top of page


Ritalin or recess: Why are so many kids on ADHD meds?
Is ADHD a medical disorder best treated with drugs?

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 203 min read
0 comments


Devices are distractions: Take the tablets away
Internet-connected devices are distracting students -- not helping them learn.

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 252 min read
1 comment


Chicago closed digital divide: Low achievers learned less, high achievers learned more
Closing the digital divide widened the achievement gap for Chicago students.

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 251 min read
0 comments


Student behavior is 'massively' better with no-phones policy
Students behave better and learn more when smartphones are banned.

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 131 min read
0 comments


Ban phones: Teens spend a quarter of the school day on their phones, says study
Teens average 90 minutes each school day on their phones.

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 132 min read
1 comment


Keep it simple: Attention must be paid
How do teachers get the attention of easily distracted "digital natives?"

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 22 min read
0 comments


Only disconnect: Edtech is bad for learning
"Which computer should we buy?," asked the school administrators. "How are you planning to use the computers?," said the Apple sales rep....

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 13, 20242 min read
0 comments


Too much tech: Devices distract students, don't support learning
Schools are wasting time and money on ed-tech that doesn't improve learning and distracts students.

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 21, 20242 min read
3 comments


Georgetown students 'have trouble staying focused on even a sonnet'
Even elite colleges don't read very much and have trouble staying focused on books.

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 2, 20242 min read
5 comments


90% of teachers support cellphone bans
Ninety percent of teachers in a NEA survey want their schools to ban cellphones in class, and 83 percent back all-day bans.

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 3, 20242 min read
0 comments


Phone-free schools: Can it be done?
California is getting on the no-phones-in-class bandwagon , reports AP. Gov. Gavin Newsom wants school districts to restrict students’...

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 15, 20241 min read
0 comments


Post-Covid kids are unfocused, poorly behaved and -- surprise! -- learning less
Student behavior hasn't recovered from the pandemic, says a federal survey of public schools.

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 24, 20241 min read
1 comment


In college, but not in class: Kids with 'snowplow parents' give up easily
Absenteeism -- physical and mental -- is high for college students too.

Joanne Jacobs
May 19, 20241 min read
5 comments


How a middle school kicked the phone habit
Smartphones are a major classroom distraction, say nearly three-fourths of high school teachers and a third of middle school teachers in...

Joanne Jacobs
May 5, 20242 min read
0 comments


Childhood's end
Phone-centered childhood is a disaster, writes Jonathan Haidt in The Atlantic. In the early 2010s, "adolescents in rich countries traded...

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 24, 20243 min read
1 comment


Teens love their smartphones -- but some say it's 'peaceful' to be phone-free
Seventy-two percent of teenagers say they often or sometimes feel "peaceful" when they're without their smartphones, according to a Pew...

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 13, 20242 min read
1 comment


Ban phones in school: The experiment with kids' minds has failed
Smart phones are making students less smart, writes Derek Thompson in The Atlantic. Student achievement has been falling around the world...

Joanne Jacobs
Dec 23, 20232 min read
6 comments


'Smartphones are kryptonite for learning'
Schools are going phone free to remove distractions in class and encourage students to socialize in their free time, report Meg Oliver...

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 20, 20231 min read
0 comments


Study links early smartphone use with poor mental health
At what age did you get your first smartphone or tablet? The younger the age of getting the first smartphone, the worse the mental...

Joanne Jacobs
May 20, 20232 min read
0 comments


Cellphone bans spread: 'This has got to stop'
Schools across the country are banning cell phones in hopes of reducing distractions and refocusing students on academics, writes Donna...

Joanne Jacobs
May 12, 20232 min read
0 comments
bottom of page