Homework has been a constant source of grumbles, groans and exaggerated sighs since the beginning of school itself. Recently, best-selling authors, parents and school board members from across the country have raised serious questions regarding the role of homework in the educational process. The necessity of homework and out-of-class assignments has been questioned: Do these lessons have any long-term benefit? How much homework is too much? What types of homework are appropriate? Should "life lessons" and family activities take precedence over textbook chapters and worksheets? The answers to these questions are not simple or easy, and research has proved inconclusive, but the one certainty is that the future of homework rests on effective compromises between teachers and students. Teachers must accept that their students have lives outside of the classroom and be understanding of the nightly pressures students face. A "my class is your only class" policy is unacceptable in today's world, for students must now meet the many demands of today's college admissions officers. The colleges say they want good grades as well as extracurricular activities and volunteer hours. Teachers who assign excessive, needless homework take a selfish attitude and hurt their students more than they help them. Homework should never be given for homework's sake. Assignments must have measurable benefits. Teachers must take the time to weed out the essential from the nonessential in order to respect their students' time. Conversely, students must realize the pressures that their teachers face and be responsive to out-of-class assignments. Teachers have an enormous amount of material to cover within a relatively short period of time and, with the ever-growing  importance of end-of-course testing, some form of homework must be incorporated into the learning process. Studies show the importance of repetition in order to create long-term retention, and students who wish to preform well during end-of-course tests must recognize the benefits of nightly review. Just as teachers put in overtime in order to grade papers and prepare for upcoming lessons, students must view homework as part of their "job" as students and be willing to put in extra hours outside of school. Students also have the responsibility of utilizing good time management skills. While teachers have to be appreciative of the time involved in participating in multiple extracurricular activities, students cannot expect to be involved in everything and simply have their teachers eliminate out-of-school work. Only through mutual respect will homework prove beneficial to the educational process.