A new study from the University of Iowa
reinforces the connection between good nutrition and good grades, finding that
free school breakfasts help students from low-income families perform better
academically.
The study finds students who attend schools that
participate in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's School Breakfast Program
(SBP) have higher achievement scores in math, science, and reading than
students in schools that don't participate.
"These results suggest that the persistent
exposure to the relatively more nutritious breakfast offered through the
subsidized breakfast program throughout elementary school can yield important
gains in achievement," says researcher David Frisvold, assistant professor
of economics in the Tippie College of Business.
The federal government started the SBP for
children from low-income families in 1966. The program is administered in
coordination with state governments, many of which require local school
districts to offer subsidized breakfasts if a certain percentage of their overall
enrollment comes from families that meet income eligibility guidelines.
Frisvold conducted his study by examining
academic performance from students in schools that are just below the
threshold--and thus not required to offer free breakfasts--and those that are
just over it--and thus do offer them.
He found the schools that offered free
breakfasts showed significantly better academic performance than schools that
did not, and that the impact was cumulative so that the longer the school
participated in the SBP, the higher their achievement. Math scores were about
25 percent higher at participating schools during a students' elementary school
tenure than would be expected otherwise.
Reading and science scores showed similar gains,
Frisvold says.
Frisvold says the study suggests subsidized breakfast programs
are an effective tool to help elementary school students from low income
families achieve more in school and be better prepared for later life.
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