Cell Phone Ban In School Dials In Higher Grades – Dave’s Diary

The cell phone is an awesome piece of technology.  The question I have is this – could the success of the cell phone contribute to the end of the cell phone?   What I mean is the cell phone is a well known distraction for today’s students -- so is it possible that the discovery of the next generation of communication devices might not happen because the potential inventor of the new technology was too distracted by the current technology? Farfetched? Perhaps, but consider the findings of a new study reported in Time.

A new study shows that after test subject  schools imposed strict cell phone bans, exam scores increased by as much as six percent.

Since 2001, researchers from the University of Texas and Louisiana State University have surveyed cell phone policies across schools in four cities. They say the impact of banning cell phones is so intense that it is equivalent to an additional hour a week in school. Study authors note that underachieving and disadvantaged students benefited the most from strict cell phone bans.

I guess there’s no reason for concern about the next generation of cell phones because

the study showed no measurable impact on the highest scoring students.  But  for those lower achievers—time to hang up the phone!