About The Commons
Helping Students Disconnect to Reconnect
At The Commons™, we believe every student deserves to learn in a space that fosters focus, connection, and growth. But today’s schools face a rising challenge—distraction technology like smartphones and social media that compete for students' attention and disrupt their ability to engage fully.
We exist to help schools restore a sense of presence. Our platform makes it simple for educators to create distraction-free environments that support deeper learning, meaningful relationships, and a stronger sense of community.
Who We Serve: K-12 Public, Charter, and Private Schools
Our Purpose
To make schools a where curiosity, connection, and growth thrive-without distraction technology.
Our Mission
To enable schools to achieve safe and supportive environments where teachers can focus on teaching, students feel they belong, and everyone thrives.
Our Vision
A world where people live more purposeful and present lives by reconnecting with humanity.
Our Story
The Commons™ was built by a team of educators, technologists, and behavior change specialists who observed firsthand how distraction technology eroded school culture and student engagement.
In the early days, we supported schools in testing physical tools and lock-based systems to manage phone use. While successful initially, the solutions quickly proved difficult to sustain—labor-intensive, costly to maintain, and inflexible for the dynamic needs of school life. These tools also belittled student agency, never teaching them the ‘why or how’ on managing their device use outside of school. This left them unprepared to balance their tech use longterm.
We asked a different question:
What if technology could support presence, rather than compete with it?
From that, The Commons™ was born: a simple, seamless platform that automatically limits tech distractions without locking phones away or creating extra work for teachers. It's a tool built to align with policy, not police it—so educators can focus on what matters most.
Let’s work together.
Interested in working together? Fill out some info and we will be in touch shortly! We can't wait to hear from you!