Now as we all know, it has long been the habit in many countries that teachers give homework to school children of all ages. Despite the fact that a minority of educators don't agree with this practice, it has never seriously been questioned or challenged before. However, it may be that the tide is turning. These days, more people are becoming convinced that homework is of virtually no benefit, particularly for children in the younger age group. So, why have teachers always given homework? Well, the answer seems to be because they are obliged to. Most teachers don't really believe it has any real value. And the latest research supports the teachers' feelings about this. Not only does homework have very little impact on children's learning but it also puts unnecessary obligations and responsibilities onto the parents. These days not all families have the time or the necessary knowledge to help their offspring. So it would seem that now, senior educators want to start a new initiative. Rather than giving homework, they plan to encourage reading books of any kind, just reading, and they claim that this is a far more effective method of consolidating learning than wading through piles of written homework.