Making New York’s Schools Distraction‑Free: A Bold Move for Better Learning

Making New York’s Schools Distraction‑Free: A Bold Move for Better Learning

By: Janet Howard With the 2025–26 school year underway, New York State has launched the nation’s most ambitious bell‑to‑bell smartphone ban in K–12 schools—eliminating distractions and restoring focus to classrooms statewide. This historic Distraction-Free Schools law marks a turning point in American education. Supporters say these phone-free schools help students refocus on academics and wellbeing. […]

Why Being Forced to Precisely Follow a Curriculum Harms Teachers and Students

Why Being Forced to Precisely Follow a Curriculum Harms Teachers and Students

By Cara Elizabeth Furman, THECONVERSATION In teaching, “fidelity” refers to closely following specific procedures for how to teach a lesson or respond to student behavior. For example, following a curriculum to fidelity might mean a teacher is required to read from a script, use a certain tone or expression, or teach from a designated page in a guidebook on […]