The Trump Administration's rollbacks in nutritional standards for school meals have been the subject of much criticism and the basis for a lawsuit. Research into food insecurity and public school meal quality shows that food security and high nutritional standards are essential to any efforts to improve both school equity and student performance.…

This document was created by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) to provide guidance for newly opening charter schools. Use this guide to keep track of MDE deadlines, access the reporting calendar, and follow the steps necessary to ensure you are utilizing all the resources and revenue available from the state. This guidance document does…

The Department of Defense is the only government entity serving more meals daily than New York City public schools, which operates a meal program with a rich history of both progress and regress. This story of New York City school meals is one that shows both local action and inputs of the federal government. A landmark policy change in 2017…

Schools represent an ideal venue to influence dietary habits of large numbers of children. While the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) is mandated to meet clear nutrition standards for calories, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, milk, sodium, fat, and saturated fat, there are no nutritional requirements for packed lunches. This Current Issue…

This article is a compilation of Child Nutrition Showcase research poster abstracts. Abstracts for the following papers are included: (1) Key Performance Indicators for Use as Benchmarking Tools for School Nutrition Programs (Penny Howard and Alicia Landry); (2) Professional Standards and District Directors' Qualifications (Caitlin Merlo); (3)…

To assess education progress in the early grades and identify achievement gaps, this study examined reading achievement data for kindergarten and grade 1 students in two districts in Illinois: District U-46 (Elgin Area Schools) and District 186 (Springfield Public Schools). Drawing on a different reading assessment in each district, the study team…

Individuals have found their lives upended by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and are facing unprecedented challenges in all corners of life. In response, communities have banded together to meet the immediate health, economic, and basic day-to-day needs of families. Joining local efforts, afterschool programs continue to be a source of…

The Guam Department of Education (GDOE) is a single unified and accredited school district consisting of Kindergarten through 12th grade, which administers Head Start, pre-Kindergarten GATE programs, and is piloting Pre-Kindergarten classes at selected schools. The 26 elementary, 8 middle, 6 high and 1 alternative schools serve about 30,000…

The primary source of federal aid to elementary and secondary education is the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)--particularly its Title I-A program, which authorizes federal aid for the education of disadvantaged students. The ESEA was initially enacted in 1965 (P.L. 89- 10) "to strengthen and improve educational quality and…

FNS Research Corner provides a continuing series to summarize recently completed and current research conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) in the area of Child Nutrition Programs (CNPs). Summaries of recently completed research projects and in-progress research are provided in this article.

The Guam Department of Education (GDOE, Department) is a semi-autonomous agency within the Government of Guam (GovGuam) and is primarily funded through the GovGuam General Fund. The GDOE is a single unified school district that serves just under 30,000 students (from Kindergarten to Grade 12). There are 26 elementary schools, 8 middle schools, 6…

ORS 327.016 directs the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) to prepare an annual report on English learner program funding and student outcomes. The report's intention is to describe the population of English Learners in Oregon and provide a summary of district and state progress towards meeting their needs and objectives. This report consists of…

Peer-reviewed research on the effectiveness of salad bars for increasing fruit and vegetable (F/V) intake is limited. This commentary discusses current evidence regarding the effectiveness of salad bars in increasing F/V selection and consumption, thereby reducing food waste. Key findings from this review of the research are that salad bars in…

The American School District Panel (ASDP) is the newest addition to the RAND Corporation's American Educator Panels (AEP), which are designed to survey panels of educators several times each year. RAND recruits AEP members using probabilistic sampling methods, which allow researchers to weight survey results to generalize to the national…

For Chicago to be a strong and vibrant city, it needs to invest in communities, families, and children. Access to a high-quality education and the opportunity to be healthy is key for all children to realize their full potential and contribute to a vibrant city. Studies have consistently documented the powerful connection between health and…