# data[].attributes.headline
Chocolate Milk Supports Local Dairy Farmers!

# data[].attributes.subject
Chocolate Milk Supports Local Dairy Farmers!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ernst: Allow Students to Choose Dairy, Support Nutrition and Dairy Farmers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On behalf of families and dairy farmers, U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Tina…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As a parent, you want to make sure you are fueling your child for proper growth and development, while also laying the foundation for lifelong health. Chocolate milk provides 13 essential nutrients into one delicious and affordable beverage that kids love to drink. Read on as we explore some of the top reasons why chocolate milk is an excellent beverage option for children and why parents can feel good about serving it to their kids.

Reason #1: Chocolate milk is a nutrient-packed beverage that's good for you and your kids

Chocolate milk is a type of flavored milk, which means that cocoa powder and sugar are added to plain white milk to add extra flavor and sweetness. These extra ingredients do not take away the powerful nutrient profile that milk offers. With a glass of chocolate milk providing the same 13 essential nutrients as a glass of white milk, it's a no brainer. When it comes to fueling growth and development, not many other beverages can compete with milk's inherent nutrient content.

Calcium and vitamin D are the most familiar nutrients when it comes to milk, which makes sense, because these two powerhouse nutrients are impossible to ignore in child nutrition. Dairy's calcium and vitamin D content, as well as protein and phosphorus, contribute to proper bone growth and development in children. Foods that are rich in calcium and vitamin D play an integral role in helping children achieve their peak bone mass while preventing bone diseases later in life. ¹

In addition to calcium and vitamin D, milk provides a host of immune-boosting vitamins and minerals. Nutrients such as high-quality protein, vitamin A, zinc, and selenium support a strong immune system that helps children fight off diseases and stay healthy.

The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recognize calcium, potassium, vitamin D, and fiber as nutrients of public health concern for underconsumption, which simply means that these nutrients are often lacking in the diets of Americans. 2 For 2 to 18 year old's, milk is the leading source of three of the four nutrients of public health concern (calcium, potassium, and vitamin D). ³ Chocolate milk provides a simple and tasty way to fill nutrient gaps that exist for many children. To learn more about the nutrients found in milk, click here.

Reason #2: Chocolate milk's delicious flavor can encourage milk consumption

For children, chocolate milk can be a stealthy way to be healthy. The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend three servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy foods for individuals 9 years and older, 2 ½ servings for children 4-8 years, and 2 for children 2-3 years. Unfortunately, dairy consumption often falls below the recommended amounts as children enter school, with dairy consumption continuing to fall through adolescence. ⁴

Milk provides valuable nutrition to nourish children's growing bodies, but they have to actually drink it in order to obtain the nutritional benefits. For picky eaters or children who don't like the taste of white milk, the added chocolate flavor can make milk more appealing to drink and help them meet their dairy and nutrient recommendations.

Reason #3: The benefits of drinking chocolate milk for a healthy and balanced diet

One of the most common complaints against chocolate milk is its sugar content and the extra calories that this sugar provides. The sugar in chocolate milk can fit in a balanced diet. With growing concerns of childhood obesity in the United States, wariness about added sugar content is well-warranted. It's important to remember that some of the sugar content in chocolate milk comes from lactose, the sugar that is naturally present in milk. Additional sugar and flavoring are added to this to give the milk a delicious chocolate taste. In fact, the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the American Academy of Pediatrics recognize that a small amount of added sugars, which fall within the daily calorie limit, can be used to increase the palatability and appeal of nutrient-rich foods, such as low-fat flavored milk. ⁶

While some parents may still have concerns about the sugar content on the nutrition label, research shows that there is no association between drinking flavored milk and an increased Body Mass Index. ⁶ Looking at the bigger picture of children's overall diets, the added sugar in chocolate milk does not make up the bulk of children's sugar consumption. Flavored milk contributes only 4% of added sugars to the overall diets of children ages 2 to 18. ⁷ In comparison, sugar-sweetened beverages contribute 25% of added sugars in the diets of children and 50% of added sugars in the diets of adolescents. 8,9 The small amount of added sugar in chocolate milk does not counteract the nutritional benefits and important nutrient contributions that it provides for children.

Reason #4: Chocolate milk is affordable, delicious, and nutritious

Chocolate milk is a convenient and affordable way to provide your child with valuable nutrition. Grocery stores and many convenience stores offer a wide variety of chocolate milk brands, often including lactose free and low-fat options. At about $0.26 per glass of milk, you can get the most nutritional bang for your buck by giving your children chocolate milk in place of milk alternatives, fruit juices, or other sugary beverages. ¹⁰

Additionally, you can encourage your kids to get an extra serving of dairy at school by drinking chocolate milk with their breakfast and/or lunch. It's worth noting that the chocolate milk that is served in schools is not the same as what you find in the grocery store aisle. School flavored milk is reformulated so that it has even less added sugar and calories than grocery store chocolate milk. Schools now have more flexibility in the types of milk and can offer low-fat and fat-free flavored milk for lunch and breakfast, providing children with even greater access to chocolate milk. A recent research study found that school-age children who drank flavored milk also drank more milk in general and had a higher prevalence of meeting calcium needs. ¹¹ Offering chocolate milk in schools is a phenomenal way to encourage kids to drink milk and meet the recommended amounts of nutrients that they need to grow and develop.

Reason #5: Chocolate milk is an excellent refuel drink for active kids and young athletes

If you have a young athlete at home, stocking your refrigerator with chocolate milk is a simple way to help them refuel after a difficult practice or a big game. The benefits of chocolate milk for young athletes are two-fold - it provides them with the nutrients they need to build muscle and bone mass, and it provides a perfect recovery drink to help them reach peak athletic performance. The science supporting chocolate milk as a post-exercise recovery beverage is well-established. Chocolate milk provides carbohydrates to restore energy used during exercise, high quality protein to repair and rebuild muscle, and electrolytes and fluids to rehydrate and help maintain fluid balance.

It's important for young athletes to establish healthy refueling habits so that they can train and perform to the best of their ability now and establish a foundation for good sports nutrition that they can build on in the future. Compared to many other refuel beverages and recovery shakes, chocolate milk is a simple, tasty, and inexpensive refuel option to provide your kids with when navigating a crazy schedule filled with school, practices, and games.

Bottom Line

Chocolate milk plays an important role in child nutrition, offering delicious nutrition that kids love to drink. Whether you are fueling a young athlete or a growing kindergartner, you can feel confident offering your children chocolate milk, knowing that it will provide them with the nutrients that they need to grow and develop for years to come.

Click here to read more about chocolate milk and child nutrition in Spanish.

1. Golden, N., Abrams, S., Daniels, D., Corkins, M., Ferranti, S., Magge, S., & Schwarzenberg, S. (2014). Optimizing bone health in children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 134(4), 1229-1243. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2014-2173

2. S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. December 2020. Accessed at https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans_2020-2025.pdf

3. National Dairy Council. NHANES 2015-2018. Hyattsville, MD; 2020.

4. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Scientific report of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee: advisory report to the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Health and Human Services. July 2020. Accessed at https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-07/ ScientificReport_of_the_2020DietaryGuidelinesAdvisoryCommittee_first-print.pdf

5. Murray, R., Bhatia, J., Okamoto, J., Allison, M., Ancona, R., Attisha, E., De Pinto, C., Holmes, B., Kjolhede, C., Lerner, M., Minier, M., Weiss-Harrison, A., Young, T., Devore, C., Barnett, S., Grant, L., Johnson, V., Mattey, E., Vernon-Smiley, M., . . . Burrowes, D. (2015). Snacks, sweetened beverages, added sugars, and schools. Pediatrics, 135(3), 575-583. https://doi.org/ 10.1542/peds.2014-3902

6. Cifelli, C.J., Houchins, J.A., Demmer, E., & Fulgoni, V., III (2016). The relationship between flavored milk consumption, diet quality, body weight, and BMI z-score among children and adolescents of different ethnicities. The FASEB Journal, 30: 1154.12-1154.12. https://faseb.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1096/fasebj.30.1_supplement.1154.12

7. National Dairy Council. NHANES 2015-2018. Data Source: Centers for Disease control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data. Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm

8. O'Neil, C., Nicklas, T., & Fulgoni, V., III (2018). Food sources of energy and nutrients of public health concern and nutrients to limit with a focus on milk and other dairy foods in children 2 to 18 years of age: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011-2014. Nutrients, 10(8), 1050. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10081050

9. Leme, A., Baranowski, T., Thompson, D., Philippi, S., O'Neil, C., Fulgoni, V., & Nicklas, T. (2019). Top food sources of percentage of energy, nutrients to limit and total gram amount consumed among US adolescents: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2014. Public Health Nutrition, 22(4), 661-671. doi:10.1017/S1368980018002884

10. IRI Multi Outlet + Conv 2020, YTD ending 10-4-20. Based on U.S. average price of unflavored, branded and private label milk, 1 gal. Source- https://www.drink-milk.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Nutrients-Study-Snapshot.pdf

11. Nicklas, T., O'Neil, C., & Fulgoni, V. III (2017). Flavored milk consumers drank more milk and had a higher prevalence of meeting calcium recommendation than nonconsumers. Journal of School Health, 87(9), 650-657. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.12537

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5 Reasons Parents and Kids Love Chocolate Milk

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As a parent, you want to make sure you are fueling your child for proper growth and development, while also laying the foundation for lifelong health. Chocolate milk provides 13 essential nutrients into one delicious and affordable beverage that kids love to drink.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What's your opinion? Cast your vote in this debate.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Kids need the nutrients in milk.

Milk is the number one source for three of the four nutrients of concern that kids are lacking - calcium, vitamin D and potassium - according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Drinking flavored milk can help children meet the recommendation for three daily servings of dairy foods while providing key nutrients necessary for growth and development. Additionally, kids who drink flavored milk consume more of these nutrients of concern compared to non-flavored milk drinkers. ¹

Three 8-ounce servings of milk, flavored or not, gives kids as much...

Protein as four large hardboiled eggs

Calcium as 38 cups of raw kale

Vitamin D as a 6.5 oz can of sardines (approx. 15 sardines)

Vitamin A as approx. 1.8 cups of fortified cereal

Phosphorus as approx. 3 cups of cooked red kidney beans

Riboflavin as 0.8 cups of whole almonds

Kids drink less milk when they can't get flavored.

A national study showed that when you remove flavored milk from elementary schools, kids drink 35% less milk - and that number did not rebound over time. A similar study in Canada showed that overall milk consumption decreased by 48% in a four-week period.

Less sugar than you think.

Flavored milk in schools contributes very little added sugar to kids' diets (6 grams, or about 4%), yet provides thirteen essential nutrients - compared to soda and fruit drinks that contribute lots of added sugar (45%) for little to no nutritional value.

Research has also shown that the tiny amount of added sugar in flavored milk does not affect behavior or contribute to hyperactivity in kids. 2,3

Flavored milk drinkers are just as likely to maintain a healthy weight as other kids.

