A large majority (79 percent) of the respondents said they care "very much" about the issue of homework. Only 3 percent of the respondents said they don't care much about this issue, while the rest (17 percent) said they care "somewhat."
A large majority (73 percent) of the respondents said they think homework is "very important" to students' school success, while 20 percent said it is "somewhat important." Only 7 percent of the respondents said homework is "not very important" to student success.
Asked whether schools should have standards for what kind of homework teachers assign, and how much, 75 percent of the respondents said "yes," 13 percent said "no," and the rest (11 percent) were unsure.
Slightly more than half (56 percent) of the respondents indicated that their school district has a homework policy, while 39 percent said their district has no homework policy, and 5 percent were unsure.
A large majority (80 percent) of the respondents said they think their school district should have a homework policy. Only 12 percent disagreed, and 8 percent were unsure.
Respondents were split on whether parents or family members should be required to assist students with homework. Nearly half (43 percent) of the respondents said "no," 39 percent said "yes," and 18 percent were unsure.
Asked whether homework assignments should give students practice using a new skill (multiplication, for example) or require complex performances, 77 percent of the respondents said "both are worthwhile." Only 3 percent said homework should require complex performances, and 20 percent said "practice of skills."
Slightly more than half (52 percent) of the respondents said that some students they know don't complete homework assignments. Only about one-third (35 percent) of the respondents said that "nearly all" the students they know complete homework assignments, while 13 percent said "many students don't complete them."
"Kids work very hard during the day in my school district, and to assign them lots of homework is doing a disservice. They need to be kids and play. We don't have a policy, but it would be good if [teachers] at least would talk across the grade levels so that when students go, say, from 3rd to 4th grade, they're not bowled over by a ton of homework in 4th that they never had in 3rd."
"I'm a classroom teacher, and what I see is, the only people that do any work with homework are the A and B students who actually do the homework and the teachers who grade it. . . . That's just the nature of our society, because the kids know they can ignore the homework and get by on a D and pass on to the next grade."
"My school district has 15 minutes of homework for the lower elementary grades, 40 minutes for middle, 45 for upper elementary grades, and about two hours' worth of homework for junior and senior high school students."
"I don't believe that schools should assign homework at all. Teach students while they're there. Then let them go home and play soccer, read a book, or hang out with their friends. Teachers should be restricted from impinging upon students' lives with low-level, repetitious, boring [homework] that wastes their time."
"Homework is a vital aspect of the education of all children. It reinforces skills and knowledge that have been part of daily instruction. It allows parents and teachers to work in a collaborative way, the parents providing encouragement for students to complete their assignments. Homework also is a means of enlightening parents as to what specifically is in the curriculum of the school. I endorse it wholeheartedly."
"I think that establishing standards in schools and school districts for homework assignments would be very helpful. Schools should emphasize to parents and students the significance of homework assignments."
"I'm using homework in a more interactive [way] with 1st grade parents, and I have found incredible success with the students whose parents do it consistently. Even with the ones who only do it sporadically, it's still making a huge difference. I have a much more effective class going this year."
"I think homework is extremely important to foster responsibility in children and extend their learning. However, in this day and age, it's not always possible to ask parents to help out because many of them are working or single parents, and there's nobody at home to help children."
"Many students these days consider themselves entitled to be entertained all the time. I feel that that [attitude] explains why homework often does not get done. Parents shouldn't be required to help students, but parents could be more involved in seeing that homework gets done these days."
"I am a classroom teacher of foreign languages, and I have found that homework is essential. Considering that students have exposure for only 50 minutes each day, they must spend more time in order to understand concepts. I've also found that the relevance of homework is extremely important—students should understand exactly what skill they're picking up, and also see immediate application of their homework the next day in class. My students tend to do their homework every night, all of them."
"My wife and I are educators. When we come home after a busy day, the last thing we want to do is fight with our children to do their homework. It's much more important for us to have time together doing family activities and enjoying each other's company than it is to struggle over getting an assignment done."
"We teachers need to develop homework that is very worthwhile to students, that has a clear purpose, and is rather engaging. We need to work on our work before we expect them to work on their work."
