With the start of a new school year, students once again are shifting impatiently in their seats, working their way through an endless pile of worksheets.
And that’s after they come home.
A new study confirms what kids and parents already know: The “tougher standards” fad that has American education in its grip has meant more and more homework for younger and younger children.
Several years ago, we learned that the proportion of 6- to 8-year- olds who reported having homework on a given day had climbed from 34% in 1981 to 58% in 1997, and that the weekly time spent studying more than doubled during the same period.