Does homework have a purpose

Homework: the nightmare that every student must deal with. Is there really a purpose, or are teachers punishing children for fun? 

For one thing, students who were assigned homework did 69 percent better academically than students who didn’t, according to “Does Homework Improve Academic Achievement? A Synthesis of Researcher, 1987-2003.” Being that students only retain 50 percent of the information taught in class, homework does have a purpose (school-for-champions.com). 

 On the other hand, too much homework can stress students to the point of headaches, exhaustion and even weight loss, according to procon.org. Eighty-two percent of kids said that they were “often or always stressed by schoolwork,” according to digmb.com. 

Homework also teaches students to be responsible and time conscious. It helps develop study habits for future education like college. 

Low-income students, however, are put at a disadvantage when it comes to homework. They have less access to internet, books and other materials needed for schoolwork, which can affect their grades. Forty-one percent of kids are from low-income families, according to nccp.org. That large percentage corresponds to school success. A significant number of these students may have lack of access to resources or they need to watch younger siblings, taking away time from doing homework. All these factors could result in a lower grade for homework, making school life tougher, and homework a negative thing. 

The even balance between the pros and cons is to assign ninety minutes to two-and-a-half hours of homework for peak performance, according to today.duke.edu.  

At the end of the day, homework can be helpful and less stressful if moderated and balanced.