Schools that ban smartphones will (likely) improve test scores

It's always important to backup the seemingly obvious with an actual study, and such is what the London School of Economics did. The school conducted a study that looked at the test scores of students and the effect smartphones have on them. As it turns out (and no one is surprised), banning the smartphones caused the test scores to improve, lending credence to some schools' push for anti-smartphone zones. Underachieving students see the most improvement.

Many schools have already banned the use of smartphones on premises, or have instituted some variations of bans that limit smartphone use during school hours. The London School of Economics looked at data from schools (a total of 91 phone policies) and contrasted them with the effect such policies have had on test results over the years.

The study considered how the 91 phone policies have transformed since 2001, and the test scores in particular were from national exams taken by 16-year-olds at the schools. A total of 130,000 students were covered under this study.

To no ones' surprise, the schools that banned phones from being used saw its test scores improve by 6.4-percent, though the underachieving students in particular saw their scores increase by a much higher average of 14-percent. Banning smartphones from school grounds can have a significant effect, the data suggests, but the issue remains a volatile one.

SOURCE: CNN Money