strategy to improve the quality of education for all students. If the point of homework was to provide more practice, districts should think about how students can make it up during class — or offer time during or after school for students to seek help from teachers. If it was to move the curriculum along, it’s worth considering whether strategies like Liljedahl’s can get more done in less time.

Some of the best thinking around effective assignments comes from those most critical of the current practice. Denise Pope proposes that, before assigning homework, teachers should consider whether students understand the purpose of the work and whether they can do it without help. If teachers think it’s something that can’t be done in class, they should be mindful of how much time it should take and the feedback they should provide. It’s questions like these that De Quiroz considered before reducing the volume of work she sent home.

More than a year after the new homework policy began in Marlborough, Hennessy still hears from parents who incorrectly “think homework isn’t happening” despite repeated assurances that kids still can receive work. She thinks part of the reason is that education has changed over the years. “I think what we’re trying to do is establish that homework may be an element of educating students,” she told me. “But it may not be what parents think of as what they grew up with. ... It’s going to need to adapt, per the teaching and the curriculum, and how it’s being delivered in each classroom.”

For the policy to work, faculty, parents, and students will all have to buy into a shared vision of what school ought to look like. The district is working on it — in November, it hosted and uploaded to YouTube a round-table discussion on homework between district administrators — but considering the sustained confusion, the path ahead seems difficult.

When I asked Luis Torres about whether he thought homework serves a useful part in PS 55’s curriculum, he said yes, of course it was — despite the effort and money it takes to keep the school open after hours to help them do it. “The children need the opportunity to practice,” he said. “If you don’t give them opportunities to practice what they learn, they’re going to forget.” But Torres doesn’t care if the work is done at home. The school stays open until around 6 pm on weekdays, even during breaks. Tutors through New York City’s Department of Youth and Community Development programs help kids with work after school so they don’t need to take it with them.

As schools weigh the purpose of homework in an unequal world, it’s tempting to dispose of a practice that presents real, practical problems to students across the country. But getting rid of homework is unlikely to do much good on its own. Before cutting it, it’s worth thinking about what good assignments are meant to do in the first place. It’s crucial that students from all socioeconomic backgrounds tackle complex quantitative problems and hone their reading and writing skills. It’s less important that the work comes home with them.

Jacob Sweet is a freelance writer in Somerville, Massachusetts. He is a frequent contributor to the New Yorker, among other publications.

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Is Homework Illegal AnyWhere?

• Post author By admin
• September 19, 2022

In this blog, you will learn about is homework illegal? so let’s get started.

Homework has become an important part since Horace Mann invented school. But many students have a query “is homework illegal?” – many students don’t want to do homework, and according to the research, this happens worldwide. 

Homework is time-consuming and stressful for students. That’s why students hate to do homework and want to know is it legal or illegal. We know that you are one of them that want to know is homework illegal or legal. For some reasons, you can say it is illegal or for some, it is legal. 

We will start with the illegal site. Many American elementary schools have banned homework because they find that homework can affect students’ health by causing stomach and headaches problems.

Many students suffer from sleep deprivation because they stay up late at night to complete their homework. It can be harmful to children’s learning skills because sleep has been shown to assist memory consolidation.

Table of Contents

Is Homework Illegal?

While the answer to the question “is homework illegal?” is “no, not yet,” our attitudes toward homework are changing, and the pandemic has caused us to reconsider children’s work-life balance. Some school districts and individual schools have begun to prohibit homework and limit the amount of homework that can be assigned to students. Some schools have said that homework is given out only 2-3 times per week, and others have outright banned homework for students under the age of 15. 

Why Homework Is Not Illegal

There are numerous disagreements over the effectiveness of homework. However, after years of debate and research, there is no solid proof that it helps students in achieving higher marks. While some kids dislike homework and perform better in school without it, others rely on it to gain a deeper understanding of certain subjects.

For example, many students gain a better understanding of mathematical ideas through repeated practice. As a result, making homework unlawful may disadvantage more students, skewing the outcomes in favour of children who are born with these skills.

The government recognises this and has not passed any legislation prohibiting schools from assigning homework. Law enforcement will not arrest a teacher for assigning homework to students. This blog is all about is homework illegal.

A short history of homework for you

There is no definitive answer to the question of when homework was invented and who invented homework .  Pliny the Younger from the Roman Empire, Roberto Nevilis from Italy in 1905, or Horace Mann can all be credited.  In one form or another, homework has almost certainly been around for a long time.  