Children who drink flavored milk drink more milk overall, have better quality diets, do not have higher intakes of added sugar or fat, and are just as likely to be at a healthy weight when compared with kids who do not drink flavored milk. ¹

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Milk is the number one source for three of the four nutrients of concern that kids are lacking - calcium, vitamin D and potassium - according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Drinking flavored milk can help children meet the recommendation for three daily servings of dairy foods while providing key nutrients necessary for growth and development.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Soda canned: It's been a long haul for American school districts and state legislatures seeking to end the peddling of calorie-laden soft drinks to thirsty public school students. Beverage companies and schools have had a lucrative partnership for more than 50 years, splitting the revenue from ever-popular vending machines. But years of campaigning against that arguably unhealthy relationship reached a port of call today with news that some of the world's biggest drinks firms will halt nearly all soda sales to public schools.

Nearly 35 million students across the U.S. will be affected by the deal between the American Beverage Association, which represents the majority of school vending bottlers, and anti-obesity advocates. And stepping in to help broker the deal has been the William J. Clinton Foundation, founded by none other than the cool-headed former U.S. president, Bill Clinton.

Hard to be sure how much confronting drinks companies was on par with Clinton's mediation of the Northern Ireland peace process or the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, but the effects of the deal with firms like Cadbury Schweppes , Coca-Cola PepsiCo could be far reaching. "This is really the beginning of a major effort to modify childhood obesity at the level of the school systems," said Robert H. Eckel, president of the American Heart Association . Clinton, Eckel and representatives from beverage companies were scheduled to formally announce the deal this morning from the former U.S. president's offices in New York City's Harlem.

Under the agreement, the companies have agreed to sell only water, unsweetened juice and low-fat milk to elementary and middle schools while high schools would be allowed diet drinks, unsweetened teas, flavored water, and low-calorie sports drinks. Fortunately for the companies, sales of these sorts of drinks have been on the rise in recent years--but regular soda is still the most popular drink among students, according to The Associated Press, accounting for 45% of beverages sold in schools in 2005.

You might therefore think that for a company like Cadbury Schweppes, which yesterday completed its acquisition of the Carlyle Group's 53% stake in the Dr Pepper/Seven Up Bottling Group, the end of sugary sodas in schools could make profits go flat. But Cadbury says it's taking the nixing of fizzy drinks in its stride, and touts a wide portfolio of different beverages that it says can meet new customer demands.

"We've created brands people love for over 200 years and are pleased to offer consumers a wide variety and choice of great tasting products that can fit into a balanced lifestyle," said Gil Cassagne, president and chief executive of Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages in a statement. "We are taking an important step forward by working with parents, community leaders and school officials to collectively focus on healthier lifestyles for children." More...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Bill Clinton Helps End Soda Sales In Schools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Soda canned: It's been a long haul for American school districts and state legislatures seeking to end the peddling of calorie-laden soft drinks to thirsty public school students. Beverage companies and schools have had a lucrative partnership for more than 50 years, splitting the revenue from ever-popular vending machines.

# data[].attributes.headline
National Geographic Study: Chocolate Milk vs. Sports Drinks!

# data[].attributes.subject
National Geographic Study: Chocolate Milk vs. Sports Drinks!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
National Geographic Study: Chocolate Milk vs. Sports Drinks!

# data[].attributes.headline
Debate over chocolate milk spilling over

# data[].attributes.subject
Debate over chocolate milk spilling over

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Debate over chocolate milk spilling over

# data[].attributes.headline
Chocolate Milk: Is the Calcium Worth the Sugar?

# data[].attributes.subject
Chocolate Milk: Is the Calcium Worth the Sugar?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Chocolate Milk: Is the Calcium Worth the Sugar?

# data[].attributes.headline
School lunches may get a little less healthy with passage of new bill

# data[].attributes.subject
School lunches may get a little less healthy with passage of new bill

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Chocolate-flavored milk can provide the same essential nutrients as white milk. Learn how both are great additions to a kid’s diet at U.S. Dairy.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
With the same essential vitamins and nutrients found in white milk wrapped up in delicious flavor, TruMoo® chocolate milk is the perfect way to replenish after a big day of childhood fun.
Browse our products

If childhood had an official drink, it would be TruMoo Chocolate Milk.

TruMoo High Protein is the perfect balance of protein power and winning taste.

Real cocoa. No artificial flavors. The rich and creamy taste kids love.

Essential vitamins and no high fructose corn syrup, so it's a choice you can feel good about.

At TruMoo, we are all about making the most of childhood fun. And our chocolate milk is a delicious way for kids to replenish after an active day outdoors.

Real cocoa. No artificial flavors. The rich and creamy taste kids love.

Essential vitamins and no high fructose corn syrup, so it's a choice you can feel good about.

At TruMoo, we are all about making the most of childhood fun. And our chocolate milk is a delicious way for kids to replenish after an active day outdoors.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Great flavors, essential vitamins & nutrients, TruMoo has everything kids need to replenish after a day of play.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sorry, we cannot locate this page. It may have been replaced or updated.

# data[].attributes.headline
Chocolate milk gets nutritionists' gold star

# data[].attributes.subject
Chocolate milk gets nutritionists' gold star

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Chocolate milk gets nutritionists’ gold star

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It was the last school day before Thanksgiving, and Traughber Junior High’s lunchroom crackled with adolescent energy and anticipation of a holiday break starting in just a few hours. Sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at the Oswego school were busy polishing off selections from a multiple-choice m…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
When people talk about the calories in food, what do they mean? A calorie is a unit of measurement - but it doesn't measure weight or length. A calorie is a unit of energy. When you hear something contains 100 calories, it's a way of describing how much energy your body could get from eating or drinking it.

Are Calories Bad for You?

Calories aren't bad for you. Your body needs calories for energy. But eating too many calories - and not burning enough of them off through activity - can lead to weight gain.

Most foods and drinks contain calories. Some foods, such as lettuce, contain few calories (1 cup of shredded lettuce has less than 10 calories). Other foods, like peanuts, contain a lot of calories (½ cup of peanuts has over 400 calories).

Some people watch their calories if they are trying to lose weight. Most kids don't need to do this, but all kids can benefit from eating a healthy, balanced diet that includes the right number of calories - not too many, not too few. But how do you know how many calories you need?

How Many Calories Do Kids Need?

Kids come in all sizes and each person's body burns energy (calories) at different rates, so there isn't one perfect number of calories that every kid should eat. But there is a recommended range for most kids between 6 and 12 years old: 1,600 to 2,200 per day, depending on how active they are.

When they reach puberty, girls need more calories than before, but they tend to need fewer calories than boys. As boys enter puberty, they may need as many as 2,500 to 3,000 calories per day, especially if they are very active. But whether they are girls or boys, kids who are active and move around a lot need more calories than kids who don't.

If you eat more calories than you need, the body changes extra calories to fat. Too much fat can lead to being overweight and other health problems. Only your doctor can say if you are overweight, so check with him or her if you're concerned. And never go on a diet without talking to your doctor!.

High-calorie foods - such as sugary sodas, candy, and fast food - quickly add up to too many calories. Instead, eat a healthy, balanced diet. Exercising and playing are really important, too, because physical activity burns calories.

How the Body Uses Calories

Your body needs calories just to operate - to keep your heart beating and your lungs breathing. As a kid, your body also needs calories and nutrients from a variety of foods to grow and develop. And you burn off some calories without even thinking about it - by walking your dog or making your bed.

But it is a great idea to play and be active for an 1 hour or more every day. That means time spent playing sports, playing outside, or riding your bike. It all adds up. Being active every day keeps your body strong and can help you maintain a healthy weight.

Watching TV and playing video games won't burn many calories at all, which is why you should limit those activities to no more than 2 hours per day. A person burns only about 1 calorie per minute while watching TV, about the same as sleeping!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
You've probably heard about calories. Are they good or bad for you? Find out in this article for kids.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

# data[].attributes.headline
"Got milk?" More and more people saying no

# data[].attributes.subject
"Got milk?" More and more people saying no

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

# data[].attributes.headline
3 Reasons Athletes Should Refuel with Chocolate Milk

# data[].attributes.subject
3 Reasons Athletes Should Refuel with Chocolate Milk

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
You know vitamins and minerals are good for you. But what does your body really need? And is it possible to get too much of a good thing?

What Are Vitamins and Minerals?

Your body needs vitamins and minerals to work properly. You get them from the foods you eat every day.

Vitamins fall into two categories: fat soluble and water soluble (pronounced: SAHL-yuh-bul):

The fat-soluble vitamins - A, D, E, and K - dissolve in fat and are stored in your body.

The water-soluble vitamins - C and the B-complex vitamins (such as vitamins B6, B12, niacin, riboflavin, and folate) - dissolve in water. Your body can't store these vitamins. Any B or C vitamins that your body doesn't use travels through the bloodstream and is lost (mostly when you pee). So you need a fresh supply of these vitamins every day.

Vitamins are organic substances, which means they're made by plants or animals. Minerals are inorganic elements that come from soil and water, and are absorbed by plants or eaten by animals. Your body needs larger amounts of some minerals, such as calcium, to grow and stay healthy. Other minerals like chromium, copper, iodine, iron, selenium, and zinc are called trace minerals because you need only very small amounts of them.

What Do Vitamins and Minerals Do?

Vitamins and minerals boost the immune system, support normal growth and development, and help cells and organs do their jobs. For example, you've probably heard that carrots are good for your eyes. It's true! Carrots are full of substances called carotenoids (pronounced: kuh-RAH-teh-noydz) that your body converts into vitamin A, which helps prevent eye problems.

Vitamin K helps blood to clot, so cuts and scrapes stop bleeding quickly. You'll find vitamin K in green leafy vegetables, broccoli, and soybeans. And to have strong bones, you need to eat foods such as milk, yogurt, and green leafy vegetables, which are rich in the mineral calcium.

How Do I Get the Vitamins and Minerals I Need?

Eating well now is especially important because the body needs a variety of vitamins and minerals to grow and stay healthy.

Eating a mix of foods is the best way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need each day. Fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, fish, and poultry are the best choices for getting the nutrients your body needs.

When deciding what to eat, check food labels and pick items that are high in vitamins and minerals. For example, when choosing drinks, you'll find that a glass of milk is a good source of vitamin D, calcium, phosphorous, and potassium. A glass of soda, on the other hand, doesn't have any vitamins or minerals.

You can also satisfy your taste buds without sacrificing nutrition while dining out: vegetable pizzas or fajitas, sandwiches with lean cuts of meat, fresh salads, and baked potatoes are just a few delicious, nutritious choices.

If you're a vegetarian, you'll need to plan carefully for a diet that includes the vitamins and minerals you need. The best sources for the minerals zinc and iron are meats, fish, and poultry. But you can get these from dried beans, seeds, nuts, and leafy green vegetables like kale.

Vitamin B12 is important for making red blood cells and keeping nerves working well. It is found only in animal products. If you don't eat meat, you can get vitamin B12 from eggs, milk and other dairy foods, and fortified breakfast cereals. Vegans (vegetarians who eat no animal products at all, including dairy products) may need to take vitamin B12 supplements.

Should I Take a Supplement?

Lots of people wonder if they should take vitamin or mineral supplements. If your diet includes a wide variety of foods - including whole-grain products, fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, nuts, seeds, eggs, and meats - you probably get the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

There are many supplements on the market, and of course their makers want you to buy them. Beware of unproven claims about the benefits of taking more than recommended amounts of any vitamin or mineral. Healthy teens usually don't need supplements if they eat a well-rounded diet.

