Homework -- how much is too much?

How much is too much?  How much is too little? 

Recently, I have heard from many parents who have children in public or private schools about their frustration with homework that their children are assigned.  The quantity of the work and sometime the "busy work" they see coming home.    

We home school and so "homework" isn't really a topic in this house.  We learn all the time, everywhere.  We also have a lot of time as a family.  We practice independent study skills, reading, math facts, spelling and vocabulary day and/or night.

Children in elementary grades in Westerly, RI go to school from 8:45 to 3:15.  Many children who ride the bus are not home till 4pm, if not later (due to busing issues, but that's a different post).  This, in my opinion, doesn't leave a lot of time for family time.  Yet the school committee recommends a third-grade student have 40 to 50 minutes of homework per night, according to one third-grade teacher.   The National Education Association endorses the "10-minute rule" - 10 minutes of homework per grade.  This would mean a 3rd grader should have no more than 30 minutes of homework per night.

There is a lot of research on this topic; none of which is conclusive.  There are convincing points for homework, but how much?  I think children in elementary school need free time as well as families.  Research supports this line of thinking.  What is the overall benefit of homework versus what they lose.  Lets not forget the homework wars, the confusion and the anxiety.  

I think we need to stop and think quality over quantity.  There will be times where homework is needed, but not every night and not in the quantity we are seeing.

Thoughts to ponder.