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Why a homework club could work for your child

What is a homework club?

Homework clubs offer a place for your child to work in a supportive environment out of school hours.

Why choose a homework club?

Some children are so self-motivated that they’re able to work diligently on homework and ignore the distractions of normal family life, but not everyone finds it so easy.

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Doing homework requires a quiet space to work at home and support from you. If your job or other children make it tricky to provide those things you might want to consider the option of a homework club.

Who runs homework clubs?

Schools and many public libraries offer them, usually after school finishes for the day. Check what’s available with your school and local authority. The biggest advantage of a school-based homework club is that it’s on the same premises, so children don’t have to travel to the club.  Familiarity with teachers is also a plus point, and your child is in an environment where they are already relaxed.

If your child would prefer a change of location at the end of the school day a library homework club might be the answer. They usually run from 4pm to 6.30pm and sometimes for a few hours on a Saturday morning. “We find that children start getting more homework from the age of nine onwards so our clubs are of most benefit for eight to 14-year-olds,” says Lucy Love, manager for children and young people at libraries run by Enfield Council. “Under-eights can come to the club but a parent or carer must be with them.”

What benefits do clubs offer?

“The great thing about library homework clubs are the homework centre assistants – while they don’t do the child’s work, they have the knowledge and experience to guide them to the relevant books or online resources such as encyclopaedias,” explains Lucy. “We encourage children to use online data, as it’s usually the most up-to-date, and can offer equipment such as protractors and SATs papers. Homework clubs are also a great way of helping the child’s transition to secondary school.”

What to do after homework club

• When you get home, ask your child to explain what their homework is – this will show you they have understood it properly themselves.  
• Help your child to settle down and concentrate by making sure there are no distractions around them when they go over their homework with you.  
• Encourage your child to check their work to reinforce the learning they have done.

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How to Set Up a Homework Club

Written by Alison Smith

Do you have students in your class who fail to complete their homework on a regular basis?

Homework is a hot topic. It can be time-consuming for both students and teachers. Increasingly, there’s a divide between those who believe that homework plays an important part in learning and those who suggest the time would be better spent playing outdoors, with family and developing relationships.

Whatever your personal viewpoint is, you may be tied to the homework policy of your school. So, first and foremost, if you haven’t already done so, make reading your school homework policy a priority.

Next, I would like to offer one piece of advice…

Communicate about homework and communicate well. Communicate clearly with students, parents, guardians and teaching partners. Avoid homework surprises at all costs.

Use our  Editable Homework Information Sheet   to communicate effectively. It’s a good idea to update this information every term to stay on top of changes and to keep parents up to date with any new additions.

What Makes Homework Meaningful?

Homework tasks should be meaningful. Worthwhile homework is more likely to engage your students and may lead to more involvement in class . Meaningful homework tasks may take a little more time to prepare but believe me, it’s worth it. Before you set a homework task, you might like to consider whether the task:

• has a clear purpose – to practise, check understanding or apply knowledge and skills
• provides an opportunity to review, practise and develop skills they already know
• provides students with an opportunity to do something they enjoy
• enables students to relate learning with the real world
• provides students with an opportunity to experience success and some degree of independence
• provides students with the opportunity to be critical thinkers.

To read more about the wider picture when it comes to homework, read my blog,  Why Take an Alternative Approach to Traditional Homework?

Homework Red Flags

For many students, homework is stressful. For many busy families, it’s hard to find the time, space and energy to fit homework into an already jam-packed daily schedule. For some, home life can often be chaotic, loud and full of distractions.

If you have students in your class who are repeatedly failing to complete homework, take the time to consider how your school community can support students and parents.

What is a Homework Club?

A homework club is a safe, supportive and productive student meetup out of school hours to assist students in completing their homework. Homework clubs provide vital support for children who do not otherwise have the help that they need.

Homework clubs can provide:

• a safe, quiet and calm space for students to concentrate
• a supportive environment
• one to one or small group support
• a chance to share knowledge
• an opportunity to build relationships
• an opportunity to develop good work habits and a positive attitude towards learning
• the chance to develop skills involved in becoming an independent learner.

How to Set up a Homework Club

Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Decide who – Start small. Identify a small group of students who need support with completing homework. Follow the protocol for contacting parents and obtaining their permission.
• Decide  what – Plan what activities will be included. You might like to go with a simple plan such as  snack, active learning game, class homework, chill out time.
• Decide where – Choose a suitable venue. Good options include the school library, a classroom, or a shady outdoor space (my favourite option). Complete a risk assessment.
• Decide when – Start with once a week. Choose an afternoon when you usually stay back after school. Check that your time slot does not clash with other popular extracurricular clubs.
• Decide why?  – Decide on the purpose of your homework club. Is it to develop good work habits, provide a calm productive workspace or to improve academic results?

For more helpful tips on taking your homework club outside, read Emma’s inspiring blog  Opening the Door To an Outdoor Classroom | Creating an Outdoor Lesson Box .

Tips for Leading a Homework Club

Leading a homework club requires a certain amount of organisation just like everything else. Here are a few tips and ideas to get you started:

• Make sure that your students have a healthy snack and a water break before beginning the session. Don’t forget you!
• Break your homework club session into 4 short intervals : active game, class homework, fast finisher and chill out time .
• Play an Active Game to let off steam and build positive relationships.
• Have a supply of spare pens, pencils and other stationery items.
• Have enough adult support for the number of students in your group.
• Establish clear expectations for conduct and work standards.

Being Ready to Learn at Homework Club

Having clear rules and expectations for homework club is critical. Without rules and regulations, you may find that students think of homework club as the ultimate playdate. Why not use our brand new  Behaviour Learning Ladder – Vertical Chart ?

One way to visually keep track of your students’ behaviour is to create a behaviour learning ladder for homework club. A behaviour learning ladder is a great visual reminder for you and the students and includes a step by step warning system for your students.

When you are sharing your expectations, be sure to include areas such as punctuality, commitment, work standards, bringing homework and respecting the needs of others.

For more information on how to set up and use a behavior learning ladder read Holly’s brilliant blog  Classroom Management | How to Use a Behaviour Learning Ladder .

Start Homework Club with an Active Learning Game

Don’t forget that after a busy day at school, kids need to be kids. Make sure that the students who attend homework club have a brain break and a chance to play before they are expected to focus and concentrate.

Our  Active Learning Resource Pack  is a brilliant resource pack that includes 15 active games to play as the perfect brain break before or during homework club. Active games promote fun, active ways of revising learning and are perfect for small groups.

Stock Up on Learning Tools for Homework Club

Get set up with learning tools to encourage independent learning. As a starting point, I used:

• Emoji – Numbers 1 to 100 Chart
• Rainbow Numbers Poster
• Multiplication Facts 1-12 – 4 Per Page
• Phonics Flashcards and Progress Tracker – Motorbike Theme .

Fast Finisher Activities

Stock up on fast finisher activities to avoid one or two students disrupting the calm. Check out the 88 teaching resource in our Fast Finisher Activities Collection  to prepare for any situation.

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Homework clubs can make a huge difference to the school lives of students who find completing homework a challenge.

You are an exceptional being because you go the extra mile and do exceptional things.

Take the time to consider the possibility of initiating a homework club. Perhaps, all you have to do is suggest the idea, work out the who, what, where, when and why and find the right team to run the show.

I’ve got your back. P.S. you are amazing!

Please give us a sneak peek into your inspiring classroom on Instagram #teachstarter.

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20 Pros and Cons of Homework

Homework. It’s a word that sends a shudder down the spine of students and parents alike.

It is also a question that has become divisive. Some people feel that homework is an effective way to reinforce the concepts that were learned at school. Others feel like the time that homework demands would be better spent with a meaningful activity that brings the family together.

Is homework important? Is it necessary? Or is the added stress that homework places on students and parents doing more harm than good? Here are some of the key pros and cons to discuss.

List of the Pros of Homework

1. It encourages the discipline of practice. Repeating the same problems over and over can be boring and difficult, but it also reinforces the practice of discipline. To get better at a skill, repetition is often necessary. You get better with each repetition. By having homework completed every night, especially with a difficult subject, the concepts become easier to understand. That gives the student an advantage later on in life when seeking a vocational career.

2. It gets parents involved with a child’s life. Looking at Common Core math can be somewhat bewildering to parents. If you see the math problem 5×3 expressed as an addition problem, 5+5+5 seems like the right answer. The correct answer, however, would be 3+3+3+3+3. By bringing homework to do, students can engage their learning process with their parents so everyone can be involved. Many parents actually want homework sent so they can see what their children are being taught in the classroom.

3. It teaches time management skills. Homework goes beyond completing a task. It forces children (and parents, to some extent) to develop time management skills. Schedules must be organized to ensure that all tasks can be completed during the day. This creates independent thinking and develops problem-solving skills. It encourages research skills. It also puts parents and children into a position where positive decision-making skills must be developed.

4. Homework creates a communication network. Teachers rarely see into the family lives of their students. Parents rarely see the classroom lives of their children. Homework is a bridge that opens lines of communication between the school, the teacher, and the parent. This allows everyone to get to know one another better. It helps teachers understand the needs of their students better.

It allows parents to find out their child’s strengths and weaknesses. Together, an educational plan can be developed that encourages the best possible learning environment.

5. It allows for a comfortable place to study. Classrooms have evolved over the years to be a warmer and welcoming environment, but there is nothing like the comfort that is felt at home or in a safe space. By encouraging studies where a child feels the most comfortable, it is possible to retain additional information that may get lost within the standard classroom environment.

6. It provides more time to complete the learning process. The time allotted for each area of study in school, especially in K-12, is often limited to 1 hour or less per day. That is not always enough time for students to be able to grasp core concepts of that material. By creating specific homework assignments which address these deficiencies, it becomes possible to counter the effects of the time shortages. That can benefit students greatly over time.

7. It reduces screen time. On the average school night, a student in the US might get 3-4 hours of screen time in per day. When that student isn’t in school, that figure doubles to 7-8 hours of screen time. Homework might be unwanted and disliked, but it does encourage better study habits. It discourages time being spent in front of the television or playing games on a mobile device. That, in turn, may discourage distracting habits from forming that can take away from the learning process in the future.

8. It can be treated like any other extracurricular activity. Some families over-extend themselves on extracurricular activities. Students can easily have more than 40 hours per week, from clubs to sports, that fall outside of regular school hours. Homework can be treated as one of these activities, fitting into the schedule where there is extra time. As an added benefit, some homework can even be completed on the way to or from some activities.

List of the Cons of Homework

1. Children benefit from playing. Being in a classroom can be a good thing, but so can being on a playground. With too much homework, a child doesn’t have enough time to play and that can impact their learning and social development. Low levels of play are associated with lower academic achievement levels, lower safety awareness, less character development, and lower overall health.

2. It encourages a sedentary lifestyle. Long homework assignments require long periods of sitting. A sedentary lifestyle has numerous direct associations with premature death as children age into adults. Obesity levels are already at or near record highs in many communities. Homework may reinforce certain skills and encourage knowledge retention, but it may come at a high price.

3. Not every home is a beneficial environment. There are some homes that are highly invested into their children. Parents may be involved in every stage of homework or there may be access to tutors that can explain difficult concepts. In other homes, there may be little or no education investment into the child. Some parents push the responsibility of teaching off on the teacher and provide no homework support at all.

Sometimes parents may wish to be involved and support their child, but there are barriers in place that prevent this from happening. The bottom line is this: no every home life is equal.

4. School is already a full-time job for kids. An elementary school day might start at 9:00am and end at 3:20pm. That’s more than 6 hours of work that kids as young as 5 are putting into their education every day. Add in the extra-curricular activities that schools encourage, such as sports, musicals, and after-school programming and a student can easily reach 8 hours of education in the average day. Then add homework on top of that? It is asking a lot for any child, but especially young children, to complete extra homework.

5. There is no evidence that homework creates improvements. Survey after survey has found that the only thing that homework does is create a negative attitude toward schooling and education in general. Homework is not associated with a higher level of academic achievement on a national scale. It may help some students who struggle with certain subjects, if they have access to a knowledgeable tutor or parent, but on a community level, there is no evidence that shows improvements are gained.

6. It discourages creative endeavors. If a student is spending 1 hour each day on homework, that’s an hour they are not spending pursuing something that is important to them. Students might like to play video games or watch TV, but homework takes time away from learning an instrument, painting, or developing photography skills as well. Although some homework can involve creative skills, that usually isn’t the case.

7. Homework is difficult to enforce. Some students just don’t care about homework. They can achieve adequate grades without doing it, so they choose not to do it. There is no level of motivation that a parent or teacher can create that inspires some students to get involved with homework. There is no denying the fact that homework requires a certain amount of effort. Sometimes a child just doesn’t want to put in that effort.

8. Extra time in school does not equate to better grades. Students in the US spend more than 100 hours of extra time in school already compared to high-performing countries around the world, but that has not closed the educational gap between those countries and the United States. In some educational areas, the US is even falling in global rankings despite the extra time that students are spending in school. When it comes to homework or any other form of learning, quality is much more important than quantity.

9. Accurate practice may not be possible. If homework is assigned, there is a reliance on the student, their parents, or their guardians to locate resources that can help them understand the content. Homework is often about practice, but if the core concepts of that information are not understood or inaccurately understood, then the results are the opposite of what is intended. If inaccurate practice is performed, it becomes necessary for the teacher to first correct the issue and then reteach it, which prolongs the learning process.

10. It may encourage cheating on multiple levels. Some students may decide that cheating in the classroom to avoid taking homework home is a compromise they’re willing to make. With internet resources, finding the answers to homework instead of figuring out the answers on one’s own is a constant temptation as well. For families with multiple children, they may decide to copy off one another to minimize the time investment.