Check with your doctor before taking vitamin or mineral supplements. Just because something is good for you doesn't mean that more is better. Some vitamins and minerals can cause health problems if you get too much of them.

Talk to your doctor or a dietitian if you're skipping meals, dieting, are a picky eater, or have any concerns about your diet. They can answer your questions and help you create a healthy eating plan that includes the nutrients your body needs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Vitamins and minerals are nutrients that the body needs to work properly. They boost the immune system, promote normal growth and development, and help cells and organs do their jobs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Any parent who has battled with a child over homework night after night has to wonder: Do those math worksheets and book reports really make a difference to a student's long-term success? Or is homework just a headache-another distraction from family time and downtime, already diminished by the likes of music and dance lessons, sports practices, and part-time jobs?

Allison, a mother of two middle-school girls from an affluent Boston suburb, describes a frenetic afterschool scenario: "My girls do gymnastics a few days a week, so homework happens for my 6th grader after gymnastics, at 6:30 p.m. She doesn't get to bed until 9. My 8th grader does her homework immediately after school, up until gymnastics. She eats dinner at 9:15 and then goes to bed, unless there is more homework to do, in which case she'll get to bed around 10." The girls miss out on sleep, and weeknight family dinners are tough to swing.

Parental concerns about their children's homework loads are nothing new. Debates over the merits of homework-tasks that teachers ask students to complete during non-instructional time-have ebbed and flowed since the late 19th century, and today its value is again being scrutinized and weighed against possible negative impacts on family life and children's well-being.

Are American students overburdened with homework? In some middle-class and affluent communities, where pressure on students to achieve can be fierce, yes. But in families of limited means, it's often another story. Many low-income parents value homework as an important connection to the school and the curriculum-even as their children report receiving little homework. Overall, high-school students relate that they spend less than one hour per day on homework, on average, and only 42 percent say they do it five days per week. In one recent survey by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), a minimal 13 percent of 17-year-olds said they had devoted more than two hours to homework the previous evening (see Figure 1).

Recent years have seen an increase in the amount of homework assigned to students in grades K-2, and critics point to research findings that, at the elementary-school level, homework does not appear to enhance children's learning. Why, then, should we burden young children and their families with homework if there is no academic benefit to doing it? Indeed, perhaps it would be best, as some propose, to eliminate homework altogether, particularly in these early grades.

On the contrary, developmentally appropriate homework plays a critical role in the formation of positive learning beliefs and behaviors, including a belief in one's academic ability, a deliberative and effortful approach to mastery, and higher expectations and aspirations for one's future. It can prepare children to confront ever-more-complex tasks, develop resilience in the face of difficulty, and learn to embrace rather than shy away from challenge. In short, homework is a key vehicle through which we can help shape children into mature learners.
The Homework-Achievement Connection
A narrow focus on whether or not homework boosts grades and test scores in the short run thus ignores a broader purpose in education, the development of lifelong, confident learners. Still, the question looms: does homework enhance academic success? As the educational psychologist Lyn Corno wrote more than two decades ago, "homework is a complicated thing." Most research on the homework-achievement connection is correlational, which precludes a definitive judgment on its academic benefits. Researchers rely on correlational research in this area of study given the difficulties of randomly assigning students to homework/no-homework conditions. While correlation does not imply causality, extensive research has established that at the middle- and high-school levels, homework completion is strongly and positively associated with high achievement. Very few studies have reported a negative correlation.

As noted above, findings on the homework-achievement connection at the elementary level are mixed. A small number of experimental studies have demonstrated that elementary-school students who receive homework achieve at higher levels than those who do not. These findings suggest a causal relationship, but they are limited in scope. Within the body of correlational research, some studies report a positive homework-achievement connection, some a negative relationship, and yet others show no relationship at all. Why the mixed findings? Researchers point to a number of possible factors, such as developmental issues related to how young children learn, different goals that teachers have for younger as compared to older students, and how researchers define homework.

Certainly, young children are still developing skills that enable them to focus on the material at hand and study efficiently. Teachers' goals for their students are also quite different in elementary school as compared to secondary school. While teachers at both levels note the value of homework for reinforcing classroom content, those in the earlier grades are more likely to assign homework mainly to foster skills such as responsibility, perseverance, and the ability to manage distractions.

Most research examines homework generally. Might a focus on homework in a specific subject shed more light on the homework-achievement connection? A recent meta-analysis did just this by examining the relationship between math/science homework and achievement. Contrary to previous findings, researchers reported a stronger relationship between homework and achievement in the elementary grades than in middle school. As the study authors note, one explanation for this finding could be that in elementary school, teachers tend to assign more homework in math than in other subjects, while at the same time assigning shorter math tasks more frequently. In addition, the authors point out that parents tend to be more involved in younger children's math homework and more skilled in elementary-level than middle-school math.

In sum, the relationship between homework and academic achievement in the elementary-school years is not yet established, but eliminating homework at this level would do children and their families a huge disservice: we know that children's learning beliefs have a powerful impact on their academic outcomes, and that through homework, parents and teachers can have a profound influence on the development of positive beliefs.
How Much Is Appropriate?
Harris M. Cooper of Duke University, the leading researcher on homework, has examined decades of study on what we know about the relationship between homework and scholastic achievement. He has proposed the "10-minute rule," suggesting that daily homework be limited to 10 minutes per grade level. Thus, a 1st grader would do 10 minutes each day and a 4th grader, 40 minutes. The National Parent Teacher Association and the National Education Association both endorse this guideline, but it is not clear whether the recommended allotments include time for reading, which most teachers want children to do daily.

For middle-school students, Cooper and colleagues report that 90 minutes per day of homework is optimal for enhancing academic achievement, and for high schoolers, the ideal range is 90 minutes to two and a half hours per day. Beyond this threshold, more homework does not contribute to learning. For students enrolled in demanding Advanced Placement or honors courses, however, homework is likely to require significantly more time, leading to concerns over students' health and well-being.

Notwithstanding media reports of parents revolting against the practice of homework, the vast majority of parents say they are highly satisfied with their children's homework loads. The National Household Education Surveys Program recently found that between 70 and 83 percent of parents believed that the amount of homework their children had was "about right," a result that held true regardless of social class, race/ethnicity, community size, level of education, and whether English was spoken at home.
Learning Beliefs Are Consequential
As noted above, developmentally appropriate homework can help children cultivate positive beliefs about learning. Decades of research have established that these beliefs predict the types of tasks students choose to pursue, their persistence in the face of challenge, and their academic achievement. Broadly, learning beliefs fall under the banner of achievement motivation, which is a constellation of cognitive, behavioral, and affective factors, including: the way a person perceives his or her abilities, goal-setting skills, expectation of success, the value the individual places on learning, and self-regulating behavior such as time-management skills. Positive or adaptive beliefs about learning serve as emotional and psychological protective factors for children, especially when they encounter difficulties or failure.

Motivation researcher Carol Dweck of Stanford University posits that children with a "growth mindset"-those who believe that ability is malleable-approach learning very differently than those with a "fixed mindset"-kids who believe ability cannot change. Those with a growth mindset view effort as the key to mastery. They see mistakes as helpful, persist even in the face of failure, prefer challenging over easy tasks, and do better in school than their peers who have a fixed mindset. In contrast, children with a fixed mindset view effort and mistakes as implicit condemnations of their abilities. Such children succumb easily to learned helplessness in the face of difficulty, and they gravitate toward tasks they know they can handle rather than more challenging ones.

Of course, learning beliefs do not develop in a vacuum. Studies have demonstrated that parents and teachers play a significant role in the development of positive beliefs and behaviors, and that homework is a key tool they can use to foster motivation and academic achievement.
Parents' Beliefs and Actions Matter
It is well established that parental involvement in their children's education promotes achievement motivation and success in school. Parents are their children's first teachers, and their achievement-related beliefs have a profound influence on children's developing perceptions of their own abilities, as well as their views on the value of learning and education.

Parents affect their children's learning through the messages they send about education, whether by expressing interest in school activities and experiences, attending school events, helping with homework when they can, or exposing children to intellectually enriching experiences. Most parents view such engagement as part and parcel of their role. They also believe that doing homework fosters responsibility and organizational skills, and that doing well on homework tasks contributes to learning, even if children experience frustration from time to time.

Many parents provide support by establishing homework routines, eliminating distractions, communicating expectations, helping children manage their time, providing reassuring messages, and encouraging kids to be aware of the conditions under which they do their best work. These supports help foster the development of self-regulation, which is critical to school success.

Self-regulation involves a number of skills, such as the ability to monitor one's performance and adjust strategies as a result of feedback; to evaluate one's interests and realistically perceive one's aptitude; and to work on a task autonomously. It also means learning how to structure one's environment so that it's conducive to learning, by, for example, minimizing distractions. As children move into higher grades, these skills and strategies help them organize, plan, and learn independently. This is precisely where parents make a demonstrable difference in students' attitudes and approaches to homework.

Especially in the early grades, homework gives parents the opportunity to cultivate beliefs and behaviors that foster efficient study skills and academic resilience. Indeed, across age groups, there is a strong and positive relationship between homework completion and a variety of self-regulatory processes. However, the quality of parental help matters. Sometimes, well-intentioned parents can unwittingly undermine the development of children's positive learning beliefs and their achievement. Parents who maintain a positive outlook on homework and allow their children room to learn and struggle on their own, stepping in judiciously with informational feedback and hints, do their children a much better service than those who seek to control the learning process.

A recent study of 5th and 6th graders' perceptions of their parents' involvement with homework distinguished between supportive and intrusive help. The former included the belief that parents encouraged the children to try to find the right answer on their own before providing them with assistance, and when the child struggled, attempted to understand the source of the confusion. In contrast, the latter included the perception that parents provided unsolicited help, interfered when the children did their homework, and told them how to complete their assignments. Supportive help predicted higher achievement, while intrusive help was associated with lower achievement.

Parents' attitudes and emotions during homework time can support the development of positive attitudes and approaches in their children, which in turn are predictive of higher achievement. Children are more likely to focus on self-improvement during homework time and do better in school when their parents are oriented toward mastery. In contrast, if parents focus on how well children are doing relative to peers, kids tend to adopt learning goals that allow them to avoid challenge.
Homework and Social Class
Social class is another important element in the homework dynamic. What is the homework experience like for families with limited time and resources? And what of affluent families, where resources are plenty but the pressures to succeed are great?

Etta Kralovec and John Buell, authors of The End of Homework, maintain that homework "punishes the poor," because lower-income parents may not be as well educated as their affluent counterparts and thus not as well equipped to help with homework. Poorer families also have fewer financial resources to devote to home computers, tutoring, and academic enrichment. The stresses of poverty-and work schedules-may impinge, and immigrant parents may face language barriers and an unfamiliarity with the school system and teachers' expectations.

Yet research shows that low-income parents who are unable to assist with homework are far from passive in their children's learning, and they do help foster scholastic performance. In fact, parental help with homework is not a necessary component for school success.

