Two organizations are taking a fresh look at the state’s education system, and members of both groups met in Casper on Friday to collaborate and compare strategies.

GILLETTE, Wyo. ¬– Two months into the school year, students at Twin Spruce Junior High School in Gillette know the drill. Before the bell rings, their cell phones go in the numbered pouches hanging on the wall near eighth-grade English teacher Bridget Graham’s desk. Like other schools in the Campbell County District, Twin Spruce teachers choose whether students can have phones in class. Graham has opted for a no cell phone policy, meaning students turn in their devices before class, but can use them in between and at lunchtime.