I'm among the group that has trouble questioning the validity of homework so I tried to approach this article with an open mind. I have some questions regarding

I'm among the group that has trouble questioning the validity of homework so I tried to approach this article with an open mind. I have some questions regarding what's actually being measured and over what period. In particular how did they conclude that homework is harmful to students? They mention that homework becomes helpful around highschool age. To me it seems that could have as much to do with students having had several years of doing homework to learn how to work effectively alone as it does with the homework being different. Are we sure that by banning homework at an early age we wouldn't be depriving them of the opportunity to get good at working alone and reap benefits later? That's an effect you'd see if the study was conducted over 10 years but not if it was conducted over a single year.