Brown University's Jin Li queried low-income Chinese American 9th graders' perceptions of their parents' engagement with their education. Students said their immigrant parents rarely engaged in activities that are known to foster academic achievement, such as monitoring homework, checking it for accuracy, or attending school meetings or events. Instead, parents of higher achievers built three social networks to support their children's learning. They designated "anchor" helpers both inside and outside the family who provided assistance; identified peer models for their children to emulate; and enlisted the assistance of extended kin to guide their children's educational socialization. In a related vein, a recent analysis of survey data showed that Asian and Latino 5th graders, relative to native-born peers, were more likely to turn to siblings than parents for homework help.

Further, research demonstrates that low-income parents, recognizing that they lack the time to be in the classroom or participate in school governance, view homework as a critical connection to their children's experiences in school. One study found that mothers enjoyed the routine and predictability of homework and used it as a way to demonstrate to children how to plan their time. Mothers organized homework as a family activity, with siblings doing homework together and older children reading to younger ones. In this way, homework was perceived as a collective practice wherein siblings could model effective habits and learn from one another.

In another recent study, researchers examined mathematics achievement in low-income 8th-grade Asian and Latino students. Help with homework was an advantage their mothers could not provide. They could, however, furnish structure (for example, by setting aside quiet time for homework completion), and it was this structure that most predicted high achievement. As the authors note, "It is . . . important to help [low-income] parents realize that they can still help their children get good grades in mathematics and succeed in school even if they do not know how to provide direct assistance with their child's mathematics homework."

The homework narrative at the other end of the socioeconomic continuum is altogether different. Media reports abound with examples of students, mostly in high school, carrying three or more hours of homework per night, a burden that can impair learning, motivation, and well-being. In affluent communities, students often experience intense pressure to cultivate a high-achieving profile that will be attractive to elite colleges. Heavy homework loads have been linked to unhealthy symptoms such as heightened stress, anxiety, physical complaints, and sleep disturbances. Like Allison's 6th grader mentioned earlier, many students can only tackle their homework after they do extracurricular activities, which are also seen as essential for the college résumé. Not surprisingly, many students in these communities are not deeply engaged in learning; rather, they speak of "doing school," as Stanford researcher Denise Pope has described, going through the motions necessary to excel, and undermining their physical and mental health in the process.

Fortunately, some national intervention initiatives, such as Challenge Success (co-founded by Pope), are heightening awareness of these problems. Interventions aimed at restoring balance in students' lives (in part, by reducing homework demands) have resulted in students reporting an increased sense of well-being, decreased stress and anxiety, and perceptions of greater support from teachers, with no decrease in achievement outcomes.

What is good for this small segment of students, however, is not necessarily good for the majority. As Jessica Lahey wrote in Motherlode, a New York Times parenting blog, "homework is a red herring" in the national conversation on education. "Some otherwise privileged children may have too much, but the real issue lies in places where there is too little. . . . We shouldn't forget that."

My colleagues and I analyzed interviews conducted with lower-income 9th graders (African American, Mexican American, and European American) from two Northern California high schools that at the time were among the lowest-achieving schools in the state. We found that these students consistently described receiving minimal homework-perhaps one or two worksheets or textbook pages, the occasional project, and 30 minutes of reading per night. Math was the only class in which they reported having homework each night. These students noted few consequences for not completing their homework.

Indeed, greatly reducing or eliminating homework would likely increase, not diminish, the achievement gap. As Harris M. Cooper has commented, those choosing to opt their children out of homework are operating from a place of advantage. Children in higher-income families benefit from many privileges, including exposure to a larger range of language at home that may align with the language of school, access to learning and cultural experiences, and many other forms of enrichment, such as tutoring and academic summer camps, all of which may be cost-prohibitive for lower-income families. But for the 21 percent of the school-age population who live in poverty-nearly 11 million students ages 5-17-homework is one tool that can help narrow the achievement gap.
Community and School Support
Often, community organizations and afterschool programs can step up to provide structure and services that students' need to succeed at homework. For example, Boys and Girls and 4-H clubs offer volunteer tutors as well as access to computer technology that students may not have at home. Many schools provide homework clubs or integrate homework into the afterschool program.

Home-school partnerships have succeeded in engaging parents with homework and significantly improving their children's academic achievement. For example, Joyce Epstein of Johns Hopkins University has developed the TIPS model (Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork), which embraces homework as an integral part of family time. TIPS is a teacher-designed interactive program in which children and a parent or family member each have a specific role in the homework scenario. For example, children might show the parent how to do a mathematics task on fractions, explaining their reasoning along the way and reviewing their thinking aloud if they are unsure.

Evaluations show that elementary and middle-school students in classrooms that have adopted TIPS complete more of their homework than do students in other classrooms. Both students and parent participants show more positive beliefs about learning mathematics, and TIPS students show significant gains in writing skills and report-card science grades, as well as higher mathematics scores on standardized tests.

Another study found that asking teachers to send text messages to parents about their children's missing homework resulted in increased parental monitoring of homework, consequences for missed assignments, and greater participation in parent-child conferences. Teachers reported fewer missed assignments and greater student effort in coursework, and math grades and GPA significantly improved.
Homework Quality Matters
Teachers favor homework for a number of reasons. They believe it fosters a sense of responsibility and promotes academic achievement. They note that homework provides valuable review and practice for students while giving teachers feedback on areas where students may need more support. Finally, teachers value homework as a way to keep parents connected to the school and their children's educational experiences.

While students, to say the least, may not always relish the idea of doing homework, by high school most come to believe there is a positive relationship between doing homework and doing well in school. Both higher and lower achievers lament "busywork" that doesn't promote learning. They crave high-quality, challenging assignments-and it is this kind of homework that has been associated with higher achievement.

What constitutes high-quality homework? Assignments that are developmentally appropriate and meaningful and that promote self-efficacy and self-regulation. Meaningful homework is authentic, allowing students to engage in solving problems with real-world relevance. More specifically, homework tasks should make efficient use of student time and have a clear purpose connected to what they are learning. An artistic rendition of a period in history that would take hours to complete can become instead a diary entry in the voice of an individual from that era. By allowing a measure of choice and autonomy in homework, teachers foster in their students a sense of ownership, which bolsters their investment in the work.

High-quality homework also fosters students' perceptions of their own competence by 1) focusing them on tasks they can accomplish without help; 2) differentiating tasks so as to allow struggling students to experience success; 3) providing suggested time frames rather than a fixed period of time in which a task should be completed; 4) delivering clearly and carefully explained directions; and 5) carefully modeling methods for attacking lengthy or complex tasks. Students whose teachers have trained them to adopt strategies such as goal setting, self-monitoring, and planning develop a number of personal assets-improved time management, increased self-efficacy, greater effort and interest, a desire for mastery, and a decrease in helplessness.
Excellence with Equity
Currently, the United States has the second-highest disparity between time spent on homework by students of low socioeconomic status and time spent by their more-affluent peers out of the 34 OECD-member nations participating in the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) (see Figure 2). Noting that PISA studies have consistently found that spending more time on math homework strongly correlates with higher academic achievement, the report's authors suggest that the homework disparity may reflect lower teacher expectations for low-income students. If so, this is truly unfortunate. In and of itself, low socioeconomic status is not an impediment to academic achievement when appropriate parental, school, and community supports are deployed. As research makes clear, low-income parents support their children's learning in varied ways, not all of which involve direct assistance with schoolwork. Teachers can orient students and parents toward beliefs that foster positive attitudes toward learning. Indeed, where homework is concerned, a commitment to excellence with equity is both worthwhile and attainable.

In affluent communities, parents, teachers, and school districts might consider reexamining the meaning of academic excellence and placing more emphasis on leading a balanced and well-rounded life. The homework debate in the United States has been dominated by concerns over the health and well-being of such advantaged students. As legitimate as these worries are, it's important to avoid generalizing these children's experiences to those with fewer family resources. Reducing or eliminating homework, though it may be desirable in some advantaged communities, would deprive poorer children of a crucial and empowering learning experience. It would also eradicate a fertile opportunity to help close the achievement gap.
Janine Bempechat is clinical professor of human development at the Boston University Wheelock College of Education and Human Development. An unabridged version of this article is available here.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Why it improves learning, and how parents can help

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In July 2017, families in Marion County, Florida, got some surprising news about the school year ahead. "Traditional homework as we know it will disappear, at least for elementary students," school superintendent Heidi Maier said in a voice message to parents. "Instead of working on classroom assignments at home, we want students reading," she said.

More than 20,000 students attend the county's 31 elementary schools. Dara Mehr, a fifth grader, is one of them. Last year, Dara had two or three hours of homework a night. "I would have 12 math questions and six or seven pages of work to do for reading," she told TIME for Kids.

Now Dara's only homework is to read for 30 minutes. She enjoys having more time for activities like painting and playing video games. But her mom, Kayla Mehr, misses last year's assignments. "The kids knew that once they finished those worksheets, they were done," she says, referring to Dara and her sister, Neveah, a second grader. "Sometimes, getting them to sit down and read for 30 minutes is a challenge."

Around the country, in states from Florida to Vermont to California, elementary schools are experimenting with a no-homework policy. Superintendent Maier and other school leaders say the new policy is based on research. Studies have shown that homework does not grades or test scores in elementary school.

Paula Fass is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of The End of American Childhood. She points out that disagreement over the value of homework is not new. "There's been over homework ever since schooling became a requirement," she says.

Support for homework has gone up and down through the years (see "Homework History"). "In the 1900s, a lot of parents thought that homework just occupied children's time [when] they could be doing chores," says Fass. More than a century later, many still question the role that homework should have in kids' lives.

GETTY IMAGES

Finding a Balance

Harris Cooper is a professor at Duke University and the author of The Battle over Homework. He has analyzed more than 50 studies on homework. In his view, homework has a positive effect on achievement. "The effect gets larger as kids move through the grades. But even in the early grades, homework has a positive effect on simple skills." Examples include spelling and math facts.

The National Education Association and the National PTA suggest that students get 10 minutes of homework per grade, starting in first grade. Cooper supports this , known as the "10-minutes rule."

But he warns that homework can have a negative impact as well. "If there's too much of it or if it's too difficult, it can lead to frustration and to kids voicing concern about their abilities," he says. "And that's not a good thing."

Last year, Kelly Elementary School in Holyoke, Massachusetts, made headlines for eliminating homework. Jackie Glasheen, the principal at the time, told ABC News that she wanted kids to have more quality time with family. "We want them to engage with their families, talk about their school days, and go to bed," she said.

But this year, the school has a new principal, Isamar Vargas. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade have homework once again. But they receive only one assignment per day.

Vargas explained that the school takes a balanced approach. "We want to build responsibility and structure," she says. "But we don't want to take away the important time that children have with their families or practicing sports."

Kelly Elementary won't be the only school to experiment with its policies. "One thing you can know is that this is part of a long history of conflict over homework," says Fass, the Berkeley professor. "And that can be expected to continue."

Homework History

Attitudes toward homework have changed throughout U.S. history.

In the coming years, do you think support for homework will rise or fall?

MANSELL/LIFE PICTURE COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES

Early 1900s: A number of school districts pass anti-homework . The goal? To cut down on students' having to memorize information, known as rote learning.

MCT/GETTY IMAGES

1957: The Soviet Union launches Sputnik, the first satellite. The space race is on. Homework for math and science increases.

1966: The National Education Association suggests no homework in early grades and "limited amounts" in upper elementary.

