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Bryan is away salmon fishing this week. On a typical day, my children sit beside him on the couch and call for my help 695 times an hour. This week, the only person on earth who can help them with anything is their father. The Wagner kids are emotional and tired. We are down our person, but perhaps more importantly 😳 we are down a driver. Everyone is spending more time in the car and getting home later at night. As the week and exhaustion have progressed, the stress over homework completion has also increased. Last night, I waved the white flag. As their mom, their mental health and the need for sleep trumped the need to complete homework. As an educator, it was an easy white flag to wave.

The research on homework for elementary students is pretty clear… it doesn’t do much. What we have found through research is that there may be a small benefit for older (middle school and up) students, there may be some benefit in certain conditions for students with learning disabilities, and that homework may have some non-academic benefits like instilling responsibility and time management (Reading Rockets). Research hasn’t found that homework increases academic achievement for elementary-aged students. Like hasn’t found it at all, even though researchers have looked pretty hard for it. 

What has research found to improve academic achievement? Nightly reading. Daily reading significantly increases academic achievement (This article links to a ton of articles about reading with your children). Research also shows that children need downtime, creative playtime, and a good night’s sleep. What does this mean for parents who want the best for their children? It means that when we are over-scheduled, down a caregiver, getting or getting over being sick, or homework is becoming a battle… we back off. We take our child outside to play. We grab a great book and snuggle in for a family read. It may mean an early night to bed (for everyone). It probably means writing a note at the top of the homework, “Could not complete, because research says so.”