Seventeen Baltimore County middle and high schools are reporting early signs of decreased distraction after banning cell phones during class time.
The district announced the pilot program requiring students to put their devices in clear pouches at the beginning of the school year, joining a nationwide trend. But at a school board meeting Tuesday, Chief of Staff Mildred Charley-Greene said most schools wound up not using that model.
“They’re unique schools with unique communities, so they designed a program that met the needs of their communities,” she said. “Bottom line was that every single one of them ensured the students and cell phones were separated during instructional time.”
Some put phones in a box at the front of the classroom or in velcro pencil cases attached to students’ desks, Charley-Greene added. But all methods ensured that students could still access their devices in case of an emergency — to address parents’ main concern.
Just under 70% of 455 teachers and school staff surveyed about the pilot’s early successes said they noticed decreased distraction in the classroom.
“And while I can't quantify it, I can share with you that my school building is happier,” said Emily Caster, principal of Sparrows Point High School. “Students are more engaged in classrooms, in the hallways, with one another and with the staff.”
Caster said the key lesson she’s learned from the past four months is flexibility.
“For example, we're finding that our younger students, perhaps those in ninth grade, may need a much more structured approach than those students in 12th grade,” she said. “We've learned to clearly and repeatedly articulate our expectations, to be very consistent with our procedures and responses, and also to provide structured cell phone breaks as appropriate.”
Caster said her school also offers incentives and rewards for positive behavior, like bringing a Kona ice cream truck to the building early-on in the shift.
Survey responses were evenly divided on whether students reacted positively or negatively to the restrictions.
“I've never seen kids talking to each other this much,” Caster said. “I've heard a lot of people say their grades are better. We are also seeing a decrease in peer conflicts related to cell phone or social media use at school.”
Some board members expressed concern over varying cell phone policies by classroom or school.
“And the reason I say that is we've had a cell phone policy, that hasn't been the issue,” said board member Christina Pumphrey. “The issue has been… consistency and implementation, whether that be from classroom to classroom or from school to school, students moving from middle school to high school.”
But Caster said she’s seen students be very adaptable to different expectations. And Superintendent Myriam Rogers said part of the purpose in having a pilot is testing new methods and sharing feedback.
“That's what we're looking for, to find out what works best and be able to provide to all of our schools and our principals, ‘here are the tools to make sure that this is successful in your building,’” she said.
Charley-Greene said more quantitative data will be coming in the spring. That’s also when the district will start to evaluate whether they should expand the program to all county middle and high schools.