DIRCK HALLSTEAD-LIFE PICTURE COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES

1983: President Ronald Reagan's Education Department releases a report on problems with schools. It creates pressure to get tough.

1990s: Global competition is on the rise. Support for homework in the U.S. is strong. Elementary students receive more homework than they had in the past.
Assessment: Click for a printable quiz. Teacher subscribers can find the answer key in this week's Teacher's Guide.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In July 2017, families in Marion County, Florida, got some surprising news about the school year ahead. "Traditional homework as we know it will disappear, at least for elementary students," school superintendent Heidi Maier said in a voice message to...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10 Ways to Make Homework Fun Again - Cambridge Home School Online

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Explore 10 innovative strategies to make homework fun again. Boost motivation and productivity with these engaging homework tips.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The parents banning their kids from doing homework | 60 Minutes Australia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Recent research shows that teenagers have doubled the amount of time they spend on homework since the 1990s. This is in spite of other, well-documented research that calls the efficacy of homework into question, albeit in the younger grades. Why are students spending so much time on homework if the impact is zero (for younger kids) or moderate (for older ones)? Should we ban homework? These are the questions teachers, parents, and lawmakers are asking.

Bans proposed and implemented in the U.S. and abroad

The struggle of whether or not to assign homework is not a new one. In 2017, a Florida superintendent banned homework for elementary schools in the entire district, with one very important exception: reading at home. The United States isn't the only country to question the benefits of homework. Last August, the Philippines proposed a bill to ban homework completely, citing the need for rest, relaxation, and time with family. Another bill there proposed no weekend homework, with teachers running the risk of fines or two years in prison. (Yikes!) While a prison sentence may seem extreme, there are real reasons to reconsider homework.

Refocus on mental health and educate the "whole child"

Prioritizing mental health is at the forefront of the homework ban movement. Leaders say they want to give students time to develop other hobbies, relationships, and balance in their lives.

This month two Utah elementary schools gained national recognition for officially banning homework. The results are significant, with psychologist referrals for anxiety decreasing by 50 percent. Many schools are looking for ways to refocus on wellness, and homework can be a real cause of stress.

Research supports a ban for elementary schools

Supporters of a homework ban often cite research from John Hattie, who concluded that elementary school homework has no effect on academic progress. In a podcast he said, "Homework in primary school has an effect of around zero. In high school it's larger. (...) Which is why we need to get it right. Not why we need to get rid of it. It's one of those lower hanging fruit that we should be looking in our primary schools to say, 'Is it really making a difference?'"

In the upper grades, Hattie's research shows that homework has to be purposeful, not busy work. And the reality is, most teachers don't receive training on how to assign homework that is meaningful and relevant to students.

Parents push back, too

In October this Washington Post article made waves in parenting and education communities when it introduced the idea that, even if homework is assigned, it doesn't have to be completed for the student to pass the class. The writer explains how her family doesn't believe in homework, and doesn't participate. In response, other parents started "opting out" of homework, citing research that homework in elementary school doesn't further intelligence or academic success.

Of course, homework has its defenders, especially in the upper grades

"I think some homework is a good idea," says Darla E. in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. "Ideally, it forces the parents to take some responsibility for their child's education. It also reinforces what students learn and instills good study habits for later in life."

Jennifer M. agrees. "If we are trying to make students college-ready, they need the skill of doing homework."

And the research does support some homework in middle and high school, as long as it is clearly tied to learning and not overwhelming.
We'd love to hear your thoughts-do you think schools should ban homework? Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. Plus, why you should stop assigning reading homework.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Recent research shows that teenagers have doubled the amount of time they spend on homework since the 1990s. This is in spite of other, well-documented research that calls the efficacy of homework into question, albeit in the younger grades. Why are students spending so much time on homework if the impact is zero (for younger kids) or moderate (for older ones)?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
What has eight letters and strikes into the hearts of students around the world? No, it's not broccoli, but that was a good guess! Give up? HOMEWORK!

Did you just in and ? We're sorry, but homework is a fact of life and it's time we took a closer look at it. Even though it might get in the way of playing outside or watching your favorite television show, it's necessary and, believe it or not, good for you!

Homework creates a between school and home. Parents rarely get to spend much time with you while you're at school. Homework allows them to keep up with what you're doing in your classes on a daily basis. But you don't have homework purely for your parents' . It's good for you, too!

Homework can help you become a better student in several different ways. First of all, homework given in advance of a particular subject can help you make the most of your classroom discussion time. For example, before beginning a discussion of a complex period in history, it can be very helpful to read background information as homework the night before.

Homework also gives you valuable practice with what you've learned in the classroom. Often, the brief period of time you have during class to learn something new is simply not enough. Repeating classroom concepts at home helps to in your mind the things you learned.

For example, you've probably experienced the of homework when it comes to mathematics. A new concept explained in class might seem foreign at first. With repetition via homework, however, you reinforce what you learned in class and it sticks with you. Without homework, a lot of classroom time would be wasted with repetition that could more easily be done outside the classroom.

In these ways, homework expands upon what is done during the day in the classroom. Your overall educational experience is better, because homework helps you to and more knowledge than would be possible with only classroom work. As you learn more, you know more and you achieve more...and you have homework to thank!

Homework teaches lessons beyond just what's taught in the classroom, too. Bringing homework home, completing it correctly, and turning it in promptly teaches a host of other important life skills, from time management and responsibility to organization and prioritization .

Despite these benefits found by researchers, the topics of who should receive homework and how much homework are hotly debated among educators and researchers. In one study, researchers found that academic gains from homework increased as grade level increased, suggesting homework is more beneficial for older students. Some researchers have found that too much homework can lower or cancel its benefits and become counterproductive , because students become burned out.

How much is too much? That depends upon many complex factors, including the individual abilities of the child, other demands upon time, such as sports, part-time jobs, family responsibilities, and types of classes. If you feel overburdened by homework, the best thing you can do is to a with your teacher. Be and honest about your feelings regarding homework and work with your teacher to strike a reasonable balance that helps you achieve your educational goals.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
You might want to wait and read today's Wonder of the Day from the comfort of home!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
School Me, Please is the advice column where early career educators can come for individualized guidance from seasoned educators who have a passion for mentoring. Have a problem or question for one of our experts to address on the blog? Send it to us via email at SchoolMePlease@nea.org.

My students are always complaining about the amount of homework I assign. Before, I just wrote those complaints off, but I've been seeing a lot of debate about how useful homework really is. How much is too much?
- Always Assigning

Dear Always Assigning,

How much homework is too much is an age-old question, and there's been a constantly shifting debate on this for as long as I've been teaching. Research tells us that homework has benefits, especially in middle and high school. However, some districts and teachers are abandoning homework altogether. At the end of the day, it's about what works best for you and your students, but here's some insight that might help you make a decision.

First ensure your assignments are in line with school and district policy. I'd also ask your colleagues that teach similar grades and subjects. After these initial asks, start to consider factors like age, as elementary students are much different than high schoolers. Many districts follow the guideline of 10 minutes per grade level. This is a good rule of thumb and can be modified for specific students or subjects that need more or less time for assignments. This can also be helpful to gauge if you are providing too much (or too little) homework. Consider surveying your students on how much time is needed nightly to complete what you assign, then compare to the guideline number to see if you are on the right track.

Now think about your personal philosophy regarding homework. I tend to subscribe to the belief that homework is a reinforcement of skills already learned, and should be completed without the assistance of a teacher or adult. Homework, in this view, is a way of forming habits to set them up for success later in their education by teaching responsibility, time management, and how to complete a task. This is more common with elementary/primary teachers, as we see importance in children playing and being active after school and spending time with family members, in addition to their homework. In older students the benefit and purpose of homework is more academic.

It is important to consider individual learners as well as the environment in which they are doing their homework. Parents can be an important resource in assessing the student's needs for homework since they have insights into how students work at home. When I'm struggling to create a personal plan for a student's homework assignments, I always try and reach out to their parents to collaborate.

In reflecting on how much homework is appropriate, consider how much time is it taking your students, their age, what your purpose and goals are, and the type of assignment. Also, consider all learners and their ability and support working without a teacher. Looking at all these factors will help you determine if in fact you are asking too much in regards to time spent on homework.

By Lori Celiz , California

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
School Me, Please is the advice column where early career educators can come for individualized guidance from seasoned educators who have a passion for mentoring. Have a problem or question for one of our experts to address on the blog? Send it to us via email at SchoolMePlease@nea.org.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The dog just ate all your excuses: A new study shows that homework may make students become better people.

Kids who do their homework diligently tend to be more conscientious than their peers, according to researchers at the University of Tübingen in Germany. After-school assignments don't just have academic effects-they also are linked to kids' motivation to do the right thing and work hard.

"Our results show that homework is not only relevant for school performance, but also for personality development-provided that students put a lot of effort into their assignments," study author Richard Göllner said in a news release.

Researchers drew their conclusions after examining roughly 2,800 students between fifth and eighth grades. At the beginning of every school year, the kids answered questions about whether they gave their best effort on their past 10 homework assignments in math and German. They then reported on how neat and diligent they believed themselves to be.

The study found that kids who said they took their homework seriously were more conscientious, and vice versa.

But how much homework teachers should give students is an age-old debate that's not letting up anytime soon. A Texas teacher went viral in 2016 after sending home a note to parents saying kids should spend their time after school playing outside or eating family dinner, not completing formal assignments. This past July, a superintendent in Marion County, Florida, announced that she was banning homework for all 20,000 elementary school students in her district and instead instructing kids to read for 20 minutes.

Expert conclusions on the subject vary. A 2006 study from Duke University found that older students who did their homework performed better on tests, but a 2014 analysis from Stanford University revealed that kids with too much homework were stressed and sleep-deprived.

"The jury is still out," Mollie Galloway, an associate professor of educational leadership at Lewis and Clark College, recently told the Monitor on Psychology. "There's a focus on assigning homework because [teachers] think it has these positive outcomes for study skills and habits. But we don't know for sure that's the case."

The results from Tübingen will likely only add fuel to the homework discussion. In the meantime, you might want to get out the flash cards.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Homework Is Good for You, German Researchers Say

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The University of Tübingen says kids should study up.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Elizabeth Garraway, principal of Public School 118 in Park Slope, Brooklyn, said that students had taken on voluntary projects at home since the school changed its homework policy last fall. Credit... Yana Paskova for The New York Times

Last spring, when Public School 11, a prekindergarten through fifth-grade school in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, banned mandatory traditional homework assignments for children up to fourth grade, you might have expected universal acclaim. Rather than filling out worksheets, students were encouraged to read nightly, and a website offered tips for parents looking for engaging after-school activities.

Instead, war broke out among the parents. Those who wanted to keep homework accused the anti-worksheet group of trying to force through a policy supported by a select few. Some privately called the plan "economically and racially insensitive," favoring families with time and money to provide their own enrichment. There was a series of contentious PTA meetings and jockeying to get on the school's leadership team, a board that some schools have had trouble getting parents to join. At least three families left the school.

Robin Broshi, a former education technology consultant, a parent of a third grader and one of the architects of the plan, said the changes gave students time to discover the things they were "really passionate about." Homework time with her son used to be a "huge battle," she added, but he now spends hours after school with innovative software programs that enthrall him.

