This cellphone ban is making classrooms loud again

For one teacher, that's a good thing.

View this email online September 15, 2024 Isabela Humphrey for NPR Happy Sunday, Lee Gaines here. I’m part of the education team at WFYI, the NPR member station in Indianapolis. I’m taking over the newsletter this week to tell you about how students and educators are feeling and dealing with the new school cellphone ban in Indiana.  No doubt you’ve heard something about cellphone bans by now; at least seven states have approved laws or enacted policies to restrict the use of cellphones in schools over the last two years. Individual districts have also adopted their own policies, including districts in Utah, Colorado, New Jersey and Michigan. In Indiana, the case for banning cellphones in schools has garnered bipartisan support – no small feat in this highly polarized election season.  I wanted to look at how Indiana’s new ban is actually working in schools, and how the people most impacted – educators and students – feel about it.  What I discovered surprised me.  I thought teachers might feel burdened by a state mandate to police phone use in the classroom. But every single teacher I spoke to expressed support for the ban. Josie Defreese, a high school English teacher near Indianapolis, shared one unexpected benefit: Her classrooms are loud again. Instead of looking at their phones during downtime, kids have been talking to her and to each other.  Educators also told me there’s been less interpersonal drama and conflict, which phones sometimes facilitate. But many of the students I spoke to had mixed feelings. They acknowledged that cellphones are a distraction, but some thought the law was too strict – and that kids should be able to earn time on their phone.  Here’s one of the most surprising things I learned: So many students previously spent their school day listening to music, which they used their phones for. Under the new law, that’s no longer allowed during instructional time. One student told me they’re struggling to focus without headphones in.  And there were some students who told me they support the ban, like high school senior Taylor Smith, who lives in Indianapolis.  “I know it's helping me in the way that I'm thinking,” Smith told me. “Because I can listen to a teacher more actively, as opposed to letting them talk while I scroll. I can do an assignment on my Chromebook without having the compulsion to pick up my phone.”  It's too soon to say whether these bans will improve student engagement. But the initial reports from my vantage point in Indiana seem promising. You can read more about it here.  – Lee Gaines, Investigative education reporter, WFYI Read More Newsletter continues after sponsor message In other news... Navient, once one of the country’s largest student loan servicers, has reached a $120 million settlement with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) — resulting in the company being permanently banned from servicing federal student loans. In a settlement announced Thursday, the CFPB says that Navient would have to pay a $20 million penalty and provide $100 million in relief to those impacted borrowers. The bureau says it will mail checks to eligible borrowers, who do not need to take any action at this time. Read more here. — Jonathan Franklin, News reporter, NPR Some school districts are using money from a $1.7 billion legal settlement against e-cigarette manufacturer Juul Labs to pay for high-tech vape detectors on campuses. But there’s disagreement over whether monitors are the best way to address the problem, and they have raised some privacy concerns. Read more here. – Scott Neuman, Correspondent, NPR After Susan Kahn was admitted to a hospital for terminal pancreatic cancer, it became clear she wouldn’t be able to attend her daughter’s high school graduation. So the hospital staff and a few friends came up with a plan: They would recreate the ceremony, right there in the hospital. Read more here.  – Laura Kwerel, Producer, Hidden Brain The mother of the 14-year-old who has been charged with murder over the fatal shooting of four people at his Georgia high school called the school before the killings, warning staff of an “extreme emergency” involving her son, a relative said. Read more here.  – The Associated Press   Video of the week ... Have you ever thought about what noise does to the brain? In this week’s short video by LA Johnson, we dive into what the research says. TLDR: Noise impacts your ability to focus, and for young children learning language, it can have lasting negative effects. Check out our video on Instagram, Tik Tok, or our homepage. Match Active: Double Your Impact The NPR Network is dedicated to bringing critical climate coverage to the forefront and digging into solutions. But we can’t do it alone.  As we wrap up Climate Solutions Week, we’re asking 100 donors to step up and power the independent journalism needed to make this possible. Right now, your support will be matched dollar for dollar when you donate to the NPR Network — doubling your impact. Can we count on you today? Double Your Impact: Donate Now ➔ And here's something to make you smile... One of the fourth-grade winners of the Student Podcast Challenge was interviewed by her local news station! In her podcast, Ameya Desai tells the story of her grandfather’s forced emigration from Uganda after the country's leader, Idi Amin, ordered the expulsion of all South Asians. Ameya told NBC Bay Area, “I hope that when people listen to this we can make sure history doesn’t repeat itself.”  You can watch the full interview here.  As always, thank you for reading!   — Nicole Cohen, Editor, NPR Ed — Steve Drummond, Executive Producer, NPR Ed Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from Central Florida Public Media (edit station). What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: npred@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Music, Politics, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Education emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy