Planning Together: A Playbook for Student Personal Device Policies

This Playbook aims to assist school districts and school leaders as they develop or revise their policies to guide the presence and use of personal devices in schools. It outlines a process by which school district and school leaders can engage students, educators, and parents as partners in the development of school district or school-based policies (step 1); clearly defines a set of shared goals (step 2); builds understanding and promotes decision making within their local context (step 3); and collects data to further understand and revise polices, as needed (step 4), working toward policies that support the behavioral and school climate shifts school leaders want to see. The Playbook also highlights key equity concerns and identifies some unintended consequences of some school-based approaches to regulating device use.