But Ashley Sierra, an executive assistant and a single mother with three children at the school, said the policy had created an unwelcome burden on her and other less affluent families that could not afford extra workbooks, or software programs to supplement the new policy. "I hate it," Ms. Sierra said.

Researchers who study academic history said they were not surprised that debate over young children and homework had resurfaced now. Education and parenting trends are cyclical, and the nation is coming off a stress-inducing, federally mandated accountability push that has put standardized testing at the center of the national education debate. Further, many parents say that homework has become particularly stressful since the arrival of Common Core, a set of rigorous and often confusing learning goals adopted by many states.

Tom Hatch, a professor of education at Columbia University's Teachers College and co-director of the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools and Teaching, said homework wars were really a proxy fight about what constitutes learning. He added that they were intrinsically linked to the debates over standardized testing that have fueled the national "opt-out" movement.

"It's a small part of a larger conversation about how kids should spend their time," Professor Hatch said.

Similar battles have been playing out around New York City: After P.S. 118 in Park Slope, Brooklyn, eliminated mandatory homework this school year, some parents insisted that the school provide worksheets for their children anyway. At P.S. 116 in Manhattan's Kips Bay neighborhood, some parents threatened to leave after the principal, Jane Hsu, replaced "traditional homework" with voluntary recreational activities and family engagement - a program she calls "PDF," or "playtime, downtime and family time."

And P.S. 29 in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, has had schoolwide conversations on homework, so far deciding to preserve it, but focusing on keeping it "feasible," "meaningful" and "reasonable," said Rebecca Fagin, the school's principal.

There is no official tally on the number of the city public elementary schools that are altering their approach to homework. The Department of Education does not mandate amounts of homework, and most plans are cobbled together as part of a shared vision among a school's principal, parents and teachers.

Conversations about the value of elementary school homework have spread nationally. Brandy Young, a second-grade teacher in northeastern Texas, calls herself "the No Homework Teacher" and has a website that proclaims, "Let's make education GREAT again." In August, a letter she sent to parents announcing her decision to eliminate homework was shared more than 70,000 times on Facebook and received national media attention. In states from Florida to California, elementary schools are experimenting with no homework, or what some call "reform homework" policies, often with considerable resistance from parents - and sometimes teachers.

Alfie Kohn, the author of 14 education-related books, including " The Homework Myth," is a leader in the anti-homework camp. In a recent interview, Mr. Kohn described homework as "educational malpractice" and "an extremely effective way to extinguish children's curiosity." He noted that nations like Denmark and Japan, which routinely outperform the United States on international math and science assessments, often gave their students far less homework.

"They're not trying to turn kids into calculators on legs," he said.

On the other side of the argument is Harris M. Cooper, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at Duke University and the author of " The Battle Over Homework." He says he believes elementary school students should get small doses of engaging homework.

Caleb Mintz, 7, has had more time to build elaborate Lego projects since his school, P.S. 11 in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, instituted a no-homework policy for children through fourth grade. Credit... Joshua Bright for The New York Times

But Dr. Cooper's own research is often cited against him. A 2006 meta-analysis he conducted of more than 60 studies of homework's efficacy showed that doing homework did not necessarily increase an elementary school student's test scores or grades. Dr. Cooper updated the analysis in 2012, with similar results.

But Dr. Cooper said these studies did not take into consideration homework's obvious, but less trackable, benefits: teaching organization, time management and discipline. Small amounts of enriching and age-appropriate homework in the early grades, he says, serves as a good way for parents to observe their children's progress and to teach young people that learning doesn't happen only inside a classroom. He calls parents who seek to abolish after-school work "homework deniers."

Homework for young children has been a recurrent parenting issue since the beginning of the 20th century, according to Paula S. Fass, a professor emerita of history at the University of California, Berkeley, and the author of " The End of American Childhood." Worries about its excesses have ebbed and flowed; students got heavy loads in the 1950s, when Americans were particularly worried about their ability to compete with the Russians after the launch of Sputnik. Homework spiked again in the 1980s with the release of the now-famous "A Nation at Risk" report, which indicated that American students were falling behind their peers in other parts of the world.

Today, though, worry about excessive homework is competing with anxieties about student achievement and global competition. The situation is compounded by an urge among parents "to have as much control over their children as possible," Dr. Fass said.

"What you are looking at is the tension between that progressive view that children need to be protected from being adults, and still these parents want their kids to succeed," she said.

The National Education Association and the National PTA have weighed in, suggesting that students get 10 minutes of homework per grade, starting in first grade - what educators sometimes refer to as the "10-minute rule." Dr. Cooper also endorses this policy.

The focus for many anti-homework parents is what they see as the quality of work assigned. They object to worksheets, but embrace projects that they believe encourage higher-level thinking. At P.S. 11 in Manhattan, even parents who support the no-homework policy said they often used online resources like Khan Academy, a nonprofit organization that provides free educational videos. The school's website also includes handwriting exercises, scientific articles, and math and reading lessons. Sophie Mintz, whose son is in second grade at the school, said that the no-homework policy had afforded him more time to build elaborate Lego structures.

But parents with fewer means say the new policies don't take into account their needs and time constraints, and leave them on their own when it comes to building the skills their children need to prepare for the annual state tests.

Ms. Sierra, the P.S. 11 parent who opposed the change, said that although the school included test prep materials on its voluntary homework site, she had a hard time getting her children to do the work.

"Now I can't say, 'Your teacher wants you to do this,'" she said. "It's just me.'"

Guadalupe Enriquez, another mother at P.S. 11, who works as a housekeeper, said she looked to the school to provide and monitor work at home. "Having a little bit of homework is good," she said.

At P.S. 118, the school in Park Slope, a homework policy that started last fall replaced required worksheets with voluntary at-home projects. Tensions have arisen there because the projects often turn out to be videos of after-school activities like gardening or science experiments, in which parents take a guiding role. Some children do presentations about family trips. Elizabeth Garraway, the principal, said that some families had expressed concerns that they didn't have the time and resources for exciting after-school activities or exotic family vacations.

She is working hard to dispel the idea that only certain after-school activities deserve attention, she said, and has encouraged families to consider play dates and trips to the park as good topics for presentations.

"You can do a presentation on anything," she said.

At the school on a recent morning, she showed off the results. In one third-grade class, a boy recently wrote, directed and recorded a "fireside chat" with his father, who played President Franklin D. Roosevelt. A girl arrived at school ready to showcase a PowerPoint presentation on Greek mythology. And Mia Bornstein, 8, showed up one morning with a broom handle bearing an oversize scroll that outlined life in ancient Egypt. Mia said she had worked on it with her mother, an artist.

How much time had she spent on it? Hours.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Never Mind the Students; Homework Divides Parents (Published 2017)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Last spring, when Public School 11, a prekindergarten through fifth-grade school in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood, banned mandatory traditional homework assignments for children up to fourth grade, you might have expected universal acclaim. Rather than filling out worksheets, students were encouraged to read nightly, and a website offered tips for parents looking for engaging after-school activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Elementary School Dumps Homework and Tells Kids to Play Instead

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
P.S. 116 stopped assigning math worksheets and essays as homework, angering many parents.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
School is a crucial aspect of children's lives. If they are unable to go school each day to acquire the skills they require to be successful in life, then they will be at a disadvantage for their entire lives. While school is an important part of a child's life, it's also as important that the child takes a break from his education. Multiple studies have found that most students are getting too much extra assignments, leading to sleep deprivation, unhealthy levels of stress, as well as related health problems. Let's now dive deep and look at why homework is bad for students.

Extra assignments given to children, particularly younger school going children, can lead to unhealthy levels of stress, according to research. If bombarded with countless lessons at school and at home, students may feel stress and anxiety should they fail to complete the assignment on time. Students need to learn in a classroom setting, but they should also be able to spend some time exploring other things outside of the classroom.

The second reason that student should not be given homework is that they require time to rest and take their minds off school work. With all the activities in school, students, particularly those in the kindergarten, are already weary when they get home. They have spent the day solving difficult math problems, reading several chapters and memorizing long lines in school. So bombarding them with homework will make them feel burnt out.

Rather than improving educational achievement, heavy homework load can negatively affect the performance of students. The stress of having to complete homework every other night can affect the student's performance is school. Students need to learn things in a classroom environment, but they also need to be able to spend time exploring other activities outside of school, spend time with friends, go on family vacation, to name a few.

While teachers do their best to give children homework that will engage their child, it's hard to see the value in the work kids take home. This is because some parents or tutors are the ones doing these assignments. This means that the benefits of homework tasks as the learning tool are entirely lost. The excessive amount of homework may also mean that the child is not able to commit as much time to every task as he should.

As stated earlier, children need time to spend with their family, catch up with friends and attend extracurricular activities so they can refresh their minds and bodies. Sadly, homework eats up the time children have to do all these. For older students, school work might also compete with both part-time and casual work, making it difficult for them to strike a balance between school and work.

There you have it, five reasons why homework is bad for your child. A number of studies have found that homework negatively affect the life of school children in many ways. Free-time plays a major role in fostering creativity and emotional development - factors as important to long-term success as education itself.

Related

Do you have info to share with HuffPost reporters? Here's how.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5 Reasons Why Homework Is Bad For Your Child

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
5 Reasons Why Homework Is Bad For Your Child

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
As kids return to school, debate is heating up once again over how they should spend their time after they leave the classroom for the day.

The no-homework policy of a second-grade teacher in Texas went viral last week, earning praise from parents across the country who lament the heavy workload often assigned to young students. Brandy Young told parents she would not formally assign any homework this year, asking students instead to eat dinner with their families, play outside and go to bed early.

But the question of how much work children should be doing outside of school remains controversial, and plenty of parents take issue with no-homework policies, worried their kids are losing a potential academic advantage. Here's what you need to know:
The issue
For decades, the homework standard has been a "10-minute rule," which recommends a daily maximum of 10 minutes of homework per grade level. Second graders, for example, should do about 20 minutes of homework each night. High school seniors should complete about two hours of homework each night. The National PTA and the National Education Association both support that guideline.

But some schools have begun to give their youngest students a break. A Massachusetts elementary school has announced a no-homework pilot program for the coming school year, lengthening the school day by two hours to provide more in-class instruction. "We really want kids to go home at 4 o'clock, tired. We want their brain to be tired," Kelly Elementary School Principal Jackie Glasheen said in an interview with a local TV station. "We want them to enjoy their families. We want them to go to soccer practice or football practice, and we want them to go to bed. And that's it."

A New York City public elementary school implemented a similar policy last year, eliminating traditional homework assignments in favor of family time. The change was quickly met with outrage from some parents, though it earned support from other education leaders.

New solutions and approaches to homework differ by community, and these local debates are complicated by the fact that even education experts disagree about what's best for kids.
The research
The most comprehensive research on homework to date comes from a 2006 meta-analysis by Duke University psychology professor Harris Cooper, who found evidence of a positive correlation between homework and student achievement, meaning students who did homework performed better in school. The correlation was stronger for older students-in seventh through 12th grade-than for those in younger grades, for whom there was a weak relationship between homework and performance.

Cooper's analysis focused on how homework impacts academic achievement-test scores, for example. His report noted that homework is also thought to improve study habits, attitudes toward school, self-discipline, inquisitiveness and independent problem solving skills. On the other hand, some studies he examined showed that homework can cause physical and emotional fatigue, fuel negative attitudes about learning and limit leisure time for children. At the end of his analysis, Cooper recommended further study of such potential effects of homework.

