'Homework revolt': Time to give kids a break?

Some educators say younger children could learn more if they studied less

Elementary students
(Image credit: LWA-Sharie Kennedy/Corbis)

In what The New York Times is terming a "homework revolt," some American school districts are considering slashing homework demands, concerned that the after-school grind is stressing kids out without improving their academic performance. The school board in New Jersey's Galloway Township, for example, may limit homework assignments to a mere 10 minutes per grade of school (second graders get 20 minutes, and so on) and eliminating it entirely on weekends and holidays. Will going easier on elementary students help them learn?

Too much homework is bad for our children: American children get so much schoolwork and so little sleep, says Erin Kurt at Get2Central, that many of them show the "same physical and emotional signs of stress as the children in the war-torn countries." And one of the primary reasons is "too much homework." If we can cut back on the homework so our kids can sleep and play more, they'll be happier, healthier, and more successful.

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