A Review of the Implementation Effect of the "Double Reduction"

Policy in Beijing

Chenlei Ma

School of Politics and International Studies, University of Leeds, Woodhouse Lane, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 9TJ, U.K.

Keywords: Education, After-School Homework, Double Reduction Policy.

Abstract: This study examines the implementation of the "Double Reduction" policy in Beijing from four aspects:

homework burden, off-campus training, after-school services, and teachers’ workload. Findings show that the

policy has achieved initial results, such as shorter home-work time, fewer training institutions, and wider

after-school service coverage. However, challenges remain, including hidden homework, persistent parental

anxiety, continued "shadow education," and increased pressure on teachers. To improve outcomes, the study

recommends building a long-term mechanism by refining assessment systems, enhancing after-school service

quality, strengthening teacher support, and guiding parents toward a rational view of education, aiming to

promote both equity and quality in education.

1 INTRODUCTION

In recent years, the field of basic education in China

has been confronted with severe challenges. Problems

such as excessive academic burden on students,

excessive expansion of the off-campus training

market, and uneven distribution of educational

resources have gradually emerged. Many primary and

secondary school students spend far more time

studying than the international average daily.

Excessive homework time and high-intensity after-

school tutoring have become common phenomena in

students' growth process. This excessive educational

competition not only affects students' physical and

mental health, but also intensifies the economic

burden on families, making the "score-only"

approach dominant in society and causing widespread

"educational anxiety" among parents. Meanwhile, the

excessive intervention of the capital market in the off-

campus training industry has led to the rapid

expansion of subject-based training institutions,

creating a trend of "intra-competition in after-school

tutoring", which has further exacerbated the problem

of educational inequality. Against this backdrop, in

order to fundamentally address the issue of excessive

academic burden on students, the government has

introduced the "Double Reduction" policy, namely

the "Opinions on Further Reducing the Homework

Burden and Off-Campus Training Burden of Students

in the Compulsory Education Stage", which was

officially released by the General Office of the

Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

and The General Office of the State Council in July

2021(General Office of the Central Committee of the

Communist Party of China and General Office of the

State Council, 2021). The core objective of the

"Double Reduction" policy is to alleviate the

homework burden and off-campus training burden on

primary and secondary school students, to optimize

the basic education ecosystem and promote

educational equity. As one of the regions in China

with the most concentrated educational resources,

Beijing is not only representative in the

implementation of the "Double reduction" policy, but

also faces more complex challenges due to its high-

density distribution of educational resources and a

high-intensity educational competition environment.

Therefore, this study takes Beijing as a case to

explore the implementation effect of the "Double

reduction" policy in this region. This article focuses

on four aspects: the reduction of homework burden,

the rectification of off-campus training institutions,

the optimization of after-school services, and the

adjustment of teachers' work. It systematically

reviews the research on the implementation of

policies in the existing literature and analyzes the

impact of policies on different groups, such as

students, parents, and teachers, in the actual

implementation process. This study systematically

296

Ma, C.

A Review of the Implementation Effect of the "Double Reduction" Policy in Beijing.

DOI: 10.5220/0014373500004859

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Politics, Law, and Social Science (ICPLSS 2025), pages 296-300

ISBN: 978-989-758-785-6

analyzes the current implementation status of the

"Double Reduction" policy in Beijing, clarifies the

policy's effectiveness and its impact on different

groups, and provides a reference for future policy

optimization. Meanwhile, pay attention to the new

problems emerging in the implementation of the

policy, such as "hidden homework", the shift of

parents' educational anxiety, and the rise of "shadow

education", which have significant impacts on the

long-term effect of the policy. In addition, a

comprehensive analysis of the successful experiences

and shortcomings of Beijing's "double reduction"

policy is conducted to provide references for other

regions and offer empirical support for future

educational reforms.

2 METHODS

This study mainly employs qualitative analysis to

systematically sort out and comprehensively analyze

the collected literature materials. Firstly, literature

searches were conducted in Chinese and English

databases such as CNKI and Google Scholar with

keywords like "Double Reduction policy",

"homework burden", "off-campus training", and

"Beijing's education policy". Select CSSCI journals,

core Chinese journals, authoritative journals in the

field of education, and official policy documents

issued by the government as the literature sources.

