Many have family responsibilities, caring for siblings or other young relatives. And participation in extracurricular activities has boomed, creating yet another competitor for after-school time. The only time they can focus on schoolwork is when they're in the classroom. U.S. students do spend more time on homework than in years past. So it'd be a stretch to blame homework as the sole exterminator of quality family time or a child's inner peace.
Homework does have a positive effect on achievement as children grow older.
A wide variety of studies report that students completing homework in middle and high school have an edge in class grades and test scores. Maryland's Garza-Lubeck requires her social studies students to take notes on their reading for homework. Even the youngest child can learn to set up a schedule and develop study habits and time-management skills. Overloading children with homework in the early grades can ruin motivation, Cooper acknowledges. He recommends 10 minutes each night for each grade.