I don't think homework helps children. I say that from experience. I have had my children in Public school and home schooled them. The only reason they have homework is all the time wasted in Public School. If the children are given the time to do the work there is no home work.
Education is important but so is down time and play time. We overwhelm our children to pass a test and stress them out unnecessarily. When children have a more balanced life they are happy. That is actually the bigger issue in my book is that we are no longer teaching children how to learn, it is all about passing a test, not true learning. Ask a child to look something up they don't know, most can't do it. They don't know how to research because they have stop teaching children how to learn.