Cell phone use in school studies

 

A recent study reveals that teens spend an average of 1.5 hours on their phones during school, with 25% exceeding two hours. This represents a significant increase from previous studies, which reported only 43 minutes of phone use during school.

Christakis D., et al. (2025). Adolescent smartphone use during school hours. JAMA Pediatrics.  doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.6627

Schools implementing cellphone bans have seen significant improvements in student behavior and engagement. The North Adams school district in Massachusetts reported a 75% drop in disciplinary referrals, while the Bentonville district in Arkansas saw a 57% reduction in aggression and a 51% decrease in drug-related offenses.
Banerji, O. (2025). What schools look like without cellphone distraction. Education Week. 
https://www.edweek.org/technology/what-schools-look-like-without-the-cellphone-distraction/2025/02
 

This report  looks at statewide laws and policies on cellphones in schools. 
Prothero, A., Langreo, L., & Klein, A. (2024). Whit states ban or restrict cellphones in school? Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/technology/which-states-ban-or-restrict-cellphones-in-schools/2024/06

February Classical Piano Composers

 

There is a lot to love about these classical piano composers who were born in February.

Michael Praetorius was born in 1571 in Creuzburg, Germany. His father was a Lutheran pastor, so it is not surprising that Praetorius served as an organist. His compositions were published as 17 volumes of music, mainly of sacred music such as chorales,

George Frideric Handel was born on February 23, 1685 in Halle, Germany. His organ concertos may have been inspired by his home town, which attracted famous musicians. Even small churches had good organists. Handel’s father hired one of those organists to instruct Handel – and he was Handel’s only teacher.

Gioachino Rossini was born on February 29, 1792, in Pesaro, Italy. While he is most known for his 39 operas, such as Guillaume Tell, he also wrote songs for piano. Rossini and his wife launched a weekly evening salon, which featured more than 150 pieces he wrote for them, such as solo piano pieces.

Felix Mendelssohn was born on February 3, 1809, in Hamburg. Mendelssohn served as a pianist and organist as well as composing for those instruments. His mother gave him piano lessons starting when hie was six years old. His first published works were three piano quarters.

Leopold Godowsky was born on February 13, 1870, in Vilnius, Lithuania. He proficiently played the  piano and composed by age five. Godowsky was a virtuoso pianist, and his technical knowledge informed his compositions for the piano in terms of hands’ movements. He also taught at the Chicago Conservatory.

Our hearts go out to them.

Large Print Books Study

 In an era when students and teachers alike spend hours a day reading on screens, large print books are an easy-to-implement alternative that increases reading engagement and comprehension for a vast majority of students. New research found that 87% of teachers saw a positive impact on their students’ reading success when they made the switch to large print books. Read the blog on the study results.

Effects of large print on student literacy development. (2024). Project Tomorrow.  

https://www.gale.com/thorndike/ylp-research/2024-project-tomorrow-study

Screen Use in Classroom Attitudes Study

Students and educators are expressing concerns about the extensive use of screens in classrooms, with kindergartners watching lessons on YouTube, middle-schoolers using Chromebooks for writing drills and high-schoolers collaborating on Google Docs. Some students say the reliance on technology is distracting and hinders learning, while teachers say it is challenging to keep students engaged.

Media Use and Screen Time - Its Impact on Children, Adolescents, and Families. (2020). American College of Pediatricians.

https://acpeds.org/position-statements/media-use-and-screen-time-its-impact-on-children-adolescents-and-families

 

Student ChatGPT Use Survey

 

Twenty-six percent of US teens ages 13 to 17 say they are using ChatGPT for schoolwork, doubling the figure who reported that use in 2023, a recent survey indicates. The survey also reveals that 54% of respondents consider using the AI tool acceptable for researching new topics, while 18% say the same about using it to write essays. 

Black and Hispanic teens (31% each) are more likely than White teens (22%) to say they have used ChatGPT for their schoolwork. 

Sidoti, O., Park, E., & Gottfried, J. (2025). About a quarter of U.S. teens have used ChatGPT for schoolwork - double the shrae in 2023. Pew Research Center. 

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/01/15/about-a-quarter-of-us-teens-have-used-chatgpt-for-schoolwork-double-the-share-in-2023/https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/01/15/about-a-quarter-of-us-teens-have-used-chatgpt-for-schoolwork-double-the-share-in-2023/

Student and Teacher AI Use Report

 A recent report shows a significant increase in AI use among students and teachers during the 2023-24 school year, with 70% of high school students and 67% of teachers using generative AI. However, two-thirds of teachers have not received guidance on handling AI-related plagiarism, although 39% use detection software.

Laird, E., Dwyer, M., & Woelfe, K. (2025). Out of step: Students, teachers in stride with edtech threats while parents are left behind. Center for Democracy & Technology.

https://cdt.org/insights/out-of-step-students-teachers-in-stride-with-edtech-threats-while-parents-are-left-behind/

Student Engagement in School Report

A recent report reveals that while more than 70% of parents believe their children are learning a lot, less than half of high-school students agree. The report highlights that students become more disengaged as they age, with only 29% of 12th graders saying they love school compared to 74% of third graders.

Fewer than one-third of middle and high schoolers said they felt that what they learned was relevant to life outside the classroom, that their classmates persevered “when the work gets hard,” or that they had any say over what happened to them during the school day.

Older students were also more likely to report a sense of disconnection from their learning environments, with less than half saying they felt like they were part of a community or that adults respected their suggestions. Overall, only 36% of respondents from grades 6–12 said they were able to develop their own ideas at school.

Winthrop, R., Shoukry, Y., & Nitkin, D. (2025). The disengagement gap: Why student engagement isn't what parents expect. Brookings Institute.

https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-disengagement-gap/