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In the News

RI is one month into a school cell phone ban, with surprising results

Oct 19, 2026 The Providence Journal
Though every public school district (in Rhode Island) is now required to have a policy that separates every child from their personal electronic devices at school, districts are attacking the problem differently – and are actually on different timeli...
Close-up of unrecognizable teenage girl using cell phone under the table during a class at school
State & Hill

Alumni impact: The people behind the numbers

Oct 7, 2026
Samuel Owusu (MPP '25) helps Michigan strengthen early childhood data systems so leaders can see if public investments are reaching the children and families they are designed to serve.  
Alumni impact: The people behind the numbers
Newsletter

ASPIRE 2025

Oct 5, 2026
Now in its third year, ASPIRE (Applied Social Policy Internship and Research Experience) is a key pillar of YPL’s goal to foster high-quality training and mentorship for future and early-career policy professionals. We are immensely proud of what our...
ASPIRE 2025 cohort
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...
Cellphone is locked away
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...
Funding by Research Area/Program
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

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
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...
two students looking a phones near lockers