Should Teachers Assign Homework? [POLL]
As schools open their doors around the country for another year, there's a question that's being asked by students, parents and teachers.
Should kids be assigned homework?
The debate is growing, in part after a teacher in Texas sent a note home to parents saying their children will not get any homework all year because studies show that it doesn't necessarily help their performance in the classroom.
And while kids around the nation shout in glee, there are undoubtedly some parents who may feel homework provides a way for children to learn about budgeting their time, develop effective study habits and focus in an environment outside of school.
It's an interesting argument. Not only do children spend all day in school, but they also have plenty of extracurricular activities -- Little League, piano and ballet are just some of the traditional ways kids spend their day when not in school. Perhaps parents worry that doing homework is merely another task in a day that's already packed.
Let's not forget that the homework issue may be age sensitive, too. A first grader may have a harder time completing it than, say, a sophomore in high school. Or, perhaps you could argue that a sophomore has even more going on in his or her life than a first grader. So, it's a layered question and you may feel that homework is acceptable for one age and not another, but for our purposes, we're going to ask it as a blanket question.