Debate over the merits of homework has been a part of educational culture in the U.S. since
the mid-1800s (Gill & Schlossman, 2004). Recently, the debate has centered more directly on
the amount of time students are devoting to completing homework. Articles in major news
sources (e.g., Hu, 2011; Keates, 2007; Mehta, 2009; Wallis, 2006) discuss how many schools
have reduced the amount of homework done by students, often by limiting the number of
days students can be assigned homework or the length of assignments they are expected
to complete. These stories cited statistics that demonstrate a growth in the amount of homework
reported by American students since the early 1980s. The authors often mentioned that
nations traditionally ranking higher than the U.S. on international tests assign much less
homework than teachers here. Conversely, a recent documentary compared teenagers in
China, India, and the U.S. and tried to demonstrate how students from India and China spend
a much greater proportion of out-of-school time devoted to homework and academic preparation
(Heeter & Raney, 2007). In addition, President Obama has repeatedly urged students
to complete their homework—even those assignments that are not “completely relevant”—
during his ‘Back to School’ addresses to students (Obama, 2009; 2011). With homework a
ubiquitous part of the American educational experience for decades, has it not been established
that it is beneficial to student learning?