Homework is a Necessary Part of Life (Teddy C., Grade 5

school. It can also cause physical health problems and test scores to decrease. Some believe there should be homework because it reinforces what kids learn in school. This can be proven wrong because while having homework might reinforce what kids learn in school, studies show homework has many disadvantages. Once a week, I have a ballet class that ends at 6:45 P.M. I end up getting home at around 7:15 P.M. Sometimes, my homework lasts until 10:30 P. M. at night, and I go to sleep at eleven. This causes me to not be rested for the next school day and impacts my learning in many ways. If you were to take a stance on the great homework debate, what would you argue for?

Homework is a Necessary Part of Life By Teddy C., Grade 5

Whether or not to assign homework is becoming a growing question across the country. One policy made by Harris Cooper, a Duke professor, says that there should be ten minutes of homework per grade level. However, Susan Goldman, a professor of psychology and education at the University of Illinois at Chicago and co-director of UIC Learning Sciences Research institute states, “There’s no one answer.” Others just shun homework altogether, arguing it’s too stressful or kids just need time to be kids. Students may not always like homework, but it has its value. Homework leads to better school performance and academic ability, prepares students for college, and lets students develop skills they can use during their entire life. Homework is a necessary part of life. The first of the many reasons why homework is necessary is because it leads to better school performance and academic ability. Harris Cooper, the creator of the ten minute rule, says that homework leads to better school performance for 7th-12th graders. “The effect gets larger as kids move through the grades. But even in the early grades, homework has a positive effect on simple skills,” he states. Also, research from the High School Journal states thirty-one to ninety minutes of homework a day results in forty more points in the SAT-Mathematics. On Standardized Tests and grades, students who do homework outperform 69% of students with classes with no homework. It’s easy to think that homework is too stressful and not worth it. However if you look at the facts, doing only half an hour to an hour and a half, may result in so many benefits that a little stress is worth it. Therefore, it is proven that homework leads to better school performance and increased academic ability.

Another reason why homework is necessary is because it increases the likelihood of going to college and prepares you for college. The Institute of Labor Economics (IZA) concludes that the more homework you do leads to better GPAs and a higher probability of college attendance. 64% of students in one study and 72% in another say that homework is effective at improving academic achievement. According to multiple other sources as well homework leads to both better grades and superior performance on standardized tests. Some people like Leslie Butchko, parent of a sixth grader in Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, disagree. She tried convincing parents to do away with homework. "Most of the parents that were against the homework policy felt that students need a large quantity of homework to prepare them for the rigorous AP classes in high school and to get them into Harvard," she says. This proves that homework prepares students for college and increases the chance of students going to college. Finally, homework is necessary since it lets students develop skills that are used throughout your entire life. Homework instills a work ethic, study habits, and self-discipline. Andrew Selepak,

P.H.D, and media professor at the University of Florida believes that “Homework lets you develop independent skills, and teaches you that sometimes you have to take your work home with you.” Some people disagree with these statements. Kimberly Berens says “Homework is the number one destroyer of family life.” It’s easy to think that this is true, but it isn’t. Since homework teaches students how to manage their time wisely, students will have time to do the things they enjoy as well. Homework teaches students skills that can be used during work, college, and everyday life. In conclusion, homework is necessary because it increases school performance , academic ability, increases the likelihood of going to college and prepares you for college, and instills a work ethic, study habits, and self-discipline. This will benefit many people: schools, teachers, administrations, and students. Some people think otherwise, but they are wrong. Homework is a necessary part of life.