Spokane School District officials say banning cell phones during the school day was a highly successful move this academic year. So was encouraging students to get involved in school activities.
They celebrated the benefits of the district’s Engage in Real Life initiative today. Superintendent Adam Swinyard told a gathering of school and community leaders at Madison Elementary School that school attendance was up in all three groups: high school, middle school and elementary schools. About 60% of all students are participating in activities such as clubs and sports. Grades and student behavior are generally better.
“We know that we can have the best instruction in the world, but if kids don’t feel engaged, if they don’t feel like they belong, if they don’t feel connected, then all the best teaching and learning in the world isn’t going to help them reach their potential,” he said. “This is the right investment and the right focus for our community and we should be incredibly proud.”
Swinyard says the district will continue its no-cell phone policy for elementary and middle school students when they return in the fall. High school students will be allowed to use their phones during breaks between periods and during lunch. He says the district hopes to increase student participation in after-school activities to 75%.
Swinyard says district officials learned one other interesting tidbit this year: many students don’t get the sleep they need to perform well in school.
Washington State University Nursing Professor Anne Mason says it’s a crucial piece to the school puzzle.
“When children consistently get sleep they need, they are better able to manage stress, concentrate in the classroom and engage in their physical activity opportunities. They also experience fewer mood swings, recover from illnesses more quickly and demonstrate stronger memory and problem solving skills,” she said.
Mason says a growing body of research shows children need at least eight hours of sleep on a consistent basis. She says those are chronically fatigued are most likely to struggle academically and emotionally. She suggests parents set guidelines that reduce phone usage around bedtime.
Swinyard says the district will initiate the conversation with parents about the importance of their children getting enough sleep.
“If they’re going to be the best version of themselves and if they’re going to be healthy and happy and have the energy to be engaged after school and in real life, they need to go to bed. And so we need to have that conversation as a community and that is harder than it sounds,” he said.
Ben Small from Launch Northwest, one of the partners in the Engage in Real Life initiative, calls it a movement that seeks to change the community’s attitudes about school.
“If every parent at Madison Elementary School said we’re going to make sure that our children don’t have cell phones in their bedrooms, then when students came to school and said, ‘Hey, I can’t have my cell phone in my bedroom,’ every child would know that that’s what’s happening across the entire school. What if it’s a priority across an entire community?”