11. Too much homework is often assigned to students. There is a general agreement that students should be assigned no more than 10 minutes of homework per day, per grade level. That means a first grader should not be assigned more than 10 minutes of homework per night. Yet for the average first grader in US public schools, they come home with 20 minutes of homework and then are asked to complete 20 minutes of reading on top of that. That means some students are completing 4x more homework than recommended every night.

At the same time, the amount of time children spent playing outdoors has decreased by 40% over the past 30 years.

For high school students, it is even worse at high performing schools in the US where 90% of graduates go onto college, the average amount of homework assigned per night was 3 hours per student.

12. Homework is often geared toward benchmarks. Homework is often assigned to improve test scores. Although this can provide positive outcomes, including better study skills or habits, the fact is that when children are tired, they do not absorb much information. When children have more homework than recommended, test scores actually go down. Stress levels go up. Burnout on the curriculum occurs.

The results for many students, according to research from Ruben Fernandez-Alonso in the Journal of Educational Psychology, is a decrease in grades instead of an increase.

The pros and cons of homework are admittedly all over the map. Many parents and teachers follow their personal perspectives and create learning environments around them. When parents and teachers clash on homework, the student is often left in the middle of that tug of war. By discussing these key points, each side can work to find some common ground so our children can benefit for a clear, precise message.

Quantity may be important, but quality must be the priority for homework if a student is going to be successful.

18 Advantages and Disadvantages of Homework Should Be Banned

Homework has been a part of the schooling experience for multiple generations. There are some lessons that are perfect for the classroom environment, but there are also some things that children can learn better at home. As a general rule, the maximum amount of time that a student should spend each day on lessons outside of school is 10 minutes per each grade level.

That means a first grader should spend about 10 minutes each night on homework. If you are a senior in high school, then the maximum limit would be two hours. For some students, that might still be too much extra time doing work. There are some calls to limit the amount of time spent on extra limits to 30 minutes per day at all of the older K-12 grades – and some are saying that homework should be banned outright.

Can teachers get all of the lessons taught in an appropriate way during the 1-2 hours per subject that they might get each day? Do parents have an opportunity to review what their children learn at school if none of the work ever gets brought back home?

There are several advantages and disadvantages of why homework should be banned from the current school structure.

List of the Advantages of Why Homework Should Be Banned

1. Homework creates a longer day for students than what parents work. There are times when parents need to bring work home with them after a long day of productivity, but this time is usually part of a compensation package. Students do not receive the same luxury. After spending 6-8 hours at school, there might be two more hours of homework to complete before getting through all of the assignments that are due. That means some kids are putting in a longer working day than their parents. This disadvantage means there are fewer moments for going outside, spending time with friends, or pursuing a hobby.

2. There is no guarantee of an improved academic outcome. Research studies provide conflicting results when looking at the impact of homework on a student’s life. Younger students may benefit from a complete ban so that they can separate their home and classroom experiences. Even older students who perform projects outside of the school benefit from time restrictions on this responsibility. Design flaws exist on both sides of the clinical work that looks at this topic, so there is no definitive scientific conclusion that points to a specific result. It may be better to err on the side of caution.

3. Homework restrictions reduce issues with classroom burnout for students. Homework stress is a significant problem in the modern classroom for K-12 students. Even kids in grade school are finding it a challenge to maintain their performance because of the pressure that daily assignments cause. About 1 in 4 teachers in North America say that there are direct adverse impacts that happen because of the amount of learning required of students today. It can also cause older students to drop out of school because they can’t stay caught up on the work that they need to do.

When students have a chance to have time to pursue interests outside of the classroom, then it can create healthier learning opportunities in the future for them.

4. Banning homework would give families more time to spend together. One in three American households with children say that the homework assignments that teachers give are the primary source of stress in their home. When kids must complete their work by a specific deadline, then there is less time for families to do activities together. Instead of scheduling their time around their free hours, they must balance homework requirements in their plans. There are even fewer moments for parents to be involved in the learning process because of the specific instructions that students must follow to stay in compliance with the assignment.

5. Student health is adversely impacted by too many homework assignments. Kids of any age struggle academically when they do not have opportunities to finish their homework by a specific deadline. It is not unusual for school administrators and some teachers to judge children based on their ability to turn work in on time. If a child has a robust work ethic and still cannot complete the work, the negative approach that they might encounter in the classroom could cause them to abandon their learning goals.

This issue can even lead to the development of mental health problems. It can reduce a child’s self-esteem, prevent them from learning essential learning skills, and disrupt their ability to learn new skills in other areas of life outside of the classroom. Even the risk of self-harm and suicide increase because of excessive homework. That’s why banning it could be a healthy choice for some people.

6. Banning homework would help students get more sleep. Teens need up to 10 hours of sleep each night to maximize their productivity. Students in grade school can need up to 12 hours nightly as well. When homework assignments are necessary and time consuming, then this issue can eat into the amount of rest that kids get each night. Every assignment given to a K-12 student increases their risks of losing at least one hour of sleep per night. This issue can eventually lead to sleep deficits that can create chronic learning issues. It may even lead to problems with emotional control, obesity, and attention problems. Banning homework would remove the issue entirely.

7. It would encourage dynamic learning opportunities. There are some homework projects that students find to be engaging, such as a science fair project or another hands-on assignment. Many of the tasks that students must complete for their teachers involves repetition instead. You might see grade school students coming home with math sheets with 100 or more problems for them to solve. Reading assignments are common at all grades. Instead of learning the “why” behind the information they learn, the goal with homework is usually closer to memorization that it is to self-discovery. That’s why it can be challenging to retain the data that homework provides.

8. Banning homework would provide more time for peer socialization. Students who are only spending time in school before going home to do homework for the rest of the evening are at a higher risk of experiencing isolation and loneliness. When these sentiments are present in the life of a child, then they are more likely to experience physical and mental health concerns that lead to shyness and avoidance.

These students lack essential connections with other people because of their need to complete homework. The adverse impact on the well being of a child is the equivalent of smoking more than a pack of cigarettes each day. If kids are spending time all of their time on homework, then they are not connecting with their family and friends.

9. Some students do not have a home environment that’s conducive to homework. Although some kids can do their homework in a tranquil room without distress, that is not the case for most children. Numerous events happen at home that can shift a child’s attention away from the homework that their teacher wants them to complete. It isn’t just the TV, video games, and the Internet which are problematic either. Family problems, chores, an after-school job, and team sports can make it problematic to get the assignments finished on time.

Banning homework equalizes the playing field because teachers can control the classroom environment. They do not have control over when, where, or how their students complete assignments away from school.

10. It would eliminate the assignment of irrelevant work. Homework can be a useful tool when teachers use it in targeted ways. There are times when these assignments are handed out for the sake of giving out busy work. If the content of the work is irrelevant to the lessons in the classroom, then it should not be handed out. It is unreasonable to expect that a student can generate excellent grades on work that is barely covered in the classroom.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development reports that given students just four hours of take-home assignments per week has a detrimental impact on individual productivity. The average U.S. high school already pushes that limit by offering 3.5 hours of extra assignments per week.

List of the Disadvantages of Why Homework Should Be Banned

1. Teachers can see if students understand the materials being taught. Homework allows a teacher to determine if a student has a grasp on the materials being taught in the classroom. Tests and school-based activities can provide this information as well, but not in the same way. If the data sticks outside of the educational setting, then this is an excellent indication that the process was effective for that individual. If there are gaps in knowledge that occur in the homework, then the learning process can become individualized to ensure the best possible results for each child.

2. Homework can reduce the stress and anxiety of test-taking. Students often study for tests at home to ensure that they can pass with an acceptable grade. Walking into a classroom only prepared with the notes and memories of previous lessons can create high levels of fear that could impact that child’s final result. Banning homework could place more pressure on kids to succeed than what they currently experience today. This disadvantage would also create more labels in the classroom based on the performance of each child in unfair ways. Some students excel in a lecture-based environment, but others do better at home where there are fewer distractions.

3. Assignments can be an effective way to discover learning disabilities. Kids do an excellent job of hiding their struggles in the classroom from adults. They use their disguises as a coping mechanism to help them blend in when they feel different. That behavior can make it a challenge to identify students who many benefit from a different learning approach in specific subjects. By assigning homework to each child periodically, there are more opportunities to identify the issues that can hold some people back. Then the teachers can work with the families to develop alternative learning plans that can make the educational process better for each student because individual assignments eliminate the ability to hide.

4. Parents are more involved in the learning process because of homework. Parents need to know what their children are learning in school. Even if they ask their kids about what they are learning, the answers tend to be given in generalities. Without specific examples from the classroom, it is challenging to stay involved in a student’s educational process.

By sending homework from the school, it allows the entire family to encounter the assignments that their kids are doing when they are in school during the day. Then there is more adult involvement with the learning process, reinforcing the core ideas that were discovered by their kids each day.

5. Homework provides opportunities for students to use deeper research. The average classroom in the United States provides less than 60 minutes of instruction for each subject daily. Generalist teachers in grade school might skip certain subjects on some days as well. When there are homework assignments going home, then it creates more chances to use the tools at home to learn more about what is happening at school. Taking a deeper look at specific subjects or lessons through independent study can lead to new thoughts or ideas that may not occur in the classroom environment. This process can eventually lead to a better understanding of the material.

6. The homework process requires time management and persistence to be successful. Students must learn core life skills as part of the educational process. Time management skills are one of the most useful tools that can be in a child’s life toolbox. When you know how to complete work by a deadline consistently, then this skill can translate to an eventual career. Homework can also teach students how to solve complex problems, understand current events, or tap into what they are passionate about in life. By learning from an early age that there are jobs that we sometimes need to do even if we don’t want to them, the persistence lessons can translate into real successes later in life.

7. Assignments make students accountable for their role in the educational process. Teachers cannot force a student to learn anything. There must be a desire present in the child to know more for information retention to occur. An education can dramatically improve the life of a child in multiple ways. It can lead to more income opportunities, a greater understanding of the world, and how to establish a healthy routine. By offering homework to students, teachers are encouraging today’s kids how to be accountable for their role in their own education. It creates opportunities to demonstrate responsibility by proving that the work can be done on time and to a specific quality.

8. It creates opportunities to practice time management. There can be problems with homework for some students when they are heavily involved in extra-curricular activities. If you give a child two hours of homework after school and they have two hours of commitments to manage at the same time, then there are some significant challenges to their time management to solve. Time really is a finite commodity. If we are unable to manage it in wise ways, then our productivity levels are going to be limited in multiple ways. Creating a calendar with every responsibility and commitment helps kids and their families figure out ways to manage everything while pushing the learning process forward.

Verdict of the Advantages and Disadvantages of Banning Homework

Some students thrive on the homework they receive from their teachers each day. There are also some kids that struggle to complete even basic assignments on time because of their home environment. How can we find a balance between the two extremes so that every child can receive the best possible chance to succeed?

One solution is to ban homework entirely. Although taking this action would require teachers and parents to be proactive in their communication, it could help to equalize the educational opportunities in the classroom.

Until more research occurs in this area, the advantages and disadvantages of banning homework are subjective. If you feel that your child would benefit from a reduced workload, then speak with the teacher to see if this is an option. For teens and older students, there is always the option to pursue a different form of education, such as a vocational school or an apprenticeship, if the traditional classroom doesn’t seem to be working.

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Hello Fifth

A Teaching Blog

Homework and Homework Club 101

January 8, 2022 by Jill Shafer

Hello, friend!  Let’s talk about homework club and what it looks like in our classroom.

I have used THIS with students in grades three through five but, like with anything, tweak it to meet the needs of your kids .

Disclaimer to start: I’m not here to argue for or against homework.  We have a district responsibility and understanding that homework is a component of the day and not to exceed a certain length of time.  For us, it’s ten minutes per grade level so by fifth grade, no student should be spending more than 50 minutes on homework each evening.

I will, obviously, modify homework for students, as well as provide time in class for homework completion.

Homework is never anything new; it is always review and for us, it’s very predictable, which I’ll share below.

For our room, here’s what is assigned:

-Reading Plus (a program used district-wide): Our fifth graders are responsible for completing three SRs and three RA assignments each week.  They can work at their own pace but we HIGHLY encourage doing at least one each evening.  This is OFTEN done in class but takes anywhere from five (the vocabulary assignments) to twenty minutes.

-Language: There is either a brief spelling activity (first semester) or Wordly Wise activity (second semester). This should take about ten minutes.

-Math: Students are assigned 6-10 review problems, which come straight from their workbooks.  This is usually content that was taught in class about a week ago.  We are constantly spiraling to review.  Once a week, students are asked to do only Jiji, another district-wide math program.  They do this in lieu of a workbook page that night.  Regardless, it takes about twenty minutes.

Okay!  So with that said, homework is always on our May Do board, meaning that if all their other assignments are completed, they can go ahead and work on their homework.  They may not know the math workbook page that night but they can always do Reading Plus, Jiji, or Wordly Wise.

We fill out our planners every afternoon, right before we clean up to go home (our district provides students in grades three through five with the same planners and I model it every single day under the document camera).

I am well aware that students go home to varying levels of parental support and I do not ever want a child to leave feeling like the homework is unattainable.  I am always available to help, whether that’s checking in after-school or being available before school.

Additionally, math in our room is never graded for correctness.  Student get their point if it was completed and effort was shown.  After our math warm up, we go over answers and students will ask for certain problems to be worked out together.

I have homework checkers (two students) that go around during math and star the page if work is shown and the problems are completed.

For Reading Plus, spelling/Wordly Wise, and Jiji (ST Math), I do not check for completion until Friday morning. This gives students an opportunity to practice daily habits (math workbook) with time management throughout the week (reading and vocabulary).

Now, on Friday, if all assignments have been completed, this is where the homework club kicks in.

During soft starts (you can read more about that HERE ), I call students up.  ALL students get called up one by one.  We either go over missing assignments OR they get a punch for their card.

These cards are kept in pencil boxes and treated very seriously.

