U.S. Test Scores Are in a Generation-Long Decline: Is Digital Distraction Part of the Problem?
Something troubling is happening in American education. New nationwide data analyzed by researchers at Stanford, Harvard and Dartmouth shows students are performing worse than a decade ago. Reading scores declined in 83% of U.S. school districts with available data, while math scores declined in 70%. Researchers describe the trend as a decade-long “learning recession,” and the decline cannot be blamed solely on COVID: students lost as much ground in reading from 2017 to 2019 as during the pandemic. Math and reading have posted recent gains, but not enough to erase the losses, and the lowest-achieving students saw the biggest declines. There is no single explanation.
Researchers point to several factors. One part of the timeline stands out for parents: after decades of improvement, U.S. test-score gains stalled in the mid-2010s, as smartphones, social media and school laptops became embedded in daily life. That does not prove technology caused falling test scores, but it raises a critical question: Are students able to concentrate long enough to learn?
Attention Is Becoming an Academic Skill
Today’s students live in an environment designed to compete for their attention, making sustained concentration increasingly valuable.
- Reading a challenging chapter.
- Working through a complex math problem.
- Writing and revising an essay.
- Studying for an SAT or ACT.
These activities do not provide the instant stimulation of a feed or message. They require patience, sustained attention and the willingness to remain with a problem even when the answer is not immediately obvious. Those are academic skills—and life skills.
The Technology Students Need Can Also Distract Them
Today’s students often can’t simply put the computer away. Laptops, Chromebooks and tablets have become standard school supplies. Students use them for textbooks, research, assignments, instructional videos, math problems and teacher communication. But the same device can also deliver games, messages, social media, notifications and endless web content. The Associated Press recently examined this exact challenge: how parents can help children stay focused when the technology distracting them is also the technology they need for school. The goal isn’t to eliminate technology. It is helping students learn to control their technology instead of allowing it to control their attention. If students spend two hours “doing homework” while repeatedly switching tabs or checking messages, those two hours may contain far less actual learning than parents realize. With national achievement data already raising concerns, sustained attention matters more than ever.
Seven practical ways parents can help students reduce digital distractions and build stronger homework habits
- Create a “One Screen, One Task” Rule
Multitasking often feels efficient, but every text, video or tab switch forces the brain to redirect attention. For focused homework, use a simple rule: One screen. One assignment. One objective at a time.
If the computer is required, the phone usually does not need to be beside it. Put unnecessary devices elsewhere until the study block is complete.
- Turn Off the Notifications
Notifications are designed to interrupt. Use Focus, Do Not Disturb, Digital Well-Being, Apple Family Sharing or Google Family Link to silence or limit distractions during homework. Make “notifications off” part of the routine—not a punishment.
- Know the Difference Between a Personal and School-Issued Device
Parents usually have more control over personally owned devices. Options may include:
- Set time limits for entertainment apps
- Block certain websites
- Silence notifications
- Establish parental controls
School-managed devices can be different because schools control many settings. If a school-issued device becomes distracting, ask what controls are available outside school hours—and whether every assignment truly needs to be completed digitally.
Some reading, brainstorming, note-taking and problem-solving may be easier on paper first.
- Find Your Student’s Best Focus Time
Students focus best at different times. One may work well right after school; another may need food, movement and time to decompress. Watch for patterns:
- When does your student seem mentally sharpest?
- When does frustration begin?
- Which assignments require the most concentration?
Schedule the hardest work during your student’s strongest focus period. A routine might look like:
Decompress → Snack/Movement → Difficult Assignment → Short Break → Easier Assignment → Review
The exact schedule matters less than using one consistently.
- Create a Workspace That Signals “It’s Time to Work”
A distracting environment makes concentration harder. Whenever possible, create a consistent homework area with:
- Good lighting
- Necessary school supplies nearby
- Minimal background noise
- Limited access to unrelated devices
- Enough physical space for books, paper and the computer
It does not require a home office. Even part of a kitchen table can work if students associate that space with focused academic time.
- Don’t Let Homework Become a Late-Night Battle
Students do need some time to decompress after a full school day. But repeatedly delaying homework until late at night adds fatigue to the distraction problem. The result can become a cycle:
Start late → Work inefficiently → Stay up later → Sleep less → Concentrate poorly the next day.
Set a reasonably consistent start time. If homework still stretches late despite focused effort, the issue may be difficulty with the material, organization, time management or workload—not simply procrastination.
- Teach Focus Instead of Becoming the “Homework Police”
Ultimately, parental controls cannot teach self-control. The longer-term goal is helping students understand how they learn best. Instead of repeatedly asking, “Are you doing your homework?” try questions that encourage a plan:
- What do you need to finish tonight?
- Which assignment will require the most concentration?
- What usually distracts you?
- How long do you think this assignment should take?
- What can you turn off or put away before you start?
- What is your goal for the next 30 minutes?
These questions move students from responding to supervision toward managing their own attention and workload.
Technology Should Support Learning — Not Replace Focus
This does not have to become a debate between “screens” and “no screens.” Students need technology skills, but they also need reading, reasoning, organization, time management and the ability to concentrate without constant stimulation. The strongest approach combines both: use technology when it genuinely improves learning and put it aside when it does not. For parents, success does not mean monitoring every click. It means helping students recognize their own habits and build strategies they can eventually use without constant supervision.
Is Homework Taking Longer Than It Should?
Sometimes distraction is the problem. Other times, difficulty focusing may signal gaps in understanding, weak study systems or an overwhelming workload. Excel Academy provides K–12 tutoring, homework help and study-skills support for students in Las Vegas and Henderson. Personalized support can strengthen subject knowledge along with organization and time-management skills. The goal is not simply to finish tonight’s assignment, but to develop a student who knows how to approach the next one.
Build better habits. Strengthen academic skills. Excel to New Heights.
