Podcast: The Most Significant Education Research of 2025

Are you curious what the latest research reveals about everything from brain breaks to groundbreaking research on AI, cell phones, and handwriting in the classroom? Then you won’t want to miss this special year-end bonus episode based on one of our most popular feature articles of the year. 

In the latest episode of School of Practice, Edutopia’s research editor Youki Terada and editor-in-chief Stephen Merrill walk us through the latest research on the impact of cell phone bans on classroom learning, why more recess time is critical for learning, how adept problem solvers tackle thorny math word problems, and how microbreaks powerfully impact focus and attention. Plus, we’ll share practical tips for bringing these findings right into classrooms today. 

Related resources:

• The 10 Most Significant Education Studies of 2025 We’re back with our roundup of the most insightful studies of the year, from the power of brain breaks to groundbreaking research on AI, cell phones, and handwriting in the classroom.

• Sustaining Student Concentration: The Effectiveness of Micro-Breaks in a Classroom Setting (2025) In this experiment, college students who took 90-second micro-breaks every 10 minutes stayed more focused and did better on quizzes than students who had a single 10-minute, mid-class break. 

• Highlight, Write, Elaborate: Note-Taking Strategies to Master Reality-Based Mathematical Tasks (2025) This study shows that middle-school students solve math story problems more accurately when they can offload thinking onto paper—by sketching diagrams or marking up information—because these strategies reduce demands on working memory. 

• The Impact of Cellphone Bans in Schools on Student Outcomes: Evidence from Florida (2025) This study examined what happened in Florida schools after a statewide ban on student cellphone use went into effect. 

• Removing Phones from Classrooms Improves Academic Performance (2025) This study examined the impact of school cellphone bans on students’ attention and academic performance, using data from 17,000 college students in India. 

• Ill Communication: Technology, distraction & student performance (2016) This research examined the impact of banning mobile phones in schools in four English cities. 

• The Impact of Recess on Chronic Stress Levels in Elementary School Children (2025) This study compared two groups of fourth graders—one that received 45 minutes of outdoor recess daily and another that received only 30 minutes—to determine whether increased playtime helped reduce chronic stress. 

• The Impact of Handwriting and Typing Practice in Children’s Letter and Word Learning: Implications for Literacy Development (2025) This study followed five-year-olds as they learned new letters and simple words, comparing children who learned by handwriting (copying or tracing) with those who learned by typing on a keyboard. 

• Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task (2025) This study found that essays written with AI tended to sound similar to one another and showed less evidence of deep thinking. In fact, many AI users struggled to recall what they had written and often failed to accurately quote their own essays.

• Generative AI Can Harm Learning (2024) This study found that students who practiced math with AI often relied on it for answers, which made them feel like they were learning—even though they performed worse on a later test. The findings suggest that if AI is used in classrooms, it should be designed to guide students’ reasoning—not replace it.
• IEPs in the Age of AI: Examining IEP Goals Written With and Without ChatGPT (2025) This study explored how AI could assist special education teachers in writing IEPs (Individualized Education Programs).