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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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...

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We knew this question would spark lively debate among readers. School is a big part of life, not just for kids but for their families and for educators, too. Everyone has an opinion about what's best for students. And they don't always agree.

Do kids need homework? The answer is . . . (drumroll): It depends. Some of our readers insist that the extra work reinforces what they learn in class. And it helps teachers identify where students need more help. Others say homework adds to students' stress and takes time away from exercise or learning something new. Readers also wondered what kind of homework kids should do. And how much kids need. Here's what they said.

COURTESY SENTHILKUMAR MURUGESAN
Pradyun Senthilkumar, 9 Los Angeles, California
Kids need homework. When they learn something new in school, reviewing it at home helps them remember it. At my school, teachers give math and language arts homework. That's because there's a lot we need to learn. In math, we're learning addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. In language arts, we're learning spelling, reading, and writing. And we're also learning how to speak. Our homework gives our teachers valuable information. It tells them how much students are paying attention in class and who needs extra help. Homework is important at every stage of learning.

COURTESY HAIYAN WANG
Olivia Lin, 9 Minnetonka, Minnesota
In my opinion, giving students homework is a bad idea. Kids need time after school for experiences that build a healthy mind and body. Homework is not supposed to stress kids out. It's meant to help them grow. But when homework heaps up, students get stressed. And the quality of homework that a stressed-out mind produces is low. Doing homework poorly is worse than doing no homework. As long as students are working hard in class, it's best not to give them extra work. That's for the sake of their mental and physical health. And their happiness.

COURTESY EMILY GRIZZELL
Isla Dhaliwal-Grizzell, 8 Spokane, Washington
Kids need homework. But the amount should vary by age. Middle and high school students are ready for added responsibility. So they can do much more homework. At my school, elementary students get homework, but not too much. My teacher might assign us spelling words to learn at home, and each week we'll be given a test. But other assignments can require families to work with kids at home, if they need extra help. That's why we do most of our learning in class. Sometimes, elementary students at my school will have an optional homework assignment to do for a special prize.

COURTESY MICHELLE MCKEE
Isaac McKee, 11 Durham, North Carolina
Kids don't need homework. They're learning for six hours a day at school, focusing on subjects from math and science to history and reading. Adding another hour of work for kids to do at home is just having them repeat what they've been doing all day. Plus, homework takes time away from activities like team sports, hobbies, exercise, and playing. These are just as important as schoolwork, because they keep kids active. Kids don't need more time staring at a piece of paper or a computer screen. Homework just covers what they already learned in class. It's pointless.

COURTESY JOLYNN XIAO
Jolynn Xiao, 9 Corpus Christi, Texas
Here's why I think kids should have homework. If you can't solve a math problem, or if you answer a question incorrectly on a homework assignment, your teacher knows exactly what to help you with. Parents also have a chance to help. They can work you through a math problem or clarify a question. I'm not arguing for homework because I want kids to feel a lot of pressure at school. I just think it's a way to let teachers, parents, and even you know where you might need some improvement or extra help. It's that simple. Considering the benefits, why wouldn't we want kids to have homework?

COURTESY NATHANIEL KIM
Nathaniel Kim, 11 South Pasadena, California
Many people believe that homework is essential. They say it can teach kids how to complete tasks on a deadline. I don't deny that homework teaches students positive work habits. But it takes time away from learning material that wasn't covered in class. And there's no guarantee that time spent on homework will be more effective than time spent in the classroom, if students are paying attention and taking notes. Homework should not be done away with completely. But it should be reduced so students have more time for creative activities.

The Next Debate! Should all cars be electric? Email your opinion to tfkeditors@time.com by March 3. Your response might be featured in an upcoming issue.

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We knew this question would spark lively debate among readers. School is a big part of life, not just for kids but for their families and for educators, too. Everyone has an opinion about what's best for students. And they...

