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Gulf Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Want students to thrive? Lock up their phones
Mary Ellen Klas, Tribune News Service There are few things most American politicians seem to agree upon, but banning mobile phones in classrooms seems to be one of them. Based on the experiences of some schools that have required students to prioritise learning over TikTok scrolling, there's also a welcome side benefit: less conflict and more 'hellos.' When school starts this fall, students in most US states and DC will be required by law to turn over or turn off their smartphones during all or most of the school day, according to an Education Week tally. Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina and Utah have statewide bans. Another 24 states have adopted rules or laws that require restrictions on mobile phones but leave it up to school districts to decide whether to ban them or not. Two states offer districts incentives to restrict phones. Another seven recommend local districts enact their own restrictions. The methods and policy details vary widely between states, but the reasons for silencing phones are pretty universal. A growing body of research has found that the more time children and their developing brains spend on smartphones, the greater the risk of negative mental health outcomes — from depression, to cyberbullying, to an inability to focus and learn. Social media is intentionally designed 'to expose users to an endless stream of content' which makes it addictive, said Carol Vidal, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. That's especially risky for children and teens, she said, 'because their brains are still developing, and they have less control over their impulses.' The laws are spurred in part by the research discussed in the 2024 book by Jonathan Haidt The Anxious Generation. The New York University professor elevated this theory after reviewing dozens of recent studies linking social media and smartphone use by kids and teens to the explosive increase in rates of anxiety among young people, including emergency room visits for self-harm. The idea of severing the phone from the classroom not only has legislators and governors in red and blue states giving it near-unanimous support, a 2024 survey by Pew Research found that 68% of US adults support a ban on smartphone use among middle- and high-school students during class. But a ban in theory is not the same as putting it into practice, especially for the large numbers of parents worried about being unable to contact their kids during the school day. That's something Principal Inge Esping noticed when she barred phones from classrooms at McPherson Middle School in Kansas, an hour north of Wichita. In 2022, when Esping started as the school's principal, she noticed that the spike in online bullying among students was happening during the school day. 'Middle schoolers are a little notorious for when they're trying to make fun of someone,' she told me. 'They'll take a picture of the person that they're making fun of and share that via social media — especially during lunchtime.'' Absences and suspensions were rising, with too many students staying home either because they feared confronting their bullies or because they were bullying others. She and her staff decided to impose a rule in the 2022–23 school year requiring students to turn off their phones and store them in their lockers from the first bell to the last. With few exceptions, children who had grown up with mobile phones 'simply accepted it,' Esping said. It was their parents who protested. 'I don't think we really realized how much parents were reaching out to their students during the school day,' Esping recalled. Many parents feared being unable to communicate with their children during school hours, particularly in an era of school shootings. Others didn't trust the school to notify them when their child needed them, she said. She and her colleagues then embarked on an ambitious plan to persuade parents of the value of keeping phones out of reach during school hours. She organized back-to-school events to increase communication, engaged more parents in volunteer and visiting opportunities, and refined the school's alert system that notifies families when there's an emergency. As parents grew to accept the new system, the results for their children were dramatic. In the first year, the school saw a 5% increase in their state assessment scores in both reading and math. School suspensions dropped 70% by Christmas and have remained at half the rate they were before the ban. And absenteeism went down from 39% to 11% — because taking phones away prevented many of the harmful social media comments that kept bullied kids from coming to school. Other school districts with mobile phone restrictions reported similar results in student discipline. A year after the Orange County School District in Florida implemented its phone ban in 2023, fighting went down 31% and 'serious misconduct' issues decreased by 21%, Superintendent Maria Vazquez told Florida lawmakers in January. Results like that are, in part, what have spurred elected officials to act. 'Arkansas' phone-free schools' program isn't about taking anything away,' declared Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders when she signed Arkansas' mobile phone ban earlier this year. 'It's about giving kids the freedom to learn without distractions.' The idea is getting some traction in Washington, too. One of the final acts of the Biden administration's Department of Education was to issue a recommendation that all states and districts adopt measures to manage smartphone use in schools. In February, Senators Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, and Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, introduced legislation to study the effects of mobile phone use in schools. Recently, Democratic Senator Elise Slotkin of Michigan called for a ban on 'social media and cell phones in every K-12 classroom in America.' She blamed technology for interfering in 'problem-solving skills that will be valuable in the future economy.' But for teachers, the most tangible difference has been the 'huge vibe change,' said Esping, who was named Kansas Middle School Principal of the Year in April. Teachers reported that students were now more engaged — in the classroom and school corridors. 'The year before the phone ban, you'd say 'hello' to a student and they would ignore you and move on because they're so tied to their cell phone,' Esping told me. But after the ban, 'kids were looking up and talking to one another,' especially in the lunchroom and as students transitioned between classes. 'When you'd say, 'good morning' to them, they'd say 'good morning' back.' As always, students may be teaching the rest of the nation something here. Maybe more smartphone bans are exactly what we need.
