Some parents, in fact, have decided to opt out of the whole thing. The researchers reported that family fights about homework were 200 percent more likely when parents didn’t have a college degree. But according to the standards set by the NEA and NPTA, they shouldn’t receive any at all.Ī contributing editor of the study, Stephanie Donaldson-Pressman, told CNN that she found it “absolutely shocking” to learn that kindergarteners had that much homework.Īnd all those extra assignments may lead to family stress, especially when parents with limited education aren’t confident in their ability to talk with the school about their child’s work. Kindergarteners received 25 minutes of homework per night, on average. The researchers found that first and second graders received 28 and 29 minutes of homework per night. Published in The American Journal of Family Therapy, the 2015 study surveyed more than 1,100 parents in Rhode Island with school-age children. “The data shows that homework over this level is not only not beneficial to children’s grades or GPA, but there’s really a plethora of evidence that it’s detrimental to their attitude about school, their grades, their self-confidence, their social skills, and their quality of life,” Donaldson-Pressman told CNN.īut the most recent study to examine the issue found that kids in their study who were in early elementary school received about three times the amount of recommended homework. Research suggests that when students are pushed to handle a workload that’s out of sync with their development level, it can lead to significant stress - for children and their parents.īoth the National Education Association (NEA) and the National PTA (NPTA) support a standard of “10 minutes of homework per grade level” and setting a general limit on after-school studying.įor kids in first grade, that means 10 minutes a night, while high school seniors could get two hours of work per night.Įxperts say there may be real downsides for young kids who are pushed to do more homework than the “10 minutes per grade” standard.

Homework for high schoolers