There are a LOT of Chromebook policies in the admin console. Scrolling through the Chromebook management portion of the Google admin console can feel a bit overwhelming. Here are five straightforward policies that can serve as some “quick wins” in improving your Chromebook deployment.

1. Encourage Healthy Tech Habits – Help students find a balance with screen time. The “Off-hours” policy lets you set times when managed Chromebooks can’t be used. This closes active sessions and prevents logins during those periods, encouraging students to disconnect and rest. It’s a great way to promote healthy tech habits!

• Find it: Devices > Chrome > Settings > Device Settings > Sign-in settings > Device Restriction schedule

2. Make Accessibility Easy – Ensure all students can easily access important accessibility tools by enabling the accessibility menu in the system tray. This provides quick access to features like screen readers while promoting inclusivity and reducing the stigma of using these assistive tools.

• Find it: Devices > Chrome > Settings > User & Browser settings > Accessibility (look for “Show accessibility options in system tray”).

3. Create a Custom Student Start Page Want to make it easier for students to find essential school resources? Set a custom “new tab page” to automatically display a student start page with links to your district’s learning platforms or calendars. It streamlines access and keeps important tools front and center.

• Find it: Devices > Chrome > Settings > User & Browser settings > Startup (look for “New tab page”).

4. Keep Tabs on Downloads – Gain better visibility and control over student downloads by setting Google Drive as the default download location. These files can be reviewed using Google Vault or the audit and investigation tool. Files that are locally saved are invisible.

• Find it: Devices > Chrome > Settings > User & Browser settings > User experience (look for “download location”).

5. Get More Insight with Event Reporting – Unlock valuable data about device usage and user activity! Many useful reports in the Google Admin console are off by default. Enabling event reporting sends user activity to the admin console where it can be reviewed using the audit and investigation tool. Don’t wait for an incident to realize you’re missing crucial information!

• Find it: Devices > Chrome > Settings > User & Browser settings > Browser reporting (look for “event reporting”)

These five simple policies can be adapted for the unique needs of your students to help them get the most out of your classroom tech.

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