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Devon Davis

Mr. Pace

Junior English

12/7/23

Homework Needs to be Reduced or Removed

In 1901 the state of California banned homework for all students under 15, but due to

disagreements on the law it only lasted till 1917 (Bourque). But the fact that homework was

banned, and only 16 years later was reinstated due to disagreement shows that homework has

always been a debate, and has consumed teachers and parents alike for years. In fact, to this day,

many still argue whether it is actually beneficial to students' learning or just a waste of time. As a

student myself, I feel as if homework is a waste of time and unnecessary stress adder. Therefore,

homework load on students should greatly be reduced or even removed altogether. Though some

may argue, homework builds a sense of responsibility. That is insignificant to that fact, it can

affect overall well-being for students by affecting their health and reducing free time. Which in

the long run can negatively impact their in school performance.

Homework load should be decreased for students, as it has been shown to increase stress

and lead to long nights finishing assignments. As a result, students may experience a decrease in

health, which can impact school performance. In fact, a study by Stanford on the pitfall of

homework exemplified just how much stress homework causes students. They found that, “56

percent of the students considered homework a primary source of stress… Less than 1 percent of

the students said homework was not a stressor.”(Parker) So over half the percentage of students

saying homework is a main source of stress is significant since most students will have

homework every night. Meaning they are under constant stress which is not healthy for humans,
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as stress can have many immediate and long term effects on your health. For example, stress can

lead to an increase in blood pressure, headaches, and lack of focus (“How Stress Affects Your

Body and Behavior.”), which will only disrupt your performance in schools. Especially because

if students can not focus, they will have a harder time understanding in school, not only affecting

their overall education but also leading to more difficulty and stress on homework. In addition to

stress, lack of sleep can cause many health issues, especially for developing adolescents, and the

same study by Stanford also concluded that many students faced sleep deprivation due to

homework load (Parker). As a student myself, I can relate to this, since at least 3 times a week I

have a homework load that keeps me up till times between 12 and 1 am. Allowing me to only get

about 6 and a half hours of sleep per night, which is about 2 hours less than the recommended

amount for healthy adolescent development (Strauss). As a result, I often get headaches, and

have trouble focusing in class and on work because I'm so exhausted. Leading to school work

that is not completed to the best of my ability. So it's clear, homework load can result in constant

stress and lack of sleep for students. Leading to negative effects on student's health, such as

headaches and concentration problems, which only decreases their academic performance.

Hence, why homework load should be decreased or removed altogether.

Along with the many arguments on why homework is bad, there are also many on why it

is good. In fact, many people argue that homework is beneficial because it improves students'

academic and overall success by helping them acquire skills necessary for later life. For example,

a clinical professor and psychologist at BU, Jamie Bempechat says the homework will “help kids

develop skills they’ll need when they’re older—to begin to instill a sense of responsibility”

(Rimer). However, to argue that homework is necessary because it instills responsibility is

insignificant, because students can learn responsibility from many aspects of their life, including
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clubs and sports. Specifically, many athletes and club members will learn responsibility from the

teams they are a part of. As it is important, they can step up and do their part to help their team

when it's needed. Yet despite benefits extracurricular activities provide, homework often takes

away student's opportunities to participate in them. In fact, a study showed 61% of students

“indicated that they had been forced to drop an activity they enjoyed because of their school

workload.” (Strauss). So not only does dropping out of an extracurricular activity prevent

students from being able to develop skills such as responsibly through something they enjoy. But

it can also decrease their in school performance, as extracurricular activities have been proven to

help reduce stress for students. Which can lead to happier and more productive students (“Why

Free Time (And Space) Should Be an Educational Priority.”). So, though some may argue that

homework provides necessary skills like responsibility, students can achieve the same skills

through sports and clubs. Also, too big of a workload can take free time away from kids, which

can affect their overall academics. Since having time to participate in extracurriculars can

provide an opportunity to take a break from school and allow students to come back more

productive and ready to learn.

Ultimately, I feel homework for students should be reduced or removed altogether, since

a large homework load can cause constant stress and lack of sleep. Which can result in health

problems such as headaches and trouble concentrating, and will only decrease a student's school

performance. Also, though many argue homework is necessary to teach responsibility, it's been

shown students can learn the same skill in extracurricular activities. Additionally,

extracurriculars can provide students with a break from the stress of school, improving

academics. Which is why homework needs to be reduced in order to provide enough free time

for kids to participate in them. So in order to make schools a healthy and more successful
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experience for students, we must join the ever growing debate on homework in order to push for

a reduced homework load.

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Works Cited

Bourque, Crystal. “The Big Question: Who Invented Homework?” FindMyKids Blog, 17 Aug.

2022,

findmykids.org/blog/en/who-invented-homework#:~:text=If%20you’ve%20ever%20felt,t

he%20lessons%20taught%20during%20class.

“How Stress Affects Your Body and Behavior.” Mayo Clinic, 10 Aug. 2023,

www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-2

0050987.

Parker, Clifton. “Stanford Research Shows Pitfalls of Homework.” Stanford News, 10 Mar. 2014,

news.stanford.edu/2014/03/10/too-much-homework-031014/.

Rimer, Sara. “Does Homework Really Help Students Learn?” Boston University, 19 Feb. 2019,

www.bu.edu/articles/2019/is-homework-helpful/.

Strauss, Valerie. “Homework Hurts High-Achieving Students, Study Says.” The Washington

Post, 13 Mar. 2014,

www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/03/13/homework-hurts-high-achi

eving-students-study-says/.

“Why Free Time (And Space) Should Be an Educational Priority.” Vsamerica,

vsamerica.com/blog/why-free-time-and-space-should-be-educational-priority#:~:text=Stu

dents%20who%20are%20given%20free,these%20experiences%20are%20not%20prioriti

zed.
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