The resource contains so many different options but I like to use these, pictured.  In order to get a punch (I have some fun ones in HERE ), all assignments must be done.

Missing one or two?  It’s okay.  We talk a lot about the reasons why it might have happened, what we can do next time, or how we can reach out for help if needed.

Not all kids get their cards punched every week and that’s okay.

We celebrate homework club every six weeks.  This gives kids a chance to “catch up” if they missed something one week.

Coming to homework club means they have their card with all their punches and they’re ready to celebrate!

Homework club can look a hundred different ways and I try to switch it up so that it stays exciting and motivating.

Here are some ideas we’ve done in the past:

-Eat lunch with the teacher

-Muffins/breakfast before school

-Trade your homework club card for a homework pass

-Lunchtime movie or craft (they LOVE the crafts and I’m always looking for inexpensive ideas on Pinterest)

-Board game tournament after school or at lunch

-Special games at recess (I’ll get out THESE things and they’ll play together)

-Popsicles after school

-Trade your homework club card for a small surprise (they love fidgets, puzzle erasers, play dough cans, slime, fun pencils; I have a ton in HERE )

You really can modify it to work for YOU and your class but it’s another little layer of motivation.  It also gives me an opportunity to talk to kids about time management skills.  My kids leave elementary school and head off to middle school, which is a new ballgame with changing classes and having multiple teachers.

So, I try to keep homework doable and relevant, accessible and meaningful.  Homework club is just a little bonus!

Any questions?  Ask below!

January 23, 2022 at 4:11 pm

Hi Jill! Thanks for the blog on homework. I’ve been wanting to spruce up my program, and I even looked for homework ideas on here last summer. I do similar stuff with math review, spelling, and book talk prep. I do have a question… what kind of planner do you use? I think I’ll start using planners next year, but I wonder if there are really simple, cheap ones out there. Also, have you had kids lose their planners? Right now, we use homework folders, and I have three kids who are always misplacing their folders and needing a new one. Those repeat offenders are working on responsibility and organization 🙂 and they’ll get it eventually. Thanks again for all of the great ideas. I may even implement a homework club soon! Andie

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15 Surprising Benefits of Homework for Students

• The importance of homework for students
• 3 Helpful tips to do your homework effectively
• 15 benefits of homework

Homework is an important component of the learning and growing process. It is a common practice for students to develop their skills and learn new information.

Homework is simply a general term that we use to describe work that you have to do at home. Typically, it’s assigned by the teacher during school hours and meant to be completed after school in the evenings or weekends.

Homework is loved and hated by many, but it is an integral part of education. It is not just a boring part of the learning process. It has a lot to offer!

The Importance of Homework for Students

So, why should students have homework? According to research conducted by Duke University psychology professor Harris Cooper , there was a positive relation between homework and student achievement. He found out that homework can help students perform better in school.

This shows the importance of homework in a student’s life. Homework is not always popular with students because it takes away their free time at home.

However, there are many benefits associated with homework.  Homework helps students understand the material in greater depth. Moreover, it allows teachers to assess how much the student has learned.

Tips for Doing Your Homework Faster

It is important to have a homework routine. A routine will help you know what to expect at the end of the day, and it will give you time to digest what you learned.

In addition, a routine will help you to be stress-free because you won’t be worrying about when to start your homework or whether you’re going to finish it on time.

So, here are some tips on how to set up a good homework routine:

• Find a place in the house where you can study without interruption.
• Set a timer for how long each assignment should take.
• Make sure your table is neat and that you have all of your materials ready before starting.

These tips will surely make your student life easier and put you on the right track towards higher grades!

The Benefits of Homework for Students

There are numerous reasons why homework is given in schools and colleges. Students can reap the benefits even in their professional lives.

But what exactly are the benefits of homework and how can it help students? Let us take a look at some of them:

1. Students Learn the Importance of Time Management

They will learn to balance play and work. Students will also learn to complete assignments within deadlines by learning to prioritize their time.

It helps them understand the importance of time management skills . When they are assigned a project or a test, they will know when it is due, how much time they have to complete it, and what they need to do.

This also helps them in their future careers. Employees must be able to manage their time efficiently in order to be successful.

If a project is due soon, employees should take effective steps to get it done on time. Homeworks in the schooling years teaches this practice of time management.

2. Promotes Self-Learning

Students get more time to review the content and this promotes self-learning . This is a big advantage of homework.

It also promotes continuous learning as students can revise their syllabus on their own. Homework gives them an opportunity to develop their critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities.

3. Helps Teachers Assess a Student’s Learning

Homeworks help teachers track how well the students are grasping the content . They can modify their teaching methods based on the responses they receive from their students.

4. Teaches Students to Be Responsible

Students learn to become independent learners as they do their homework without any help from the teacher.

Studying at home also motivates students to study harder in order to achieve better results. This encourages them to take up more responsibilities at home too.

5. Boosts Memory Retention

Homework provides practice time to recall concepts discussed in class, thereby enabling students to memorize facts and figures taught at school.

One of the advantages of homework is that it sharpens memory power and concentration.

6. Enables Parents to Track a Student’s Performance

Parents can assess how well their children are doing with regard to academic performance by checking their homework assignments.

This gives parents a chance to discuss with teachers about improving their child’s performance at school .

7. Allows Students to Revise Content

Revising together with other students can also help with understanding  information because it gives you another perspective, as well as an opportunity to ask questions and engage with others.

8. Practice Makes Perfect

Doing homework has numerous benefits for students. One of them is that it helps students learn the concepts in depth.

Homework teaches them how to apply the concepts to solve a problem. It gives them experience on how to solve problems using different techniques.

9. Develops Persistence

When students do their homework, they have to work hard to find all the possible solutions to a problem.

They have to try out different methods until they reach a solution that works. This teaches them perseverance and helps them develop their determination and grit to keep working hard.

10. Helps Them to Learn New Skills

Homework is important because it helps students to learn new and advanced skills. It promotes self-study, research and time management skills within students.

It also builds their confidence in tackling problems independently without constant help from teachers and parents.

11. Helps in Building a Positive Attitude Towards Learning

12. Students Can Explore Their Areas of Interest

Homework helps in building curiosity about a subject that excites them. Homework gives students an opportunity to immerse themselves in a subject matter.

When they become curious, they themselves take the initiative to learn more about it.

13. Encourages In-Depth Understanding of The Concepts

Homeworks allow students to learn the subject in a more detailed manner. It gives students the chance to recall and go over the content.

This will lead to better understanding and they will be able to remember the information for a long time.

14. Minimizes Screen Time:

Homework is not only a great way to get students to do their work themselves, but it can also encourage them to reduce screen time.

Homework gives students a good reason to stay off their computers and phones. Homework promotes the productive use of time .

15. Helps Develop Good Study Habits

The more they do their homework, the better they will get it. They will learn to manage their time in a more effective way and be able to do their work at a faster rate.

Moreover, they will be able to develop a good work ethic, which will help them in their future careers.

We all know that too much of anything can be bad. Homework is no different. If the workload of the students is too much, then it can lead to unnecessary stress .

Therefore, it is necessary for teachers to be mindful of the workload of students. That way, students will be able to enjoy their free time and actually enjoy doing homework instead of seeing it as a burden.

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How to Set Up a Homework Club

Homework clubs can be a fantastic way for students to get together, help each other, and stay motivated to complete their school assignments. If you’re considering setting up a homework club, here are some steps to guide you through the process.

 Define the Purpose and Goals

Before you start a homework club, it’s important to determine why you’re starting it and what you hope to achieve. Do you want to provide a quiet space for individual study, or are you aiming for collaborative learning where students help each other? Setting clear goals will help guide the structure of your club.

 Choose a Location

A suitable location is critical. This place should be quiet, have enough space, and be easily accessible to students. Libraries, community centers, or empty classrooms are excellent places as they provide a formal atmosphere conducive to studying.

 Set a Schedule

Decide on the days and times that the homework club will meet. It’s important to consider when students are most likely to attend — after school or in the evening. Be consistent with the timing so that students can build it into their routine.

 Gather Materials

Make sure you have all the materials necessary for effective studying: textbooks, reference books, stationary supplies like pens and paper, computers with internet access if possible, printer/scanner facilities, etc.

 Establish Rules and Structure

Creating a set of rules helps to maintain order and focus within the group. For instance, settle on rules regarding noise levels, toy usage during club time (like phones), or bringing snacks. Additionally, decide how the time will be structured—whether there’ll be a quick briefing at the start of each session or if students break off into groups.

 Recruit Members

You’ll need to promote your homework club to gather members. You can do this by creating flyers and posters to advertise around your school or local community centers. You could also use social media or word-of-mouth to get the word out there.

 Find Supervision

Having an adult supervisor like a teacher or parent can help oversee the club activities. This person can provide homework help if needed or mediate any disruptions that arise during study time.

 Secure Funding if Necessary

If you require funds for materials or snacks, look into potential sponsorships from local businesses or educational grants available in your area that support after-school programs.

 Monitor Progress and Solicit Feedback

It’s important to keep track of how well the homework club is meeting its intended goals. Ask for regular feedback from members and adjust your strategies accordingly. This ensures that the club remains effective and continues to meet student needs.

With careful planning and management, a homework club can be an invaluable resource that fosters community support among students as they work towards academic success.

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This post has been updated as of December 2017.

In another of our blog posts,  The Case Against Homework , we articulated several points of view against homework as standard practice for teachers. However, a variety of lessons, content-related and beyond, can be taught or reinforced through homework and are worth exploring. Read on!

Four ways homework aids students’ academic achievement

Homework provides an opportunity for parents to interact with and understand the content their students are learning so they can provide another means of academic support for students. Memphis Parent writer Glenda Faye Pryor-Johnson says that, “When your child does homework, you do homework,” and notes that this is an opportunity for parents to model good behavior for their children.

Pryor-Johnson also identifies four qualities children develop when they complete homework that can help them become high-achieving students:

• Responsibility
• Time management
• Perseverance
• Self-esteem

While these cannot be measured on standardized tests, perseverance has garnered a lot of attention as an essential skill for successful students. Regular accomplishments like finishing homework build self-esteem, which aids students’ mental and physical health. Responsibility and time management are highly desirable qualities that benefit students long after they graduate.

NYU and Duke professors refute the idea that homework is unrelated to student success

In response to the National School Board Association’s Center for Public Education’s findings that homework was not conclusively related to student success, historian and NYU professor Diane Ravitch contends that the study’s true discovery was that students who did not complete homework or who lacked the resources to do so suffered poor outcomes.

Ravitch believes the study’s data only supports the idea that those who complete homework benefit from homework. She also cites additional benefits of homework: when else would students be allowed to engage thoughtfully with a text or write a complete essay? Constraints on class time require that such activities are given as outside assignments.

5 studies support a significant relationship between homework completion and academic success

Duke University professor Harris Cooper supports Ravitch’s assessment, saying that, “Across five studies, the average student who did homework had a higher unit test score than the students not doing homework.” Dr. Cooper and his colleagues analyzed dozens of studies on whether homework is beneficial in a 2006 publication, “Does Homework Improve Academic Achievement? A Synthesis of Research, 1987–2003. ”

This analysis found 12 less-authoritative studies that link achievement to time spent on homework, but control for many other factors that could influence the outcome. Finally, the research team identified 35 studies that found a positive correlation between homework and achievement, but only after elementary school. Dr. Cooper concluded that younger students might be less capable of  benefiting from homework due to undeveloped study habits or other factors.

Recommended amount of homework varies by grade level

“Does Homework Improve Academic Achievement?” also identifies the amount homework that serves as a learning tool for students. While practice improves test scores at all grade levels, “Homework for junior high students appears to reach the point of diminishing returns after about 90 minutes a night. For high school students, the positive line continues to climb until between 90 minutes and 2.5 hours of homework a night, after which returns diminish.”

Dr. Cooper’s conclusion—homework is important, but discretion can and should be used when assigning it—addresses the valid concerns of homework critics. While the act of completing homework has benefits in terms of developing good habits in students, homework must prove useful for students so that they buy in to the process and complete their assignments. If students (or their parents) feel homework is a useless component of their learning, they will skip it—and miss out on the major benefits, content and otherwise, that homework has to offer.

Continue reading :  Ending the Homework Debate: Expert Advice on What Works

Monica Fuglei is a graduate of the University of Nebraska in Omaha and a current adjunct faculty member of Arapahoe Community College in Colorado, where she teaches composition and creative writing.

You may also like to read

• The Homework Debate: The Case Against Homework
• Ending the Homework Debate: Expert Advice on What Works
• Elementary Students and Homework: How Much Is Too Much?
• Advice on Creating Homework Policies
• How Teachers Can Impart the Benefits of Students Working in Groups
• Homework Helps High School Students Most — But it Must Be Purposeful

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Homework – Top 3 Pros and Cons

Pro/Con Arguments | Discussion Questions | Take Action | Sources | More Debates

From dioramas to book reports, from algebraic word problems to research projects, whether students should be given homework, as well as the type and amount of homework, has been debated for over a century. [ 1 ]

While we are unsure who invented homework, we do know that the word “homework” dates back to ancient Rome. Pliny the Younger asked his followers to practice their speeches at home. Memorization exercises as homework continued through the Middle Ages and Enlightenment by monks and other scholars. [ 45 ]

In the 19th century, German students of the Volksschulen or “People’s Schools” were given assignments to complete outside of the school day. This concept of homework quickly spread across Europe and was brought to the United States by Horace Mann , who encountered the idea in Prussia. [ 45 ]

In the early 1900s, progressive education theorists, championed by the magazine Ladies’ Home Journal , decried homework’s negative impact on children’s physical and mental health, leading California to ban homework for students under 15 from 1901 until 1917. In the 1930s, homework was portrayed as child labor, which was newly illegal, but the prevailing argument was that kids needed time to do household chores. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 45 ] [ 46 ]

Public opinion swayed again in favor of homework in the 1950s due to concerns about keeping up with the Soviet Union’s technological advances during the Cold War . And, in 1986, the US government included homework as an educational quality boosting tool. [ 3 ] [ 45 ]

A 2014 study found kindergarteners to fifth graders averaged 2.9 hours of homework per week, sixth to eighth graders 3.2 hours per teacher, and ninth to twelfth graders 3.5 hours per teacher. A 2014-2019 study found that teens spent about an hour a day on homework. [ 4 ] [ 44 ]

Beginning in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic complicated the very idea of homework as students were schooling remotely and many were doing all school work from home. Washington Post journalist Valerie Strauss asked, “Does homework work when kids are learning all day at home?” While students were mostly back in school buildings in fall 2021, the question remains of how effective homework is as an educational tool. [ 47 ]

Is Homework Beneficial?