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Artificial intelligence is part of our everyday lives. It makes our smart devices work, and you may already be using an AI program in school. But advanced chatbots, like ChatGPT, are new. They are called generative AI. Ask a chatbot a question, and it will generate a whole essay. Some educators worry that chatbots could prevent students from learning on their own. Should students use AI to do their school assignments? We asked our TFK Kid Reporters to argue both sides of the case.
Dylan Patel, 13 San Diego, California
Artificial intelligence could revolutionize the way students learn. Many fear that chatbots can be used as a cheating tool. But safeguards are always being improved, and chatbots can be programmed to guide students through questions instead of giving them the answer. Chatbots can work with teachers, too. They can help teachers create data-driven lesson plans, to individualize student learning. Nobody has to fall behind in class! And AI tutors can provide 24/7 support for students. AI is here to stay. Either you move with the times, or the times will move without you!
Harper Carroll, 10 Boston, Massachusetts
Schoolwork should teach kids skills and develop their brains. While technology can be a useful tool, kids need to become competent at basic tasks independently. This is why kids learn how to do computation, even though calculators have existed for a long time. And it's why schools teach penmanship and spelling, when most adults write using computers. Kids' brains need to be exercised to develop, just like their bodies. AI may benefit adults, but it would be detrimental to children if they used AI before they mastered the building blocks of an education.
Alexa Oh, 11 Seattle, Washington
Teaching kids how to use AI can prepare them for our technology-filled future. According to a YouGov poll, most Americans think it's necessary for students to learn AI-related skills for their future careers. Using AI can help build the critical thinking and problem-solving kids will need. And it's better that students learn about AI's limitations now: its biases, its potential to spread misinformation, and the ways it could be misused. I believe that as long as it's done well, teaching AI in schools will change society for the better.
Ninis Twumasi, 12 New York, New York
We shouldn't introduce generative AI into schools, for a few reasons. First, chatbots and other AI programs are getting more and more advanced every day. Teachers might not know how to best integrate them into their classes. Second, think of the cost to schools. Many wouldn't be able to afford the latest technology, and that's not fair to students. And most of all, AI lacks the humanity and emotion that kids get from a teacher. That human connection is important. A chatbot just feeds students information. But teachers know how to help students retain information.
The Next Debate: Should students be rewarded for perfect attendance? Email your opinion to tfkeditors@time.com by October 13, 2023. Your response might be featured in an upcoming issue.
*Submissions have been edited only for length and clarity. They are not intended to reflect the views of TIME for Kids. Ages are accurate as of the time of submission.

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Artificial intelligence is part of our everyday lives. It makes our smart devices work, and you may already be using an AI program in school. But advanced chatbots, like ChatGPT, are new. They are called generative AI. Ask a chatbot...

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A Stanford researcher found that too much homework can negatively affect kids, especially their lives away from school, where family, friends and activities matter.

"Our findings on the effects of homework challenge the traditional assumption that homework is inherently good," wrote Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and a co-author of a study published in the Journal of Experimental Education.

The researchers used survey data to examine perceptions about homework, student well-being and behavioral engagement in a sample of 4,317 students from 10 high-performing high schools in upper-middle-class California communities. Along with the survey data, Pope and her colleagues used open-ended answers to explore the students' views on homework.

Median household income exceeded $90,000 in these communities, and 93 percent of the students went on to college, either two-year or four-year.

Students in these schools average about 3.1 hours of homework each night.

"The findings address how current homework practices in privileged, high-performing schools sustain students' advantage in competitive climates yet hinder learning, full engagement and well-being," Pope wrote.

Pope and her colleagues found that too much homework can diminish its effectiveness and even be counterproductive. They cite prior research indicating that homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night, and that 90 minutes to two and a half hours is optimal for high school.

Their study found that too much homework is associated with:

* Greater stress: 56 percent of the students considered homework a primary source of stress, according to the survey data. Forty-three percent viewed tests as a primary stressor, while 33 percent put the pressure to get good grades in that category. Less than 1 percent of the students said homework was not a stressor.

* Reductions in health: In their open-ended answers, many students said their homework load led to sleep deprivation and other health problems. The researchers asked students whether they experienced health issues such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss and stomach problems.

* Less time for friends, family and extracurricular pursuits: Both the survey data and student responses indicate that spending too much time on homework meant that students were "not meeting their developmental needs or cultivating other critical life skills," according to the researchers. Students were more likely to drop activities, not see friends or family, and not pursue hobbies they enjoy.

