By Dane Puterbaugh, Accountability and School Improvement Representative
Right now, every school has the capacity to improve student learning, attention span, and sense of belonging. We need to eliminate cell phones from the classroom. Since magic bullets don’t exist, this is the closest we can get to the same results. The data paints a clear picture – cell phones have no place in any serious academic settings. Cell phones are actively harming the learning capacity of our students and they need strong school policies to help deal with the digital distraction.
With the passage of Ohio House Bill 250 every school must have an approved cell phone policy in place by July 2025. This is the perfect time to examine what will help our students the most. The bill leaves room for district flexibility, but the most effective policy will be one that totally eliminates cell phones from the classroom with a school-level policy.
What’s the Buzz?
- According to a UNESCO study, a single cell phone notification causes students to lose focus for an average of 20 minutes. One vibration can derail a student for half a class and there are almost no tasks that a cell phone accomplishes better than even the cheapest computers.
- The same UNESCO study also showed that cell phones had a stronger negative impact on the learning of students who are performing below their peers. That describes the majority of the students we serve.
- A study out of Rutgers University showed that having cell phones in classrooms lowers student end-of-course grades by half a letter. And even more interesting, that study showed that even if a student did not have a device in class but their peers did, their grades were negatively affected.
A Shining Light (That Isn’t a Screen)
- At the Buxton Boarding School in western Massachusetts, students replaced their smartphones with “dumb” phones. Teachers say students started socializing more, staying after class longer to talk with their teachers, and became more engaged in extracurricular activities.
- Schools in Florida that have eliminated cell phones from the classroom have reported fewer fights, incidents in the bathrooms, and improved grades.
- A study out of Hartford, Connecticut showed that “the implementation of Yondr pouches in December 2022 corresponded with a 50% drop in office referrals and a 30% to 40% decline in suspensions at the school.”
Cell phones are designed to capture our attention. Social media companies have a financial incentive to keep our students glued to their phones and they employ 1000s of engineers to keep them hooked. Putting the onus entirely on our students is an unfair burden. Students need our help disconnecting from unnecessary distractions when they are in the classroom. Their learning, social interactions, and emotional well-being depend on it.
Works Cited
Buccino, N. (2018, July 27). Cellphone Distraction in the Classroom Can Lead to Lower Grades, Rutgers Study Finds. Rutgers Today. https://www.rutgers.edu/news/cellphone-distraction-classroom-can-lead-lower-grades-rutgers-study-finds
Buck, D. (2024, May 9). The evidence for phone bans mounts. Fordham Institute. https://fordhaminstitute.org/national/commentary/evidence-phone-bans-mounts
Cross, A. (2024, August 19). UConn Study Examines Benefits of School Phone Bans. Government Technology. https://www.govtech.com/education/uconn-study-examines-benefits-of-school-phone-bans
Most, D. (2024, January 19). Why schools should ban cell phones in the classroom—and why parents have to help. Boston University. https://www.bu.edu/articles/2023/why-schools-should-ban-cell-phones-in-the-classroom/
Root, T. (2024, January 20). What happens when a school bans smartphones? A complete transformation. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/jan/17/cellphone-smartphone-bans-schools
Singer, N. (2023, November 6). This Florida School District Banned Cellphones. Here’s What Happened. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/31/technology/florida-school-cellphone-tiktok-ban.html
UNESCO. (2023, January 26). Smartphones in school? Only when they clearly support learning. UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/smartphones-school-only-when-they-clearly-support-learning