Subsequently, thematic analysis was adopted for the

selected literature to systematically code and classify

the contents of the literatures from the perspectives of

specific policy measures (homework burden,

rectification of off-campus training, optimization of

after-school services, adjustment of teachers' work)

and different stakeholder groups (students, parents,

teachers). Sort out the main viewpoints of the

literature and the conclusions of empirical research.

Finally, by using the method of inductive analysis, the

author deeply explores and summarize the core

themes that repeatedly occur in the existing research,

distill the effects, existing problems and future

research trends in the implementation of the "double

reduction" policy in Beijing, and put forward

corresponding research conclusions and suggestions.

3 RESULTS

The specific measures of Beijing's "Double

Reduction" policy mainly involve four aspects,

namely, reducing the burden of homework,

rectification measures for off-campus training

institutions, optimization measures for after-school

services, and adjustment measures for teachers' work:

3.1 Reduce the Workload

First, Beijing strictly implements the specific

regulations on reducing homework burden in the

"Double Reduction" policy, clearly stipulating that

the daily written homework time for primary school

students should not exceed 60 minutes, and for junior

high school students, it should not exceed 90 minutes

(Jing 2025). After the policy was introduced, schools

in Beijing responded positively. By reducing

mechanical repetitive tasks and promoting innovative

forms of tasks such as stratified tasks, inquiry-based

tasks and practical tasks, they attempted to truly

reduce the burden from both the "quantity" and

"quality" dimensions (He, 2025; Peng et al., 2025).

For instance, existing literature has clearly pointed

out that some high-quality schools in the Beijing area

have begun to popularize the "stratified homework"

model, that is, providing homework of different

difficulty levels based on the ability differences of

different students, which effectively improves the

homework efficiency of students and avoids the

repetition of simple and mechanical homework (Peng

et al., 2025). In addition, some studies have found that

the inquiry-based assignments promoted in some

schools in Beijing (such as research projects and

group collaborative projects, etc.) not only reduce the

amount of homework but also improve students'

autonomous learning ability to a certain extent,

achieving relatively positive results initially (Peng et

al., 2025). However, some studies have pointed out

that there are still obvious deficiencies and problems

in the implementation of measures to reduce the

workload. For instance, after some schools reduced

the total amount of homework, they assigned "hidden

homework" in the form of online check-in tasks,

extracurricular reading, etc., resulting in the actual

academic pressure borne by students not truly

decreasing (Wu and Wang 2024; Zhang 2024). After

the reduction of homework, parents' concerns about

their children's declining grades have intensified, and

family education anxiety has instead shown an

increasing trend to a certain extent (Wang, 2024).

3.2 Rectification Measures for

Off-Campus Training Institutions

The "Double Reduction" policy in Beijing clearly

stipulates strict supervision over off-campus training

institutions for academic subjects, requiring that such

A Review of the Implementation Effect of the "Double Reduction" Policy in Beijing

297

training must be transformed into non-profit

organizations and not engage in capitalization

operations or teaching beyond the curriculum, to curb

the overheated education market and unfair

competition (Wang and Huang, 2024). After the

implementation of the policy, many off-campus

training institutions for academic subjects in Beijing

are facing closure or transformation. According to

existing research findings, in the short term after the

implementation of the policy, the scale of after-school

training institutions shrank rapidly, which indeed

alleviated the expenditure pressure of parents on

after-school training (Zhao, 2024; Liu, 2024).

However, relevant literature also points out that these

rectification measures have brought about new

problems, namely, the phenomenon of "shadow

education" has begun to stand out: some parents have

started to seek private tutoring, one-on-one online

tutoring and small-scale high-end after-school

tutoring. The after-school tutoring market has shifted

from bright to dark, further highlighting the

imbalance in the distribution of educational resources

(Li, 2024).