A balancing act

The results offer empirical evidence that many students struggle to find balance between homework, extracurricular activities and social time, the researchers said. Many students felt forced or obligated to choose homework over developing other talents or skills.

Also, there was no relationship between the time spent on homework and how much the student enjoyed it. The research quoted students as saying they often do homework they see as "pointless" or "mindless" in order to keep their grades up.

"This kind of busy work, by its very nature, discourages learning and instead promotes doing homework simply to get points," Pope said.

She said the research calls into question the value of assigning large amounts of homework in high-performing schools. Homework should not be simply assigned as a routine practice, she said.

"Rather, any homework assigned should have a purpose and benefit, and it should be designed to cultivate learning and development," wrote Pope.

High-performing paradox

In places where students attend high-performing schools, too much homework can reduce their time to foster skills in the area of personal responsibility, the researchers concluded. "Young people are spending more time alone," they wrote, "which means less time for family and fewer opportunities to engage in their communities."

Student perspectives

The researchers say that while their open-ended or "self-reporting" methodology to gauge student concerns about homework may have limitations - some might regard it as an opportunity for "typical adolescent complaining" - it was important to learn firsthand what the students believe.

The paper was co-authored by Mollie Galloway from Lewis and Clark College and Jerusha Conner from Villanova University.

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Stanford research shows pitfalls of homework

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A Stanford researcher found that students in high-achieving communities who spend too much time on homework experience more stress, physical health problems, a lack of balance and even alienation from society. More than two hours of homework a night may be counterproductive, according to the study.

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Homework headaches and "competitive parenting'' are fuelling* kids' high anxiety*, Australia's new National Children's Commissioner warned.

In her first interview, incoming Commissioner Anne Hollonds called for kids to be given more time to relax and play.

"In our very crammed lives, and with a crammed (school) curriculum, we have to ask if there's enough time for kids to play,'' Ms Hollonds said.

"We tend to load up their days, and expect schools to cram a lot into those days.''

Ms Hollonds, who started in her new job this week, said teachers and parents might need to "reset expectations'' about heavy homework loads, which can take students three hours every night.

"Play is very important for the development and wellbeing of children,'' she said.

"Many people today would say kids are experiencing stress as a result of too much to do.''

Australian teenagers are set hours of homework every night, with Education Victoria recommending one to three hours each weeknight, plus six hours on weekends, for students from Years 10 to 12.

Other state and territory education departments let individual schools set homework times - with many Queensland high schools telling senior students to study for at least 18 hours a week.

In South Australia, Gawler High School recommends an hour a night for Year 8 students, with up to three hours a night for Year 12 students.

The Hutchins School in Tasmania sets between 60 to 90 minutes of homework each weeknight for its middle school students.

Sydney Boys High requires between one and three hours a night, plus six hours on weekends, for students from years 10 to 12.

Ms Hollonds - a psychologist and former head of Relationships Australia, The Benevolent Society and the Australian Institute of Family Studies - also urged an end to "competitive parenting''.

"The culture of criticism and judgment and competition (about parenting) doesn't help any of us and ultimately is bad for our kids,'' she said.

"Parents are all trying to do the best they can.

"We need a more supportive and compassionate* culture - then families who are struggling would feel able to reach out for help.''

Ms Hollonds urged parents to switch off their phones and devices and "eyeball'' their children, who crave attention.

"Have some time for everybody to eyeball each other and have a conversation,'' she said.

"As parents we don't realise how important we are, especially in the teenage years.''

Ms Hollonds called on friends and family to offer hands-on help and encouragement to struggling parents.

"Asking, 'Are you OK?' is not enough,'' she said.

"Ask, 'How can I help you? Can I hang out the washing for you? Would it help if I minded the kids for a few hours?''
GLOSSARY

fuelling: cause something to happen more intensely

anxiety: feeling of worry or nervousness

compassionate: feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others

EXTRA READING Kids really are great at homework Kids can help keep families safe Kids feeling eco-anxiety about waste Being kind online for Safer Internet Day QUICK QUIZ

1. What is Anne Hollonds' job title?

2. How much homework are middle school students at the Hutchins School expected to do?

3. In which state is Gawler High School?

4. Does Ms Hollonds think parents are trying to do the right thing?

5. What does it mean to say parents should "eyeball" their children? Why?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Homework
Does your school set homework?