Boston Globe
08-07-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Trump administration withholds about $27 million for N.H. schools
'The Department remains committed to ensuring taxpayer resources are spent in accordance with the President's priorities and the Department's statutory responsibilities,' said a June 30 message the federal department sent the New Hampshire Department of Education. Advertisement Other New England states have had their funding put on pause too, the National Education Association found: Get N.H. Morning Report A weekday newsletter delivering the N.H. news you need to know right to your inbox. Enter Email Sign Up 'We recognize that this situation brings uncertainty to budgets and program planning,' New Hampshire Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut said in a message to school leaders and program administrators last week. He said the department 'is actively working with federal partners and internally to support your students and staff.' Here's a breakdown from the National Education Association of where the funding pause will hit New Hampshire schools. Professional development for educators (Title II, A): $10.8 million Services for English leaners (Title III, A): $1 million Student support and academic enrichment (Title IV, A): $6.7 million Before- and after-school programs (Title IV, part B): $6.5 million Literacy and general instructional services for adult services: $1.9 million Migrant education (Title I, C): $100,000. This funding provides services for students whose families work in transient industries such as fisheries and food processing, requiring them to move from state to state during the year, according to Education Week. Deb Howes, the president of the teacher's union AFT-NH, said school districts are counting on this money to run summer programs, including training teachers based on the latest research. Advertisement 'It helps teachers learn in the summer to be ready for back to school,' she said. And, she said, schools need to be ready to hire for after-school programs. 'We can't wait while the government plays with impoundment,' she said. This story first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you'd like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, Amanda Gokee can be reached at
Straits Times
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Here's what happened after some US schools started locking up students' phones
A US middle school in Kansas that imposed mobile phone restrictions on its students saw suspensions dropping 70 per cent and absenteeism going down from 39 per cent to 11 per cent. There are few things most American politicians seem to agree upon, but banning mobile phones in classrooms seems to be one of them. Based on the experiences of some schools that have required students to prioritise learning over TikTok scrolling, there's also a welcome side benefit – less conflict and more 'hellos'. When school starts this autumn, students in most US states and DC will be required by law to turn over or turn off their smartphones during all or most of the school day, according to an Education Week tally.
