Does homework really accomplish nothing more than robbing families of time together, reducing students’ physical activity and inhibiting kids from being kids? A couple of new, widely publicized books say Yes, homework really does do more harm than good. But researchers at Duke University warn parents not to close down the evening studies so fast. Their surveys show that a daily block of homework for high-school students, for example, is connected to higher achievement. And students at all grade levels don’t seem to be spending more time on it, anyway: Most crack the books for less than an hour a day — about the same time investment as 20 years ago, according to a 2003 study by the Brookings Institution and the Rand Corporation.

Source: The Press-Enterprise, Sept. 22