[JavaBrewer]

Schools today EXPECT that kids know the alphabet before entering kindergarten and can read simple words like Mom, Dad, Pig, Cow, etc... My daughter was reading by the end of kindergarten and my son in 1st grade. In the 60's I remember we learned the alphabet in 1st grade and started reading in 2nd-3rd grade. My son, in 4th grade, has ~ 2 hours of homework (1 hr study, 1 hr reading) nightly. If he stays in during lunch hour he usually knocks out the study portion before the end of class.

We read to our kids everyday when they were toddlers. Homework for kids is about learning good study habits and managing priorities. The key is to gauge the amount of work so that they still have time to be kids. Personally I never liked reading as a kid and my son was following in my footsteps. It's my wife who pushed the issue and taught him to enjoy reading. He now enjoys picking a book at the library and reading it at home. If you expect the school to do all that then you're in for a sad experience.

A simple analogy. My son has played baseball for 5 seasons now. Spring ball just had their draft and first practices start this weekend. There are two distinct levels of kids, ones who can really play well and those that can't. The ones who excel do so because of the extra effort invested by the kid and parents beyond what they get from the team. The kids who don't practice outside the team rarely become the exceptional player. Parents should not rely on the team to "teach" their kid baseball skills like hitting and fielding. That is the parents job. The team is there to organize the games and get kids together.