Opinions about homework, how much you should get and what types of activities should be expected have been debated for many years. Nearly everyone has an opinion on it.

Do your own research ...

Interview a teacher or principal, a parent or carer, and a fellow student to get a range of opinions about homework. (You can interview more people if you wish.)

Find out what each person thinks about the purpose of homework, what types of activities should be done, how long you should spend on homework tasks and the benefits and disadvantages of doing it.

After interviewing, look at all the responses and see if you can find any commonalities (things that are similar) in different people's point of view. Write a paragraph of what you found out.

Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity (Some of this activity may need to be completed at home!)
Curriculum Links: English, Critical and Creative thinking, Personal and Social Capabilities

2. Extension
"Play is very important for the development and wellbeing of children," Anne Hollands said.

Create a way to sell this idea - 'Play is the new homework' - to your teachers and parents/carers. You can write a persuasive text, write a speech for a debate or create a poster/flyer or write a song or jingle that highlights why play is important for children and that it should replace any formal homework activities for all students.

To convince them, you will need to think about how play improves your wellbeing and therefore your learning potential, what you can learn through play and how it can benefit people of all ages.

Time: allow 40 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Critical and Creative thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Home Work, Not School Work
Many children have chores they have to complete when they get home. Some have sports or hobbies to attend as well. So rather than more schoolwork being assigned to outside school hours, should children be assigned work/chores ways to help out at home?

Think of what help you can do to help out more at home, and also to learn important life skills that will help you in the future.

Make a list of all the skills you can learn from helping out at home, or participating in after school sports and hobbies instead.

Now compare this to the skills you learn from completed teacher assigned school work.

Which will benefit you more? Why?

HAVE YOUR SAY: How much homework is best for you?
No one-word answers. Use full sentences to explain your thinking. No comments will be published until approved by editors.

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Aussie kids need less homework, more play

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Homework headaches and "competitive parenting'' are fuelling* kids' high anxiety*, Australia's new National Children's Commissioner warned. In her first interview, incoming Commissioner Anne Hollonds called for kids to be given more time to relax and play. "In our very crammed lives, and with a crammed (school) curriculum, we have to ask if there's enough time for kids to play,'' Ms Hollonds said.

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Tell the grown-ups to back off - you can be trusted to do your homework without their help.

And you have an international study to back you up. It found children aged seven to 10 were better at homework if left alone.

The study's author, University of Eastern Finland Assoc Prof Jaana Viljaranta, said parents helping every step of the way risked making their children lose interest in schoolwork.

"One possible explanation* is that when the mother gives her child an opportunity* to do homework autonomously* the mother also sends out a message that she believes in the child's skills and capabilities*," Assoc Prof Viljaranta said.

"This in turn makes the child believe in him or herself, and in his or her skills and capabilities."

The academic* performance of 365 grade 2 and 4 students was compared with the amount of help they got from their mother and teacher as part of the study, which also involved Finland's University of Jyväskylä.

Success may also depend on kids, teachers and parents all talking about what needs to be done and what will work best for the kids.

Australian Primary Principals Association president Dennis Yarrington said teachers and families needed to agree on how much homework help parents give and make sure kids know what the teacher expects.

"Parents should encourage kids to seek further information from the teacher if they need it," Mr Yarrington said.

"Homework should not cause tension* between family members - that causes a negative attitude towards further learning.

"When there is no homework to do the best homework is to play, read or go for a walk with their parents."

Oakleigh East mother Yetta Nelson said she became the student when helping daughter Isla, 7, with her maths homework.

"The way they teach mathematics now is very different to how I was taught - more often than not she is teaching me," Mrs Nelson said.

"The good thing about her teaching me is that I know it's learnt."

Mrs Nelson said she only helped with homework when Isla asked but still supervised her daughter's studies because she was easily distracted.

Helping around the house and playing were ways to include learning in everyday life.