3.3 Optimization Measures for

After-School Services

To support the "Double Reduction" policy, the

Beijing Municipal Government has clearly stipulated

that schools in the compulsory education stage should

provide free and diverse after-school services to

extend students' time at school and meet their diverse

learning needs (Xue and Li, 2024). Existing studies

generally hold that after-school services have indeed

alleviated the problem of parents taking care of their

children before work hours to a certain extent and

have provided a rich variety of extracurricular

activities, including art, sports and technological

innovation. The quality of after-school services and

student satisfaction in some schools have also

gradually improved (Xue and Li, 2024). However, the

research also points out that the after-school services

provided by schools in Beijing still have the problem

of uneven quality. Some schools' after-school

services are still limited to simple "self-study

management" and have failed to effectively replace

after-school tutoring, especially in areas with

insufficient educational resources (Xue and Li, 2024).

3.4 Measures for Adjusting Teachers'

Work

The "Double Reduction" policy in Beijing clearly

regulates teachers' homework assignments, prohibits

teachers from assigning punitive and overly repetitive

homework, and at the same time encourages teachers

to improve classroom teaching efficiency through

training and teaching research activities (Shen, 2024;

Zhu, 2024). However, during the implementation of

the policy, some studies have found that although

most teachers recognize the positive value of

reducing students' homework burden, in the specific

implementation, many teachers have indicated that

the pressure of classroom teaching has increased,

teaching tasks have become more intensive, the pace

of classroom teaching has significantly accelerated,

and the teaching effect is difficult to guarantee (He,

2024). For instance, in the early stage of the policy

implementation, some teachers in Beijing reported

that due to the limitation of homework volume, the

classroom teaching tasks were overly concentrated.

They needed to ensure the teaching progress by

compressing the classroom explanation time or

reducing the interaction time with students. However,

the actual working pressure did not ease but increased

instead (He, 2024; Song and Xu, 2024). In addition,

the policy has also increased the tasks and

responsibilities of teachers in after-school care. The

working hours of teachers have been significantly

extended, which has also led to a certain degree of job

burnout and dissatisfaction among some teachers

(Song and Xu, 2024).

To sum up, in the process of implementing the

"Double Reduction" policy, Beijing has achieved

certain results in controlling homework burden,

rectifying off-campus training institutions and

providing after-school services. In particular, the

significant reduction in homework volume and the

popularization of after-school services in schools

have effectively reduced the obvious academic

burden on students and their families in the initial

stage. However, many literatures shave pointed out

that there are still new problems in the

implementation of policies, such as the actual

learning pressure of students not decreasing but

increasing, the intensification of parents' anxiety, the

underground transfer of "shadow education", and the

increased pressure on teachers in classroom teaching.

These problems and challenges deserve continuous

attention and in-depth study by future policymakers

and researchers.

4 DISCUSSION

4.1 Limitations and Challenges

After systematically sorting out and analyzing the

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relevant literature on the implementation effect of the

"Double Reduction" policy in Beijing, this study

found that although the policy has initially achieved

the original intention of reducing the academic

burden of middle school students, it has also shown

relatively obvious limitations and challenges. Firstly,

in terms of the reduction of homework burden, most

studies show that the duration of written homework

in primary and secondary schools in Beijing has

significantly shortened after the implementation of

the policy, and students' daily study time has

decreased, especially in schools with better policy

implementation. This point is widely recognized.

However, the study also pointed out that some

schools have the problem of superficial forms of

homework. That is, although the total amount of

homework has decreased, some "hidden homework"

(such as additional reading tasks and online learning

check-in tasks) has instead increased the burden of

students' autonomous learning, resulting in the

anxiety of some parents not being effectively

alleviated. Secondly, relevant research on after-

school services indicates that after the

implementation of the "Double reduction" policy in

Beijing, free after-school care services have been

widely promoted, which, to a certain extent, has

replaced the additional after-school tutoring needs of

families. However, existing studies have also

generally pointed out that the content and quality of

after-school services in schools in Beijing vary

significantly at present. Some schools still mainly

focus on simple self-study and video-watching,

failing to effectively meet the actual needs of parents

and students, nor achieve the expected results of the

policy. Furthermore, in the research on the

rectification measures of the off-campus training

market, it was found that although the supervision of

subject-based training institutions in Beijing was

strict and effective, and many institutions were forced

to close or transform, the phenomenon of "shadow

education" began to emerge and gradually emerged.

