Positive Academic Effects

• Homework allows a student to practice tasks she has learned. Homework can help your child learn, memorize, understand and retain information. This is especially important for mathematics. According to a study by Dr. Ozkan Eren of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, "An extra half hour of math homework per night in grades seven to 11 is estimated to advance a student nearly two grade equivalents." This study also found that 99.3 percent of the students in the study could benefit from additional homework.
  
  

Other Positive Effects

• Completing homework will teach your child independence and responsibility. Work with your child throughout elementary school and ensure that she finishes her assignments correctly. When she goes to secondary school she will already have formed good study habits and will be able to complete her assignments on her own. Finishing her homework will help her achieve high grades and promote self-confidence and self-reliance. Homework also informs parents about what is happening in the classroom and can be a marker of a student's progress.
  
  

Negative Academic Effects

• Students might become unmotivated and disillusioned with school when they don't understand the assignment or there is an overwhelming amount of homework. He may become frustrated and decide not to complete the homework rather than spend hours on a large amount of problems they don't understand.
  
  

Other Negative Effects

• Spending a lot of time on homework can cut down on family time. Time that could be used for reconnecting with parents, playing games and socializing with siblings can be lost to reading, spelling and arithmetic. Additionally, many children want to learn things that aren't taught at school and spend time on sports teams and music lessons. Well rounded children need to do homework, but also need time for these other interests.
  
  

The Best Homework

• Homework is an ideal way to gauge a child's progress, especially from grades seven to 12, but should be individualized for each child's personal level. Children that are behind should have assignments that help them catch up, and children who do understand should review what was learned in class that day. Harris Cooper, a psychology professor and director at Duke University, suggests 10 minutes per grade level of homework each night. This means that a second grade student should spend 20 minutes on homework, while a sixth-grader would spend an hour. Younger children have a shorter attention span and less effective study habits, while a high school senior should be able to effectively concentrate and complete up to two hours of homework.