Fact Check Team: Students lag in reading and math as schools debate role of AI and phones

American students are struggling to regain academic ground lost since the pandemic, with new 2025 data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) revealing stalled progress for older students and a persistent 'learning recession' that predates COVID-19. As the school year concludes, this stark reality intensifies the ongoing, urgent debate over the role of artificial intelligence and personal smartphones in classrooms, pushing educators and policymakers nationwide to re-evaluate traditional teaching methods and digital boundaries. While 9-year-olds showed some modest gains in reading and math in 2025, mirroring recent 'science of reading' initiatives, 13-year-olds saw no measurable improvement from 2023, with their scores remaining below pre-pandemic 2020 levels. This uneven recovery unfolds against a backdrop of increasing calls for federal and state action on digital distractions; over 37 states now mandate cell phone restrictions, with early studies indicating these bans can boost student well-being, though their impact on test scores remains mixed. Simultaneously, the U.S. Department of Education recently finalized its AI priorities for federal funding, nudging schools toward integrating AI for personalized learning and teacher support, even as concerns about data privacy, academic integrity, and teacher readiness persist, highlighted by California's latest stringent AI guidance. The coming months will see intensified legislative pushes for comprehensive cell phone policies, potentially featuring hardware or software-based enforcement to move beyond honor systems, while a growing number of states are also poised to integrate AI literacy into K-12 curricula for the 2026-2027 school year. Educators are grappling with how to leverage AI's potential for individualized instruction without undermining critical thinking or exacerbating digital divides, recognizing that effective implementation hinges on robust teacher training and clear ethical guidelines. The confluence of these challenges demands a holistic approach, forcing schools to move beyond piecemeal solutions toward systemic reforms that address both technological integration and fundamental learning deficits.