ABSTRACT
During the twentieth century, homework was the subject of numerous discussions and controversies that cropped up periodically in the media in every country including Canada (Deslandes 2007, 2008a, b; Tablor 1996). Homework was also the object of recriminations on the part of various groups of school actors. For example, the homework policy draft document presented recently to Toronto’s public school board (Ontario, Canada), the result of weeks of consultations with thousands of parents, teachers, principals and community members, made requests varying from: ‘homework should cover only material taught in class’ to ‘teachers should assign homework in “blocks” – that is, a week at a time – so that parents and students have the fl exibility to complete homework when they prefer’, and ‘parents should support their children, but not do their homework’ (Rushowy 2008). Parents complain about their children having to stay up too late to complete work, about holidays being ruined because of school work, and about inconsistency among schools.