"I'll just ask her an equation* and she'll just do that for me, so that's maths, and she writes a lot of stories on her own, so that's English" Mrs Nelson said. "We do that all the time, I don't classify* that as homework, that's just learning."
GLOSSARY

explanation: reason

opportunity: chance

autonomously: without help

capabilities: the powers to do things

academic: to do with education and study

tension: stress or disagreement

equation: problem to solve

classify: define

LISTEN TO TODAY'S STORY QUICK QUIZ

1. How many children were in the study and what grades were they?

2. Who is Dennis Yarrington?

3. When there is no homework to do, what is the best homework?

4. What's good about Isla teaching her mother?

5. Using the glossary, define autonomously and use it in a sentence.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. List of rules
Write a list of rules for how homework is done in your house. You may want to use some information from the Finland study to help you out. Some rules could include how much time you think is adequate for homework during the week, if and when parents should help, if parents should correct and so forth. Take your list home and share/discuss with your parents and family to make homework a less stressful time in your house!

2. Extension: Write a letter to your teacher outlining what homework you think is fair and helps your learning. Show your teacher and discuss your letter.

Time: Allow 25 minutes to complete this task.
Curriculum links: English

VCOP ACTIVITY
After reading the article, with a partner, highlight as many connectives as you can find in pink. Discuss if these are being used as conjunctions, or to join ideas and create flow.

HAVE YOUR SAY: IN ONE SENTENCE, TELL US WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT THIS STORY
Please do not use one-word answers. Explain what you enjoyed or found interesting about the article. Use lots of adjectives.

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university of eastern finland assoc prof jaana viljaranta

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Finnish study shows kids are better at homework without parents

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The dreaded word for students across the country-homework.

Homework has long been a source of debate, with parents, educators, and education specialists debating the advantages of at-home study. There are many pros and cons of homework. We've examined a few significant points to provide you with a summary of the benefits and disadvantages of homework.

Check Out The Pros and Cons of Homework

Pro 1: Homework Helps to Improve Student Achievement

Homework teaches students various beneficial skills that they will carry with them throughout their academic and professional life, from time management and organization to self-motivation and autonomous learning.

Homework helps students of all ages build critical study abilities that help them throughout their academic careers. Learning at home also encourages the development of good research habits while encouraging students to take ownership of their tasks.

If you're finding that homework is becoming an issue at home, check out this article to learn how to tackle them before they get out of hand.

Con 1: Too Much Homework Can Negatively Affect Students

You'll often hear from students that they're stressed out by schoolwork. Stress becomes even more apparent as students get into higher grade levels.

A study conducted on high school student's experiences found that high-achieving students found that too much homework leads to sleep deprivation and other health problems such as:

More than half of students say that homework is their primary source of stress, and we know what stress can do on our bodies.

It's been shown that excessive homework can lead to cheating. With too much homework, students end up copying off one another in an attempt to finish all their assignments.

Pro 2: Homework Helps to Reinforce Classroom Learning

Homework is most effective when it allows students to revise what they learn in class. Did you know that students typically retain only 50% of the information teachers provide in class?

Students need to apply that information to learn it.

Homework also helps students develop key skills that they'll use throughout their lives:

Accountability

Autonomy

Discipline

Time management

Self-direction

Critical thinking

Independent problem-solving

The skills learned in homework can then be applied to other subjects and practical situations in students' daily lives.

Con 2: Takes Away From Students Leisure Time

Children need free time. This free time allows children to relax and explore the world that they are living in. This free time also gives them valuable skills they wouldn't learn in a classroom, such as riding a bike, reading a book, or socializing with friends and family.

Having leisure time teaches kids valuable skills that cannot be acquired when doing their homework at a computer.

Plus, students need to get enough exercise. Getting exercise can improve cognitive function, which might be hindered by sedentary activities such as homework.

Pro 3: Homework Gets Parents Involved with Children's Learning

Homework helps parents track what their children are learning in school.

Also allows parents to see what their children's academic strengths and weaknesses are. Homework can alert parents to any learning difficulties that their children might have, enabling them to provide assistance and modify their child's learning approach as necessary.

