RESEARCH TO WATCH
WHAT’S THE STUDY: A multidisciplinary team of University of Michigan researchers has received a grant from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to conduct interviews and surveys to understand how school cell phone policies across the state affect community violence, including fights in school, school discipline and police incidents.
WHY IT MATTERS: Phones are in the hands or pockets of most tweens and teens, yet little is known about whether policies regulating their use improve student achievement and well-being. Still, research reveals links between smartphone and social media use and disengagement from school, poor mental health and safety.
Michigan is part of a broader movement of states committed to enacting policies by next school year. Nothing is firm, but there is movement toward a statewide mandate that would provide districts with flexibility to set their own restrictions. The current patchwork of policies presents a compelling context to study the impacts.
So with myriad policies out there, what types or restrictions are most effective for different types of student and school populations and what’s the most equitable and beneficial way to put them in place? Existing research largely ignores the critical issue of effective implementation, and that’s the kind of guidance the U-M researchers seek to offer educators and policymakers.
See the full advisory featuring Institute faculty members Dr. Justin Heinze and Dr. Elyse Thulin
View a 2-page summary about the project
Additional mentions