Homework has long been a topic of social research, but relatively few studies have focused on the teacher’s role in the homework process. This article begins with a review of the purposes of homework that have been identified by educators in survey research, and in interviews and workshops on homework. We then draw from research to understand how homework completion, time on homework, and parental involvement inform and affect the teacher’s role in the homework process. Finally, we review the results of research on one new homework design- interactive homework- that teachers have implemented in language arts, math, and science to meet the specific purposes of improving student skills, increasing parent-teacher communication, and improving parent-child relations.