Some studies have pointed out that high-income

families conduct disguised tutoring through

underground private tutors, small-scale high-end

tutorial classes or online private education, etc.,

which leads to a more prominent imbalance of

educational resources among different families. This

phenomenon further strengthens the existing

educational competition pattern and may bring about

new issues of educational equity. Finally, in terms of

adjusting teachers' work, Beijing's policies explicitly

prohibit teachers from assigning punitive or excessive

mechanical repetitive homework, while advocating

that teachers enhance the efficiency and quality of

classroom teaching. Relevant research points out that

although teachers generally recognize the positive

orientation of this policy, many teachers report that

the classroom teaching tasks, and work pressure have

not been reduced. Instead, they feel more burdened

due to the increased workload of after-school

services. Teachers still face many difficulties in

adapting to policy adjustments and need further

support from government departments. Based on the

above discussion, this review holds that the

implementation of the "Double Reduction" policy in

Beijing has made certain progress in reducing

homework hours and regulating the training market.

However, in terms of alleviating students' actual

academic pressure, reducing parents' educational

anxiety, and optimizing teachers' working conditions,

further deepening of reforms is still needed.

4.2 Future Research

The optimization of the future "double reduction"

policy should focus on establishing a long-term

mechanism and strengthening supporting reforms.

Specific measures include: improving the

examination and evaluation system, reducing

excessive focus on scores, emphasizing the

evaluation of students' comprehensive qualities, and

guiding parents and students to establish correct

educational concepts; Enhance support for teachers'

professional development, provide more training and

resources for teachers, help them adapt to new

teaching requirements, and improve the quality of

classroom teaching; Strengthen the education and

guidance for parents. Through forms such as parent

schools and lectures, help parents understand the

significance of the "double reduction" policy,

alleviate educational anxiety, and create a favorable

atmosphere of joint education between home and

school. Through the above measures, the aim is to

achieve a dual improvement in educational equity and

quality, ensuring that the original intention of the

"double reduction" policy is truly implemented.

5 CONCLUSION

This study focuses on the implementation effect of

the "Double Reduction" policy in Beijing,

systematically analyzing the policy implementation

and its impact in four aspects: reduction of homework

burden, rectification of off-campus training

institutions, optimization of after-school services, and

adjustment of teachers' work. The research finds that

the policy has achieved certain results in the initial

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stage, such as shortening the duration of homework,

reducing the number of off-campus training

institutions, and increasing the coverage rate of after-

school services. However, multiple challenges are

still faced in the process of policy implementation.

Firstly, parents' educational anxiety has not been

completely alleviated. Some parents are worried

about their children's learning outcomes and turn to

other forms of tutoring, leading to the emergence of

the "shadow education" phenomenon. Secondly,

some students have increased their self-study tasks

due to the reduction in homework. However, due to

the lack of effective guidance and supervision, it may

lead to a decline in learning efficiency, further raising

parents' concerns. In addition, the pressure on

teachers in classroom teaching has increased. To

complete teaching tasks within the limited class time,

teachers need to improve classroom efficiency and

design more targeted teaching activities, which

invisibly increase their workload. The limitations of

this study are mainly reflected in the following

aspects: Firstly, the study is mainly based on the

policy implementation situation in Beijing, lacking a

comparative analysis of other regions, which may

limit the universality of the conclusion. Secondly, the

research mainly relies on the analysis of existing

literature and lacks first-hand empirical data support,

which may affect the reliability of the conclusion.

Future research should further expand the scope of

the study and incorporate the implementation of the

"double reduction" policy in other regions for

comparative analysis to enhance the universality of

the conclusion. Meanwhile, it is suggested to carry

out empirical research and collect first-hand data to

evaluate the actual effect of the policy more

comprehensively. In addition, future research should

also focus on the long-term impact of policy

implementation, especially on students' academic

performance, mental health and all-round

development.

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