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School Phone Bans: Great Politics, Mediocre Education Policy (www.techdirt.com)

submitted 1 week ago by technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com to c/technology@lemmy.world

14 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Before the current wave of laws banning mobile phones in schools, we had published a piece from some researchers who had looked at how similar bans had worked in Australia, with the conclusion that… they didn’t. At best, the research showed the evidence on school phone bans to be “weak and inconclusive.” Those authors suggested that rather than doing outright bans, politicians should leave the issue to the schools themselves to determine what’s best.

So it should come as little surprise that two years later, after many similar bans have gone into effect in the US that… the studies are showing up as (you guessed it) weak and inconclusive. The new study from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) has some people shaking their heads because it can find no evidence of better student performance in schools.

Wait, you are telling me the moral outrage against smartphones massively misses the point?

Whatttt? I am shocked!

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[–] deliriousdreams@fedia.io 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Were you banned from bringing them to school or banned from using them in class? My school didn't care so long as your gaming system or CD player etc was in your backpack or locker. They just didn't want you using it in class or while transiting the hallways. When we eventually did get cell phones (mostly the Nokia bricks), a lot of us had them in school. But they were not an accepted thing to use or have cause disruptions or distractions.

So I wonder a lot about what we recall vs what actually was normal back then.

[–] moakley@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That's a good point. The article doesn't seem to specify to what extent phones are banned.

[–] deliriousdreams@fedia.io 3 points 1 week ago

Yeah. I think it might have been France that required kids to put their phones in faraday bags and leave them in a designated place (lockers or cubbies). But this article in particular didn't specify how the ban was being applied. I am curious.

[–] stardreamer@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 1 week ago

They were banned banned. No showing of any phones in class/hallways/dorms etc. If a teacher sees a phone anywhere they're supposed to confiscate it and call the parents.

Granted, actually happened was that a few exam top scorers carried a phone in their bag since they "needed it in case of emergency contact from prep school". The teachers turned a blind eye to it, and of course, the parents were also in on it. What are you gonna do, suspend the ranked No. 1 student? If anything, the only people targeted were kids with bad grades, or didn't fit in with the "prime and proper" image the school was cultivating.