One of the last two men is supposed to have introduced today’s concept of homework (after all, a woman would have known that there is PLENTY to do at home!). It was created as a punishment or as a way to show students that they can control their time.

As soon as homework was introduced, it was controversial.  In some states, homework bans were already in place at the turn of the 20th century.  The amount of homework given to kids increased as fears of the cold war grew and Americans were concerned about falling behind.  Later, in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the anti-homework sentiment grew again, and students were given less homework. The country was experiencing an economic downturn when I entered the “workforce,” which means school.  Who else could be blamed but teachers?  There is a suggestion that the amount of homework given to kids should be increased by the Department of Education.

It has been reported that some high school students report having up to three hours of homework per night since then. This blog is all about is homework illegal.

Importance Of Homework

Improve memory

Whatever students learn in the classroom they can revise while doing homework. It can help them to improve their memory.

Students can learn to make good use of time

When students spend a lot of time completing their homework it helps them to keep away from useless activities such as spending more hours on phones, television or video games. 

Students can become independent

Many students do their homework on their own. They don’t get help from their teacher or friends. It makes them self-reliant and increases their confidence. 

Students learn responsibility

Many students understand that finishing homework is their responsibility. That’s why they do their homework every day.  It makes them responsible as a person.

Students learn to use many resources

When students do their homework they learn to use many resources such as libraries, the internet, etc. it helps them to find more information to complete their homework on time. 

Allow parents to involve in the studies of their child

When students do their homework it allows their parents to know what their child learns in school. And they can get involved with the child in their studies. 

Improves academic performance

Learning in the classroom isn’t enough to get good grades in school. Self-study is very important for achieving high grades.

Increases concentration

When students do their homework they find a peaceful place to study where they can concentrate more to complete their homework.

Why Should Students Have Homework?

One of the most important reasons a student has homework is that it allows professors to see where students are struggling with the course and assistance. 

At the same time, some students can work from the comfort of their own homes. It also allows teachers to get to know their students because some students are fast learners while others are slow learners.

Teachers can see where their students are lacking. The advantages of homework include teaching kids how to work as part of a group or collaborate effectively with others.

It can help the student in learning how to be self-sufficient. The schoolwork of their children is visible to their parents.

Kids should be assigned homework because there isn’t enough time at school, and some projects must be completed. Homework can increase a student’s self-esteem, but they can immediately identify their issues and get help before it’s too late if they struggle with it. 

One of the reasons professors assign homework is to encourage students to stay on track because failing behind might lead to failure. This blog is all about is homework illegal.

Is It Legal For Me To Do My Homework?

Legally, you are not required to do your homework. There is no law enforcement body that will arrest you for not doing your homework. A student who fails to complete his/her homework has the right to have it dealt with by the school.

The school may ask you to leave if you repeatedly ignore homework in schools where homework is part of the learning approach.  In some cases, parents who let their children ignore homework may attempt to get an exemption at the School Board, but in most cases, such requests still result in the child being asked to leave school.

If you refuse to do your homework, you aren’t breaking any federal or state laws, but you have no control over the actions your school will take. They have the legal authority to make whatever decision they deem appropriate. This blog is all about is homework illegal.

What States Have Illegal Homework Laws?

In all US states, homework is legal because there are no state laws prohibiting it. However, schools in different states are allowed to set their own rules about homework.

Some states ban or limit homework in some schools (or districts) including:

• Connecticut

20 Reasons Why Homework Should Be Banned

Here are 20 reasons why homework should be banned : 

• Homework Restricts A Student’s Freedom
• No Time For Exercises 
• No Time To Play Outdoor Games 
• Often Breaks Students’ Confidence
• Homework Doing Not An Achievement
• Most Homework Creates Bad Habits
• Less Time To Spend With Family Members
• Conflict With Parents
• Homework Can Encourage Cheating
• Downtime At Home
• Negative Impact On Tests
• Writing Has Different Effects
• Extra Challenges
• Homework Causes Depression
• Homework Provides No Real Benefit
• Too Much Homework Means Not Enough Time For Yourself
• School Is a Full-Time Job
• No real impact on performance
• Irrelevant content

Can Homework Be Considered Slavery?

There is no legal definition that would support the claim that homework is slavery. Even though home assignments are assigned without permission, comparing them to slavery is a ridiculous argument that cannot stand up to legal scrutiny.