Pro 1 Homework improves student achievement. Studies have shown that homework improved student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college. Research published in the High School Journal indicated that students who spent between 31 and 90 minutes each day on homework “scored about 40 points higher on the SAT-Mathematics subtest than their peers, who reported spending no time on homework each day, on average.” [ 6 ] Students in classes that were assigned homework outperformed 69% of students who didn’t have homework on both standardized tests and grades. A majority of studies on homework’s impact – 64% in one meta-study and 72% in another – showed that take-home assignments were effective at improving academic achievement. [ 7 ] [ 8 ] Research by the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) concluded that increased homework led to better GPAs and higher probability of college attendance for high school boys. In fact, boys who attended college did more than three hours of additional homework per week in high school. [ 10 ] Read More

Pro 2 Homework helps to reinforce classroom learning, while developing good study habits and life skills. Students typically retain only 50% of the information teachers provide in class, and they need to apply that information in order to truly learn it. Abby Freireich and Brian Platzer, co-founders of Teachers Who Tutor NYC, explained, “at-home assignments help students learn the material taught in class. Students require independent practice to internalize new concepts… [And] these assignments can provide valuable data for teachers about how well students understand the curriculum.” [ 11 ] [ 49 ] Elementary school students who were taught “strategies to organize and complete homework,” such as prioritizing homework activities, collecting study materials, note-taking, and following directions, showed increased grades and more positive comments on report cards. [ 17 ] Research by the City University of New York noted that “students who engage in self-regulatory processes while completing homework,” such as goal-setting, time management, and remaining focused, “are generally more motivated and are higher achievers than those who do not use these processes.” [ 18 ] Homework also helps students develop key skills that they’ll use throughout their lives: accountability, autonomy, discipline, time management, self-direction, critical thinking, and independent problem-solving. Freireich and Platzer noted that “homework helps students acquire the skills needed to plan, organize, and complete their work.” [ 12 ] [ 13 ] [ 14 ] [ 15 ] [ 49 ] Read More

Pro 3 Homework allows parents to be involved with children’s learning. Thanks to take-home assignments, parents are able to track what their children are learning at school as well as their academic strengths and weaknesses. [ 12 ] Data from a nationwide sample of elementary school students show that parental involvement in homework can improve class performance, especially among economically disadvantaged African-American and Hispanic students. [ 20 ] Research from Johns Hopkins University found that an interactive homework process known as TIPS (Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork) improves student achievement: “Students in the TIPS group earned significantly higher report card grades after 18 weeks (1 TIPS assignment per week) than did non-TIPS students.” [ 21 ] Homework can also help clue parents in to the existence of any learning disabilities their children may have, allowing them to get help and adjust learning strategies as needed. Duke University Professor Harris Cooper noted, “Two parents once told me they refused to believe their child had a learning disability until homework revealed it to them.” [ 12 ] Read More

Con 1 Too much homework can be harmful. A poll of California high school students found that 59% thought they had too much homework. 82% of respondents said that they were “often or always stressed by schoolwork.” High-achieving high school students said too much homework leads to sleep deprivation and other health problems such as headaches, exhaustion, weight loss, and stomach problems. [ 24 ] [ 28 ] [ 29 ] Alfie Kohn, an education and parenting expert, said, “Kids should have a chance to just be kids… it’s absurd to insist that children must be engaged in constructive activities right up until their heads hit the pillow.” [ 27 ] Emmy Kang, a mental health counselor, explained, “More than half of students say that homework is their primary source of stress, and we know what stress can do on our bodies.” [ 48 ] Excessive homework can also lead to cheating: 90% of middle school students and 67% of high school students admit to copying someone else’s homework, and 43% of college students engaged in “unauthorized collaboration” on out-of-class assignments. Even parents take shortcuts on homework: 43% of those surveyed admitted to having completed a child’s assignment for them. [ 30 ] [ 31 ] [ 32 ] Read More

Con 2 Homework exacerbates the digital divide or homework gap. Kiara Taylor, financial expert, defined the digital divide as “the gap between demographics and regions that have access to modern information and communications technology and those that don’t. Though the term now encompasses the technical and financial ability to utilize available technology—along with access (or a lack of access) to the Internet—the gap it refers to is constantly shifting with the development of technology.” For students, this is often called the homework gap. [ 50 ] [ 51 ] 30% (about 15 to 16 million) public school students either did not have an adequate internet connection or an appropriate device, or both, for distance learning. Completing homework for these students is more complicated (having to find a safe place with an internet connection, or borrowing a laptop, for example) or impossible. [ 51 ] A Hispanic Heritage Foundation study found that 96.5% of students across the country needed to use the internet for homework, and nearly half reported they were sometimes unable to complete their homework due to lack of access to the internet or a computer, which often resulted in lower grades. [ 37 ] [ 38 ] One study concluded that homework increases social inequality because it “potentially serves as a mechanism to further advantage those students who already experience some privilege in the school system while further disadvantaging those who may already be in a marginalized position.” [ 39 ] Read More

Con 3 Homework does not help younger students, and may not help high school students. We’ve known for a while that homework does not help elementary students. A 2006 study found that “homework had no association with achievement gains” when measured by standardized tests results or grades. [ 7 ] Fourth grade students who did no homework got roughly the same score on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) math exam as those who did 30 minutes of homework a night. Students who did 45 minutes or more of homework a night actually did worse. [ 41 ] Temple University professor Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek said that homework is not the most effective tool for young learners to apply new information: “They’re learning way more important skills when they’re not doing their homework.” [ 42 ] In fact, homework may not be helpful at the high school level either. Alfie Kohn, author of The Homework Myth, stated, “I interviewed high school teachers who completely stopped giving homework and there was no downside, it was all upside.” He explains, “just because the same kids who get more homework do a little better on tests, doesn’t mean the homework made that happen.” [ 52 ] Read More

Discussion Questions

1. Is homework beneficial? Consider the study data, your personal experience, and other types of information. Explain your answer(s).

2. If homework were banned, what other educational strategies would help students learn classroom material? Explain your answer(s).

3. How has homework been helpful to you personally? How has homework been unhelpful to you personally? Make carefully considered lists for both sides.

Take Action

1. Examine an argument in favor of quality homework assignments from Janine Bempechat.

2. Explore Oxford Learning’s infographic on the effects of homework on students.

3. Consider Joseph Lathan’s argument that homework promotes inequality .

4. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? If so, how? List two to three ways. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the “other side of the issue” now helps you better argue your position.

5. Push for the position and policies you support by writing US national senators and representatives .

More School Debate Topics

Should K-12 Students Dissect Animals in Science Classrooms? – Proponents say dissecting real animals is a better learning experience. Opponents say the practice is bad for the environment.

Should Students Have to Wear School Uniforms? – Proponents say uniforms may increase student safety. Opponents say uniforms restrict expression.

Should Corporal Punishment Be Used in K-12 Schools? – Proponents say corporal punishment is an appropriate discipline. Opponents say it inflicts long-lasting physical and mental harm on students.

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Homework Club

Program overview.

Students and volunteer mentors put their heads together over homework assignments and literacy enrichment activities. This daily, one-on-one academic support improves student’s educational outcomes while simultaneously fostering the meaningful, personal relationships with caring adults that are vital to our children’s academic growth and personal well-being.  

Our Next Generation’s inaugural program, Homework Club, was founded when a group of enterprising volunteers recognized a need for additional youth support in their community in the early ‘90s. They began to meet weekly to give students a safe and focused environment to complete their homework assignments and receive academic support. Soon after, they incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit and Our Next Generation was born.

Over the years, volunteers have continued to provide this vital service to the students of our community – not only offering academic support, but also developing stable and meaningful relationships with student that help create the safe and welcoming environment that the youth of our community so desperately need. Although Our Next Generation has evolved over the years to include additional academic and enrichment programs  as the need and capacity arose, Homework Club remains a vital and effective service for our students.

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27 Top Homework Pros and Cons

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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There are both pros and cons of homework. This makes whether schools should assign homework a great debating topic for students.

On the side of the pros, homework is beneficial because it can be great for helping students get through their required coursework and reinforce required knowledge. But it also interferes with life outside of school.

Key arguments for homework include the fact it gives students structure, improves their learning, and improves parent-teacher relationships.

Arguments for the cons of homework include the fact it interferes with playtime and causes stress to children, leading to arguments that homework should be banned .

Pros and Cons of Homework (Table Summary)

Pros of Homework

1. homework teaches discipline and habit.

Discipline and habit are two soft skills that children need to develop so they can succeed in life.

Regular daily homework is a simple way that discipline and habit are reinforced. Teachers can talk to students about what they do when they get home from school.

They might develop a habit like getting changed into a new set of clothes, having an afternoon snack, then getting out their homework.

Teachers can also help students visualize these habits and disciplines by talking about where they will do their homework (kitchen table?) and when .

2. Homework helps parents know what’s being learned in class

Parents often appreciate being kept in the loop about what is going on in their child’s classroom. Homework is great for this!

Teachers can set homework based on the current unit of work in the classroom. If the students are learning about dinosaurs, the homework can be a task on dinosaurs.

This helps the teachers to show the parents the valuable learning that’s taking place, and allows parents to feel comfortable that the teacher is doing a great job.

3. Homework teaches time management

Children often have a wide range of after school activities to undertake. They need to develop the skill of managing all these activities to fit homework in.

At school, children’s time is closely managed and controlled. Every lesson ends and begins with a bell or a teacher command.

At some point, children need to learn to manage their own time. Homework is an easy way to start refining this important soft skill.

4. Homework gives students self-paced learning time

At school, a lesson has a clear beginning and end. Students who are struggling may be interrupted and need more time. Homework allows them to work on these tasks at their own pace.

When I was studying math in high school, I never got my work done in time. I understood concepts slower than my peers, and I needed more time to reinforce concepts.

Homework was my chance to keep up, by studying at my own pace.

5. Homework can reduce screen time

Paper-based homework can take students away from their afternoon cartoons and video games and get them working on something of more value.

Screen time is one of the biggest concerns for educators and parents in the 21 st Century. Children spend approximately 5 to 7 hours in front of screens per day.

While screens aren’t all bad, children generally spend more time at screens than is necessary. Homework tasks such as collecting things from the yard or interviewing grandparents gets kids away from screens and into more active activities.

6. Homework gives students productive afternoon activities

Too often, children get home from school and switch off their brains by watching cartoons or playing video games. Homework can be more productive.

Good homework should get students actively thinking. A teacher can set homework that involves creating a product, conducting interviews with family, or writing a story based on things being learned in class.

But even homework that involves repetition of math and spelling tasks can be far more productive than simply watching television.

7. Homework reinforces information taught in class

For difficult tasks, students often need to be exposed to content over and over again until they reach mastery of the topic .

To do this, sometimes you need to do old-fashioned repetition of tasks. Take, for example, algebra. Students will need to repeat the process over and over again so that they will instinctively know how to complete the task when they sit their standardized test.

Of course, the teacher needs to teach and reinforce these foundational skills at school before independent homework practice takes place.

8. Homework helps motivated students to get ahead

Many students who have set themselves the goal of coming first in their class want to do homework to get an advantage over their peers.

Students who want to excel should not be stopped from doing this. If they enjoy homework and it makes them smarter or better at a task, then they should be allowed to do this.

9. Homework gives parents and children time together

When a parent helps their child with homework (by educating and quizzing them, not cheating!), they get a chance to bond.

Working together to complete a task can be good for the relationship between the parent and the child. The parents can also feel good that they’re supporting the child to become more educated.

10. Homework improves parent-teacher relationships

Parents get an inside look at what’s happening at school to improve their trust with the teacher, while also helping the teacher do their job.

Trust between parents and teachers is very important. Parents want to know the teacher is working hard to support students and help them learn. By looking at their children’s homework, they get a good idea of what’s going on in the classroom.

The parent can also feel good about helping the teacher’s mission by sitting with the child during homework and helping to reinforce what’s been learned at school.

11. Homework helps teachers get through the crowded curriculum

Teachers are increasingly asked to teach more and more content each year. Homework can be helpful in making sure it all gets done.

Decades ago, teachers had time to dedicate lessons to repeating and practicing content learned. Today, they’re under pressure to teach one thing then quickly move onto the next. We call this phenomenon the “crowded curriculum”.

Today, teachers may need to teach the core skills in class then ask students to go home and practice what’s been taught to fast-track learning.

12. Homework provides spaced repetition for long-term memorization

Spaced repetition is a strategy that involves quizzing students intermittently on things learned in previous weeks and months.

For example, if students learned division in January, they may forget about it by June. But if the teacher provides division questions for homework in January, March, and May, then the students always keep that knowledge of how to do division in their mind.

Spaced repetition theory states that regularly requiring students to recall information that’s been pushed to the back of their mind can help, over time, commit that information to their long-term memory and prevent long-term forgetting.

13. Homework supports a flipped learning model to make the most of time with the teacher

Flipped learning is a model of education where students do preparation before class so they get to class prepared to learn.

