Causal Research on the Impacts of Cell Phone Policies in K-12 Schools Grant

Note: Deadline to receive Letters of Interest (LOI) is indicated above as due date for Letter of Inquiry.
Arnold Ventures
Arnold Ventures (AV) is a philanthropy dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through evidence-based policy solutions that maximize opportunity and minimize injustice.
To advance this mission, we invest in rigorous research to better understand the root causes of problems and strengthen the evidence base on what works to solve them.
Causal Research on the Impacts of Cell Phone Policies in K-12 Schools
The Opportunity
Smartphones are nearly universal among children and adolescents in the United States: 95% of teens reported having access to a smartphone, giving them regular exposure to social media, gaming, and video streaming platforms. While smartphones can support learning and social connection, emerging evidence suggests that using phones during school may also interfere with important educational goals, including student engagement, attendance, and academic performance.
In response, more than 30 states have passed laws restricting cell phone use in K-12 schools in recent years. These policies vary widely, ranging from “bell-to-bell” policies to classroom-level bans on phones only during instructional time. Despite the rapid adoption of these policies, rigorous evidence on academic, behavioral, and mental health impacts remains limited. In the absence of strong research, federal and state policymakers, as well as school and district leaders, lack the information needed to make informed decisions that effectively support student success. Building a robust evidence base is critical for shaping policies and practices that improve learning and well-being in both the short- and long-term.
This RFP seeks to address these gaps by supporting rigorous, causal research on the academic, behavioral, and mental health impacts of cell phone policies in K-12 schools in the United States. We seek studies that generate actionable insights for policymakers, as well as school and district leaders, who are deciding whether and how to implement or refine such policies. This RFP will support both Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) and Quasi-Experimental Designs (QEDs) that can credibly estimate causal effects. While we are open to a range of research questions, we highlight 2 areas of particular interest below.
What are the overall impacts of policies restricting cell phone use in K-12 schools?
What are the short- and long-term impacts of cell phone policies on student-level outcomes, including academic achievement and attainment (e.g., standardized test scores, graduation rates), behaviors (e.g., engagement, attendance, disciplinary actions), and/or mental health (e.g., depression, anxiety, loneliness)?
What are the short- and long-term impacts of cell phone policies on school-level outcomes, including school safety (e.g., reported incidents), school climate (e.g., bullying, social connections), and administrative factors (e.g., costs, logistics, communications with parents)?
Do initial impacts persist, fade, or grow as schools refine their practices over time?
What factors explain variation in the impacts of cell phone policies?
Which students, schools, and districts are most impacted by cell phone policies?
Which policy design features (e.g., what devices are banned, when devices are banned, how devices are stored/locked) make cell phone policies more — or less — effective?
Which implementation strategies (e.g., training and supports for school staff, consistent approaches for enforcement) make cell phone policies more — or less — effective?
How do the resource and operational implications of different policy approaches (e.g., costs, staff time, infrastructure needs) influence their effectiveness? How do these factors affect the scalability and sustainability of effective approaches?