Homework has changed drastically over the past several decades. One of the biggest changes is how much is assigned. Whether this is a good idea, or a terrible idea, has always been the subject of a lot of controversy.
Homework in the Early United States
Prior to the turn of the century, homework was really not a part of the average child's experience. This is largely because school itself was not necessarily a part of the average child's life, and once most children were done with their school day, they were expected to go home and do chores or help run the family farm.
It wasn't until after the Civil War that going to school became mandatory in many states. Even then it was viewed mainly as a way to learn to read and do basic arithmetic. Most children left school by the 6th grade.
Once school attendance did become mandatory, it became clear that there needed to be a lot more teachers. The training of teachers helped to raise the value of education in the eyes of the general public. The newer teachers began to teach more challenging curriculum. Homework in the higher grades became more frequent, and even began to become a part of elementary school education.
When homework was given, it tended to be memorization or other rote learning.
Homework in the Early 1900s
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, homework became a given in most schools. Then, the idea that homework might not be that good for children began to spread. An article in Ladies Home Journal, which actually portrayed homework as a form of child abuse, started a public outcry against the practice.
It was thought that homework could affect children's health and well-being. Many school districts actually placed a ban on homework.
How the Launch of Sputnik Changed Education
In the 1940s homework, once again, began to be seen in a better light. It was thought that it was good exercise for the brain. The rise in Progressive education changed the type of work that was given, however. Homework became more creative and went beyond mere memorization of facts.
Then, in 1957, Sputnik was launched. Shocked and dismayed by the Russian's ability to produce scientists that could launch a satellite before the United States, experts cried out for tighter educational practices, and the proponents of homework leaped on the chance to increase it.
The Publication of A Nation At Risk
The free-wheeling 1960s saw a brief lull in the intensity of homework. Then, when A Nation at Risk was published in 1983, everything changed again. The publication cried out against mediocrity in American educations. Three years later, the U.S. Department of Education responded by stating that homework was an essential part of a good education in their publication What Works.
Homework Today
The No Child Left Behind act, and greater pressures placed on schools to improve test scores, has caused homework to become a given in most schools. Even kindergartners began to be regularly given work to take home, and the idea of having no homework made many parents nervous.
Throughout history, the upswings in amounts of homework seem to inevitably lead to a counter reaction and today is no exception. Even children in the second grade can come home with two hours of work to do and many parents are distressed by the amount of pressure they need to place on their children to get the work done. Currently many parents and teachers are feeling that the practice of homework may have gone too far.
The practice of giving homework has ebbed and flowed throughout the history of education. Whether homework is good for children and helps them to learn is a subject of great controversy. One thing does seem certain. Attitudes about homework are driven by many factors aside from whether or not it helps children to get a good education. Politics, economics, and even fashion seem to influence homework trends at least as much as changes in educational theory does.
For more information:
Too Much Homework: Are Overworked Kids Losing Out On Play and Family Time?
Homework in the Early Years, How Families Can Help Young Childen Learn at Home
How Sputnik Helped Academc Publishing: American University Press Publishing in the 1960's and 1970's
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