Examples of flipped learning include pre-teaching vocabulary (e.g. giving children new words to learn for homework that they will use in a future in-class lesson), and asking students to watch preparatory videos before class.

This model of homework isn’t about reinforcing things learned in class, but learning things before class to be more prepared for lessons.

14. Homework improves student achievement

An influential review of the literature on homework by Mazano and Pickering (2007) found that homework does improve student achievement.

Another review of the literature by Cooper, Robinson and Patall (2006) similarly found that homework improves achievement. In this review, the authors highlighted that homework appeared more beneficial for high school students’ grades than elementary school students’ grades.

Several progressive education critics , especially Alfie Kohn , have claimed that homework does not help student grades. We have not found the critics’ evidence to be as compelling.

15. Homework helps the education system keep up with other countries’ systems

All nations are competing with one another to have the best education system (measured by standardized tests ). If other countries are assigning homework and your country isn’t, your country will be at a disadvantage.

The main way education systems are compared is the OECD ranking of education systems. This ranking compared standardized test scores on major subjects.

Western nations have been slipping behind Asian nations for several decades. Many Asian education systems have a culture of assigning a lot of homework. To keep up, America may also need to assign homework and encourage their kids to do more homework.

See Also: Homework Statistics List

Cons of Homework

1. homework interferes with play time.

Play-based learning is some of the best learning that can possibly occurs. When children go home from school, the play they do before sunset is hugely beneficial for their development.

Homework can prevent children from playing. Instead, they’re stuck inside repeating tasks on standardized homework sheets.

Of course, if there is no homework, parents would have to make sure children are engaging in beneficial play as well, rather than simply watching TV.

2. Homework interferes with extracurricular activities

After school, many children want to participate in extracurricular activities like sporting and community events.

However, if too much homework is assigned to learners, their parents may not be able to sign them up to co-curricular activities in the school or extracurricular activities outside of the school. This can prevent students from having well-rounded holistic development.

3. Homework discourages students from going outside and getting exercise

Homework is usually an indoors activity. Usually, teachers will assign spelling, math, or science tasks to be repeated through the week on paper or a computer.

But children need time to go outside and get exercise. The CDC recommends children ages 6 to 17 need 60 minutes of moderate to intense exercise per day.

Unfortunately, being stuck indoors may prevent children from getting that much needed exercise for well-rounded development.

4. Homework leads to unsupervised and unsupportive learning

When students get stuck on a task at school, the teacher is there to help. But when students are stuck on a homework task, no support is available.

This leads to a situation where students’ learning and development is harmed. Furthermore, those students who do understand the task can go ahead and get more homework practice done while struggling students can’t progress because the teacher isn’t there to help them through their hurdles.

Often, it’s down to parents to pick up the challenge of teaching their children during homework time. Unfortunately, not all students have parents nearby to help them during homework time.

5. Homework can encourage cheating

When children study without supervision, they have the opportunity to cheat without suffering consequences.

They could, for example, copy their sibling’s homework or use the internet to find answers.

Worse, some parents may help their child to cheat or do the homework for the child. In these cases, homework has no benefit of the child but may teach them bad and unethical habits.

6. Homework contributes to a culture of poor work-life balance

Homework instils a corporate attitude that prioritizes work above everything else. It prepares students for a social norm where you do work for your job even when you’re off the clock.

Students will grow up thinking it’s normal to clock off from their job, go home, and continue to check emails and complete work they didn’t get done during the day.

This sort of culture is bad for society. It interferes with family and recreation time and encourages bosses to behave like they’re in charge of your whole life.

7. Homework discourages children from taking up hobbies

There is an argument to be made that children need spare time so they can learn about what they like and don’t like.

If students have spare time after school, they could fill it up with hobbies. The student can think about what they enjoy (playing with dolls, riding bikes, singing, writing stories).

Downtime encourages people to develop hobbies. Students need this downtime, and homework can interfere with this.

8. Homework creates unfairness between children with parents helping and those who don’t

At school, students generally have a level playing field. They are all in the same classroom with the same resources and the same teacher. At home, it’s a different story.

Some children have parents, siblings, and internet to rely upon. Meanwhile, others have nothing but themselves and a pen.

Those children who are lucky enough to have parents helping out can get a significant advantage over their peers, causing unfairness and inequalities that are not of their own making.

9. Homework causes stress and anxiety

In a study by Galloway, Connor and Pope (2013), they found that 56% of students identified homework as the greatest cause of stress in their lives.

Stress among young people can impact their happiness and mental health. Furthermore, there is an argument to “let kids be kids”. We have a whole life of work and pressure ahead of us. Childhood is a time to be enjoyed without the pressures of life.

10. Homework is often poor-quality work

Teachers will often assign homework that is the less important work and doesn’t have a clear goal.

Good teachers know that a lesson needs to be planned-out with a beginning, middle and end. There usually should be formative assessment as well, which is assessment of students as they learn (rather than just at the end).

But homework doesn’t have the structure of a good lesson. It’s repetition of information already learned, which is a behaviorist learning model that is now outdated for many tasks.

11. Homework is solitary learning

Most education theorists today believe that the best learning occurs in social situations.

Sociocultural learning requires students to express their thoughts and opinions and listen to other people’s ideas. This helps them improve and refine their own thinking through dialogue.

But homework usually takes place alone at the kitchen table. Students don’t have anyone to talk with about what they’re doing, meaning their learning is limited.

12. Homework widens social inequality

Homework can advantage wealthier students and disadvantage poorer students.

In Kralovec and Buell’s (2001) book The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning , the authors argue that poorer students are less likely to have the resources to complete their homework properly.

For example, they might not have the pens, paper, and drawing implements to complete a paper task. Similarly, they might not have the computer, internet connection, or even books to do appropriate research at home.

Parents in poorer households also often work shift work and multiple jobs meaning they have less time to help their children with their homework.

Homework can be both good and bad – there are both advantages and disadvantages of homework. In general, it’s often the case that it depends on the type of homework that is assigned. Well-planned homework used in moderation and agreed upon by teachers, parents and students can be helpful. But other homework can cause serious stress, inequality, and lifestyle imbalance for students.

Cooper, H., Robinson, J. C., & Patall, E. A. (2006). Does homework improve academic achievement? A synthesis of research, 1987–2003.  Review of educational research ,  76 (1), 1-62.

Galloway, M., Conner, J., & Pope, D. (2013). Nonacademic effects of homework in privileged, high-performing high schools.  The journal of experimental education ,  81 (4), 490-510. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2012.745469

Kralovec, E., & Buell, J. (2001).  The end of homework: How homework disrupts families, overburdens children, and limits learning . Beacon Press.

Pressman, R. M., Sugarman, D. B., Nemon, M. L., Desjarlais, J., Owens, J. A., & Schettini-Evans, A. (2015). Homework and family stress: With consideration of parents’ self confidence, educational level, and cultural background.  The American Journal of Family Therapy ,  43 (4), 297-313. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2015.1061407

Ren, H., Zhou, Z., Liu, W., Wang, X., & Yin, Z. (2017). Excessive homework, inadequate sleep, physical inactivity and screen viewing time are major contributors to high paediatric obesity.  Acta Paediatrica ,  106 (1), 120-127. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.13640

Yeo, S. C., Tan, J., Lo, J. C., Chee, M. W., & Gooley, J. J. (2020). Associations of time spent on homework or studying with nocturnal sleep behavior and depression symptoms in adolescents from Singapore.  Sleep Health ,  6 (6), 758-766. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2020.04.011

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Number Games for Kids (Free and Easy)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Word Games for Kids (Free and Easy)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 25 Outdoor Games for Kids
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 50 Incentives to Give to Students

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13 homework benefits for your kids

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We never liked homework. It caused perplexion and gave us jitters! But did you know that homework has been practised as far back as in the 1st century CE? The great orator Pliny the Younger asked his followers to participate in-home activities. This practice was adopted by monks and philosophers and continued throughout the Middle Ages and the Enlightenment era. [1]

Homework can be incredibly beneficial for students. Research by Duke University Psychology Professor indicated a positive correlation between homework and student achievement. [2] Homework enhances study habits, nurtures positive attitudes toward school, and boosts self-restraint, curiosity, and problem-solving skills.

Let us unravel some of the critical benefits of homework for kids in detail.

Benefits of doing homework

Teaches determination

Homework can cause students to be distracted or beset by problems at home, and these issues have to be resolved independently. It teaches them the determination not to give up and overcome any challenges they might face. Hence, doing homework is a great way to enhance perseverance and determination.

Improves problem-solving skills

Kids can also sharpen their problem-solving skills by doing homework. If they encounter any problems while doing their assignments, they will have to tackle them without the assistance of a teacher. They will determine the issues and solve them according to their mental abilities, which will sharpen their problem-solving skills.

Teaches responsibility

Homework provides excellent means to instill responsibility in kids. Students will be intuitively encouraged to take education seriously by doing homework regularly. Moreover, they will finish the assignments and solve problems independently. It will instill responsibility in them, which will help them at school and later in their professional career.

Improves time-management skills

Time management is essential when it comes to homework. Schedules should be prepped up to ensure all assignments are completed before deadlines. It engineers a sense of responsibility in kids to effectively plan and manage time. Therefore, doing homework can teach your kids some practical time management skills.

Homework benefits memory retention

Homework is a great way to boost your child’s memory retention. Kids will recollect the concepts and topics taught in the classroom, enabling them to memorize key facts and figures. It will yield fruitful benefits in the form of improving memory and enhancing focus.

Promotes self-learning

Homework also promotes self-learning in students as they need to review their work and revise the lessons. It can be a crucial benefit as self-learning eventually improves academic performance.

Encourages practice

If students encounter problems, they need to repeat and tackle the issues. This method encourages practice. By completing homework for a complex subject daily, kids are equipped with a better understanding of the subject, also honing their practicing skills. It will aid their educational performance and help them in various career paths.

Boosts organization and planning skills

Attempting homework also furbishes your child’s organizational skills. Doing assignments means that a methodical approach has to be followed. It includes – advanced planning, doing research, following guidelines, and jotting down notes. It can only be achieved if children exercise organization and planning skills, and learning these skills will benefit them throughout their lives.

Strengthened understanding of the subject

Doing homework also unravels and simplifies complex concepts and terminologies, making the learning experience more productive. Likewise, students who enjoy doing homework displayed a better understanding of the subject than those who evaded homework.

Learning in a comfortable environment

Though classrooms have considerably evolved over the years, providing kids with a convenient and stimulating environment. Nevertheless, standard classrooms can still overwhelm kids, impacting their education. In this case, the comfort of a home offers them a great respite to continue their education by doing homework.

No time constraints

Homework also enables students to complete their learning process without any time constraints. The time allocation for each period ranges from 30 to 60 minutes, which can also inhibit the learning process. Hence, by doing assignments at home, students can counter the negative impact of time constraints and substantively improve their learning.

Teachers can assess student’s performance

Homework provides a window of opportunity for teachers to assess students’ performance. If they discover that any student faces complexities regarding any concepts and topics, they can focus on them. In addition, teachers can also alter their teaching methods and adopt suitable techniques.

Suggested Read: Qualities of a Good Teacher

Parents can monitor academic performance

Doing homework is beneficial for kids, and it also gives parents a chance to learn and evaluate their academic performance. Additionally, parents can also offer assistance in solving problems that kids might face.

Read More: Things that kill brain cells

No matter how much kids dislike homework, it manifests profuse benefits. Students who complete homework attain better academic performance and become proficient in real-world skills that can help them later in life. However, as the old proverb says, ‘excess of everything is bad,’ homework is no different. Teachers should not overburden their students with homework. And instead, they should adopt a proportionate approach and make it more enjoyable.

More Suggested Reads:

How to Improve Spoken English?

Online Extracurricular Activities for Kids

Why Do Kids Need To Learn Coding?

References:

[1] “Who Invented Homework and Why Was It Invented?” Through Education .

[2] “Is Homework Good for Kids? Here’s What the Research Says.” Time .

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Is homework important what are its advantages & disadvantages.

Homework has been a long-standing practice in education, serving as a means to reinforce classroom learning and promote independent study. While some argue that homework is a vital component of a well-rounded education, others question its effectiveness and impact on students’ well-being. 

In this blog, we will delve into the advantages and disadvantages of homework to gain a balanced perspective on its importance.

Advantages of Homework:

1.Reinforcement of Learning: Homework provides an opportunity for students to practice and reinforce what they have learned in the classroom. Through repetition and application, students solidify their understanding of concepts, leading to improved retention and comprehension.

2.Development of Responsibility and Time Management Skills: Homework teaches students essential life skills such as responsibility, self-discipline, and time management. By completing assignments within designated deadlines, students learn to prioritize tasks and develop a sense of accountability for their own learning.

3.Individualized Learning:

Homework allows students to explore topics in-depth, catering to individual interests and learning styles. It encourages independent research and critical thinking, fostering intellectual curiosity and a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

4.Parental Involvement:

Homework can facilitate parental involvement in a child’s education. Parents can engage in discussions, provide guidance, and monitor their child’s progress, leading to increased communication between home and school.

Disadvantages of Homework:

1. Excessive Workload: 

One of the primary criticisms of homework is the potential for excessive workload, which can lead to stress, burnout, and a lack of balance in students’ lives. A heavy homework burden may limit time for extracurricular activities, socialization, and relaxation, negatively impacting overall well-being.

2.Inequality and Equity Issues: Homework may exacerbate inequality among students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Students with limited access to resources, such as computers or quiet study spaces, may struggle to complete assignments on an equal footing with their peers.

3.Loss of Interest and Creativity:

For some students, homework can become monotonous and repetitive, stifling their enthusiasm for learning. Excessive focus on completing assignments may hinder opportunities for creative exploration and independent thinking, limiting their overall educational experience.

4.Potential for Academic Dishonesty:

With the prevalence of online resources, the temptation for academic dishonesty, such as copying or plagiarizing, becomes more significant. Homework assignments that primarily involve rote memorization may discourage genuine engagement and encourage shortcuts.