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Want students to thrive? Lock up their phones
There are few things most American politicians seem to agree upon, but banning mobile phones in classrooms seems to be one of them. Based on the experiences of some schools that have required students to prioritize learning over TikTok scrolling, there's also a welcome side benefit: less conflict and more 'hellos.' When school starts this fall, students in most US states and DC will be required by law to turn over or turn off their smartphones during all or most of the school day, according to an Education Week tally. Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina and Utah have statewide bans. Another 24 states have adopted rules or laws that require restrictions on mobile phones but leave it up to school districts to decide whether to ban them or not. Two states offer districts incentives to restrict phones. Another seven recommend local districts enact their own restrictions. Bloomberg The methods and policy details vary widely between states, but the reasons for silencing phones are pretty universal. A growing body of research has found that the more time children and their developing brains spend on smartphones, the greater the risk of negative mental health outcomes — from depression, to cyberbullying, to an inability to focus and learn. Social media is intentionally designed 'to expose users to an endless stream of content' which makes it addictive, said Carol Vidal, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center. That's especially risky for children and teens, she said, 'because their brains are still developing, and they have less control over their impulses.' Live Events The laws are spurred in part by the research discussed in the 2024 book by Jonathan Haidt The Anxious Generation. The New York University professor elevated this theory after reviewing dozens of recent studies linking social media and smartphone use by kids and teens to the explosive increase in rates of anxiety among young people, including emergency room visits for self-harm. The idea of severing the phone from the classroom not only has legislators and governors in red and blue states giving it near-unanimous support, a 2024 survey by Pew Research found that 68% of US adults support a ban on smartphone use among middle- and high-school students during class. But a ban in theory is not the same as putting it into practice, especially for the large numbers of parents worried about being unable to contact their kids during the school day. That's something Principal Inge Esping noticed when she barred phones from classrooms at McPherson Middle School in Kansas, an hour north of Wichita. In 2022, when Esping started as the school's principal, she noticed that the spike in online bullying among students was happening during the school day. 'Middle schoolers are a little notorious for when they're trying to make fun of someone,' she told me. 'They'll take a picture of the person that they're making fun of and share that via social media — especially during lunchtime.'' Absences and suspensions were rising, with too many students staying home either because they feared confronting their bullies or because they were bullying others. She and her staff decided to impose a rule in the 2022–23 school year requiring students to turn off their phones and store them in their lockers from the first bell to the last. With few exceptions, children who had grown up with mobile phones 'simply accepted it,' Esping said. It was their parents who protested. 'I don't think we really realized how much parents were reaching out to their students during the school day,' Esping recalled. Many parents feared being unable to communicate with their children during school hours, particularly in an era of school shootings. Others didn't trust the school to notify them when their child needed them, she said. She and her colleagues then embarked on an ambitious plan to persuade parents of the value of keeping phones out of reach during school hours. She organized back-to-school events to increase communication, engaged more parents in volunteer and visiting opportunities, and refined the school's alert system that notifies families when there's an emergency. As parents grew to accept the new system, the results for their children were dramatic. In the first year, the school saw a 5% increase in their state assessment scores in both reading and math. School suspensions dropped 70% by Christmas and have remained at half the rate they were before the ban. And absenteeism went down from 39% to 11% — because taking phones away prevented many of the harmful social media comments that kept bullied kids from coming to school. Other school districts with mobile phone restrictions reported similar results in student discipline. A year after the Orange County School District in Florida implemented its phone ban in 2023, fighting went down 31% and 'serious misconduct' issues decreased by 21%, Superintendent Maria Vazquez told Florida lawmakers in January. Results like that are, in part, what have spurred elected officials to act. 'Arkansas' phone-free schools' program isn't about taking anything away,' declared Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders when she signed Arkansas' mobile phone ban earlier this year. 'It's about giving kids the freedom to learn without distractions.' The idea is getting some traction in Washington, too. One of the final acts of the Biden administration's Department of Education was to issue a recommendation that all states and districts adopt measures to manage smartphone use in schools. In February, Senators Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, and Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, introduced legislation to study the effects of mobile phone use in schools. And this week, Democratic Senator Elise Slotkin of Michigan called for a ban on 'social media and cell phones in every K-12 classroom in America.' She blamed technology for interfering in 'problem-solving skills that will be valuable in the future economy.' But for teachers, the most tangible difference has been the 'huge vibe change,' said Esping, who was named Kansas Middle School Principal of the Year in April. Teachers reported that students were now more engaged — in the classroom and school corridors. 'The year before the phone ban, you'd say 'hello' to a student and they would ignore you and move on because they're so tied to their cell phone,' Esping told me. But after the ban, 'kids were looking up and talking to one another,' especially in the lunchroom and as students transitioned between classes. 'When you'd say, 'good morning' to them, they'd say 'good morning' back.' As always, students may be teaching the rest of the nation something here. Maybe more smartphone bans are exactly what we need.
