Here's an idea I'll throw out.

It seems that the HW load that's given to kids goes in cycles over the course of a decade or so, from almost none, to overwhelmed, back to almost none. It seems like my kids had copious quantities of HW from EVERY class without much of a break. That's not a problem, per se, but I thought much of the HW was more busy work than actually geared towards the advancement of learning. I'm guessing that every teacher got the same one-size-fits-all lecture about how the kids need more busy work to keep them out of trouble.

What if the education system identified core elements of an education: math, science, economics (how to manage a personal budget), history, English etc., and allow relevant HW to be given. But also identify non-core aspects of an education and limit the amount of HW that's allowed to be given. It seems that kids are swamped with HW from elective classes, that really won't advance a "basic education" in life, but it takes away from the available HW time for core competencies.

Just some random ideas. Thoughts?