#933 The nuts and bolts of banning cellphones in schools, with Othiniel Mahone

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Othiniel Mahone, the principal at GEO Academies 21st Century School in Gary, Indiana, joins Mike and David to discuss effective strategies for implementing and enforcing an “away for the day” school cellphone policy. Then, on the Research Minute, Adam reports on a study about the impact of middle school principals on various long-term outcomes for students.

Recommended content: 

• “How to implement a cellphone ban in schools” —Amber M. Northern, Ph.D., Fordham Institute
• “LAUSD approves cellphone ban as Newsom calls for statewide action” —Howard Blume and Defne Karabatur, Los Angeles Times
• “New York City Schools Should Be Next to Ban Mobile Phones” —Michael R. Bloomberg, Bloomberg
• Eric A. Hanushek, Andrew J. Morgan, Steven G. Rivkin, Jeffrey C. Schiman, Ayman Shakeel, and Lauren Sartain, “The Lasting Impacts of Middle School Principals,” NBER Working Paper No. 32642 (July 2024) 

Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org.