Teachers, parents, and students: What’s your take on homework? Is it worth it?

a girl holds a pencil and ruler and works in a notebook.
Some educators have changed their approach to homework in recent years. (Getty Images)

Chalkbeat Ideas is a new section featuring reported columns on the big ideas and debates shaping American schools. Sign up for the Ideas newsletter to follow our work.

Homework is one of the most foundational aspects of American schooling. It’s also intensely debated and in flux. Some teachers swear by homework; others say it simply doesn’t work. Parents, too, have differing views on the value and role of homework. Researchers examine its effect on learning, with varying and disputed results.

Some educators have changed their approach in recent years to give less homework or to stop grading what they do give. Artificial intelligence is creating new complications, making it harder for teachers to ensure work done at home is students’ own.

We want to understand what’s going on here: how teachers are using homework, how that’s changed in recent years, and what the benefits and downsides of homework are. We also want to hear thoughts about making homework more beneficial when it is assigned.

If you’re a teacher, parent, or student, we want to hear from you about homework. Now’s your chance to sound off on this hotly debated topic.

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Matt Barnum is Chalkbeat’s ideas editor. Reach him at mbarnum@chalkbeat.org.

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