Four Educators on Homework

A. Educator A — Dr Hasan: The evidence on homework is far less clear-cut than most parents assume. For primary-age children, the correlation between homework and achievement is negligible. Where homework does appear to help — in secondary school — the benefit plateaus quickly; beyond about ninety minutes a night, returns diminish and stress increases. I would rather see schools invest that time in structured reading programmes.

B. Educator B — Ms Khoury: Homework teaches something that no classroom lesson can: the discipline of working alone, without immediate feedback, on a task you did not choose. That is an uncomfortable skill, and precisely because it is uncomfortable, it is valuable. The mistake is assigning busywork; the solution is assigning less homework but making every piece genuinely demanding.

C. Educator C — Mr Tanaka: I abolished homework in my classes three years ago and replaced it with a weekly 'curiosity project' — students investigate any question that interests them and present findings in five minutes. Engagement has risen sharply, and the quality of classroom discussion has improved because students arrive with questions rather than answers copied from the internet.

D. Educator D — Dr Osei: The homework debate often ignores equity. A student with a quiet room, reliable internet, and educated parents experiences homework very differently from one without those resources. Until we can guarantee a level playing field outside school, assigning homework risks widening the very gaps we claim to be closing.