October 2025 Research Rundown
By Madie Spartz
For October’s Research Rundown—our curated list of recent, relevant research we think is worth adding to the education equity conversation—we highlight articles on:
- The impact of cell phone bans on student outcomes,
- The state of dual enrollment in Minnesota, and
- A lab experiment on different teacher preparation models
The Evidence on Cell Phone Bans in Schools on Student Outcomes: Evidence from Florida
National Bureau on Economic Research, October 2025
This study connects cell phone bans in schools to student outcomes, adding much-needed evidence to a timely policy question. Using data from schools in Florida, which has a statewide cell phone ban, and analyzing trends pre- and post-ban, the researchers examined the effects of the policy on academic and behavioral outcomes. They found that in the second year of the ban, student test scores improved significantly. Additionally, the authors found that cell phone bans reduced unexcused absences in middle and high school students, which they suggest may have contributed to the increase in test scores.
Conversely, the first year of the cell phone ban correlated to an increase in suspensions, especially among Black students. The authors attribute the overall increase to disciplinary infractions related to cell phone use. However, these effects reverted nearly to pre-ban levels in the second year of the policy, suggesting a “new steady state after an initial adjustment period.” The authors suggest the same adjustment pattern in academic test score data, which similarly didn’t show improvement until the second year of the policy.
Why This Matters in Minnesota
Last legislative session, lawmakers in Minnesota passed a law requiring districts to develop a cell phone policy but unlike Florida, they stopped short of prescribing what that policy should look like, leaving the choice up to individual district leaders. This came on the heels of the growing national discussion about the role of cell phones in students’ lives and its contribution to declining youth mental health and lower test scores. However, despite rampant debate about these topics, very little causal evidence exists on the impacts of cell phone use on student outcomes. This study offers an important addition to the literature on an issue that is top of mind for policymakers and parents alike.
Minnesota Dual Enrollment Survey: Summary of Findings
Minnesota P-20 Education Partnership, October 2025
This report summarizes the findings from the Minnesota Dual Enrollment Survey, in which K-12 leaders, higher education staff, and other stakeholders provided their input on the state of dual enrollment in Minnesota. Dual enrollment, where high school students take college courses, requires unique partnership and collaboration between K-12 and higher education systems, which often operate independently of each other. While the survey reveals strong agreement across sectors about the value of dual enrollment, key differences emerge between K-12 and higher education in perceptions of each other, and in roles and responsibilities when it comes to ensuring dual enrollment is successful for students.
For example, there are differences between respondents in where dual enrollment classes should be offered; K-12 respondents were more likely to say “in high school,” whereas higher education respondents were more likely to say “on a college campus.” Furthermore, there are large differences in perceived benefits and challenges for each sector in participating in dual enrollment. For example, just 43% of K-12 respondents think dual enrollment creates challenges for colleges, compared to 79% of higher education respondents. Themes emerged of competitiveness between the sectors in terms of access to per-pupil funding or access to “top students,” in addition to concerns that high schools bear the burden of the work and that students are “gaming the system” to take college courses that are perceived to be less rigorous than what high schools offer.
Why This Matters in Minnesota
The research is clear on the benefits of dual enrollment for students, including increased access to and success in college, but there are disparities in who accesses these courses in Minnesota– low-income students, students of color, and English learners are less likely to enroll. To reduce barriers to entry and success, K-12 and higher education systems need to work together to ensure all qualified students and their families are informed of the benefits and mechanics of dual enrollment courses. When there is tension or misunderstanding between stakeholders, or barriers to successful programming that go unaddressed, students will ultimately pay the price. The findings of this survey should inform policymakers and agency leaders how to make student-centered improvements to Minnesota’s dual enrollment ecosystem.
Practice-Based Teacher Education Pedagogies Improve Responsiveness: Evidence from a Lab Experiment
Annenberg Institute at Brown University, February 2025
This study analyzed three common teacher preparation pedagogies, or ways of teaching, to compare their effectiveness. Specifically, the researchers conducted an experiment to compare practice-based teacher education, a growing trend in teacher prep, with more traditional modes of teacher preparation, such as reading research on teaching and discussing it with classmates. One group of participants was assigned this more traditional activity, while another group watched a video of expert teaching and then practiced giving a similar lesson. A third experimental group mixed reading and discussing research with watching the expert teaching video.
The researchers found “significant and large positive effects” on eliciting and responding to student thinking in the practice-based and mixed pedagogy groups. They take this as strong but preliminary evidence on the effectiveness of practice-based teaching models in teacher prep programs. It’s important to note that this was a relatively small experiment, conducted in a lab setting on participants who are not teacher candidates; the next step in the research would be a larger and longer study of teacher preparation students.
Why This Matters in Minnesota
Anecdotally, many teachers say that the most valuable experience in teacher preparation is student teaching, where they get to actually apply and practice what they’ve learned in the classroom. This experiment provides causal evidence supporting those anecdotes and an important consideration for researchers and policymakers alike. There are practice-based models in Minnesota, and this research highlights the importance of expanding them and infusing the key elements into traditional teacher preparation programs.. Taken together with the fact that Minnesota is one of only two states where teacher prep enrollment is consistently declining, we need to ensure our teacher preparation programs are innovative, relevant, and effective.