Over 20,000 educators share insights on school cell phone policies

Preliminary findings from a new national survey of more than 20,000 public school educators suggest that stricter, school-wide cell phone policies—regulating both when and where students can access their phones—are linked to less in-class phone use and higher teacher satisfaction.

The early findings were released by Phones in Focus, a nonpartisan research initiative supported by the National Governors Association (NGA). The project, led by Angela Duckworth, Rosa Lee and Egbert Chang Professor of psychology in Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences and the Wharton School, and a team of leading economists, aims to provide evidence-based recommendations for school phone policies that optimally support academic learning, healthy social relationships, and emotional well-being.

“So far two patterns stand out: The stricter the policy, the happier the teacher and the less likely students are to be using their phones when they aren’t supposed to. For example, ‘bell-to-bell’ (also called ‘away for the day’) policies are linked to more focused classrooms,” says Duckworth. “We’re also finding that focus on academics is higher in schools that do not permit students to keep their phones nearby, including in their backpacks or back pockets. Our team looks forward to diving deeper and, in longitudinal analyses, establishing how changes in policies over time predict changes in outcomes like attendance and academic performance.”

Duckworth adds, “We are grateful to the thousands of educators who have participated so far, and we’re continuing to capture even more voices and experiences, with a goal to reach every public school in the country this year.”

Among the key findings, to date:

• Stricter policies are associated with better teacher-reported outcomes. Strict storage rules, such as requiring students to leave phones in hallway lockers or using Yondr pouches, are associated with better outcomes.
• Bell-to-bell bans are more common in elementary and middle school than in high schools. Only 1 in 4 high schools in the sample reported a bell-to-bell phone ban, compared to 3 in 4 elementary and middle schools.
• The most common storage policy is the “no-show” policy. Nearly half of schools in the sample use a "no show" policy, in which students are allowed to carry their phones in their backpacks or back pockets but must keep them out of sight. However, this policy does not perform as well as more restrictive policies.

“We can’t afford to ignore what educators are telling us,” says Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who serves as vice chair of NGA. “This survey makes it clear that the people closest to our students are sounding the alarm about the impact of phones in the classroom—and they’re pointing us toward solutions that work. In Maryland, we are committed to putting educator voice at the center of our decisions, and we’ll continue to act urgently to make sure our classrooms are places where students and educators alike can focus and thrive.”

The preliminary survey findings come amid rising concern from educators, families and policymakers about the impact of personal devices on student engagement and mental health. At least 31 states and the District of Columbia require school districts to ban or restrict students’ use of cellphones in schools, according to a tally by Education Week. Some other states are either incentivizing or recommending local districts enact their own bans or restrictive policies. 

Among the states to recently enact a bell-to-bell ban is Arkansas. Signed into law in February, the “Bell to Bell, No Cell Act” bans smartphones and other personal electronic devices like smart watches from every public school in Arkansas. It is now in effect in schools.

“We all know the statistics that show why overexposure to screens is bad for our kids, but I was also compelled as a mom of three to protect kids from the harms of constant phone use,” says Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “Arkansas classrooms are now bell-to-bell no cell so students can have fewer distractions, better learning opportunities, and less worries in the classroom—and the testimonials from our teachers show why this initiative is so important. This isn’t a red state or a blue state issue; it’s about putting our kids first.”

Phones in Focus aims to collect 100,000 responses by the end of this school year. Public school educators, including principals, teachers and other school personnel, who complete the 5-minute survey (www.phonesinfocus.org) will be entered to win gift cards for school supplies.

After the survey closes, Phones in Focus plans to release evidence-based recommendations for managing student cell phone use.