Schools Are Competing With Cell Phones. Here’s How They Think They Can Win

Isabella Pires first noticed what she calls the "gradual pandemic of apathy" in eighth grade. Only a handful of her classmates signed up for the service projects she helped organize at her Massachusetts school. Even fewer actually showed up.

When Isabella entered high school last fall, she discovered the problem was even worse: Spirit Week was poor and classes were taught by students who barely spoke.

In a way, it's as if students "care less and less about what people think, but somehow more," said Isabella, 14. Some teens, she said, no longer care about appearing disengaged, while others are ...