Parents who help their children with homework will lead to higher academic performance, better social skills and behaviour, and greater self-confidence in their children.

Con 3: Homework Is Not Always Effective

Numerous researchers have attempted to evaluate the importance of homework and how it enhances academic performance. According to a study, homework in primary schools has a minimal effect since students pursue unrelated assignments instead of solidifying what they have already learned.

Mental health experts agree heavy homework loads have the capacity to do more harm than good for students. But they also say the answer may not be to eliminate homework altogether. So, unfortunately for students, homework is here to stay.
You can learn more about the pro and cons of homework here.
Need Help with Completing Homework Effectively?

There are many pros and cons of homework, so let our tutors at Oxford Learning can help your family create great homework habits to ensure students are successful at homework.

Contact a location near you to get started today!

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The Pros and Cons of Homework - Oxford Learning

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There are many pros and cons of homework for students. Here are just a few examples. Check them out and see the pros and cons.

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Homework should be scrapped to give children more time for "other creative things", the president of Ireland has said.

Speaking to Irish broadcaster RTE, Michael D. Higgins said school work should be "finished at the school" rather than at home, "an utterance likely to be seized upon by children for years to come in classrooms far beyond the shores of the Emerald Isle", said the Independent.

Here are some of the benefits and some of the negative effects of homework for schoolchildren.

1. Pro: improves academic achievement

A 2006 meta-analysis of research by Duke University in North Carolina found that children who have homework perform better academically at school. But it doesn't benefit all students equally, the research found. The correlation was stronger for older students (12 and over) than younger students.

But the evidence is far from conclusive over whether homework really does increase student achievement. Other studies have found that it has a positive effect only under certain conditions, while others have found negative effects, and some studies suggest homework does not affect student achievement at all.

2. Con: risk of artificial intelligence

The arrival of highly sophisticated artificial intelligence chatbots, such as ChatGPT, could make it easier for students to cheat on their essays or homework - or even force teachers and professors to scrap homework altogether.

ChatGPT has been "trained on a gigantic sample of text from the internet" and can "understand human language, conduct conversations with humans and generate detailed text that many have said is human-like and quite impressive", said the Daily Mail.

Kevin Bryan, an associate professor of strategic management at the University of Toronto, tweeted that he was "shocked" by the capabilities of ChatGPT after challenging the AI to answer numerous exam questions and found that it gave A-grade answers.

3. Pro: other benefits of homework

Evidence suggests that homework can bring non-academic benefits, particularly for younger school students. These include "learning the importance of responsibility, managing time, developing study habits, and staying with a task until it is completed", said Reading Rockets, a national public media literacy initiative in the US.

The British Council agreed that it helps to develop "study habits and independent learning", as well as helping students to "retain information taught in the classroom" and involving parents in learning.

4. Con: less time with family and friends

TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp weighed in on the debate recently, urging parents to "enjoy the weekend" with their children, branding homework a "waste of time".

"Find a book, cuddle up and read it together, or watch Winterwatch, or cook something with kids doing all the weighing and chopping. Then put that in the homework diary and enjoy your weekend with your kids," she wrote on Twitter.

"There is nothing better for children than spending time with you, talking, doing and learning at the same time," she said. "Following a recipe is reading, maths, science and fine motor skills in one activity."

5. Pro: parent involvement

Homework can be a good way for parents to stay up to date with what their child is being taught in class as well as monitor their progress. But the extent to which parental involvement with homework is beneficial for children is still a matter of debate.

According to Reading Rockets, some studies show that homework assignments that require interactions between students and parents are "more likely to be turned in" than assignments that don't require parental input. But other studies have found that "parent involvement in homework has no impact on student achievement".

6. Con: stress for students and teachers

Educators and parents responded to President Higgins' comments to say homework is a source of stress for all involved.

Replying to a Facebook post by Hull Live, one teacher said it was "a pain sourcing, copying, chasing and marking it", while other parents said homework placed undue stress on young children. "I think they do enough work in the school hours as it is," said one parent, while another commented: "Children need to switch off when they get home. No wonder children suffer mental health issues, they are burnt out before they reach secondary school."

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Should schoolwork be left at the school gate?