I just have one thing to say:
I’d love to see/read a research report on the ‘achievement gap’ in the context of the type of foods eaten by students at both ends of the spectrum.
From the US Department of Education’s website: http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/studies/gaps/
Achievement Gaps: How Black and White Students in Public Schools Perform in Mathematics and Reading on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) provides detailed information on the size of the achievement gaps between Black and White students at both the national and state level and how those achievement gaps have changed over time. Most of the data in this report is derived from the results of the 2007 main NAEP assessments, and is supplemented with data from the long-term trend assessments.
However, there are initiatives worldwide, like the one at Harvard University to narrow the gap. But very few, if any, report on the disparities or differences between the school lunches and other dietary differences faced by these students. If we feed African-American youth better in school, maybe they’ll ‘perform’ better. Read more about the research efforts of Andrea Grimes regarding nutrition in the African-American community.
Don’t you think a look through this lens would be interesting …or is it just me?!?!?
UPDATE: 11/2009
It looks like I’m not the only one thinking along these lines.
Better Food = Better Achievement
http://www.equityblog.org/2009/11/11/does-better-lunch-make-kids-smarter/
Related posts: