I’ve got two teenagers, and I live in a state with a K-12 cellphone ban. I used to think it was a good idea (my wife still does!). Now I’m not so sure.

In recent weeks, I’ve begun to notice that when my teenagers arrive home from school after a day without phones, the first thing they want to do is get online. The Commons’ co-founders, Shannon Godfrey and Julia Gustafson, told me that behavioral economists call that “rebound consumption.” In other words, forced hours of disconnection only make them hungrier for screen time.

To date, only five states have enacted blanket bans on cellphone use. Another 18 require districts to prohibit cellphone use during school hours. All but 11 have passed some sort of legislation to restrict cellphone use in schools. The nation’s largest school districts, including NYC Public Schools and LAUSD, have also hopped on the bandwagon. Check out our interactive map.

From a policy standpoint, cellphone bans have triggered a host of debates about school safety, emergencies, and how and whether phones can be deployed as learning tools. Like most policy debates, there are good arguments on all sides and no shortage of tradeoffs. My household is no exception.

What I’m increasingly worried about is how and if cellphone policies in schools are helping young people to build healthy habits or learn how to manage inevitable distractions. Rather than take on the hard questions, I worry that we’re simply kicking the can down the road. With schools, sports teams, study groups, and carpools all using apps and social media to communicate with kids and families, I also wonder whether we’re sending mixed messages.

Adults don’t live like this. When we’re out-of-office, we make choices about when to log on and when to unplug. We communicate expectations in meetings and differentiate between settings where we need to be fully engaged, and where some degree of multitasking is OK. Developing norms isn’t always easy for individuals or organizations, but that’s the world that our young people are growing into. 

To help schools and districts strike the right balance, a growing number of tools like Learning.com are being paired with cellphone restrictions to help students develop more healthy relationships with technology. Organizations like ISTE+ASCD are, likewise, providing educators with resources and tools to help build “healthy digital cultures.”

I’m especially excited about The Commons, a fast-growing software company with deep roots in behavioral economics. They’re building tools to help students recognize appropriate times, places, and manners of phone use. Instead of collecting devices or locking them away, they’re tapping into students’ intrinsic motivation and social cues, to give them nudges toward healthy use. Early feedback from partner schools tells of livelier and more engaged free periods, more books checked out of the library, and smoother classroom instruction—without compromising student autonomy or policing devices.

The FCC voted 2-1 to end schools’ and libraries’ ability to use E-Rate discounts for Wi-Fi hotspots and connectivity on school buses, reversing 2023-24 expansions adopted under the Biden administration. [The Associated Press]

Districts and libraries leaned on these options to extend learning time and close “homework gap” inequities for students without reliable home broadband—especially in rural communities. The rollback could widen access disparities and force mid-year budget fixes. [K-12 Dive] 

The FCC’s reversal leaves districts and libraries in a bind. Many had already budgeted for hotspots and bus routers, expecting E-Rate to help cover the cost. Now, leaders are weighing how to backfill that funding—whether through state broadband initiatives, local partnerships, or philanthropy.

For those tracking federal education priorities, two recent Federal Register notices from the U.S. Department of Education are worth watching.

On September 25, the Department released two proposed supplemental priorities and definitions:

Both priorities underscore an administration focus we’ve seen in other contexts: ensuring education is tightly connected to economic mobility. Much like ED’s Senior Advisor Penny Schwinn highlighted in our recent Q&A, the emphasis here is on flexibility, relevance, and alignment—helping states and districts redesign systems so every student graduates ready for college, career, and civic life.

Public comments on both priorities are open through October 27, and anyone can submit feedback via Regulations.gov.

The White House has asked nine higher ed institutions to sign an agreement: uphold the Trump administration’s higher ed priorities, and receive “multiple positive benefits” including “substantial and meaningful federal grants.”

Outlined in a nine-page memo titled the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” some of the Trump administration’s terms include:

The Trump administration also demands the universities create a more welcoming atmosphere for conservatives and conservative thought on campus. Institutions who sign on must ban employees from making political statements on behalf of their employee, make governance changes, and overhaul or eliminate departments that “purposefully punish, belittle, and even spark violence against conservative ideas.” [The Chronicle of Higher Education, subscription model]

Reactions to the compact have been mixed. UT System Board of Regents Chair Kevin Eltife shared with The Texas Tribune: “We enthusiastically look forward to engaging with university officials and reviewing the compact immediately.”

Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom urged institutions to not sign the compact:

Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, weighed in: “Who decides if the intellectual environment is vigorous and open-ended? This is not something the federal government should be involved in and adjudicating.”

According to the American Enterprise Institute’s Rick Hess, the terms aren’t the concern; rather, the problem lies in the Trump administration’s approach. He said, “Do we really want to wind up with each successive administration blasting out fast-pass conditions for federal research funds and federal aid?” [The Wall Street Journal, subscription model]

The schools that received the initial invitation—the University of Arizona, Brown, Dartmouth, MIT, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, UT-Austin, UVA, and Vanderbilt—will be allowed to submit comments on the memo until October 20. Schools that are aligned with the Trump administration’s terms will be invited to the White House to formalize their involvement in the compact by November 21. It is unclear whether or not this offer will be made to other institutions.

The compact represents the latest attempt by the Trump administration to bend the American higher education system to its will, leveraging federal funding to compel institutions to subscribe to President Trump’s ideals. This move also comes off the back of high-profile, multi-million dollar settlements with Columbia and Brown earlier this year, which required that the institutions meet some similar terms to restore their federal funding. [NPR]

With the government shut down for the foreseeable future, the Department of Education has shrunk to a skeleton crew of about 330 employees—just 13% of its normal workforce. More than one-third of that group is dedicated to Federal Student Aid, leaving barely 200 people to cover all other functions of the agency.

Read more about how the government shutdown is impacting early childhood programs, K-12 schools, and higher ed institutions on our blog.

Earlier this week, the Center for High School Success (CHSS) convened Arizona district leaders, policymakers, and community partners for a conversation on education and economic mobility. A central theme: ninth grade can change the trajectory of a student’s future. 

Anthology, best known for its Blackboard Learning Management System, made headlines this week when the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Through the process, the company will eliminate $1.7 billion in debt and see its assets transferred to creditors or sold at auction.

Stay tuned for more on what went wrong and the implications of this bankruptcy for the broader EdTech ecosystem in next Thursday’s edition of The EdSheet, our newsletter focused on the business of education written by W/A’s Matt Tower.

Check out W/A Jobs, which features 3,397 career opportunities from 312 organizations across the education industry. A few roles that caught our eye over the past week: