How Much Homework Is Too Much?

I was at a parent meeting at my son's school recently, and, as is often the case, the subject of homework came up. Reminiscent of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, some parents found the amount of homework to be too much, others too little, and still others just right—even though all the kids were in the same grade and, for the most part, had the same teachers.

Alfie Kohn has written extensively on homework in his book The Homework Myth and elsewhere, arguing, in a nutshell, that today's kids have too much homework and would be better off without it.

Since few schools do away with homework completely, though, how can parents know when the amount of homework is too much? One way is to talk with other parents in the same class to get their take on the situation. If most, or even all, parents seem to agree that their kids are overburdened, then that's likely to be an accurate assessment. If, on the other hand, there are very diverse opinions about the amount of homework, as was the case at the parent meeting I attended, they more likely reflect individual differences in the kids' abilities to handle the homework load.

Such differences can result from a host of causes: varying organizational and academic capabilities, different amounts of time available in which to do homework, amounts of homework in previous grades and schools, and so on. What seems like a homework cakewalk to one child may be experienced as a Sisyphean undertaking by another.

In such situations, perhaps the most important thing is to evaluate the "fit" between the amount of homework and one's own particular child. If that amount seems like too much, parents should speak to the teacher(s) or seek other help; the converse holds true as well. Given that homework is unlikely to be abolished, ultimately parents must advocate for their children so that, if the homework fit isn't good, the amount can be calibrated to the individual child's situation.