In conclusion, while the debate surrounding the importance of homework continues, it is evident that homework plays a crucial role in education. It reinforces learning, develops essential skills like responsibility and time management, and promotes independent study. 

Homework also fosters parental involvement and allows for individualized learning. Although concerns exist regarding excessive workload and equity issues, these can be addressed through thoughtful assignment design and consideration of students’ well-being. By striking a balance and implementing homework effectively, we can harness its advantages to enhance student learning and prepare them for future academic and personal success.

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Keeping kids connected: How Homework Clubs are meeting the Covid-19 challenge

The Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) has been a long-time partner of the Australian Communities Foundation (ACF) and the giving community. The Homework Clubs program is made up of more than 350 Homework Clubs across Victoria catering to 6000 students weekly.

Homework Clubs, put simply, are after-school programs providing kids from ages 6 to 18 with a space for learning, building social connections and finding the joy in learning.

Since 2016, a total of $1,113,765 has been distributed to Homework Clubs in Victoria through the ACF giving community, funding which has been facilitated by the Homework Clubs Partnership Fund.

Emily Wraight, the Education Program Officer at CMY, recently shared her reflections on how the Homework Clubs have flourished since their beginnings in 2016, what has kept them going throughout the pandemic and the road ahead.

“Our vision overall is to really empower young people from multicultural and refugee backgrounds to be able to fully participate in life, education and society,” explains Emily.

At CMY, this vision is pursued from a few different angles: “Right from the direct casework with young people through to research, advocacy and policy development.”

For Homework Clubs, the focus is on the students’ experiences and how these shape their education.

“The social connections that they develop in the Homework Clubs is a hugely important factor,” Emily explains.

“They feel relaxed, they feel safe, they feel, you know, heard and valued in a place, so then they can actually engage with what’s happening.”

“I’ve actually seen a number of projects that have done really great family engagement work and have been able to empower parents to feel like they can be supportive of learning at home, despite the barriers they might face.”

The benefits don’t stop with the students, however, there is an army of volunteers, coordinators, and of course families, that are involved in the program.

“Something that we don’t talk about enough is how Homework Clubs really work to engage families and the wider community to feel included and to feel supported.”

As the Homework Clubs program has taken off, “We’ve been able to home in on areas where there’s really high need, it’s really responding to things, areas where there’s high settlement, for example, or regional areas or growth areas,” Emily says.

“For the sustainability of this program, we need to be able to provide support across the state and help more programs to start in places where there is high demand.”

This is coupled with the need for ongoing, long-term support that can sustain the programs and those involved.

“What is also crucial is the program development and having the ability to dream and innovate and plan beyond 12 months.”

“The real work happens when you build relationships over many years. It can often take that long for a young person to feel comfortable in a program to feel connected and valued.”

“There’s a real shared understanding of the value of these programs across ACF and CMY,” Emily says, “It’s a very genuine partnership, and it’s reassuring that we’ve got the same reasons for driving it and making it sustainable, which I think has been a really key factor in the success.”

When Covid-19 hit, “Our coordinators had to do a huge amount of learning very quickly about what to do and how to do it. Then there was developing all the new processes and guidelines, training staff and volunteers. Of course, this was coupled with students, schools and families all dealing with their own, you know, transitions.”

While this was a whirlwind at first, “We’re finding now in the second lockdown that clubs are more settled and more setup for virtual learning.”

It wasn’t only the Homework Clubs acting with agility, “A lot of clubs in the ACF program reallocated their funding to be able to provide food or material support for families as well during this time. I think that speaks to this idea that Homework Clubs are not just about the learning support.”

Although, much like with regular schooling, the Homework Clubs met new challenges with virtual learning. “We definitely noticed the digital divide. We heard a lot from schools as well about large families from migrant and refugee backgrounds, with, you know, six or seven kids all sharing one device and then the priority of course, goes to the eldest sibling; those kind of situations are very common.”

“For the students it’s been a really important way of staying connected to their peers and tutors, who they’re used to seeing every week in person, so it’s been an important way of maintaining those connections and a sense of continuity.”

Ursula Cliff, who is a Project Support Officer with CMY, says “Families have been struggling with distance learning, for a number of reasons – lack of access to technology, low levels of literacy which means they can’t help kids with schoolwork, communicating with schools – and Homework Clubs have been a crucial form of support for them.”

Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Homework Clubs have soldiered on, stood by their students, and grasped the new virtual way of life with both hands.

“For all the things that we complain about in COVID, there are so many things that we should harness from this time,” Emily says optimistically, “Like getting Homework Clubs to have a wider reach online. We’re able to reach more coordinators and volunteers with our training and our support through an online format now, which we started doing as part of this process.”

Of course, this all comes back to Homework Clubs’ appetite “to innovate, to grow, to try new things and to reach more young people.”

“There’s a real opportunity right now for more investment in and capacity-building through the Homework Clubs. Something that we’re going to find – not just because of education, but also as more families struggle financially – is that we need the free educational support that the Clubs offer.”

Get in touch if you would like to discuss how you can support Homework Clubs into the future. You can also learn more about the Homework Club Partnership Fund in this comprehensive report .

Show your support

For homework clubs.

Homework Clubs improve education outcomes for migrant and refugee young people.

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Rising Stars Homework Club

Welcome to Our HWC Family

The Rising Stars Homework Club's goal is to help close the achievement gap by exposing younger children to a wide range of learning activities, to help them form bonds with many community volunteers , and to make learning fun. We provide consistent love and support through a daily structured program involving homework support, reading time, computer activities , and positive socialization activities each day.  

  Patti Fabiani: Program Directo r | Heather Maltin: Program Supervisor    

 call or text for information | # (445)225-9595, email | [email protected], ambler borough hall, 131 rosemary avenue, ambler pa 19002 .

Water ice treat donated to students by Rita's Water Ice, Ambler.

Rising Stars Homework Club nominated as Hometown Heroes in June 2022. Beccah Hendrickson at ABC 6  interviewed volunteers and students. 

Left to right: Elizabeth Russell, Ambler Borough Coordinator;  Patti Fabiani, RSHC Program Director; Heather Maltin, RSHC Program Supervisor; Ellen Quinn, Leading Volunteer

Left to right: Cindy Wedholm, Mattie Dixon Community Cupboard Director; Nancy McKernan, Volunteer; Patti Fabiani, RSHC Program Director; Gina Fabiani, Parent and Volunteer; Heather Maltin, RSHC Program Supervisor were at PSEA Awards Ceremony revieving award 

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15 Benefits of Homework

Homework being an integral part of the educational system is unsurprisingly hated by all students. Students complain that their homework occupies all of their free time, leading to a boring weekend.

However, studies show that homework has a positive effect on students’ overall performance in school. But how? Let’s have a look at 15 homework benefits.

The 15 Benefits of Homework for Students

Make the child learn the importance of time management.

• When students are allotted homework, they know when their projects are due. Then they learn to work accordingly.

Promotes self-learning

• For completion of research-based assignments, students are required to search and learn content themselves from all the available resources they have. This is a significant advantage of homework and encourages students to self-learn.

Helps teachers know how well their students understand the lessons.

• Teachers can evaluate students’ learning after looking at their completed homework. Moreover, teachers can analyze and improve their teaching methods and plans accordingly.

Makes a child learn about how to use resources.

• While doing homework, students are required to research a lot of stuff. During this, they learn to use reference materials, websites on the internet, and libraries to gather information.

Teaches the students to work independently.

• After getting back from school, when the students study at home without any help from teachers, they learn to work and figure out things independently.

Allow parents to track their child’s performance at school.

• Parents can evaluate their child’s academic performance by reviewing their homework.

Improves a child’s thinking and memory.

• Homework makes a child recall and revises the lessons and concepts discussed in the class. It enhances the child’s memory, and concentration, and children tend to remember facts and figures taught in school effectively.

Allow students to modify content.

• Students are free to flexibly modify their study material and work at their own pace according to their own schedule. This increases students’ productivity and ensures better understanding.

Encourages the students to practice their concepts regularly.

• When students complete their homework, they basically practice the concepts taught in the class. This develops a better and a deep understanding of the content.

Helps students build a positive learning attitude.

• Homework has proved to build an enthusiastic attitude in students towards learning. Homework serves as an opportunity for students to learn new things rather than a burden.

Prepares the students for the next class.

• When a child revises and practices the concepts of the lecture taught in the class, it prepares the student for the following lecture and maintains a flow.

Makes the students responsible.

• When students get homework on a daily basis and are required to complete it, they tend to get responsible regarding their homework and other things too.

Limits a student’s screen time.

• Homework can be the best reason for a child to avoid excessive usage of screens.

Helps children learn new skills.

• Studying various topics in detail helps children learn new advanced skills such as problem-solving, time management skills.

Helps develop good study habits.

• When students sit daily and do their homework, they adopt good study habits which benefit them while studying.

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Homework Advantages and Disadvantages

• February 10, 2023

Teens cite homework as causing stress, but homework does have advantages as well as disadvantages.

Homework’s merits have been debated for decades, with parents, educators, and education specialists debating the advantages of at-home study. There are many pros and cons of homework. We’ve examined a few significant points to provide you with a summary of the benefits and disadvantages of homework.

Homework Advantage & Disadvantage: 3 Examples

Advantage 1: homework helps to improve student achievement.

Homework teaches students various beneficial skills they will carry with them throughout their academic and professional life, from time management and organization to self-motivation and autonomous learning. 

Homework helps students of all ages build critical study abilities that help them throughout their academic careers. Learning at home also encourages the development of good research habits while encouraging students to take ownership of their tasks.

If you’re finding homework is becoming an issue at home, check out our tips to tackle homework issues before they get out of hand .

Disadvantage 1: Too Much Homework Can Negatively Affect Students 

You’ll often hear from students that they’re stressed out by schoolwork. Stress becomes even more apparent as students get into higher grade levels. 

A study conducted on high school student’s experiences found that high-achieving students found that too much homework leads to sleep deprivation and other health problems such as: 

• Weight loss 
• Stomach problems 

More than half of students say that homework is their primary source of stress, and we know what stress can do to our bodies.

It’s been shown that excessive homework can lead to cheating. With too much homework, students end up copying off one another in an attempt to finish all their assignments.

Advantage 2: Homework Helps to Reinforce Classroom Learning

Homework is most effective when it allows students to revise what they learn in class. Did you know that students typically retain only 50% of the information teachers provide in class?

Students need to apply that information to learn it.

Homework also helps students develop key skills that they’ll use throughout their lives: 

• Accountability 
• Time management
• Self-direction
• Critical thinking
• Independent problem-solving

The skills learned in homework can then be applied to other subjects and practical situations in students’ daily lives.

Disadvantage 2: Takes Away From Students Leisure Time

Children need free time. This free time allows children to relax and explore the world that they are living in. This free time also gives them valuable skills they wouldn’t learn in a classroom, such as riding a bike, reading a book, or socializing with friends and family. 

Having leisure time teaches kids valuable skills that cannot be acquired when doing their homework at a computer.

Plus, students need to get enough exercise. Getting exercise can improve cognitive function, which might be hindered by sedentary activities such as homework.

Advantage 3: Homework Gets Parents Involved with Children’s Learning

Homework helps parents track what their children are learning in school. 

Also allows parents to see their children’s academic strengths and weaknesses. Homework can alert parents to any learning difficulties that their children might have, enabling them to provide assistance and modify their child’s learning approach as necessary.

Parents who help their children with homework will lead to higher academic performance, better social skills and behaviour, and greater self-confidence in their children.

Disadvantage 3: Homework Is Not Always Effective

Numerous researchers have attempted to evaluate the importance of homework and how it enhances academic performance. According to a study , homework in primary schools has a minimal effect since students pursue unrelated assignments instead of solidifying what they have already learned.

Mental health experts agree heavy homework loads have the capacity to do more harm than good for students. But they also say the answer may not be to eliminate homework altogether. So, unfortunately for students, homework is here to stay.

Keep reading: Get homework done right the first time with homework tips and tricks.

Need Help Completing Homework Effectively?  

There are many pros and cons of homework, so let our tutors at GradePowerLearning can help your family create great homework habits to ensure students are successful at homework.

Contact a location near you to get started today!

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Medieval history

Modern history, administrative and municipal status, demographics, transportation, notable people, twin towns and sister cities, external links.

Astrakhan was formerly the capital of the Khanate of Astrakhan (a remnant of the Golden Horde ) of the Astrakhan Tatars , and was located on the higher right bank of the Volga, seven miles (11   km) from the present-day city. Situated on caravan and water routes, it developed from a village into a large trading centre, before being conquered by Timur in 1395 and captured by Ivan the Terrible in 1556 and in 1558 it was moved to its present site.

The oldest economic and cultural center of the Lower Volga region, [16] it is often called the southernmost outpost of Russia, [17] and the Caspian capital. [18] [19] The city is a member of the Eurasian Regional Office of the World Organization United Cities and Local Governments . [20] The great ethnic diversity of its population gives a varied character to Astrakhan. The city is the center of the Astrakhan metropolitan area .

The name is a corruption of Hashtarkhan, itself a corruption of Haji Tarkhan ( حاجی‌ ترخان )—a name amply evidenced in the medieval writings. Tarkhan is possibly a Turco-Mongolian title standing for "great khan ", or "king", while haji or hajji is a title given to one who has made the Islamic requisite of pilgrimage to Mecca . Together, they denoted "the king who has visited Mecca". [ citation needed ] The city has given its name to the particular pelts from young karakul sheep , and in particular to the hats traditionally made from the pelts. [ citation needed ]

Colloquially, the city is known by the short form Astra . Another popular nickname is The Caspian Capital . [ citation needed ]

Astrakhan is in the Volga Delta , which is rich in sturgeon and exotic plants. The fertile area formerly contained the capitals of Khazaria and the Golden Horde . Astrakhan was first mentioned by travelers in the early 13th century as Xacitarxan . Tamerlane burnt it to the ground in 1395 during his war with the Golden Horde . From 1459 to 1556, Xacitarxan was the capital of Astrakhan Khanate by the Astrakhan Tatars . The ruins of this medieval settlement were found by archaeologists 12   km upstream from the modern-day city.

