Brian Jacob

Faculty Co-Director & Founder

Brian A. Jacob is the Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Education Policy and professor of economics at the Ford School, and is co-director of the Youth Policy Lab. He is also a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Brian came...

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

School Cellphone Bans Are a Mixed (and Locked) Bag, Study Finds

May 5, 2026 US News and World Report

Locking up students’ phones may not improve their mental health or test scores, a new study finds.

student looking at a cell phone with a book in front of them

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

‘Close to zero impact’: US study casts doubt on effect of phone ban in schools

May 5, 2026 The Guardian

Researchers say findings are not reason to shy away from restrictions as MPs consider ban in England’s schools.

Two students looking at a phone outside of a school

In the News

School Cellphone Bans Reduce Use Among Kids but Show Limited Academic Gains, Study Finds

May 5, 2026 International Business Times

Researchers note improved classroom focus and social interaction despite limited academic gains.

teens sitting in a row looking at phones

In the News

Five Things to Know About Largest Cell Phone Ban Study

May 4, 2026 The 74 / AP News

New comprehensive research finds little effect on academics, attendance or behavior, but small improvements in student well-being.

In the News

School cell phone bans may boost student well-being—but not test scores, new study suggests

May 4, 2026 Scientific American

Banning cell phones in schools has been touted as a silver bullet for poor test scores and low student well-being and attendance, but new research suggests the results are more mixed.

Teen in glasses and hat holding a cell phone with blackboard behind her

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...

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...

In the News

What actually happens when schools take away students' phones?

May 4, 2026 NPR All Things Considered

NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Stanford education economist Thomas Dee about the latest study on schools banning cellphones.

In the News

School cellphone bans don’t affect test scores or attendance, study finds

May 4, 2026 Washington Post

Most states have attempted to curb cellphone use in schools in recent years. Parents and educators hoped decreased usage would improve test scores, boost mental health and help students pay more attention in class. The results, however, have been ...

News

What happens when schools restrict phones? U-M Youth Policy Lab convenes national conference as new studies get underway

Apr 16, 2026

On April 10, the University of Michigan's Youth Policy Lab (YPL) convened a National School Cell Phone Policy Conference, inviting researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from Michigan and beyond to compare notes on a rapidly changing school pol...

What happens when schools restrict phones? U-M Youth Policy Lab convenes national conference as new studies get underway

In the News

We collected data on how 779 Michigan school districts are regulating student cellphones − here are the trends

Apr 9, 2026 The Conversation

What is the best way to handle cellphones in schools? That’s a question Michigan educators are grappling with this spring after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law a ban on smartphone use in Michigan schools. The law goes into effect in the s...

A student uses the unlocking mechanism as he leaves school for the day. Keith Srakocic/AP Photo

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 ...

In the News

Holding kids back in 3rd grade can raise test scores — but a new study shows a long-run cost

Mar 10, 2026 Chalkbeat

It’s an age-old debate with an emerging conventional wisdom: Third graders should not move on to the next grade if they are still struggling to read. There’s both logic and evidence behind this policy. Studies have found that students have higher ...

Teacher working with students at desks with notebooks and pens

News

First-of-its-kind national educator survey reveals both promise and peril in school cell phone policies

Feb 27, 2026

Teachers report more face-to-face interaction as bell-to-bell bans spread, but laptops emerge as next challenge. Over 68,000 teachers surveyed to date; data collection to continue through end of school year.

First-of-its-kind national educator survey reveals both promise and peril in school cell phone policies

News

Michigan governor signs classroom cell phone ban: U-M experts available to comment

Feb 11, 2026

Jacob comments on competing screen policies for students

Publication

Jacob and Weiland raise concerns about potential bias in traditional retention studies

Jan 30, 2026

In a recent article published in the Journal of Public Economics, University of Michigan professors Brian Jacob, Christina Weiland, and Jordan Berne (who earned his doctorate in economics from U-M), along with Katharine Strunk, dean of the University...

Jacob and Weiland raise concerns about potential bias in traditional retention studies

In the News

Will School Cellphone Bans Morph Into Wider Screen Time Regulations for Kids?

Jan 28, 2026 EdSurge

What started off more than five years ago as one-off bans in individual classrooms grew into statewide efforts to curb student cellphone use during school. Now, the idea of limiting children’s tech use has arrived at the Capitol steps in Washington, ...

Decorative image of a cell phone locked with chain and a padlock

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 ...

News

Ford School faculty among the nation's top education scholars

Jan 8, 2026

Professors Sarah Cohodes, Brian Jacob, and Christina Weiland are ranked among the top 200 university-based scholars in the U.S. who had the biggest impact on educational practice and policy last year. This is according to Education Week's 2026 RHSU E...

Ford School faculty among the nation's top education scholars

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)

In the Media

Jacob comments on fall in public school enrollment in wealthy districts

Jan 8, 2026 The 74

Brian Jacob found that white families removed their children from public schools at much higher rates in districts that were slow to reopen for in-person instruction. Jacob said in an interview that he was "not surprised" to see that parents who had ...

Jacob comments on fall in public school enrollment in wealthy districts

In the News

Would more emphasis on high-stakes testing help address America’s learning woes?

Dec 2, 2025 Chalkbeat

No Child Left Behind, enacted in 2002, was a dramatic shift in American education. Schools across the country were required to give tests every year in reading and math in grades three through eight. Those scores could then be used to sanction school...