The US Department of Agriculture conducted a large experiment with school breakfast programs in public schools from 1999 to 2003, alternately providing either universal breakfasts or breakfast-in-class programs aimed at both expanding access and eliminating the stigma associated with the school breakfast program. Policymakers have long been concerned with low participation rates in the breakfast program and these experiments were designed to combat that problem. It worked: participation in the school breakfast programs rose. The problem, a new study finds, is that the expanded participation brought largely no benefit to those it was intended to help. A 2006 Journal of the American Dietetic Association study concluded that "making universal-free school breakfast available" failed to change "students' dietary outcomes" or reduce the number of kids who skipped breakfast. Similarly, a 2006 Journal of Child Nutrition and Management study and a recent University of North Carolina study concluded that providing universal free breakfasts failed to improve academic performance.....snip~ http://townhall.com/tipsheet/keving...am-offers-little-benefit-to-students-n1864585 What are your thoughts on this issue? Do you think when the Left starts talking about Education and more money that Studies....like this one, should be used to point out where the Waste comes in?
My general observation as a teacher and having monitored free breakfasts, is that most didn't eat much, they drank their juice and ate something if they reallly liked it. Most kids were having breakfast at home.
Mornin Perdidochas. My wife is also a Teacher and she sees it the same way. That's not to say she doesn't think there are kids who go without eating or knowing where their next meal is coming from.
Yep.....not to mention the food that was wasted. So like the article states.....a good intention. That just grew to become a problem. Of course this study coming out now.....should also play into MO's Lunch program.
First, public education is not a left versus right discussion. You can go there but you'll waste yours and everyone's time. In bold above; School breakfasts were never meant to 'change dietary outcomes'? If even one kid had a school breakfast, then they increased the number of kids who did not skip breakfast. When a person is malnourished, or hungry, you actually believe they can study and achieve at the same levels as others who have full nutrition and plenty of food? Consider the study was done in NC. IMO, the public education system, should provide breakfast and lunch, free of charge, to all students, no questions asked...