Despite the weak correlation between homework and performance for young children, Cooper argues that a small amount of homework is useful for all students. Second-graders should not be doing two hours of homework each night, he said, but they also shouldn't be doing no homework.
The debate
Not all education experts agree entirely with Cooper's assessment.

Cathy Vatterott, an education professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, supports the "10-minute rule" as a maximum, but she thinks there is not sufficient proof that homework is helpful for students in elementary school.

"Correlation is not causation," she said. "Does homework cause achievement, or do high achievers do more homework?"

Vatterott, the author of Rethinking Homework: Best Practices That Support Diverse Needs, thinks there should be more emphasis on improving the quality of homework tasks, and she supports efforts to eliminate homework for younger kids.

"I have no concerns about students not starting homework until fourth grade or fifth grade," she said, noting that while the debate over homework will undoubtedly continue, she has noticed a trend toward limiting, if not eliminating, homework in elementary school.

The issue has been debated for decades. A TIME cover in 1999 read: "Too much homework! How it's hurting our kids, and what parents should do about it." The accompanying story noted that the launch of Sputnik in 1957 led to a push for better math and science education in the U.S. The ensuing pressure to be competitive on a global scale, plus the increasingly demanding college admissions process, fueled the practice of assigning homework.

"The complaints are cyclical, and we're in the part of the cycle now where the concern is for too much," Cooper said. "You can go back to the 1970s, when you'll find there were concerns that there was too little, when we were concerned about our global competitiveness."

Cooper acknowledged that some students really are bringing home too much homework, and their parents are right to be concerned.

"A good way to think about homework is the way you think about medications or dietary supplements," he said. "If you take too little, they'll have no effect. If you take too much, they can kill you. If you take the right amount, you'll get better."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Is Homework Good for Kids? Here's What the Research Says

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As kids return to school, debate is heating up once again over how they should spend their time after they leave the classroom for the day

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Many teachers and parents believe that homework helps students build study skills and review concepts learned in class. Others see homework as disruptive and unnecessary, leading to burnout and turning kids off to school. Decades of research show that the issue is more nuanced and complex than most people think: Homework is beneficial, but only to a degree. Students in high school gain the most, while younger kids benefit much less.

The National PTA and the National Education Association support the " 10-minute homework guideline "-a nightly 10 minutes of homework per grade level. But many teachers and parents are quick to point out that what matters is the quality of the homework assigned and how well it meets students' needs, not the amount of time spent on it.

The guideline doesn't account for students who may need to spend more-or less-time on assignments. In class, teachers can make adjustments to support struggling students, but at home, an assignment that takes one student 30 minutes to complete may take another twice as much time-often for reasons beyond their control. And homework can widen the achievement gap, putting students from low-income households and students with learning disabilities at a disadvantage.

However, the 10-minute guideline is useful in setting a limit: When kids spend too much time on homework, there are real consequences to consider.

Small Benefits for Elementary Students

As young children begin school, the focus should be on cultivating a love of learning, and assigning too much homework can undermine that goal. And young students often don't have the study skills to benefit fully from homework, so it may be a poor use of time (Cooper, 1989; Cooper et al., 2006; Marzano & Pickering, 2007). A more effective activity may be nightly reading, especially if parents are involved. The benefits of reading are clear: If students aren't proficient readers by the end of third grade, they're less likely to succeed academically and graduate from high school (Fiester, 2013).

For second-grade teacher Jacqueline Fiorentino, the minor benefits of homework did not outweigh the potential drawback of turning young children against school at an early age, so she experimented with dropping mandatory homework. "Something surprising happened: They started doing more work at home," Fiorentino writes. "This inspiring group of 8-year-olds used their newfound free time to explore subjects and topics of interest to them." She encouraged her students to read at home and offered optional homework to extend classroom lessons and help them review material.

Moderate Benefits for Middle School Students

As students mature and develop the study skills necessary to delve deeply into a topic-and to retain what they learn-they also benefit more from homework. Nightly assignments can help prepare them for scholarly work, and research shows that homework can have moderate benefits for middle school students (Cooper et al., 2006). Recent research also shows that online math homework, which can be designed to adapt to students' levels of understanding, can significantly boost test scores (Roschelle et al., 2016).

There are risks to assigning too much, however: A 2015 study found that when middle school students were assigned more than 90 to 100 minutes of daily homework, their math and science test scores began to decline (Fernández-Alonso, Suárez-Álvarez, & Muñiz, 2015). Crossing that upper limit can drain student motivation and focus. The researchers recommend that "homework should present a certain level of challenge or difficulty, without being so challenging that it discourages effort." Teachers should avoid low-effort, repetitive assignments, and assign homework "with the aim of instilling work habits and promoting autonomous, self-directed learning."

In other words, it's the quality of homework that matters, not the quantity. Brian Sztabnik, a veteran middle and high school English teacher, suggests that teachers take a step back and ask themselves these five questions:

How long will it take to complete?

Have all learners been considered?

Will an assignment encourage future success?

Will an assignment place material in a context the classroom cannot?

Does an assignment offer support when a teacher is not there?

More Benefits for High School Students, but Risks as Well

By the time they reach high school, students should be well on their way to becoming independent learners, so homework does provide a boost to learning at this age, as long as it isn't overwhelming (Cooper et al., 2006; Marzano & Pickering, 2007). When students spend too much time on homework-more than two hours each night-it takes up valuable time to rest and spend time with family and friends. A 2013 study found that high school students can experience serious mental and physical health problems, from higher stress levels to sleep deprivation, when assigned too much homework (Galloway, Conner, & Pope, 2013).

Homework in high school should always relate to the lesson and be doable without any assistance, and feedback should be clear and explicit.

Teachers should also keep in mind that not all students have equal opportunities to finish their homework at home, so incomplete homework may not be a true reflection of their learning-it may be more a result of issues they face outside of school. They may be hindered by issues such as lack of a quiet space at home, resources such as a computer or broadband connectivity, or parental support (OECD, 2014). In such cases, giving low homework scores may be unfair.

Since the quantities of time discussed here are totals, teachers in middle and high school should be aware of how much homework other teachers are assigning. It may seem reasonable to assign 30 minutes of daily homework, but across six subjects, that's three hours-far above a reasonable amount even for a high school senior. Psychologist Maurice Elias sees this as a common mistake: Individual teachers create homework policies that in aggregate can overwhelm students. He suggests that teachers work together to develop a school-wide homework policy and make it a key topic of back-to-school night and the first parent-teacher conferences of the school year.

Parents Play a Key Role

Homework can be a powerful tool to help parents become more involved in their child's learning (Walker et al., 2004). It can provide insights into a child's strengths and interests, and can also encourage conversations about a child's life at school. If a parent has positive attitudes toward homework, their children are more likely to share those same values, promoting academic success.

But it's also possible for parents to be overbearing, putting too much emphasis on test scores or grades, which can be disruptive for children (Madjar, Shklar, & Moshe, 2015). Parents should avoid being overly intrusive or controlling-students report feeling less motivated to learn when they don't have enough space and autonomy to do their homework (Orkin, May, & Wolf, 2017; Patall, Cooper, & Robinson, 2008; Silinskas & Kikas, 2017). So while homework can encourage parents to be more involved with their kids, it's important to not make it a source of conflict.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Decades of research show that homework has some benefits, especially for students in middle and high school-but there are risks to assigning too much.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"Plastic is an irreplaceable part of our nation's economy, contributing to nearly every vital segment of our manufacturing sector... and our lives. It's essential to creating medical supplies, comfortable housing, personal safety equipment, a safer food supply, clean energy, and our family cars," states the American Chemistry Council. They follow with, "Making and distributing plastic where and when it's needed is vital to our ability to go places, deliver food, run a business, make a cell phone call, and fight disease. And it helps us drive down greenhouse gas emissions."

This may seem counter-intuitive, particularly when considering the bad reputation the plastic industry has received in recent years. How can an industry known for landfilled waste actually drive down emissions and benefit the environment?

The truth is, there is more to the story than the narrative we've heard about plastics. Many in the plastics industry are working to reduce the number of single-use plastics and increase the amount of recycled plastic used in products by building closed-loop systems. For example, Petoskey Plastics works with several customers to purchase used film, recycle it and turn it into our GreenPE® recycled resin pellets. In turn, our GreenPE® is used in our products to provide customers with environmentally conscious options.

Plastics are everywhere and in everything because of the many benefits they provide. The use of plastics allows us to live better lives while contributing to sustainability. As a material, plastic is cheaper, lighter, and more versatile than most other alternatives. Plastic valves and pipes hold up against corrosion and are cheaper and easier to install than pipes made from metal materials. Additionally, using plastics in housing insulation makes our homes significantly more energy efficient and reduces heating and cooling costs.

In the automotive sector, plastic components in vehicles dramatically reduce weight and increase miles per gallon, saving the owner fuel costs and the environment from gas emissions. According to the American Chemistry Council, "Many plastic components can weigh 50 percent less than similar components made from other materials. Modern innovations mean today's plastics make up 50 percent of a vehicle's volume, but only about 10 percent of its weight."

Plastics are essential in the medical field and have helped cut costs while enhancing the quality. Medical devices made with injection molded or extruded plastic provide design opportunities other materials cannot. Plastic use in medical devices has led to fewer infections, increased comfort and safety, and is cheaper for the patient.

"The use of this material not only reduces infection risk in gloves used in surgery for example, but also ensures devices and drugs haven't been tampered with through packaging with seals," reports Medical Plastic News.

While plastic manufacturers and consumers must work together to reduce excess waste, don't forget all the benefits of using plastics instead other materials.

If you want to learn more about the benefits of plastic and educate yourself on the industry, check out these resources:

Petoskey Plastics is an environmentally focused recycler and plastic film, bag, and resin manufacturer providing superior products and solutions. Headquartered in Petoskey, Michigan, the company provides products and engineered solutions for various industries, including automotive, industrial, institutional, retail, construction and home improvement. Petoskey Plastics has facilities in Michigan, Indiana, Tennessee, and Texas. Learn more at petoskeyplastics.com or find us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.

Originally published 4/16/2018. Updated 4/21/2023.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"Plastic is an irreplaceable part of our nation's economy, contributing to nearly every vital segment of our manufacturing sector... and our lives. It's essential to creating medical supplies, comfortable housing, personal safety equipment, a safer food supply, clean energy, and our family cars," states the American Chemistry Council.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Welcome to the New & Improved AmericanChemistry.com

Plastics are in products we use every day that help keep us safe. They are in bicycle helmets, child safety seats, and automotive airbags that protect us and the cell phones that connect us. Plastics also help keep the foods we eat and serve to our families safer and fresher than ever before.

Strong, lightweight plastics enable us to live better while contributing to sustainability in many ways-all of which stem from plastics' ability to help us do more with less.

Plastics help us protect the environment by reducing waste, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and saving energy at home, at work, and on the road. Plastic packaging helps to dramatically extend the shelf life of fresh foods and beverages while allowing us to ship more product with less packaging material-reducing both food and packaging waste.

