How Does Healthier School Lunches Improve Test Scores?

Rachel Peters

Mr.James

AICE English Language

02 February 2018

A typical school lunch consists of a fruit or vegetable, milk, and a main meal. Whether it be a chicken sandwich, or a slice of pizza, the government has set restrictions on what is served in school cafeterias. Some schools even offer an à la carte lunch line for items such as cookies and ice cream. After Barack Obama was inaugurated in January of 2009, First Lady Michelle Obama made it a goal to have nutritional meals at school. Her reasoning was that the meals served in cafeterias were far from nutritious, and detrimental to our youth. A study was conducted on the correlation of school food and test scores and the results made it clear. It was found that “The difference in average

The purpose was to test how accurate the claim is that healthier school meals can improve test scores. To do this, they “exploit longitudinal variation in California school districts’ meal vendors and estimate difference-in-differences type regressions.” (Anderson 2) The nutritional quality of the meals were measured using the Healthy Eating Index, or HEI. The HEI is described as “the measure of diet quality preferred by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) (USDA 2006) and has previously been used by researchers to evaluate menus at fast-food restaurants and child-care centers” (Anderson 2). They found through their extensive research, that students performed better on the STAR test after choosing from a healthier vendor. Government restrictions on school lunch has a positive impact on test

Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) in 2010 with the aim of increasing the minimum nutritional standards that school lunches must meet. The nutrition makeover included: increasing the amount of whole grains, shifting to fat free or low-fat milks, offering fruits and vegetables, and reducing the amount of sodium (School Lunch Debate:What’s At Stake?). In our school alone, 1,009 of the 2,227 students qualify for free or reduced lunch (Free/Reduced Lunches By School). With that being said, almost half of the students depend on the meals provided at school. The nutritional value, or lack of, can significantly affect test scores. With the change in lunch regulations, came an increase in preliminary grade. In 2009, William T. Dwyer High school had a “B” rating. After the adjustment in school lunch, the school had an “A” rating, solely based off of test scores (Florida School Ratings). This deems to be true for a majority of the schools in Palm Beach County. At Inlet Grove High School, located in Riviera Beach, eighty-two percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunch (Florida School Ratings). In 2009, the school received a “D” rating. However, after the transformation of government regulations, the school’s rating has skyrocketed to a “B” (Florida School