Who Invented Homework and Why: A Guide to the HW History

If you look up the history of homework, probably the first thing you will find is a cautionary tale of an Italian teacher, Roberto Nevilis, who came up with the concept of homework in 1905 as a punishment for rude, misbehaved, and lazy students.

The real story is much different. HW didn’t start as a punishment or torture instrument. It was intended as a practice tool. There were two essential elements to it:

1. Practice. Homework started as a repetition instrument. It had to encourage students to practice the obtained knowledge and skills on their own time and at their own pace. And repetition is still thought to be the key to information retention.
2. Discipline. Secondly, homework is intended to foster discipline. It aimed to train students to be responsible and complete tasks in a timely manner and without supervision. You can think of it as a training of essential life skills to produce accountable and obedient citizens.

Despite the fast-spreading myth of Roberto Nevilis, history tells us that homework wasn’t invented by a single, mean teacher seeking to punish his students. In reality, its creation was much longer and involved multiple people.

The concept of homework dates back to ancient educational systems. It has gone through multiple cultures and reforms to take the form we know now, a topic that today is often discussed even through homework memes reflecting students’ attitudes toward learning.

At different stages of its evolution, the concept of homework was reassessed and improved by multiple people. In particular, we can track three notable figures who have started homework and turned it into an educational tool that we know today.

If we’re talking about the first homework as we know it (aka mandatory for everyone), we can give credit for it to Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762—1814).

Fichte was a German philosopher and one of the founders of German idealism. One of his core ideas was building a strong, unified Germany fueled by hard-working, well-educated citizens.

To give the state power over citizens and make them obedient, Fichte helped develop the Volksschulen (People’s Schools) with mandatory homework that was intended to teach students responsibility and self-management.

While Fichte invented mandatory homework, its early forms can be traced back to Ancient Rome. Its mentions were found in the writings of Pliny the Younger (61—112 CE). So, he can also be called the inventor of homework, though in a different form.

Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus (full name of Pliny the Younger) was a Roman lawyer, author, and magistrate.

When he taught oratory art, he encouraged students to practice public speaking beyond the classroom. He believed that active practice helps strengthen skills and build confidence.

So, homework was encouraged in Ancient Rome and became mandatory in Germany. But who was the person who invented homework in the United States?

It’s Horace Mann (1796—1859). Mann was an American educational reformer and politician. He’s mainly known as the “Father of Public Education.”

In the 1840s, Horace Mann spent some time in Prussia and was so impressed by the German educational system that he brought this idea back to the U.S. Eventually, Mann made homework an essential element of the American education system.

The most widespread story about a man who came up with the idea of homework and made it widespread is the story of Roberto Nevilis, a teacher in a Venetian school. If you look up the history of homework creation on the internet, you can find many variations of this story.

The most popular one says that Nevilis came up with the idea in 1905 to punish rude and lazy students who didn’t participate in the learning process.

According to a less radical story, Roberto Nevilis didn’t want to punish students but was seeking an opportunity to expand the use of education beyond classrooms and encourage students to reinforce their knowledge.

Yet, both of these stories are nothing more than myths. Why? Because there is no evidence that this figure even existed! There are no credible sources that would provide valid facts about Roberto Nevilis or his story. On the contrary, this tale contradicts some facts that we know.

For example, if we look back at the Political Code of the State of California, it passed a law banning homework in grades 1-8 in 1901. It wouldn’t be possible if homework were invented by Nevilis in 1905.

Horace Mann brought the idea of mandatory homework, first invented in Germany, to the US back in the 1840s. Since that time, its application in the US school system has undergone multiple changes.

Let’s briefly review the key events in the history of homework in America:

• The 1900s. The first official homework ban was passed by the government of California. It prohibited homework for children under 15 years to prevent a negative impact on their health.
• The 1930s. The American Child Health Association (ACHA) deemed homework a form of child labor, which made it legally unjustified in schools. However, it remained a part of college programs.
• The 1940s-1950s. The US Progressive Era required a reform in the public education system and reinforcement of learning. That’s where homework returned, but became more diversified and personalized.
• The 2000s. The newly formed US Department of Education (1979) strives to continuously uplevel American education and still believes in the importance of homework. However, it aims to develop a justified homework reduction plan to address the growing students’ self-reported stress levels.

Today, homework remains a hot and controversial topic in the US. Students now have access to a wealth of resources and assisting tools like a math AI solver, editing software, and others that can simplify schoolwork. Still, their stress rates exceed 70%, and homework is the primary factor.

Now that you know who invented homework, there is one more question left to answer – does it actually improve the quality of education or not?

The long history of homework is filled with controversies. While it has been used as a tool to reinforce learning and improve students’ outcomes, it was also banned and reduced at different points in history due to adverse effects on students’ physical and mental health.

These controversies show that it can both help the learning process and cause harm, which is why it remains a hot topic.

Let’s outline the main advantages and disadvantages.

Multiple studies, including the latest research by Johns Hopkins School of Education, emphasize a number of positive effects of homework:

• Reinforcing classroom knowledge. Studies confirm that repetition helps move information from short-term to long-term memory, making it easier to retrieve.
• Critical thinking. Different assignment types challenge students to critically assess the information they obtain, teaching them how to analyze and reflect on data.
• Time management. At-school commitments have been shown to improve students’ time management skills and teach planning, resource allocation, and completing tasks without supervision.
• Lifelong skills. The primary skills students acquire while doing homework, such as research, critical assessment, and problem-solving, are the baseline skills they will need in life.
• Fostering curiosity. Exploring new concepts and tackling challenges in homework can spark curiosity in students, encouraging lifelong learning and self-growth.
• Developing creativity. Certain assignment types require students to find novel approaches and solutions, hence, stimulating their creative potential.

Despite tangible benefits, many studies also confirm the negative effects of homework on students, such as:

• Increased stress levels. Recent surveys reveal that over 70% of students experience ongoing, school-related stress, and the majority state that homework is the primary stress factor. Less than 1% of students don’t find homework stressful.
• Adverse health impacts. Excessive homework load tends to take up most of students’ free time and lead to a sedentary lifestyle. On top of that, Stanford research found a link between homework and such health issues as sleep deprivation, fatigue, headaches, and stomach problems.
• Developmental and social limitations. Multiple studies show that spending too much time on homework holds students back from socializing and developing personally. Students focused on academic achievements often isolate themselves from family and friends and drop their extracurricular pursuits.
• Undermining self-confidence. Students often get stuck on tasks. This can greatly undermine self-confidence and lead to adverse academic outcomes.

Homework has a long history in education. One of the notable figures who started homework, Pliny the Younger, intended it as an auxiliary tool for reinforcing knowledge gained in the classroom and building confidence. Later, it grew into a tool for establishing discipline and building a strong and obedient society in Germany.

From the time the concept of homework was brought to the US to this date, it has been abolished and restored multiple times. And it still remains a hot and controversial topic, especially when students struggle with specific subjects and ask questions like why is geometry so hard.

There is still no single answer to this question. On the one hand, homework has been around for such a long time because it really helps improve knowledge retention, build crucial life skills, and even stimulate creativity. On the other hand, it causes excessive stress, harms students’ health, and puts additional social and developmental limitations.

The answer lies in the balance. When there is too much homework, many students feel obligated to prioritize it over everything else, which causes stress and other issues. It also gradually becomes something that students do just to score points.

However, balancing the amount of homework can help students gain the benefits of homework without the disadvantages counteracting them.