From California’s 1901 homework ban to the pandemic-inspired anxieties of 2020, educators and families have consistently debated the importance of summer assignments. While summer homework can reduce academic setbacks, it often aggravates students during school break.
Summer Learning Loss
Many educators believe that summer homework is essential in order for students to preserve the knowledge they gained throughout the school year. Some have witnessed their students’ abilities decrease sharply after the summer time, a phenomenon known as “summer learning loss.”
Summer learning loss has been tested in several studies that seem to confirm its validity. In 2022, researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder found that i-Ready diagnostic test scores dropped significantly after summer break. Average scores indicated that students “lost” between 20% to 40% of the math they learned during the previous school year.
In 2024, the Northwestern Evaluation Association completed a meta-analysis of studies on summer learning loss, confirming decreases in standardized test scores. The group suggested summer programs to maintain exposure to educational content and aid in knowledge retention. Many teachers hope summer assignments will have the same effect for students who do not have access to summer programs.
Questioning Summer Homework
Homework has been challenged for years due to the accusation that it harms students’ mental health. California passed a total homework ban in 1901 due to fears that homework impeded extracurricular activities and worsened stress levels. Summer homework bears the brunt of this challenge because it falls on a school break.
Parents who question summer homework feel their worries have been validated as assignments continue to increase in length. In 2019, the Pew Research Center found that students spent roughly 40 minutes per day on homework in the month of July, about 20 minutes more than the 2009 estimate. Time spent on assignments cannot be spent engaging in typical summer activities.
A 2024 Washington Post article from the column “Brain Matters” proposed that summer work might not have the uniquely powerful academic benefits many hope for. Student learning can also be supported by more enjoyable activities like free-choice reading and logic-based board games, which flow easily into school breaks.
Similarly, a Boston University research article from 2022 argued that library access and instructional summer programs are the most effective influences on academic retention. Such programs would eliminate the need for assignments many students see as busy work.
Inequality in Academic Access During Summer
Summer learning loss is not a problem that all students face in equal measure. Almost every study on the subject includes a disclaimer that some students will see significant decreases in test scores or knowledge, while others will notice little change.
The American Federation of Teachers addressed the issue in 2018, arguing that the gap in summer learning loss was connected to differences in family income. Students in low-income families did not have access to the expensive academic summer programs wealthier students were often enrolled in, and typically lost all access to education during the summer break.
Students who had little to no access to academics over the summer were those with the highest displayed summer learning loss. As such, many teachers argued in favor of public schools providing summer assignments in the hopes that all students would have equal access to challenging practice material.
While well intentioned, such efforts to increase summer homework may not have had their expected impacts. In 2023, Vox’s “The Highlight” investigated whether or not homework clearly improved student learning. Multiple studies showed that homework completion was positively correlated with higher grades and with wealth.
If a high family income gives students the resources to attend private academic programs, it may also give them access to resources that make summer homework assignments easier to understand and complete. Some summer homework assignments are included in a student’s grade, meaning such resources can give wealthier students a GPA advantage.
Summary
The debate over summer homework is centered on a disagreement about what is best for student well-being. While some summer assignments prevent learning loss, they can also leave students overwhelmed and disengaged.
Due to the diverse and legitimate perspectives on the issue, the educational community has not yet come to an agreement on the necessity of summer homework. For now, many students will continue to complete their summer assignments like the generations before them.