The End of Homework

With the publication of The End of Homework, Etta Kralovec and John Buell touched off a heated debate in American culture. Their provocative argument, featured in Time and Newsweek, in numerous women's magazines, and on National Public Radio and many television broadcasts, was the first openly to challenge the gospel of "the more homework, the better." Arguing that, in assigning massive amounts of homework, teachers and schools are essentially abdicating their responsibility to teach, the authors advocate forcefully for protecting the leisure time of children and the precious resource of family time. "Kralovec and Buell argue persuasively for a fresh look at the homework debate...A compelling case for the idea that there are 'educational mechanisms in place that serve to make the system less workable for poor and working-class kids.'" --Publishers Weekly

Etta Kralovec, a recent Fulbright Fellow, took her Ed.D. from Teachers College, Columbia University. She was a high school teacher for over twelve years and professor of education and director of teacher education at the College of the Atlantic for eleven years.

John Buell, author of Democracy by Other Means and Sustainable Democracy, took his Ph.D. from the University of Massachusetts. He has taught at the College of the Atlantic.