California State Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, D-Chatsworth, has presented The Healthy Homework Act (AB 2999) to the Assembly Education Committee.

This legislation aimed at developing updated homework guidelines across California schools. Recognizing the critical link between homework and impacts to student stress and well-being, the bill will mandate local educational agencies, including school boards, to establish homework policies that support developmentally appropriate homework practices and consider impacts to mental and physical health, as well as educational equity.

AB 2999 also requires meaningful input from students, parents, teachers, administrators and school mental health workers.

“As a single parent, I know how stressful homework time can be for our kids and the entire family. The Healthy Homework Act is about ensuring that our homework policies are healthy for our kids, address the needs of the whole child, and also support family time, time to explore other extra-curricular interests and give students and families time to connect and recover from the day. So much has changed in the lives of kids but our homework policies often don’t adjust to reflect the changing needs of our students today,” said Schiavo. “We are in the middle of a student mental health crisis and the state is spending billions to try to support our students. We know homework is a top three stressor in kids’ overall lives and is often cited as the number one stressor, it’s critical we incorporate homework practices into this discussion to relieve student stress, especially with something we could profoundly impact almost overnight.”

AB 2999 requires school boards to develop policies that incorporate recent research findings when setting homework amounts, ensuring that homework supports student learning and well-being. Furthermore, the bill encourages policies that are developmentally appropriate based on grade level and consider if homework should be optional or not graded in order to reduce pressure on students. .

“As a teacher, my focus is always on best practices,” said Casey Cuny, Valencia High School English teacher and California Teacher of The Year. “This bill will create the space for districts and teachers to have intentional conversations about best practices for homework, which, in the end, will better serve our students.”

The findings in AB 2999 discuss current research on homework including; “Research has found that the quality of homework assignments is more important than the quantity of work assigned and that when pupils find homework interesting, relevant and valuable, they are more likely to complete it.

For elementary school pupils, research has found no correlation between the amount of time spent on homework and achievement; that is, pupils who completed more homework were no more likely than their peers to earn higher grades and scores in school.

For middle and high school pupils, research has found an increase in academic performance when middle school pupils did up to one hour of homework and high school pupils did up to two hours daily. But, significantly, these effects began to fade as pupils did more work, and more time spent on homework did not necessarily equate to higher academic achievement.”

Schiavo will officially announce the bill during a press conference scheduled on Wednesday, April 24, at 11 a.m. on the southwest side of the Capitol Building in Sacramento. In addition to Schiavo and Cuny, the event will feature key speakers, including AB 2999 Joint Author Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal, Stanford Graduate School of Education Professor Dr. Denise Pope, Schiavo’s daughter Sofia and other students who will discuss their experience, current research and the necessity of this legislation.