A、Heavy homework loads. B、Long hours’ work without play. C、Carrying heavy backpacks. D、None of the above. C

Ask any kid about homework, and you’ll get the same response: There is too much of it, and too much of it is worthless.
    Ah, kids. What do they know?
    Maybe more than you think.
    The push ’for high standards in American education has driven schools to pile on the homework. Twenty years ago elementary school children averaged 85 minutes of homework a night, according to a University of Michigan study. Today that’s grown to more than two hours a night, a 50 percent increase.
    That’s not the only thing that’s grown. So have the number of children who report having back, shoulder and neck pain as a result of hauling back packs heavy with homework, according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeon.
    Results are mixed. The U.S. Department of Education tests progress in math, reading and science under a program called the National Assessment of Educational Progress. And in the twenty years, while fourth-graders have made moderate improvements in math and science, reading scores actually have declined slightly.
    Junior and senior high students have made better gains in test scores. But despite that, a vocal anti-homework movement has emerged the last few years that argues that too much homework takes away from important family time and actually creates a counterproductive backlash in some students who simply get tired of the grind. What’s more, they argue, few studies have established any concrete benefits to heavy homework loads.