Many Students Find Schoolwork 'Too Easy,' Report Says

Drawing on a rich set of student-survey data, the Center for American Progress cites some alarming statistics in the report, released today. Many students, it seems, find their schoolwork is just too easy.

For example, a full 57 percent of 8th grade history students say their work is often or always too easy. Fifty-one percent of 8th graders say the same about civics. The result is better for elementary math, but still cause for concern: 37 percent of 4th graders say their math work is often or always too easy. (The math figure does decline as students get older, dropping to 29 percent at 8th grade and 22 percent in high school.)

“Images of sullen students buried in textbooks often grace the covers of popular parenting magazines, while well-heeled suburban teenagers often complain they have to work the hours of a corporate lawyer in order to finish their school projects and homework assignments,” write co-authors Ulrich Boser and Lindsay Rosenthal of the Center for American Progress. Instead, they suggest that these images belie the reality for many students.

“If students are going to succeed in the competitive global economy, they need to be exposed to a rigorous curriculum,” they write. “But many students believe their classwork is too easy.”