When The Phone Is Down, Grades Go Up

WASHINGTON — Ever since smartphones became so ubiquitous in everyday life, the tempting distractions have complicated teachers’ work.

The result: Some high schools and middle schools have changed their policies when it comes to student phones, fueling a debate about whether access to such devices should be controlled in the classroom.

As one might expect, recent studies show that a phone-free environment can benefit performance, said Ann Dolin, president of Educational Connections tutoring. One study from the London School of Economics, she said, found that in schools with a cellphone ban, students earned overall higher exam scores.

“And it was the low-performing kids that have the greatest increase,” Dolin told WTOP’s Shawn Anderson and Dimitri Sotis.

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