Ford School News

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Policy Matters

At Ford School, public policy connects evidence to action

Sep 30, 2026

Written by Celeste Watkins-Hayes, Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy Public policy shapes nearly every aspect of our lives, from the water we drink and the health care we can access to the schools our children a...

At Ford School, public policy connects evidence to action

In the News

Cell phones away. Then what?

Sep 30, 2026 Michigan Research

The cell phone that interrupts a lesson can also remind a student to take medication. As Michigan schools set new limits on student phones, University of Michigan researchers are studying which rules work, and for whom. This month’s Michigan Research...

In the News

Michigan students head back to school as concerns over screen time grow

Sep 15, 2026 The 'Gander

As Michigan schools roll out new limits on phone use, educators and researchers are raising concerns about how social media and excessive screen time can affect students’ focus and well-being—and whether new safeguards from Big Tech will go far enoug...

Teenager looking at a phone by the windows

In the News

U-M research helps expand access to career and technical education

Sep 14, 2026 U-M Look to Michigan

More than 46,000 students in Washtenaw County, Michigan, will begin having greater access to career and technical education during the 2026–27 school year as a result of a November 2025 ballot measure establishing a new dedicated funding stream. This...

Student at a school in career and technical education using equipment

Newsletter

Our Funding at a Glance

Sep 8, 2026

Youth Policy Lab completed nearly $3.5M of work during this fiscal year. We are pleased to work in many different impact areas, with Youth Mental Health and Social Emotional Learning continuing to be the most substantial one (similar to last year). I...

Newsletter

Policy Fellowship Program - FY25-26

Sep 8, 2026

Through the Policy Fellowship program, Youth Policy Lab places early-career policy professionals in full-time roles within state and local agencies in Michigan. The Fellows provide technical assistance and strategic support to achieve specific and me...

2025 YPL fellow cohort: Dimitri, Sophie, Megan, Pita, and Sam

Newsletter

ASPIRE 2026

Sep 8, 2026

We had another successful summer with the ASPIRE program! Now in its fourth year, ASPIRE (Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience) is an eight-week summer internship program for rising college juniors and seniors from Spelman and Mor...

The 2026 ASPIRE cohort with Gerald R. Ford School Dean Celeste Watkins-Hayes

Newsletter

Intensive Tutoring

Sep 8, 2026

American schools are grappling with how to most effectively improve the literacy and math skills of their students. Many educational institutions turned to tutoring as a means of supporting students and improving their skills. Youth Policy Lab has be...

Robin Jacob and Catherine Asher testified in Lansing at House Education and Workforce Committee

Newsletter

School Cellphone Policies

Sep 8, 2026

School districts in Michigan and across the country have adopted various policies to limit student cellphone use. However, we still don’t know enough about how these policies affect academic outcomes and student wellbeing. YPL is working with researc...

Brian Jacob speaks at the 2026 National School Cellphone Policy Conference

Newsletter

Message from our Leadership

Sep 8, 2026

Brian and Robin Jacob launched Youth Policy Lab (YPL) in 2016 with seed funding from Arnold Ventures and a clear vision for the future. With one leg in the Institute for Social Research and another in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, we ha...

Brian Jacob, Robin Jacob, Megan Foster Friedman, Carrie Hammerman

In the News

Bell-to-bell cell bans may not show significant changes in the numbers, but clear classroom improvements are evident

Sep 2, 2026 Heartlander News

Studies of American schools with bell-to-bell cellphone bans – which include schools in Missouri and Kansas – may not reveal an immediate improvement in quantitative areas such as standardized test scores, yet scholars and teachers agree there are ev...

Person looking at a cell phone at a desk in a classroom

In the Media

YPL research offers Michigan schools options for enforcing new state cell phone ban

Aug 25, 2026 The 74

With the state of Michigan enacting a cellphone ban this fall that restricts students from using their phones during instructional time, lawmakers have left it up to school districts to create their own policies on how to enforce this ban. A team of ...

