School overload : the effects of homework on families

In today’s society more emphasis is put on student academic achievement, thus the amount of homework being assigned has increased. Many students in elementary school are being assigned homework that is neither motivating nor engaging. This can lead to negative effects on students’ learning and cause stress for families. With more time being filled doing homework, less time is being spent enjoying family time. Four local elementary school teachers and four parents were interviewed to gain insight on their thoughts about homework. The outcome of these interviews indicate that of the four teachers interviewed only one described homework as being beneficial to families, while the other three agreed that homework can overburden families and take away from family time. Most parents interviewed were in agreement that homework was not very important and was more of a burden to their families. To support the analysis, alternative solutions for homework were presented to teachers in order to rethink homework practices by creating more engaging work that incorporates families in a proactive way