Who Invented Homework?

Ever Thought Who Invented Homework?

The truth is not that simple. Let’s bust some myths, get to the facts, and find out who’s really responsible for making Homework a Thing! When I googled it for the first time, I found the name Roberto Nevilis. An Italian Teacher created it in 1905. But then I read a thread on Reddit.

Some people were saying that homework has been around since ancient times. But does it really matter? If I had that car from Back to the Future…The first thing I will do is get back in time and stop homework from ever being invented. But let’s not point fingers and get into the real history because it’s more interesting (and messier) than you might expect.

By the end of this blog, you’ll know exactly who made homework a thing, why it caught on, and how it became such an important part of school life around the world.

So, Did Roberto Nevilis Really Invent Homework?

If you ever googled “Who Invented Homework?” Chances are, you’ve seen the name Roberto Nevilis pop up. According to internet legend, he was an Italian teacher who introduced homework back in 1905 as a way to punish lazy students.

Sounds pretty believable, right? Unfortunately, it’s more of a myth than a fact.

The reason I’m saying that there’s no solid evidence that Roberto Nevilis ever existed. At least not in any official records related to education. It was just an internet rumor and spread like wildfire because, let’s face it. Blaming one person and cursing him for all the hell that we’ve been through is kind of satisfying.

In reality, this idea of homework has been around for a while long before 1905. So, while it might be fun to sound intelligent among your friends, however, the truth is that he probably didn’t even know about homework. But don’t worry, as we go further, we will study some figures who actually played their role in making homework what it is today.

A Bit Further Back – Where Did Homework Start?

Long before textbooks and Zoom classes, the idea of homework was already there. So, if you think about who invented homework or, more specifically, who invented school homework, then the actual idea goes way back then 1905 and Roberto Nevilis.

Some of the earliest signs of “home tasks” show up in ancient Greece and Rome. Back then, education was available for everyone, but the rich families or royals used to send their boys to teachers… for them to learn about the world. In those early days, teachers expected their students to learn and practice education outside work. One name that pops up is Pliny the Younger, a Roman author and tutor.

He encouraged a lot of students to continue learning and sharpen their skills at home. It wasn’t called homework back then, but the main idea was the same. To learn something and then practice it back at home.

Over time, the formal education system started to develop, especially in Europe. This concept evolved into something more structured. That’s when school homework started to take shape…which was way before it was ever added to a student planner as a necessity.

Meet Horace Mann—The Guy Who Brought Homework to Schools

If you want me to name someone who gave homework the importance it has today. It would probably be the Horace Mann. He was not someone who invented Homework, but making it a core part of the education system was definitely his work. Mann was an American educator and Reformer in the 1800s, often called the “Father of Public Education.” 

But where did he get this idea from? The Prussian education system inspired Horace Mann, the first system ever to take schooling seriously as a structured state-run program. And guess what was the main part of the system? Yup – Homework.

The Prussians believed in discipline, routine, and learning both in and outside the classroom. Mann saw this model during his travels in Europe and brought those ideas back with him, advocating for similar practices in U.S. schools. That included regular assignments for students to do at home—especially to reinforce what they learned in class.

So, while Mann didn’t create homework from scratch, he definitely helped normalize it. Thanks to him, homework went from an optional study tool to a standard expectation in classrooms across Europe and North America.