About the Author

Dr. Cathy Vatterott is a professor of education at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, where she trains preservice middle school teachers. She is a former middle school and high school teacher and middle school principal. She is the author of numerous articles about education, including "Homework Myths" and "There's Something Wrong with Homework," and three other books: Academic Success Through Empowering Students (National Middle School Association, 1999), Becoming a Middle Level Teacher: Student-Focused Teaching of Early Adolescents (McGraw-Hill, 2007), and Rethinking Grading: Meaningful Assessment for Standards-Based Learning (ASCD, 2015).

She first became interested in homework in the late 1990s as the frustrated parent of a 5th grader with learning disabilities. Since then, she has presented her homework research to more than 12,000 educators and parents in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Dr. Vatterott is considered an international expert on the topic of K–12 homework and is often interviewed by media such as the New York Times, National Public Radio, Time.com, USA Today, BBC World News Service, the Globe and Mail, and the Guardian, as well as by writers from parenting magazines and educational organizations. She also serves on the advisory board for Parents magazine.