Policy Topics

Elementary and Secondary Education

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Showing 1 - 30 of 104 results
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
In the News

Do Student Cellphone Bans Improve Academic Achievement?

May 4, 2026 Education Week
Restricting student cellphone use during school hours doesn’t appear to lift academic achievement, improve student attention, or boost attendance, at least in the short term, according to the first broad national study of phone bans by researchers at...
Young woman looking at her phone
In the News

Did School Cellphone Bans Work? New Study Finds Mixed Results.

May 4, 2026 New York Times
Banning cellphones was supposed to improve many of the problems ailing American education, including distraction, bullying, declining test scores and absenteeism. The idea attracted rare, bipartisan support, and over the past three years, two-thir...
Student with backpack holding a cellphone in a school setting
In the News

Bridge Listens: Can Michigan fix its education woes? What to know

Mar 23, 2026 Bridge Michigan
Third grade reading retention policies are not new, but some states, including Indiana and Arkansas, implemented them after the pandemic. Research is mixed on holding students back and states vary on what additional support they provide students who ...
Colorful school lockers
In the News

Why Boys Are Behind in Reading at Every Age

Jan 30, 2026 New York Times
American students are struggling with reading — test scores are at new lows, and many students don’t even read whole books. But while average scores have declined for everyone, boys are doing much worse. On standardized tests, they score lower tha...
Male teacher looking at a book with a male student in a classroom
In the News

Jacob comments on competing screen policies for students

Jan 28, 2026 EdSurge
Brian Jacob, the co-director of University of Michigan's Youth Policy Lab, believes the two initiatives can co-exist, as they address two separate ideas. One expresses enthusiasm for applying AI for educational purposes, while the other centers fear ...
Jacob comments on competing screen policies for students
In the News

Falling Enrollment Most Extreme in Wealthy Districts, Study Finds

Jan 8, 2026 The74
Years after COVID-related health fears subsided, public school enrollment in Massachusetts remains significantly lower than in 2019, according to research released earlier this year. The sharp declines — matched by simultaneous moves to private schoo...
Compared to 2019 levels, enrollment at schools serving predominately wealthy students is 5.7 percent lower than predicted based on pre-pandemic trends. Enrollment among Asian and white students has declined, while Hispanic and Black student enrollment has grown. (Education Next)