Creating a culture of argumentation in the science classroom requires adequate argumentation competence among future teachers. This study analyzes the impact of instruction based on a validated learning progression on the argumentation competence of preservice elementary science teachers. The focus for the instructional module was the…

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted access to school meal programs, putting children and adolescents at greater risk for food and nutrition insecurity. In response, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) waived restrictions on where free meal sites (FMS) operating through its summer meal programs could locate. This study assesses whether…

The purpose of the study was to explore the challenges experienced by teachers in their role in implementing the National School Nutrition Program in schools within the Harry Gwala District of KwaZulu-Natal. This article is extracted from a Ph.D. thesis that employed a qualitative research design, utilizing a sample of teachers who participate in…

Direct certification has been described by policymakers and academics as a tool which may replace National School Lunch Program (NSLP) eligibility data (Douglas Geverdt, National Center for Education Statistics, personal communication, August 28, 2023). It suggests a policy future in which we change the metric of how we identify disadvantage. On…

Since 2005, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) has recommended that whole grains comprise at least half of total grain consumption. This study used nationally representative food consumption datasets (spanning 1994-2018) to examine trends in whole-grain intakes before and after the establishment of this recommendation. Trends were examined…

Many educational policies hinge on the valid measurement of student economic disadvantage at the school level. Measures based on free and reduced-price lunch enrollment are used widely. However, recent research raises questions about their reliability, particularly following the introduction of universal free lunch in certain schools and…

Purpose: We used data from the National Survey of Children's Health to (1) examine differences in economic hardship and safety net program use after the implementation of federal relief efforts, and (2) assess whether the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated autism-based disparities in hardship and program use. Methods: We examined five dimensions of…

Background: The school food environment is a critically important area to target the health of millions of students, especially those experiencing food insecurity. However, both students and caregivers have noted significant barriers to participation in the school meal program, including taste, lunchroom experience, and limited availability of…

Introduction: Fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption is low among adolescents, and waste of these foods is high in school cafeterias. The objective of this research was to determine the impact of behavioural economic strategies and structural lunchroom changes on FV selection and waste in high-school lunch programmes using the collaborative efforts…

Building on the achievements of the programs of the African Union Commission on school nutrition on the one hand, and striving to achieve the quality standards approved by the United Nations included in the program "Changing the education", and through a review of the health and nutrition literature, using a content analysis guide to…

Objective: We investigated how students' interest in healthy eating changed after the introduction of on-site school lunch, prepared on campus, at a Japanese junior high school. Design: One-year follow-up study. Setting: Participants were 166 students in their second year of study at a public junior high school in Japan which introduced an on-site…

This study investigates the implementation and impact of the community eligibility provision (CEP) in Maryland schools. The Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) is a federal school-based meal service option that allows high poverty schools to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students at no cost. CEP was introduced over the period 2015 to…

This report summarizes findings from the School Meals Operations Study (SMO), part of an ongoing series to assess school meal operations on a school year (SY) basis. This volume of the study covers July 2021 through the end of September 2022 and includes SY 2021-2022. When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, the Families First Coronavirus…

Poor nutritional choices and unhealthy behaviors are considered responsible for the rise in childhood overweight and obesity and may reinforce each other, creating a vicious cycle. This paper studies a primary school intervention designed to break the cycle early in life by replacing date bars with calorie-equivalent meals lower in sugar and fat.…

Purpose/Objective: To describe the perceived benefits and barriers to move beyond Community Eligibility Provisions (CEP) and initiating Universal Free Meals (UFM) in all districts across the U.S. that choose to participate in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP). Methods: Cross-sectional survey conducted in…