Should I Assign Homework? Is it Even Worth It?

Last updated on August 24th, 2025 at 11:02 pm

I’m guessing since you clicked on this post, you have been pondering a version of the questions asked in the title. Turns out the answer to those questions aren’t a simple yes or no. Assigning homework to your students will only be beneficial for them if certain conditions are met. If these conditions are not met, you may cause your students more harm than good. So today, I will help you answer the questions, “Should I assign homework? Is it even worth it?”

When is homework beneficial for students?

If your answers to these questions are yes, then the homework you assign will be beneficial to your students’ learning.

–Is the time it takes to complete the homework around 10 minutes per grade level you are teaching? (For example, a third grade student can do 30 minutes of homework.) This is the time recommendation given by the National Education Association. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Educational Psychology showed that math and science test scores increased with the addition of homework, but only to about 90-100 minutes. When the minutes were increased further, test scores went down (Fernández-Alonso, Suárez-Álvarez, & Muñiz, 2015). Interestly enough, the students in this survey were in 8th grade, which corresponds to the recommendation from the NEA.

–Are most of your students able to complete the homework independently? Your students need to be able to understand the directions of how to do the homework. For students in the lower grades and ML students, this may mean including the directions as a visual. I would, also, teach, model, and have students practice using the visuals you will be using on the homework before sending it home. If your students do not understand the homework, it is a waste of your time to send it home. Students will either guess or get frustrated when trying to complete it.

–Will your students have access to the materials they will need to complete the homework? If not, be sure to have students take home what they need to get it done. And if you don’t have the supplies to spare, make sure the homework can be completed with only a pencil.

–Is the homework reinforcing skills learned in class? Homework is meant for practicing the new skills learned in class. This will help your students retain what you have taught them. Have you ever heard of Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve? It basically shows how 90% of new information learned is forgotton before a week is up! This can be reduced by practicing the skill (Cloke, 2024). Read more about it in Cloke’s article What is The Forgetting Curve? Definition, History & Key Strategies [2025].

–Will the homework be meaningful for the student? The homework you send should have some thought behind it. Sending home busy work will not get the results you want. Consider differentiating homework, so it can better meet the needs of all learners in your class. Check out my post 3 Quick Ways to Differentiate Homework for more details.

–Will most of your students actually have time after school to complete the homework? If many of your students are involved in after-school activities or have to care for younger siblings, they may truly not have the time to get homework completed. When assigned, this may cause your students extra stress and/or anxiety. So not only will the homework not get completed, but the mental health of some of your students could be affected, too.

Putting it Together

When you take the time to answer these 6 questions, you will find your answers to, “Should I assign homework? Is it even worth it?” Most of the time, the answers are “yes” and “it is.” If you answered no to any of these questions (except the last one), the homework just needs a little tweaking to make it worth it.

If your students really don’t have the time to complete homework due to circumstances beyond their control, and, yes, after-school activities may be beyond their control, then I suggest making homework optional. A monthly homework choice board would be a good option. With this option the homework can be meaningful, yet you don’t have to devote as much time to it as putting together homework each day. Students can choose to complete boxes on the choice board when they have the opportunity to get it done and turn it in at the end of the month. This will relieve the stress and/or anxiety of having to get homework done. The homework could count for bonus points.

The only time I would say the answers are “no,” is when the majority of your class is not turning in any homework. When this happens, I would stop assigning homework for awhile and do some digging into why this is occuring. What are the barriers your students are facing? Talk to your students and their parents for the answers. Then, brainstorm ideas to bust the barrier! Consider brainstorming with others, such as colleagues, instructional coaches, parents, and, even, your students (depending on the barrier). Hopefully, a solution to try will be found!

Final Notes

I hope this post has helped you answer the questions of “Should I assign homework? Is it even worth it?” Feel free to share in the comments an example of homework you assign. If you liked this post, you should check out How to Get Your Students Excited About Reading.