If homework is considered slavery, you will need to prove that the teacher or instructor receives economic benefit from your work. However, teachers do not receive any economic benefit from assigning homework. Our sole goal is to help students apply what they’ve learned and become more comfortable with what they know.

Regardless of whether you believe the homework you’re assigned contributes to your career in any way, you can make your case to the appropriate authorities. This blog is all about is homework illegal.

What Is The Legal Homework Rights?

You can limit the amount of time your child spends on homework under the legal homework rights. It is possible to use the 504 law for these purposes, as it has multiple accommodations for children with impairment.

The term “impairment” is loosely defined under this law, which makes it a good legal tool when you’re seeking to accommodate a student’s various needs.

Having a child who has a diagnosis like Dyslexia or ADHD gives you a stronger case. Parents also have the right to exercise these rights with no diagnosis. This blog is all about is homework illegal.

How the 504 Process Works

Meetings with key stakeholders and paperwork are part of the 504 processes. These stakeholders include:

• The student
• A school administrator

They will pay attention and document all of your concerns during the meeting. An administrator or the child’s teacher must adhere to the record or document. On some occasions, the case goes to court before it is enforced but typically ends in the meeting room.

What Is The Optimal Amount Of Time To Spend On Homework Each Day?

There is no universally optimal amount of time to spend on homework per day. Most educators suggest using the 10-minute rule. To determine how much time your child should spend on homework, you should multiply 10 minutes by his/her grade level. 

That calculation indicates that a second grader should only have 20 minutes of homework per day, while students in 12th grade can have up to two hours of homework per day.

By using the legal homework rights, parents can get some concessions using the 10-minute rule. If a child has no homework in their academic life, it’s easier to request that the homework time be reduced (which will increase with each passing year). This blog is all about is homework illegal.

The Argument Against Homework

The following are some of the arguments used against homework:

• This encroaches on family and relaxation time. Students require some time every day to relax, play, connect with family members, get adequate sleep, and more. These activities are essential for a healthy balance between academics and personal life. When you have a lot of homework every day, you spend most of your relaxation time studying.
• There is a lot of pressure on students. When students know they still have homework to do, they feel an unnecessary amount of mental pressure. In the long run, consistent pressure could negatively affect a student’s performance at school.
• A child’s self-confidence can be affected by this. Poor homework results and poor results can make a student withdraw from other students and dread meetings with their teachers.
• Homework isn’t graded quickly (if at all). Teachers are often very busy dealing with different aspects of the academic process, so they glance at homework only briefly. In some cases, the students receive feedback long after the class has changed topics. Poorly graded homework defeats its purpose.

The Argument for Homework

• It allows parents and children to work together. The relationship between a child and a parent can be further improved by solving homework together. The parent can see how the child copes with schoolwork and address any concerns with the authorities.
• Students learn how to solve problems through this activity. In addition to learning to solve problems independently, children who complete their homework regularly will also gain valuable life skills. Students will be able to find information through books, the internet, and other sources on their own.
• It gives students insight into a teacher’s thought process. By doing their homework, students gain a deeper understanding of how teachers think, which can help them prepare for tests and exams. 
• It can help a child develop a higher sense of self-worth . When students receive high grades on their homework and complete their assignments they might feel more confident, which may lead to them becoming better students. 

Conclusion (Is Homework Illegal)

In this blog, we have discussed about is homework illegal. i hope you have understood about is homework illegal easily.

Homework is not illegal or slave labor. However, you can’t ignore the positive outcomes and the overall impact on a child’s academic foundation, regardless of the valid concerns about the impact on students. Furthermore, homework is not compulsory for students.

It is, however, up to the school to decide how to handle the student.

The school administrators can review your concerns about the amount of work your child has to do or about the relevance of the homework. This blog is all about is homework illegal.

FAQs Related To Is Homework Illegal?

Is it illegal to give homework.

Students are not required to do homework by law. While he does not prohibit schools from setting and enforcing rules and standards, he does provide schools with the tools to help ensure students receive a quality education. In other words, the school has the power to make you do your homework or face school-internal consequences.

Is there a legal limit to homework?

Homework assignments are not regulated by federal law, either. … A first-grader, for example, should not have to do more than ten minutes of homework (10 x 1), and a high school sophomore, a tenth-grader, should not have to do more than a hundred minutes of homework (10 x 10).

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