Down with homework!

Girls' Life, Dec, 2001

Stressed over that killer English essay? Bleary-eyed because you studied for science way past midnight? Well study this: Average hours spent on homework have tripled since 1980! So you aren't alone--and some parents and teachers complain that kids don't have time for sports, other extra-curriculars, household responsibilities, family stuff or time to just be kids.

At least one public school system is making amends. High-school kids in Arlington, Va., get no more than three hours of work a night, and assignments must be done without adult help. Three hours, though--isn't that still extreme? Guess it's a start. How 'bout giving your teachers and parents a homework assignment of their own. Tell them to read The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning. And that you want a 5-page book report on it by Friday. Just kidding.