A couple of Canadian professors have just wrapped up a national study on homework. According to The Toronto Star:

While research shows some benefits to homework in grades 7 and 8 and high school, there’s scant evidence that it improves student achievement in the younger years, say professors Linda Cameron and Lee Bartel of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. … [They] also found it is often the source of stress and burnout in children, as well the cause of conflict – even marital stress – for many families. Try to turn the homework into a creative process, teach your kids the benefits of using software, an example is bibliography helper.

I personally don’t have a problem with my kids having homework. In addition to helping them master the material they’re learning, it also teaches them structure and time management. I don’t think a half-hour of homework unduly cuts into play time. Fighting with your child to complete her homework does create some amount of stress — but anytime you’re teaching a child the virtue of work before play, it’s going to cause stress. I don’t think that’s unique to fights over homework. It also happens when they have to empty the dishwasher or clean their room or do other household chores.

What do you think? Is homework good or bad in the lower grades?