YPL research offers Michigan schools options for enforcing new state cell phone ban

In the News

With a State Cell Phone Ban in Place, Michigan Schools Choose a Range of Options

Aug 25, 2026 The 74

Student looking at a cellphone with book in front of them

In the News

Michigan school districts wrestle with adopting cellphone ban law

Aug 20, 2026 Detroit News

In this article regarding the new Michigan law regarding cellphone use in schools, Brian Jacob offers insights from related research.

person holding a cell phone with a blurred background

In the News

The hidden cost of college admissions: How Detroit teens are burning out

Aug 14, 2026 Planet Detroit

Detroit high school students report severe anxiety and burnout during college applications, with academic stress becoming the top mental health concern. As competition intensifies, students turn to AI for essays and push for GPAs above 4.0, often at ...

Student with his hands on his face at a desk with a computer, glasses, and book

In the News

Michigan college students struggle with housing, food. Program aims to help.

Aug 14, 2026 Bridge Michigan

Meeting college students’ emergency needs is the focus of Open Door, a pilot project launching this fall at Henry Ford College and Wayne State University to help with issues such as food, housing, transportation and more.

News

“Talk data to me”: ASPIRE fellows explore youth mental health, school trust, and pathways into policy research

Aug 11, 2026

The phrase on Joasia Jacobs' pin—"Talk data to me"—could have served as a motto for this summer's ASPIRE cohort. The 2026 Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience, known as ASPIRE, brought students from Spelman College and Morehouse C...

News

“Talk data to me”: ASPIRE fellows explore youth mental health, school trust, and pathways into policy research

Aug 11, 2026

The 2026 Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience brought students from Spelman College and Morehouse College to the University of Michigan for hands-on training in applied social policy research.

In the News

Report: Detroit Youth Need Stronger Education-to-career Pathways

Jun 22, 2026 DBusiness

A new report from Detroit Future City and The Skillman Foundation outlines strategies to expand career-connected learning, strengthen workforce readiness, and improve long-term economic opportunity for the youth of Detroit.

A teacher with a group of students in a library

In the News

After Michigan school cell phone ban, most districts haven't...

Jun 5, 2026 Detroit Free Press

Many Michigan districts already have cellphone policies, but the new law creates an opportunity to look at which policies best support student well-being and academic success.

Student looking at cell phone while sitting with a backpack in front of lockers

In the News

Wisconsin school districts put cellphone bans to the test

May 14, 2026 Wisconsin Public Radio

A new state law requiring all school districts to have a policy restricting phone use in classrooms goes into effect July 1.

Student looking at a cell phone in a classroom of students

In the News

Why U.S. Test Scores Are in a ‘Generation-Long Decline’

May 13, 2026 New York Times

The drops in U.S. scores go beyond the pandemic and cut across income, geographic and racial divides, new data shows.

classroom of students at desks taking tests

Publication

Lockable phone pouches in schools improve student well-being over time, not test scores or bullying

May 8, 2026

A popular device for restricting cell phone use in middle and high schools is effective at achieving that aim, leading to short-term disruption but ultimately positive effects on student well-being, new research finds. The U.S. study conducted by Bri...

Lockable phone pouches in schools improve student well-being over time, not test scores or bullying

In the News

It’s Still Demoralizing to Teach a Classroom of Scrolling Students

May 7, 2026 New York Times

In the past several years, about three dozen states have instituted phone bans in schools, and more are likely to follow. These bans have been trumpeted as game changers. Anecdotal reporting points to more books being checked out from school librarie...

Student with backpack holding a cellphone in a school setting

News

CNN: Study finds school phone bans yield mixed results

May 6, 2026

Brian Jacob was interviewed on CNN about the recent NBER working paper that described the findings of the national school cell phone policy study.

Screenshot of Brian Jacob interview on CNN

In the News

Why School Phone Bans Aren’t About Kids

May 5, 2026 Newsweek

When Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed classroom phone restrictions in February, she used the student-centered language most governors now do. It was all about academic success, youth mental health and rescuing children from a life lost stari...