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The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Children and What Parents Can Do About It
 
 
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The Case Against Homework: How Homework Is Hurting Children and What Parents Can Do About It (Paperback)

by Sara Bennett (Author), Nancy Kalish (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

Review
“Parents of America, unite! You have nothing to lose but your frustration. The Case Against Homework is an important book that takes on the 500-pound gorilla—homework overload—long ignored by educational policy makers. Every parent of a school-age child should buy it and follow the authors’ excellent advice in order to protect their children from an educational system gone haywire.” —Dan Kindlon, Ph.D., author of Raising Cain, Too Much of a Good Thing, and Alpha Girls

“Most parents have experienced the negative effects of homework on family harmony, family time, and play time, but they accept it as a necessary evil. Bennett and Kalish reveal that the homework emperor has no clothes; there is no good evidence to support piling on homework, especially in the younger grades. They follow through with practical advice for managing homework meltdowns, negotiating with teachers, and advocating for policy changes.” —Lawrence Cohen, Ph.D., author of Playful Parenting

“Very helpful, with practical advice on approaching teachers and working to change district standards. . . . Will appeal to parents who have watched tedious book reports squelch their kids’ love of reading or endured homework devouring family time, hobbies and exploration.”–Seattle Times

“Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish have written a battlefield manual for parents.”–Washington Post Book World

“Provocative. . . . [S]ome of the homework assigned children does not make sense. Bennett and Kalish provide good advice on what parents should do.”–Washington Post
 
"A wonderful book that is not just about homework but about the sadness and futility of turning children into drudges who learn–if one can call it learning–without passion, without love, and without gaining independence. Every educator, every politician, and every parent should read this book and take it to heart."   
–Mary Leonhardt, author of 99 Ways  to Help Your Kids Love Reading

"The Case Against Homework sends a critical message about how to improve the health and well-being of our children by cutting back on busy work and focusing on meaningful assignments, a good night's sleep, and the value of free, unfettered play time."
–Denise Pope, author of Doing School,  Stanford School of Education lecturer, and founder of SOS: Stressed Out Students

"Bravo to Bennett and Kalish for having the courage to say what many of us know to be true! This book serves as an indispensable tool for parents who want to get serious about changing homework practices in their schools." 
 –Etta Kralovec, associate professor of teacher education, University of Arizona South, and coauthor of The End of Homework
 
 “This very important book makes a powerful case that excessive homework is hurting family life and children's full development. What's more, the book does something that is very rare: It gives parents solid practical advice on how they can deal with teachers and schools to produce significant change. The authors care deeply about children and have a special understanding of what childhood is all about.” 
 –William Crain, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the City College of New York and author of Reclaiming Childhood 


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Description
Does assigning fifty math problems accomplish any more than assigning five? Is memorizing word lists the best way to increase vocabulary—especially when it takes away from reading time? And what is the real purpose behind those devilish dioramas?

The time our children spend doing homework has skyrocketed in recent years. Parents spend countless hours cajoling their kids to complete such assignments—often without considering whether or not they serve any worthwhile purpose. Even many teachers are in the dark: Only one of the hundreds the authors interviewed and surveyed had ever taken a course specifically on homework during training.

The truth, according to Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish, is that there is almost no evidence that homework helps elementary school students achieve academic success and little evidence that it helps older students. Yet the nightly burden is taking a serious toll on America’s families. It robs children of the sleep, play, and exercise time they need for proper physical, emotional, and neurological development. And it is a hidden cause of the childhood obesity epidemic, creating a nation of “homework potatoes.”

In The Case Against Homework, Bennett and Kalish draw on academic research, interviews with educators, parents, and kids, and their own experience as parents and successful homework reformers to offer detailed advice to frustrated parents. You’ll find out which assignments advance learning and which are time-wasters, how to set priorities when your child comes home with an overstuffed backpack, how to talk and write to teachers and school administrators in persuasive, nonconfrontational ways, and how to rally other parents to help restore balance in your children’s lives.

Empowering, practical, and rigorously researched, The Case Against Homework shows how too much work is having a negative effect on our children’s achievement and development and gives us the tools and tactics we need to advocate for change.


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From the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Three Rivers Press (August 28, 2007)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 030734018X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0307340184
  • Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #290,102 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Action Manual for Parents, October 4, 2008
Unlike many books on education, The Case Against Homework is a true action manual, not content to merely lay out the convincing reasons that homework is almost always useless and even damaging, but spelling out in detail how to take a stand and bring about change in individual teachers, school-wide, and even throughout the system.

This eye-opening book will first make you angry, then make you take action.

[...]
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Every teacher and parent should read this book!, March 22, 2009
While I don't completely disagree with some of the comments about the specific evidence they provide, this is still a must read. The evidence in support of their arguments against homework is there; just do a Google search and you will find more studies and data than you can read in a lifetime. Homework is BAD for kids and families. There is NO proven correlation between homework and learning, so why is it still assigned? This book is a jumping off point; read it and then talk to your child's teachers. Or if you are teacher, learn how destructive your actions are. And I am not just crying sour grapes; I am teacher and a parent.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for parents struggling with homework, June 30, 2009
By formerly April Dawn (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
This book is a must read for any parent that has looked at their child's homework and wondered just what is the purpose? It turns out that the purpose may be simply to give your child homework. This book addresses many of the questions, concerns and problems I've encountered throughout my children's scholastic careers thus far, and has given me ample tools and resources for the coming school year.
This book validates my feelings that homework can indeed interfere with a child's love of learning.
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2.0 out of 5 stars An Unimpressive Presentation to a Good Argument
While I may agree with the overarching principle of this book, I thought the presentation of the arguments and much of the evidence used was unconvincing. Read more
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