USA Today
24-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
IMG Academy CEO: Why colleges should add sports teams after NCAA-House settlement
College sports face a tipping point — one that impacts millions of future student-athletes. On the heels of the recent House v. NCAA settlement, universities must grapple with an evolving economic model for sports. The knee-jerk reaction too often is to consider reducing rosters and teams. It doesn't have to be this way. Here's the counterintuitive truth: universities should add student-athletes and sports teams, not cut them. Sports education — without any media rights or ticket sales — can be economically self-sustaining and wildly successful for students. That's not sentimental optimism. It's a sound strategic play. Universities are grappling with the fact that they want to be in the 'business of education.' Yet, a (small) fraction of their sports teams and student-athletes are exceptionally good at entertaining adults. Entertaining adults is the 'business of sport.' WHAT'S NEXT?: NCAA commissioners pledge to follow NIL rules after settlement We need to turn over every available stone before we let the 'entertaining adults' side of sports come at the cost of educating fewer students through sports. In fact, we should use this moment to tip the conversation in a positive direction: add student-athletes and teams. The mission-aligned case for a university is this — student-athletes improve the educational makeup of a university, add to culture and graduate as tomorrow's leaders. According to Education Week, 57% of all high school students have played a sport, and student-athletes are the largest affinity group entering college by a wide margin; serving this group (varsity or otherwise) well serves a university's goals. Student-athletes also represent a future shift in education: with AI emerging, top skills of tomorrow include resilience teamwork, and self-motivation according to global hiring managers surveyed by the World Economic Forum. These are 'sports skills' and can be taught just like math and science. Student-athlete graduates have an outsized impact in the workforce, as demonstrated by the fact that 52% of C-suite women executives played sports in college, according to the EY Women Athletes Business Network and ESPN. While all of that should carry the day, it often doesn't. Why? The simple truth is that even non-profit universities need a business case — profits and losses — as the leading qualifier. There is also a strong economic case. Sports education — without any media rights or ticket sales — can be economically self-sustaining and wildly successful for students. The proven key to the model working for a university is to add more tuition-paying student-athletes and teams. SETTLEMENT FAQS: What you need to know about the college sports landscape Universities should understand the model, but it requires a shift in historical thinking. The first shift is to count tuition (tuition from paying student-athletes often exceeds scholarships) in the financial equation for sports. Case in point, sports are often called 'non-revenue' sports, even when most of the athletes are in fact tuition paying. Any aspect of a university would fall short of profit and loss goals if tuition was not counted. The second is to add more student-athletes — leveraging fixed facility investments and semi-fixed staffing costs — to improve the overall discount rate for the student-athlete population. For many universities, the discount rate for student-athletes can be more attractive than the university average. This is not a new concept but rather applies an existing concept to sports. Public universities support lower in-state tuition and financial aid by enrolling higher paying out-of-state applicants. Universities support domestic student financial aid and academic program expansion by enrolling high-pay international applicants. Universities willing to reframe the conversation and consider adding student-athletes will find great success, great students, great athletes and great economics. Right now, high school student-athletes are being squeezed out of college athletics by the trifecta of roster caps, longer eligibility for existing NCAA athletes and the transfer portal allowing college coaches to recruit college players over high school players. This is bad for millions of high school athletes, and it is adding to an already massive supply-demand imbalance in market (only 3% of high school student-athletes can find Division I rosters, and 5-7% find rosters of any kind). The upshot for universities: there are so many more tuition paying student-athletes that want to play, if offered a varsity or varsity-like student-athlete experience. A more detailed framework can be read at This framework is already circulating in universities, picking up steam, and outlines a 'Varsity Club' model and clear action plan that any university can run with, immediately. Let's not allow the business of entertaining adults to come at the cost of educating students through sports. This is a tipping point. A few voices can tip this in the right direction. Brent Richard is a career investor, operator and entrepreneur in sports and education, the CEO of IMG Academy, and a former Division I soccer player. This op-ed was developed in collaboration with Drew Weatherford, founder of Weatherford Capital, co-founder of Collegiate Athletic Solutions, and former Florida State starting quarterback.
