Schools Everywhere Are Banning Homework, and It Looks Like It’s Working

photo: Pixabay

How much homework does your child have? Did she walk in the door after her first day of kindergarten with a mini mountain of papers that she needs to complete before the bus picks her up tomorrow? Well, it looks like the homework wars might be on the way out. What? That’s right, some schools are banning homework. And here’s what you need to know.

When Florida’s Marion County public school district announced that they were adopting a no traditional homework policy for the 2017-2018 school year, their decision was met with controversy. What? No homework? We’re pretty sure the kids weren’t exactly shedding tears over the decision. But not everyone understood.

Okay, so they weren’t outlawing any sort of post-school studying. In fact, they were actually instituting an academics after class policy. Instead of worksheets and other types of busy work, these students are being asked to read for at least 20 minutes a night. Of course, this doesn’t apply to all of the county’s kids. This is an elementary school-only homework ban. Older kids, middle and high schoolers, who have to study for things such as bio finals and trig tests still will have homework to do.

This isn’t the first school to ban afterschool work. In 2016, Kelly Elementary School in Holyoke, Ma put a pass on homework in favor of having the kids learn during their day, and then go home and actually interact with their families. Likewise, a school in Texas caught the homework controversy. That is, when second grade teacher Brandy Young went viral with her letter that let parents know she would not be giving out homework.

What do you think of the no homework trend? Share your thoughts in the comments below.