Psychologist: 'A Lot Of Families Feel Pretty Stressed By Homework'

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A psychologist warns that excessive homework creates stress for children and families.

Speaking to "CBS This Morning" on Wednesday, Lisa Damour that a child can easily get overwhelmed doing homework following a long day of school.

"I think a lot of families feel pretty stressed by homework, especially when it is excessive," Damour said. "And I think you have kids who have a long day at school and to come home and then feel to tackle a pile of homework and then for parents who come home from their long day and then have to lean on a child to tackle a pile of homework, it's not so fun."

Damour explained that data shows "more homework doesn't mean more achievement" before the seventh grade. However, between seventh and 12th grades, more homework contributes to more achievement to a point.

"So for middle schoolers, after about 90 minutes a night the benefit drops off," Damour told "CBS This Morning." "And then for high schoolers, somewhere between an hour-and-a-half and two-and-a-half hours a night, the benefit drops off."

Damour said the recommendation has been ten minutes of homework per grade, so for example ten minutes for first grade, 20 minutes for second grade, 30 minutes for third grade, and so on.

The psychologist stated that one of the main reasons teachers assign so much homework is because the pressure they are under.

"Part of the excess that we're seeing is that we're in an era of high-stakes testing and teachers are under pressure, which means students will be under pressure," Damour said. "But it does stress kids and it does stress families."

Homework has become a part of the national discussion recently after Brandy Young, a second-grade teacher in Godley, Texas, wrote a note to parents that went viral explaining why she is doing away with homework.

"After must research this summer, I am trying something new. Homework will only consist of work that your student did not finish during the school day. There will be no formally assigned homework this year," Young wrote, adding that she would like parents to read to their children and get them to bed early.

"If something's not working as an educator, you need to change it. You're here to help these kids," Young told CBS News. "Young elementary students don't need pencil and paperwork after they leave the classroom."

Damour said parents should reach out to teachers if children feel like a "terrible battle is about to unfold" while doing homework.

"If a child is really overwhelmed by the homework, or can't manage the homework, I think that for younger grades maybe the parent should reach out to the school. I think for older grades, we'd like to see the child take that initiative," Damour told "CBS This Morning." "In my experience teachers want to help. Teachers don't know what's going on in our homes. So I think if things aren't going well at home, families should reach out to the teacher. All teachers will want to find a solution for that."

Young's letter has been shared more than 72,000 times.