Starting in A.D. 1324, Ibn Battuta , the famous Berber Muslim traveler, began his pilgrimage from his native city of Tangier , present-day Morocco to Mecca. Along the 12,100-kilometer (7,500   mi) trek, which took nearly 29 years, Battuta came in contact with many new cultures, which he writes about in his diaries. One specific country that he passed through on his journey was the Golden Horde ruled by the descendants of Genghis Khan , located on the Volga River in southern Russia; which Battuta refers to as the river Athal. He then claims the Athal is, "one of the greatest rivers in the world". In the winter, the Khan stays in Astrakhan. Due to the cold water, Özbeg Khan ordered the people of Astrakhan to lay many bundles of hay down on the frozen river. He does this to allow the people to travel over the ice. When Battuta and the Khan spoke about Battuta visiting Constantinople, which the Khan granted him permission to do, the Khan then gifted Battuta with fifteen hundred dinars, many horses, and a dress of honor. [21] [22]

In 1556, the khanate was conquered by Ivan the Terrible , who had a new fortress, or kremlin , built on a steep hill overlooking the Volga in 1558. This year is traditionally considered to be the foundation of the modern city. [3]

In 1569, during the Russo-Turkish War , Astrakhan was besieged by the Ottomans, who had to retreat in disarray. A year later, the Ottoman sultan renounced his claims to Astrakhan, thus opening the entire Volga River to Russian traffic. [ citation needed ] The Ottoman Empire , though militarily defeated, insisted on safe passage for Muslim pilgrims and traders from Central Asia as well as the destruction of the Russian fort on the Terek River . [23] In the 17th century, the city was developed as a Russian gate to the Orient. Many merchants from Armenia , Safavid Persia , Mughal India , [24] [25] and Khivan Khanate settled in the town, giving it a cosmopolitan character.

For seventeen months in 1670–1671, Astrakhan was held by Stenka Razin and his Cossacks . Early in the following century, Peter the Great constructed a shipyard here and made Astrakhan the base for his hostilities against Persia, and later in the same century Catherine the Great accorded the city important industrial privileges. [26]

The city was held from 1707 by the Cossacks under Kondraty Bulavin during the Bulavin Rebellion until they were defeated the next year. A Kalmuck khan laid an abortive siege to the kremlin several years before that.

In 1717, it became the seat of Astrakhan Governorate , whose first governors included Artemy Petrovich Volynsky and Vasily Nikitich Tatishchev . Six years later, Astrakhan served as a base for the first Russian venture into Central Asia . In 1702, 1718 and 1767, it suffered severely from fires; in 1719 it was plundered by the Safavid Persians; and in 1830, cholera killed much of the populace. [26]

The Astrakhan Kremlin was built from the 1580s to the 1620s from bricks taken from the site of Sarai Berke . Its two impressive cathedrals were consecrated in 1700 and 1710, respectively. Built by masters from Yaroslavl , they retain many traditional features of Russian church architecture, while their exterior decoration is definitely baroque .

In March 1919 after a failed workers' revolt against Bolshevik rule, 3,000 to 5,000 people were executed in less than a week by the Cheka under orders from Sergey Kirov . Some victims had stones tied around their necks and were thrown into the Volga. [27] [28]

During Operation Barbarossa , the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, the A-A line running from Astrakhan to Arkhangelsk was to be the eastern limit of German military operation and occupation. The plan was never carried out, as Germany captured neither the two cities nor Moscow . In the autumn of 1942, the region to the west of Astrakhan became one of the easternmost points in the Soviet Union reached by the invading German Wehrmacht , during Case Blue , the offensive which led to the Battle of Stalingrad . Light armored forces of German Army Group A made brief scouting missions as close as 35   km to Astrakhan before withdrawing. In the same period, elements of both the Luftwaffe 's KG 4 and KG 100 bomber wings attacked Astrakhan, flying several air raids and bombing the city's oil terminals and harbor installations.

In 1943, Astrakhan was made the seat of a Soviet oblast within the RSFSR . The oblast was retained as a national province of the independent Russian Federation in the 1991 administrative reshuffle after the dismemberment of the Soviet Union .

In the present day, Astrakhan is a large industrial centre of the Volga country, Russia, with a population of over 500,000. Starting nearly 400 years ago and continuing to the present day, Astrakhan has been Russia's main center of fish processing. The market for fish is a large component of the economy in this city. [29]

Owing to shared Caspian borders, Astrakhan recently has been playing a significant role in the relations between Russia and Azerbaijan. As the latter's government has been heavily investing into the wellbeing of the city, Astrakhan has recently begun to symbolize the friendship between both countries. In 2010 a bridge was constructed with donations from Azerbaijan, which was named "Bridge of Friendship". [30] Moreover, Azerbaijani government sponsored secondary school number 11, which carries the name of the national leader Heydar Aliyev , as well as a children's entertainment center named "Dream". [31] Apart from that, a park has been built in the center of Astrakhan which is dedicated to friendship between the two countries. In the last 5 years Astrakhan has been visited by top Azerbaijani delegations on several occasions. [32] [33] [34] [35]

After fraud was alleged in the mayoral election of 2012 and the United Russia candidate was declared the winner, organizers of the 2011–2012 Russian protests supported the defeated candidate, Oleg V. Shein of Just Russia , in a hunger strike . Protestors, buoyed by celebrities who support the reform movement, attracted 5,000 people to a rally on April 14. [36]

Astrakhan is the administrative center of the oblast . [10] Within the framework of administrative divisions , it is incorporated as the city of oblast significance of Astrakhan —an administrative unit with the status equal to that of the districts . [1] As a municipal division , the city of oblast significance of Astrakhan is incorporated as Astrakhan Urban Okrug . [11]

The city of Astrakhan is further subdivided into four administrative districts: Kirovsky, Leninsky, Sovetsky and Truskovsky.

Astrakhan is the archiepiscopal see of one of the metropolitanates and (as Astrakhan and Yenotayevka) eparchies of the Russian Orthodox Church , its only other suffragan being Akhtubinsk. [ citation needed ] There is also a Catholic community, served by the Church of the Assumption of Mary (Astrakhan) . There is also a substantial Muslim population made up of Astrakhan Tatars and other Muslims. [37] At 1777 the white Mosque was built, [38] and the Baku Mosque was built in 1907–1909.

According to the results of the 2021 Census, the population of Astrakhan was 475,629. [15]

At the time of the official 2021 Census, the ethnic makeup of the city's population was: [39]

The city lies on two banks of the Volga, in the upper part of the Volga Delta, on eleven islands of the Caspian Depression, 60 miles (100 km) from the Caspian Sea. At an elevation of 28 meters (92 ft) below sea level, it is the lowest city in Russia.

Astrakhan features a continental cold desert climate ( Köppen climate classification : BWk ) with cold winters and hot summers. Astrakhan is one of the driest cities in Europe. Rainfall is scarce but relatively evenly distributed throughout the course of the year with, however, more precipitation (58%) in the hot season (six hottest months of the year).

The below sea-level elevation and long distance from the ocean of Astrakhan significantly influences the climate. Winters are mild cold with average January temperature -3.6 °С (25.5 °F). Summer temperatures in Astrakhan are one of the highest in Russia with average Jule temperature 26.1 °С (79 °F) and may reach 40 °С (104 °F) and higher. The summers are much hotter than found further west on similar latitude in Europe and worldwide for 46°N with the notable exception of the interior Pacific Northwest of the United States. The mean annual temperature amplitude (difference between the mean monthly temperatures of the hottest and coldest months) is thus equal to 29.7 °С (85.5 °F) so the climate is truly continental. Spring and fall are basically transitional seasons between summer and winter.

Astrakhan has five institutions of higher education. Most prominent among these are Astrakhan State Technical University and Astrakhan State University .

The city is served by Narimanovo Airport named after Soviet Azerbaijani politician Nariman Narimanov . It is managed by OAO Aeroport Astrakhan. After its reconstruction and the building of the international sector, opened in February 2011, Narimanovo Airport is one of the most modern regional airports in Russia. There are direct flights between Astrakhan and Aktau , Istanbul , St. Petersburg and Moscow.

There is also a military airbase nearby ( Astrakhan (air base) ).

Astrakhan is linked by rail to the north ( Volgograd and Moscow), the east ( Atyrau and Kazakhstan ) and the south ( Makhachkala and Baku). There are direct trains to Moscow, Volgograd, Saint Petersburg , Baku , Kyiv , Brest and other towns. Intercity and international buses are available as well. Public local transport is mainly provided by buses and minibuses called marshrutkas . Until 2007 there were also trams, and until 2017 trolleybuses.

• Luara Hayrapetyan , singer
• Boris Kustodiev , painter
• Joseph Deniker , naturalist and anthropologist
• Ilya Ulyanov , father of Aleksandr Ulyanov and Vladimir Lenin .
• Rinat Dasayev , association football player
• Marziyya Davudova , actress
• Velimir Khlebnikov , poet
• Emiliya Turey , handball player
• Andrei Belyanin , science fiction writer
• Dmitri Dyuzhev , actor
• Maksim Gleykin , former professional football player
• Vasily Trediakovsky , academic, poet, translator
• Tamara Milashkina , soprano
• Valeria Barsova , soprano
• Maria Maksakova, Sr. , mezzo-soprano
• Elena Nikitina , skeleton racer
• Yelena Shalamova , rhythmic gymnast
• Natalia Sokolovskaya , pianist and composer
• Nikolai Petrovich Skarzhinsky Russian Cossack Lieutenant decorated at the Battle of Borodino . [42]
• Pytor Mikhailovich Skarzhinsky Russian general and governor of Astrakhan. [43]

Astrakhan is twinned with:

• Astrakhan Jews
• Astrakhan Tatars

Related Research Articles

Privolzhsky District is the name of several various districts in Russia. The name literally means "something near the Volga".

Krasnoyarsky District is the name of several administrative and municipal districts in Russia:

Akhtubinsk is a town and the administrative center of Akhtubinsky District in Astrakhan Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Akhtuba River, 292 kilometers (181 mi) north of Astrakhan, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 41,853 (2010 Russian census) ; 45,542 ; 50,261 (1989 Soviet census) ; 30,000 (1968).

Znamensk is a closed town in Astrakhan Oblast, Russia. Population: 29,401 (2010 Russian census)

Narimanov is a town and the administrative center of Narimanovsky District in Astrakhan Oblast, Russia, located on the western bank of the Volga River, 48 kilometers (30 mi) northwest from Astrakhan, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 11,521 (2010 Russian census) ; 11,202 (2002 Census) ; 11,084 (1989 Soviet census) ; 3,400 (1979).

Kamyzyak is a town and the administrative center of Kamyzyaksky District in Astrakhan Oblast, Russia, located on the Kamyzyak River, 27 kilometers (17 mi) south of Astrakhan, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 16,314 (2010 Russian census) ; 16,052 (2002 Census) ; 15,084 (1989 Soviet census) .

Volodarsky District is the name of several administrative and municipal districts in Russia. The districts are generally named after V. Volodarsky, a Russian revolutionary and politician.

Chernoyarsky District is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the eleven in Astrakhan Oblast, Russia. It is located in the north of the oblast. The area of the district is 4,217.99 square kilometers (1,628.58 sq mi). Its administrative center is the rural locality of Chyorny Yar. As of the 2010 Census, the total population of the district was 20,220, with the population of Chyorny Yar accounting for 38.5% of that number.

Ikryaninsky District is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the eleven in Astrakhan Oblast, Russia. It is located in the south of the oblast. The area of the district is 1,950 square kilometers (750 sq mi). Its administrative center is the rural locality of Ikryanoye. As of the 2010 Census, the total population of the district was 47,759, with the population of Ikryanoye accounting for 21.0% of that number.

Limansky District is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the eleven in Astrakhan Oblast, Russia. It is located in the southwest of the oblast. The area of the district is 5,234 square kilometers (2,021 sq mi). Its administrative center is the urban locality of Liman. As of the 2010 Census, the total population of the district was 31,952, with the population of Liman accounting for 28.2% of that number.

Privolzhsky District is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the eleven in Astrakhan Oblast, Russia. It is located in the south of the oblast. The area of the district is 840.9 square kilometers (324.7 sq mi). Its administrative center is the rural locality of Nachalovo. Population: 43,647 (2010 Russian census) ; 38,649 ; 38,575 (1989 Soviet census) . The population of Nachalovo accounts for 12.5% of the district's total population.

Volodarsky District is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the eleven in Astrakhan Oblast, Russia. It is located in the south of the oblast. The area of the district is 3,883 square kilometers (1,499 sq mi). Its administrative center is the rural locality of Volodarsky. Population: 47,825 (2010 Russian census) ; 47,351 ; 46,638 (1989 Soviet census) . The population of the administrative center accounts for 20.9% of the district's total population.

Yenotayevsky District is an administrative and municipal district (raion), one of the eleven in Astrakhan Oblast, Russia. It is located in the west of the oblast. The area of the district is 6,300 square kilometers (2,400 sq mi). Its administrative center is the rural locality of Yenotayevka. Population: 26,786 (2010 Russian census) ; 27,625 ; 29,093 (1989 Soviet census) . The population of Yenotayevka accounts for 28.4% of the district's total population.

Kharabali is a town and the administrative center of Kharabalinsky District in Astrakhan Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Akhtuba River 142 kilometers (88 mi) northwest of Astrakhan, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 18,117 (2010 Russian census) ; 18,296 (2002 Census) ; 18,566 (1989 Soviet census) .