Plastic insulation, sealants, and other building products are making our homes significantly more energy efficient, while reducing costs for heating and cooling. And lightweight plastics in cars can dramatically increase miles per gallon, saving drivers money at the pump.

Plastics not only help doctors save lives, they protect our loved ones at home, on the road, on the job and at play. And these advanced materials are helping make health care more affordable.

17.5 Billion pounds of waste potentially diverted from landfills annually as result of announced investments in advanced recycling since 2017

10% Reduction in vehicle weight can result in a 6% - 8% increase in that vehicle's fuel economy, according to the Department of Energy.

Explore Chemistries Critical to Plastics

Stay up-to-date and engaged with the latest industry-related news.

Chemistry in Everyday Products

Related Policies & Regulations

5 Actions Congress Can Take to Accelerate A Circular Economy

We use cookies to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features, and to analyze our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners.

Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Plastics are in products we use every day that help keep us safe. They are in bicycle helmets, child safety seats, and automotive airbags that protect us and the cell phones that connect us. Plastics also help keep the foods we eat and serve to our families safer and fresher than ever before.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Names: Sofia Gordon, Luca Barresi, Francesca Trotta, Veronica Osei-Owusu

Hometown: Longmeadow, Massachusetts

What They Did: The sixth-graders helped get a law passed in their town. Starting April 22, stores in Longmeadow will no longer be allowed to give out plastic bags to customers.

How They Did It: Two years ago, the kids learned about the effects of plastic.

"We wanted to do something in our school to fix this madness," says Sofia.

They convinced officials at their elementary school to buy recycling bins. Then they gave a presentation to town lawmakers and suggested the plastic bag ban. Now they're working to get recycling bins put in every school in their town.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Names: Sofia Gordon, Luca Barresi, Francesca Trotta, Veronica Osei-Owusu Hometown: Longmeadow, Massachusetts What They Did: The sixth-graders helped get a law passed in their town. Starting April 22, stores in Longmeadow will no longer be allowed to give out plastic bags to customers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Contrary to many uninformed individuals, plastic can actually help the environment in a wide variety of ways. While it's common knowledge the plastic can be recycled and reformed through plastic molding techniques, there are still many more ways plastic is better for the environment than traditional materials such as paper or wood. The following examples are only some of the ways that plastic is helping the environment.

1. Plastic Has A Lower Environmental Impact Than Paper

Paper products require a vast amount of resources to produce. In addition to the need to cut down large numbers of trees to produce paper products, the paper making process requires vast quantities of energy and water to function. In addition, paper making factories produce a large amount of waste. In addition, because paper products are less durable than plastic products, like those storage injection molding, they have to be replaced far more often.

2. Plastic Can be Recycled Into a Variety of Forms

An important advantage of plastic is the sheer variety of forms it can be recycled into. Today's plastic bottles can be recycled and converted into tomorrow's feedstock for a plastic molding system. Not only is this more environmentally friendly, but it also makes plastic a very flexible material for the industrial needs of the 21st century.

3. Plastic is More Efficient Than Other Materials

Because plastic is lighter and stronger than many other materials, it takes less plastic to handle any given task. This reduces the amount of material needed for a given purpose, which helps to reduce the environmental impact of plastic components.

4. Plastic Materials Can be Converted Into Fuel

In addition to being recycled into other objects, plastic can be converted into fuel. Not only does this recycle the plastic, it also reduces the amount of fossil fuels that have to be extracted from the earth. Not only does this reduce the environmental impact of fossil fuel extraction, but can also help keep fuel prices low.

5. Plastic is Long Lasting

Whether it is used in plastic molding or as a drink container, plastic is a very long lasting material. Because of this, there is less need to continually throw away plastic components. This not only reduces the amount of trash that is generated, but also reduces the need for the production of replacement components. Because of this, the durable nature of plastic reduces both waste and production related pollution.

6. Plastic can be Easily Compressed Into a Small Package

A major problem facing America is loss of available recycling and landfill space. However, because plastic can be easily compressed, it are well suited to efficient storage, whether the goal is for permanent disposal or temporary storage before the material's recycling for another purpose, such as use in an injection molding process.

7. Using Plastic can Help Improve the Nation's Fuel Economy

Finally, light weight plastic compounds have helped to dramatically improve the fuel economy of the nation. Whether it is increasing a car's mileage by using a plastic body, or simply reducing the weigh of a truck's cargo, plastic helps reduce the amount of energy needed to get people to work and goods to market.

Don't Bash Plastics - They Can Be Helpful!

Ultimately, plastic is an excellent tool to help reduce mankind's impact on the environment. In fact, in many respects plastic is far more environmentally friendly than any other material commonly used by man. If you'd like to recycle plastic and bring a design to life using plastic molding techniques, contact Superior Plastics - we'd love to be a pert of your environmentally friendly, creative process!

Bring Your Design to Life with Superior Plastics!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
7 Ways Plastic is Helping the Environment | Superior Plastics Molding

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Contrary to many uninformed individuals, plastic can actually help the environment in a wide variety of ways. While it's common knowledge the plastic can be recycled and reformed through plastic molding techniques, there are still many more ways plastic is better for the environment than traditional materials such as paper or wood.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
There's no denying that plastic has become demonised. What must've been hailed as a miracle product when it went mainstream in the 1950s is now an environmental nightmare.

And quite rightly so - we're all aware of the downsides to the convenience culture of plastic.

Manufacturing plastic produces toxins that are bad news for us and the environment. Plastic doesn't break down and hangs around for years. It kills unsuspecting wildlife. Even recycling it pollutes the environment - and only 9% of plastic has ever been recycled!

But all plastics now seem to have become a scapegoat for all that's wrong with the world. That's why we think it's important to highlight why plastic is good - sometimes.

The Benefits of Plastic

There's no doubt that certain single use plastics are bad news. Or that we can all strive to use less plastic. The last thing any self respecting eco warrior wants to be seen with is a plastic water bottle. But there are many reasons why plastic is good - even some single use plastics.

In the medical industry, plastics are used to keep things sterile. Syringes and surgical implements are all plastic and single use. They wouldn't survive the temperatures needed to kill bacteria and viruses by heat sterilisation.

Sterilising metal syringes simply isn't feasible. Glass is too dangerous and heavy. It would be a brave person who thinks that reusing a plastic catheter in a different patient is a good idea.

The benefits of plastic extend into far reaching areas of our lives. Plastics protect our heads in the form of helmets. They keep us safer in our cars in the form of seatbelts, fuel tanks, windscreens and airbags.

Plastic also helps to insulate our homes and make them more energy efficient. Window trims, front door frames and cavity wall insulation materials are generally made from plastic.

Food-wise, plastic keeps food fresh and affordable and helps to tackle the food waste problem. Shipping food in plastic is cheaper and less resource intensive than shipping it in glass.

Many foods are wrapped in unnecessary amounts of plastic. There's little doubt this needs to change. But asking the food industry to completely ditch plastic when we need affordable food and lots of it, isn't the answer.

Who remembers burning their behinds on metal playground slides heated up by the sun? Or getting splinters from wooden swing seats? For the sake of our kids, there are some playtime benefits to plastic too!

The Real Problem Is Avoidable Single Use Plastic

It's impossible to live a plastic free existence. Using your bank card, sitting on the bus, driving to the station. They all involve plastic. And that's before you've even had the chance to say "soya flat white in my bamboo coffee cup please".

However, we do need to drastically reduce our dependence on most single use plastics.

Plastic bottles, straws, drinks stirrers, coffee cups and shopping bags. These are all bad news and there are so many reusable alternatives now available.

Plastic Alternatives Aren't Always a Picture of Perfection

We can't consider plastic in isolation - there are many factors to consider. Instead, we need to take a balanced approach to the plastic problem.

Demanding a plastic free world will only push the problem elsewhere. And sometimes, the alternatives are worse.

Glass is heavy and takes more resources to ship. It can be wasteful too - if glass breaks in the food chain or on a production line, the whole lot needs to be scrapped. It's also very expensive to recycle.

Metals such as tin and aluminium are lighter. But they still need to be mined and the world only has a limited resource of both. Plus many metals oxidise over time, causing potential contamination problems.

Bamboo is a great natural alternative to plastic cups, straws, cutlery and plates. But is importing bamboo from China the answer? Especially when it's thought that so much of it comes from poorly controlled forests. These forests often have irresponsible logging practices and overuse pesticides.

Biodegradable or compostable plastics are great. These 'bioplastics' are made using renewable plant material such as corn, rather than petroleum. But for biodegradable packaging to breakdown, it needs to be in an industrial composting facility. Plus, some biodegradable plastics have been found to be far from biodegradable.

Then there's the humble cloth tote bag. Cotton requires more water and energy to produce than the plastics used to make carrier bags.

Yep, I was shocked too. How many cotton bags do you have at home? Loads, if you're anything like me.

Paper bags don't do much better either. Paper bags take four times more energy and generate more air and water pollutants to make than plastic bags. (Keep in mind though, that paper and cotton are made from renewable sources and are still better options. They're also less damaging to the environment when they break down in landfill.)

So folks, it's complicated. But the first step to becoming a more mindful consumer is understanding the issues across the board.

Accepting Why Plastic Is Good and Balancing the Equation

The benefits of plastic to certain industries - such as healthcare - are plain to see.

Easily accessible in an emergency, safe, sterile equipment is imperative to safe medical practice. In some cases, plastic alternatives aren't suitable. Sometimes plastic is a good, cheap or sturdy necessity.

Banning all plastic isn't the answer. Significantly reducing our reliance on avoidable single use plastics is.

But this isn't to say we should feel guilty if we don't get it right all the time. There will be times when we need to buy a bottle of water or indulge in a plastic wrapped treat. We can take solace in using a reusable coffee cup on all those other occasions.

It's taken decades to get us to the plastic crisis we face now. We're not going to solve the problem overnight.

So let's all do our bit to spark a gradual but forceful change. Let's aim to reduce and reuse where we can and consider our purchases more carefully. Future generations quite simply depend on it.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
There's no denying that plastic has become demonised. What must've been hailed as a miracle product when it went mainstream in the 1950s is now an environmental nightmare. And quite rightly so - we're all aware of the downsides to the convenience culture of plastic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Get a daily email featuring the latest talk, plus a quick mix of trending content.

By subscribing, you understand and agree that we will store, process and manage your personal information according to our Privacy Policy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Molly Steer: Straw no more | Molly Steer | TEDxJCUCairns

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Nine year-old Molly saw the damage that disposable plastics do to the ocean, and knew she had to do something. So, with ambition, she set about convincing schools to remove single use plastic straws from their tuck shops and launched the Straw no More campaign which is gaining momentum.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

# data[].attributes.headline
Sesame Street- Visits a Recycling Center

# data[].attributes.subject
Sesame Street- Visits a Recycling Center

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sesame Street: Murray Visits a Recycling Center | Murray Had a Little Lamb

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Read Space Colonists: Living on New Worlds on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Read Space Colonists: Living on New Worlds on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Instantly access Space Colonists: Living on New Worlds plus over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Instantly access over 40,000 of the best books & videos for kids on Epic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get unlimited access to 40,000 of the best books, audiobooks, videos, & more for kids 12 and under. Try it free.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Newsela | Instructional Content Platform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Newsela is an Instructional Content Platform that supercharges reading engagement and learning in every subject.