The Department of Education is urging states, districts, and schools to adopt policies addressing the use of student personal devices in schools, and it issued new guidance to aid government and school leaders in developing their new policies.
According to the department, the new guidance, Planning Together: A Playbook for Student Personal Device Policies, outlines a process that school districts and school leaders can use to engage students, educators, and parents, as partners in the development of school district or school-based policies. The guidance also provides a set of step-by-step practices for building a shared understanding of the needs and concerns surrounding cellphones in schools, and recommendations for addressing those concerns through clear and consistent policies.
“In this digital age, every elementary, middle, and high school should have a clear, consistent, and research-informed policy to guide the use of phones and personal devices in school,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.
“I want our department to be a resource to school leaders,” Cardona continued. “That is why we are issuing a new guide to help support education officials and local communities in developing policies that are understandable and enforceable, and prioritize learning while ensuring student safety. The evidence makes clear: there is no one-size-fits-all policy. Different school communities have different needs, and the nuances of this issue demand that local voices – parents, educators, and students – inform local decisions around the use of personal devices in school.”
After working with researchers and education practitioners, the playbook is centered around three key principles:
- When co-designed with diverse and representative stakeholders – including students, educators, parents and caregivers, and school leaders – device policies can result in improved stakeholder buy-in and increased potential for success.
- The potential for success is enhanced when there is broad awareness and a shared stake in participating in and implementing device policies. School leaders should effectively enforce these policies and ensure accountability for their implementation. Educators should advance effective classroom culture and norms for teaching and learning to accompany their school’s device policy.
- Device policies should be paired with an emphasis on digital citizenship at school and at home, including systemic, evidence-based approaches for teaching adults and children about how to keep students safe, healthy, and productive in online spaces.
The playbook includes examples and resources around cellphone policies, as well as additional reading to better understand the student personal device issue, sample device policies from across the country, and additional considerations for the development and implementation of personal device policies.