Ikryanoye is a rural locality and the administrative center of Ikryaninsky District of Astrakhan Oblast, Russia. Population: 10,036 (2010 Russian census) ; 9,925 (2002 Census) ; 9,629 (1989 Soviet census) .

Krasny Yar is a rural locality and the administrative center of Krasnoyarsky District of Astrakhan Oblast, Russia. Population: 11,824 (2010 Russian census) ; 10,926 (2002 Census) ; 10,875 (1989 Soviet census) .

Nachalovo is a rural locality and the administrative center of Privolzhsky District of Astrakhan Oblast, Russia. Population: 5,451 (2010 Russian census) ; 4,830 (2002 Census) ; 3,922 (1989 Soviet census) .

Volodarsky is a rural locality and the administrative center of Volodarsky District of Astrakhan Oblast, Russia. Population: 10,005 (2010 Russian census) ; 9,553 (2002 Census) ; 9,326 (1989 Soviet census) .

Volgo-Kaspiysky is an urban-type settlement in Kamyzyaksky District of Astrakhan Oblast, Russia. Population: 2,581 (2010 Russian census) ; 2,674 (2002 Census) ; 3,088 (1989 Soviet census) .

Kirovsky is an urban-type settlement in Kamyzyaksky District of Astrakhan Oblast, Russia. Population: 2,249 (2010 Russian census) ; 2,259 (2002 Census) ; 2,446 (1989 Soviet census) .

• 1 2 3 4 5 Law #67/2006-OZ
• ↑ Decision #123
• ↑ Charter of Astrakhan, Article   35
• ↑ Charter of Astrakhan, Article   32
• ↑ Official website of Astrakhan. Head of the City Administration Archived May 9, 2015, at the Wayback Machine (in Russian)
• ↑ Russian Institute of Urban Planning. Генеральный план города Астрахань. Основные технико-экономические показатели. Archived October 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine ( General Plan of the City of Astrakhan. Main Technical Economical Measures ). (in Russian)
• ↑ Russian Federal State Statistics Service (2011). Всероссийская перепись населения 2010 года. Том   1 [ 2010 All-Russian Population Census, vol.   1 ] . Всероссийская перепись населения 2010   года [2010 All-Russia Population Census] (in Russian). Federal State Statistics Service .
• ↑ Astrakhan Oblast Territorial Branch of the Federal State Statistics Service . Население Archived March 5, 2016, at the Wayback Machine ( Population ) (in Russian)
• 1 2 Charter of Astrakhan Oblast, Article   9
• 1 2 3 Law #43/2004-OZ
• ↑ "Об исчислении времени" . Официальный интернет-портал правовой информации (in Russian). 3 June 2011 . Retrieved 19 January 2019 .
• ↑ Почта России. Информационно-вычислительный центр ОАСУ РПО. ( Russian Post ). Поиск объектов почтовой связи ( Postal Objects Search ) (in Russian)
• ↑ Charter of Astrakhan, Article   6
• 1 2 "Оценка численности постоянного населения по субъектам Российской Федерации" . Federal State Statistics Service . Retrieved 26 March 2023 .
• ↑ "Официальный сайт органов местного самоуправления" . Archived from the original on 11 December 2013 . Retrieved 14 May 2023 .
• ↑ "В военных подразделениях Астраханской области работают 35 тысяч специалистов — Российская газета — Спецвыпуск № 4762" . rg.ru . October 2008 . Retrieved 6 September 2017 .
• ↑ Howard Amos (17 July 2011). "Astrakhan" . themoscowtimes.com . Archived from the original on 19 September 2018 . Retrieved 18 September 2018 .
• ↑ "Gazprom dobycha Astrakhan to be major partner for Days of Spain in Russia within Astrakhan Oblast" . www.gazprom.com . 8 April 2011. Archived from the original on 25 July 2021 . Retrieved 18 September 2018 .
• ↑ "Публикации – Члены ОГМВ Евразия" . euroasia-uclg.ru . Retrieved 6 September 2017 .
• ↑ " Lands of the Golden Horde & the Chagatai: 1332 - 1333 Archived August 12, 2018, at the Wayback Machine ". University of California, Berkeley (UCB).
• ↑ Batuta, Ibn, and Samuel Lee. The Travels of Ibn Battuta in the Near East, Asia and Africa. pp79
• ↑ Janet Martin, Medieval Russia:980-1584 , 356.
• ↑ "Astrakhan's India Connection" . 16 March 2020.
• ↑ Staff, Homegrown (8 June 2021). "Fascinating Accounts Of Indians In Russia Dating Back To The 17th Century" . Homegrown . Retrieved 14 May 2023 .
• ↑ [books.google.com.sg/books?id=00o2eO8w06oC&pg=PA5]
• ↑ "Archived copy" . Archived from the original on December 22, 2011 . Retrieved March 12, 2012 . {{ cite web }} : CS1 maint: archived copy as title ( link )
• ↑ "Astrakhan" . russia.rin.ru . Retrieved 14 May 2023 .
• ↑ "Heydar Aliyev Foundation - Azerbaijan-Russia Friendship Bridge in Astrakhan" . heydar-aliyev-foundation.org . Retrieved 6 September 2017 .
• ↑ "Azerbaijan, Russian Astrakhan mull relations" . azernews.az . 12 May 2014 . Retrieved 6 September 2017 .
• ↑ APA Information Agency, APA Holding. "APA - Presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia met in Astrakhan - PHOTO" . en.apa.az . Retrieved 6 September 2017 .
• ↑ "News.Az - Azerbaijani first lady Mehriban Aliyeva receives Astrakhan Oblast Order of Merit" . news.az . Retrieved 6 September 2017 .
• ↑ "tass.ru/en/world/699466" . tass.ru . Retrieved 6 September 2017 .
• ↑ "Гейдар Алиев на полях сражений Ивана Грозного - астраханские записки Эйнуллы Фатуллаева" . Haqqin . 19 April 2015 . Retrieved 6 September 2017 .
• ↑ David M. Herszenhorn (14 April 2012). "Moscow Protesters Take Their Show on the Road" . The New York Times . Retrieved 15 April 2012 .
• ↑ "TATAR MUSLIM COMMUNITY OF ASTRAKHAN IN THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY" . Retrieved 14 May 2023 .
• ↑ "White Mosque of Astrakhan attraction reviews - White Mosque of Astrakhan tickets - White Mosque of Astrakhan discounts - White Mosque of Astrakhan transportation, address, opening hours - attractions, hotels, and food near White Mosque of Astrakhan" .
• ↑ "Итоги::Астраханьстат" . Retrieved 26 March 2023 .
• ↑ "Pogoda.ru.net (Weather and Climate-The Climate of Astrakhan)" (in Russian). Weather and Climate . Retrieved 8 November 2021 .
• ↑ "Astrahan (Astrakhan) Climate Normals 1961–1990" . National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration . Retrieved 3 November 2021 .
• ↑ "Генерал Скаржинский и его дети: неизвестное о представителях известного рода" . 19 November 2016.
• ↑ "رشت و آستارا خان خواهر خوانده شدند+ تصاویر | پایگاه خبری تحلیلی 8دی نیوز" . 8deynews.com (in Persian). 28 April 2014 . Retrieved 6 September 2017 .
• Государственная Дума Астраханской области.   Закон   №67/2006-ОЗ   от   4 октября 2006 г. «Об административно-территориальном устройстве Астраханской области», в ред. Закона №46/2017-ОЗ от   5 сентября 2017 г.   «О преобразовании муниципальных образований и административно-территориальных единиц "Лебяжинский сельсовет", "Образцово-Травинский сельсовет", "Полдневский сельсовет" и внесении изменений в Закон Астраханской области "Об установлении границ муниципальных образований и наделении их статусом сельского, городского поселения, городского округа, муниципального района" и Закон Астраханской области "Об административно-территориальном устройстве Астраханской области"». Вступил в силу   по истечении 10 дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Сборник законов и нормативных правовых актов Астраханской области", №47, 19 октября 2006 г. (State Duma of Astrakhan Oblast.   Law   # 67/2006-OZ   of   October   4, 2006 On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Astrakhan Oblast , as amended by the Law   # 46/2017-OZ of   September   5, 2017 On the Transformation of the Municipal Formations and the Administrative-Territorial Units of "Lebyazhinsky Selsoviet", "Obraztsovo-Travinsky Selsoviet", "Poldnevsky Selsoviet", and Amending the Law of Astrakhan Oblast "On Establishing the Borders of the Municipal Formations and on Granting Them the Status of Rural, Urban Settlement, Urban Okrug, Municipal District" and the Law of Astrakhan Oblast "On the Administrative-Territorial Structure of Astrakhan Oblast" . Effective as of   after ten days from the day of the official publication have passed.).
• Государственная Дума Астраханской области.   Закон   №43/2004-ОЗ   от   6 августа 2004 г. «Об установлении границ муниципальных образований и наделении их статусом сельского, городского поселения, городского округа, муниципального района», в ред. Закона №47/2017-ОЗ от   5 сентября 2017 г.   «О внесении изменений в Закон Астраханской области "Об установлении границ муниципальных образований и наделении их статусом сельского, городского поселения, городского округа, муниципального района"». Вступил в силу   через 10 дней со дня официального опубликования. Опубликован: "Астраханские известия", №34, 12 августа 2004 г. (State Duma of Astrakhan Oblast.   Law   # 43/2004-OZ   of   August   6, 2004 On Establishing the Borders of the Municipal Formations and on Granting Them the Status of Rural, Urban Settlement, Urban Okrug, Municipal District , as amended by the Law   # 47/2017-OZ of   September   5, 2017 On Amending the Law of Astrakhan Oblast "On Establishing the Borders of the Municipal Formations and on Granting Them the Status of Rural, Urban Settlement, Urban Okrug, Municipal District" . Effective as of   the day which is 10 days after the official publication.).
• Городская Дума муниципального образования "Город Астрахань".   Решение   №24   от   31 марта 2016 г. «Устав муниципального образования "Город Астрахань"», в ред. Решения №91 от   17 июля 2017 г.   «О внесении изменений в Устав муниципального образования "Город Астрахань"». Вступил в силу   22 апреля 2016 г. (за исключением отдельных положений). Опубликован: "Астраханский вестник", №15, 21 апреля 2016 г. (City Duma of the Municipal Formation of the "City of Astrakhan".   Decision   # 24   of   March   31, 2016 Charter of the Municipal Formation of the "City of Astrakhan" , as amended by the Decision   # 91 of   July   17, 2017 On Amending the Charter of the Municipal Formation of the "City of Astrakhan" . Effective as of   April   22, 2016 (with the exception of certain clauses).).
• Государственная Дума Астраханской области.   №21/2007-ОЗ   9 апреля 2007 г. «Устав Астраханской области», в ред. Закона №49/2017-ОЗ от   25 сентября 2017 г.   «О внесении изменения в статью   17 Устава Астраханской области». Вступил в силу   30 апреля 2007 г. (за исключением отдельных положений). Опубликован: "Сборник законов и нормативных правовых актов Астраханской области", №18, 19 апреля 2007 г. (State Duma of Astrakhan Oblast.   # 21/2007-OZ   April   9, 2007 Charter of Astrakhan Oblast , as amended by the Law   # 49/2017-OZ of   September   25, 2017 On Amending Article   17 of the Charter of Astrakhan Oblast . Effective as of   April   30, 2007 (with the exception of several clauses).).
• Городской Совет города Астрахани.   Решение   №123   от   1 ноября 2000 г. «Об утверждени гимна города Астрахани». (City Council of the City of Astrakhan.   Decision   # 123   of   November   1, 2000 On Adopting the Anthem of the City of Astrakhan . ).
• Kropotkin, Peter Alexeivitch (1911). "Astrakhan (town)"   . Encyclopædia Britannica . Vol.   2 (11th   ed.). p.   795.
• Official website of Astrakhan (in Russian)
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If you’re looking for a small hotel in Astrakhan, look no further than California Hotel.

Close to Central Stadium (2.1 mi), a popular Astrakhan landmark, California Hotel is a great destination for tourists.

Rooms at California Hotel provide a refrigerator and air conditioning.

Travellers looking for cafes can head to Kontrast Provence, Chaikofskiy, or Dair.

Looking for something to do in Astrakhan? Peter and Paul Church (1.0 mi) and Church of St. Andrew the Apostle (0.7 mi) are some popular attractions that are within walking distance of California Hotel.

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The city of Astrakhan is the capital of Astrakhan oblast (province), in southwestern Russia . The city lies at the head of the Volga River delta, about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the Caspian Sea . Situated on several islands between two branches of the river, the city is a major fishing port.

Spires and onion domes etch the skyline of Astrakhan. On the tallest hill stand the city’s chief landmarks, a cathedral and castle (kremlin), built in the 1580s. They look out over the fine arts conservatory, technical schools, and public gardens, and beyond to sprawling suburbs. The city also has medical and teacher-training institutes. Home to Russians, Kazakhs, Tatars, and others, Astrakhan is known for the great ethnic diversity of its population.

The city is the base of a large fishing fleet. A major industry is the processing and canning of fish products, especially caviar, obtained from sturgeon from the Caspian Sea. Other industries in Astrakhan include ship repair, metalworking, woodworking, and the manufacture of chemicals.

Astrakhan was formerly the capital of a Tatar khanate (a type of state), a remnant of the western Mongol empire . The city owed its rise to its location on the Volga, the area’s greatest river, and on the caravan and water routes. It developed into a large trading center. Astrakhan was conquered by Timur (Tamerlane) in 1395. Ivan IV (the Terrible) captured the city in 1556, giving Russia control of the Volga. The Turks burned the city in 1569. Astrakhan served as the base for the campaign of Peter I (the Great) against Persia and later was given special trade privileges. Population (2013 estimate), 527,345.

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