Source
Los Angeles Times
Summary
Howard Blume explores how the rise of artificial intelligence is forcing educators to reconsider the value of homework. According to the College Board, 84 per cent of U.S. high school students now use AI for schoolwork, leading some teachers to abandon homework entirely while others redesign tasks to make AI misuse harder. Educators such as Alyssa Bolden in Inglewood now require handwritten essays to limit AI reliance, while others emphasise in-class mastery over at-home repetition. Experts warn that poorly designed homework, amplified by AI, risks undermining learning and widening inequality. Yet research suggests students still benefit from meaningful, creative assignments that foster independence, time management, and deeper understanding. The article concludes that AI hasn’t made homework obsolete—it has exposed the need for better, more purposeful learning design.
Key Points
- 84 per cent of U.S. high school students use AI for schoolwork, up from 79 per cent earlier in 2025.
- Teachers are divided: some have scrapped homework, while others are redesigning it to resist AI shortcuts.
- AI challenges traditional measures of academic effort and authenticity.
- Experts urge teachers to create engaging, meaningful assignments that deepen understanding.
- Poorly designed homework can increase stress and widen learning gaps, particularly across socioeconomic lines.
- The consensus: students don’t need more homework—they need better homework.
Keywords
URL
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-10-25/homework-useless-existential-crisis-ai
Summary generated by ChatGPT 5
