Among them is Chicago, the nation's third-largest public school system with 435,000 students. The Piscataway policy is not without its local detractors. Agatha Asamoah is one. Her son, Nana-yaw, a high school senior, takes several advanced and honors courses, and two hours seems insufficient, she said. My son is in a class for 45 minutes with a teacher.
Some experts see a cyclical pattern to homework loads.
Emphasis on homework increased after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, decreased in the 1960s amid concerns that students needed time for other pursuits, then increased again in the 1980s and '90s amid questions about whether American students could compete with students at more rigorous schools in Japan and Germany. The swinging pendulum bothers Karen Joseph, spokeswoman for the New Jersey chapter of the National Education Association. This article first appeared on October 31, 2000. We welcome your feedback. All rights reserved.