Banning cellphones improves school climate, claim almost three-quarters of principals surveyed by the research think tank RAND Corp. and reported on in Education Week.
“Principals overwhelmingly felt that these cellphone bans had safety-related benefits,” says Melissa Kay Diliberti, an associate policy researcher at RAND who worked on the report. Most school leaders believe “the benefits of the bans outweigh the trade-offs.”
Survey highlights:
- Two-thirds of principals say removing cellphones cut down on incidents inappropriate cellphone behavior, such as photographing classmates in the restroom or locker room or recording or streaming a physical fight in school.
- Cellphone bans helped diminish cyberbullying that starts during school hours, more than half of principals (54%) report.
- Limiting cellphone use has decreased student distractions during emergency drills and actual emergencies, according to 44% of principals. The bans have reduced the use of cellphones to make threats against the school, including on social media, say 26% or respondents.
Phone ban anxiety
- Bans have increased concerns among parents who no longer have a direct way to contact their children, especially during emergencies, according to 21% of those surveyed.
- Students feel anxious because they can’t readily contact their parents, say about one in ten principals.
- Administrators must serve as a communication link between parents and students around routine issues such as early dismissals due to bans, according to about five percent of principals.
What’s missing from these findings is what enforcement of the bans looks like, says Diliberti. For instance: “How strict are teachers when it comes to enforcing the ban? How much time are they spending enforcing the ban? Does that time take away from other activities in the classroom?”
Most schools restrict cellphones to varying degrees, according to the report. High schools are less likely to have so-called “bell to bell bans,” in which students can’t use their phones at all during the school day.
Most elementary schools (82%) and middle schools (78%) don’t allow cellphone use at all, according to surveyed principals. Outright prohibitions are uncommon in high schools, with 23% of principals reporting total bans.
What’s more common is to restrict phone use but allow students to use their devices during non-class time – cited by 49% of school principals. Almost one in four schools (24%) allow cellphone use during class, at the teacher’s discretion, according to principals.
Education Week
