A student sits hunched at their desk, a half-written essay in one hand and a few scattered calculations in the other. Desperate to finish before midnight, the student scrambles to complete their work, but to no avail. Sound familiar?
Out of 15,000 students surveyed in California, nearly half of them reported that homework is a prominent stressor, and over half claim their assignments are simply busywork. However, a law called the Healthy Homework Act, which is taking place this year, aims to reduce the homework burden on students to promote their well-being.
The Healthy Homework Act, an Assembly Bill taking effect this year, seeks to alleviate students’ workload by encouraging evidence-based homework policies in California’s public schools. It aims to reduce student’s stress and health issues, promote effective homework practices, improve equity in education, and establish clear guidelines for assigning and grading homework.
California State Representative Pilar Schiavo, who drafted the bill, claims that many students experience “less sleep and said stress, which is heavily impacted by homework load, was associated with…headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss, and stomach problems.”
This underscores the catastrophic impact of excessive homework on students’ health, as it imposes significant physical strain. These severe consequences prompt us to question whether the benefits of homework are truly worth compromising students’ health.
Schiavo also references a study of 5,000 15-year-olds, which found that students who did more math homework scored lower on standardized tests, suggesting that excessive assignments do not always translate to better academic outcomes.. Hence, continuing to flood students with assignments, diminishing their health and consuming their limited time is an untenable approach.
We interviewed Justice Awareness editor Ryan Tsai and English teacher Mrs. Jackson about their perspectives on the Healthy Homework Act as a student and an educator, respectively. Here are the following questions and their responses:
- What is your general opinion on the proposed law? What are some potential risks or benefits?
Ryan: “The law has the potential to help students in marginalized communities. Because not all students have equal access to resources, wealthier students have access to opportunities like private tutoring, but people of low-income backgrounds don’t have that. This act could definitely help, but I also have some potential criticisms for it: How effective can this policy be? And how, exactly, can we implement this throughout the whole state?”
Mrs. Jackson: “It’s wonderful that leaders in the government are seriously taking into consideration the well-being of our youth. The benefits of this law are that schools should always be reflecting on how effective lessons, assignments, and courses are and constantly be discussing our desired outcomes. However, students could potentially fall behind—our goal is to educate the whole person, but there’s just not enough hours in the day.”
- Since this law only affects public schools, how do you think it could potentially impact private schools?
Ryan: “The policy could be good for private schools, but some private schools might not follow through with it. A lot of private schools already have their own individualized approach to homework. However, it could potentially help with mental health. Private schools are not obliged to follow AB 2999, but they might be inspired to do something similar. For example, the 8:30 AM start time policy was originally a public school policy, but Mitty found it effective enough given the research to also follow it.”
Mrs. Jackson: “I can see this act increasing the pressure for private schools to revamp curriculum in order to stay at the cutting edge of educational advancements. It could also increase competition between private and public schools, especially if public schools are seen as taking a more thoughtful approach to homework. Overall, it will definitely affect how we approach homework as opposed to public schools—it will influence what private schools need to focus on.”
- Do you generally find classwork or homework more effective to your learning?
Ryan: “I find classwork to be overall more helpful to my learning. In the classroom, I can directly ask the teacher for help, and it’s harder to do that for homework. I’m also less likely to be distracted with classwork than I am at home with all its distractions; also, because I’m forced to be focused on tasks in the classroom because I have to turn in the work before class ends.”
Mrs. Jackson: “I prefer a healthy mix of both. Classwork is beneficial because the teacher is there to provide immediate feedback. It’s great for collaboration, and it also keeps things equitable in terms of access to the internet, a quiet workspace, or having a parent to help. However, homework also forces you to have discipline and get practice on your own timetable. As a former sports coach, I like to think of it in terms of sports: if you want to be really elite at a sport, you have to practice on your own, not just at practice, and maintain that discipline.”
The Healthy Homework Act can be a major step forward in the education system to reduce academic stress on students and improve their well-being. This law will ease the homework burden and allow students to spend more time on other interests, such as extracurricular activities or hobbies and with family and friends.