I believe homework gives and teaches the student responsiblity but too much homework can damage this. When a child is in the younger grades (K-2) they should have a very minimal amount of homework. They need to take something home every now and then to let parents know they are learning and to start instilling responsibility. Once the child gets into the middle lower grades (3-4), the homework should pick up a little. Having one worksheet with a few problems on it for review each day again instills responsibility and keeps the parents informed. My little boy is in 3rd grade right now and has a spelling worksheet each night to work on, his word of the day, and spelling words. This amount is perfect. It takes him about 30-40 mins a night to complete the homework. It is preparing him for future study habits. Every once in awhile he'll have another worksheet or some other homework assignment but it is not overwhelming. The 3rd grade teachers do a wonderful job on the amount of homework they assign. Then in the upper elementary gradess (5-6) the homework should increase even more to help prepare the students for 7-12 grades. If students go without homework in elementary school, they are going to have a very hard time learning study habits and responsibility in the upper grades. But once the student reaches high school, the homework should not be so overwhelming that it stresses the students out. Having a few problems a night in each class is great review, but having 50-60 problems a night in each class will only create problems for the student and the family.