Upcoming Statewide Classroom Cell Phone Bans

Since the arrival of smartphones in classrooms, schools worldwide have grappled with how to reduce their impact on student learning and academic benchmarks. This past year, many states have begun taking decisive action against student-owned smart devices, with certain states, such as New York, soon requiring bell-to-bell restrictions statewide. Several states’ smart device bans, including those in Texas, Utah, and North Dakota, are poised to take effect by the beginning of the upcoming 2025-2026 school year. States such as California and Colorado will begin enforcing their bans by the 2026-2027 school year.

Some stakeholders view these actions as too strong a step in the wrong direction, noting that many specialized learning tools rely on students using their own devices. Others have claimed this to be a necessary step forward in changing classroom culture for the better. While creating aligned, high-quality educational content is undoubtedly valuable, it is just one part of a bigger equation involving classroom culture and policy – one that EdGate is here and ready to help you navigate.

How High-Quality Instructional Materials and Classroom Culture Intersect

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, investments in K-12 education funding have increased significantly, largely due to billions of dollars in federal pandemic relief aid. With these newly available funds, thousands of districts across the United States have been able to adopt and reform curricula, as well as obtain high-quality instructional materials, tools, and devices aligned to state education standards. This unprecedented funding has been instrumental in enabling schools to meet rising educational needs and has presented new opportunities for education companies. However, getting these high-quality materials to be successfully used in modern classrooms requires additional alignment and forethought.

As classroom culture changes and schools around the United States are becoming more technology-integrated than ever, EdGate helps your product retain effectiveness and relevance. With ExACT’s many innovative tools, ensuring that your educational content is fully aligned and delivered to today’s classrooms is made simpler, regardless of the format. Automatically aligning to new standards and policies in our changing world is no longer an issue, either, as ExACT allows you and your team to fully streamline the process, keeping you ahead of the competition.

Throughout the ever-changing educational landscape, EdGate will always be here to help you adapt to any changes and challenges that arise. Do you have any questions? Our highly experienced, expert team is always happy to discuss how we can support you and your team.